Sunbelt Business Brokers Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Sunbelt Business Brokers is a business-brokerage franchise that helps people buy and sell small and mid-size businesses. Franchisees run a brokerage office valuing businesses, sourcing buyers and sellers, and earning commissions on deals.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise requires a total initial investment of $61K – $115K, including a $40K – $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $61K – $115K
- 41st pct Real Estate
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 8th pct Real Estate
- Units
- 130
- 56th pct Real Estate
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Real Estate · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Real Estate avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $61K – $115K including a $40K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 74/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- MMI Business Brokers, LLC
- Parent company
- SB Administrative Services, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Marathon Management Services II, LLC
- Predecessor
- Sunbelt Business Brokers Network, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Brian Knoderer
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 7100 E. Pleasant Valley Road, Suite 300, Independence, Ohio 44131
- Auditor
- Ciuni & Panichi, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.8M
- vs $1.5M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brian Knoderer
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 2005
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 44
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 59% below the typical real estate franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $45K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $7K | $30K |
| Total initial investment | $61K | $115K |
Source: Sunbelt Business Brokers 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $61K – $115K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $45K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- Monthly Marketing Fee · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 4.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $2K |
| Total fee load | 4.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Sunbelt Business Brokers did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Sunbelt Business Brokers unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
102%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 4.0% — below the Real Estate average of 9.1%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 11.1% CAGR over 3 years across 130 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Real Estate averages
How Sunbelt Business Brokers Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 130
- Opened
- 9
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.7%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +11.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +11.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 6
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 36 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $5.0M
- Median loan
- $423K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (6 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Positive franchisor net worth of $939,386 and net income of $327,014 on $1.8M revenue; no litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern. Healthy 130-unit system growing +11.1%. Only gap is no Item 19 disclosure.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ciuni & Panichi, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 02MINORPositive equity $939,386, net income $327,014
- 03MINORGrowing +11.1%, clean legal flags, audited
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- POS system
- Sunbelt Brokerage Management System (SBMS)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Sunbelt Brokerage Management System (SBMS)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
103 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Sunbelt Business Brokers · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise?
The total investment to open a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise ranges from $61K – $115K, 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 Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise owners earn?
Sunbelt Business Brokers does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Sunbelt Business Brokers FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Sunbelt Business Brokers FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Sunbelt Business Brokers's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Sunbelt Business Brokers (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Sunbelt Business Brokers has 130 total units in the United States, including 129 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 9 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Sunbelt Business Brokers a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Sunbelt Business Brokers as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 74 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Sunbelt Business Brokers, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.