Surveillance Secure Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Surveillance Secure is a security franchise that designs, installs, and maintains commercial security camera and access-control systems. Franchisees run local operations, managing installs, service, and business accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Surveillance Secure franchise requires a total initial investment of $116K – $174K, including a $55K – $75K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2021 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.4M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2021 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $116K – $174K
- 40th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.4M
- Company-owned onlyn=118th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 8th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 2
- 6th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services 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 $116K – $174K including a $55K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $2.4M/year (median $2.4M) (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Surveillance Secure Franchising LLC
- Predecessor
- US Control Systems LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Kim Hartman
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 4102 Harvard Place, Frederick, Maryland 21703
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kim Hartman
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2021
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 48% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2021 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2021 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $55K | $55K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $61K | $119K |
| Total initial investment | $116K | $174K |
Source: Surveillance Secure 2021 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
- $116K – $174K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- N/A
- Cash you must have on hand
- Franchise fee
- $55K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 63% above the business services norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
Source: FDD 2021 · Item 19
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
$364K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
94%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
13 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Surveillance Secure unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
94%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Surveillance Secure units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
29.9%
3.70× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.70×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$8.6M
on $19.4M purchase
Total debt
$10.8M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
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: 2021 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Avg gross sales
- $2.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.4M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate Performance
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 35 · small
- Reported figure
- $2.4M
- A single outlet — not a range
- Reporting year
- 2020
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2021
- Disclosed in the 2021 filing, covering 2020
- Transparency
- 9 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 296 Business Services brands
Revenue is 16.8x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $2.4M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 16.8x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% — below the Business Services average of 11.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 9/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence. Sample size of 1 unit — treat as directional only.
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 Business Services averages
How Surveillance Secure Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2021 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 50%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 8
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Will Biggerman, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of West Virginia (In Re Charles Herman Biggerman Case No. 3-12-490-00103) on January 31, 2012. Discharge granted on August 11, 2012.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
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 41 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative net worth -$107,522, net loss -$141,935 (early-stage)
- 02MINORVery small: 2 units total
- 03HIGHOld 2012 personal officer bankruptcy, discharged — low weight
- 04MEDNo litigation, no going-concern; Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2021 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Population-based (Zip codes) |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 48 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 52 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- ConnectWise
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ConnectWise
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Surveillance Secure franchise?
The total investment to open a Surveillance Secure franchise ranges from $116K – $174K, with an initial franchise fee of $55K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Surveillance Secure franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Surveillance Secure FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.4M. The median is $2.4M. Important context: Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance; Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Surveillance Secure 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 Surveillance Secure FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Surveillance Secure's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Surveillance Secure (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 Surveillance Secure franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Surveillance Secure has 2 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Surveillance Secure a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Surveillance Secure as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 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
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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.