Starting StrengthFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Starting Strength franchise requires a total initial investment of $237K – $713K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.4M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 25.0% charge-off rate across 12 loans[1]. Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $237K – $713K
- 46th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- 51st pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 55th pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 25
- 60th pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA default
- 25.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Health & Fitness avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 3.0x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
25.0% of SBA loans charged off across 12 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Bottom line
- Total investment $237K – $713K including a $40K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.4M/year.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 95/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 25.0% across 12 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 47.1% CAGR over 3 years with 25 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Strength Train LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Nicholas “Nick” Delgadillo
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- ID
- HQ
- 2976 E. State Street, Suite 120, #2062, Eagle, Idaho 83616
- Auditor
- Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $697K
- vs $780K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Starting Strength franchisees operate strength training coaching facilities, delivering barbell-based fitness programming to members through group classes and personal coaching. Day-to-day operations include class instruction, member onboarding, facility management, and coaching staff supervision. Revenue is generated through membership fees and coaching services.
- CEO
- Nicholas “Nick” Delgadillo
- Headquarters
- ID
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 14
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 21 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $40K | |
| Real Estate/Lease (3 months + Deposit) | $6K | $49K | |
| Real Estate Consulting Fees | $300 | $11K | |
| Construction Management Fees | $4K | $20K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $70K | $250K | |
| Equipment, Finishes, Furniture, Fixtures & Supplies | $61K | $157K | |
| Signage | $25K | $50K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $3K | $9K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $6K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $1K | |
| Business License and Permits | $2K | $18K | |
| Technology Fees paid to Franchisornot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Other Technology Fees | $789 | $3K | |
| Computer System and Related Hardware | $1K | $4K | |
| Professional Fees | $6K | $13K | |
| Architectural Fees | $5K | $15K | |
| Management Development Program | $5K | $12K | |
| Marketing Agency Management Feesnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Recruiting Feesnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $1K | $45K | |
| Total initial investment | $301K | $812K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$404K
28.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
81%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
15 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $237K – $713K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $408 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 28 units
- vs category median 11 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $64K→$2.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 0 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 180 Health & Fitness brands
vs Health & Fitness averages
How Starting Strength Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 25
- Opened
- 6
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +13.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +47.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 12.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 12
- Loan volume
- $3.6M
- Median loan
- $348K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 25.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 75.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 25.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Starting Strength's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 9 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 8 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 25.0% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 4 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Modest growth, opaque financials, and questionable franchisor health create meaningful uncertainty around unit profitability and franchisor viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Lavine, Lofgren, Morris & Engelberg, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 95 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure (average unit volume, net income) prevents ROI validation
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is False — suggests potential franchisor financial instability or accounting irregularities
- 03MEDModest unit growth of 13.6% YoY with only 25 total units indicates slow market penetration and limited brand momentum
- 04MINORWide investment range ($237K-$712K) suggests highly variable unit economics or inconsistent franchisee buildouts
- 05MED8% royalty on undisclosed revenue makes it impossible to model profitability — franchisees may be subsidizing franchisor
- 06HIGHNo disclosed litigation history could indicate either clean record OR incomplete disclosure in FDD
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Ada County, Idaho |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Idaho |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- online and with Host Franchisee
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
32 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Starting Strength · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Starting Strength franchise?
The total investment to open a Starting Strength franchise ranges from $237K – $713K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Starting Strength franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Starting Strength FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.4M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Starting Strength's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Starting Strength has a charge-off rate of 25.0% across 12 loans, meaning 25.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Starting Strength franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Starting Strength has 25 total units in the United States, including 17 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Starting Strength a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Starting Strength as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 95 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.