The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Barbershop, A Hair Salon for Men is a men's grooming franchise offering haircuts, shaves, and grooming in a sports-bar-style setting. Franchisees run the shops, managing barbers, scheduling, and retail products.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place franchise requires a total initial investment of $155K – $282K, including a $15K – $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $461K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $155K – $282K
- 13th pct Personal Care…
- Avg gross sales
- $461K
- 10th pct Personal Care…
- Royalty
- 4.5%
- 2nd pct Personal Care…
- Units
- 49
- 33rd pct Personal Care…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Personal Care & Beauty · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Personal Care & Beauty 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 $155K – $282K including a $35K franchise fee, 4.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $461K/year (median $473K).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 69/100 (higher is better).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- The Barbershop a Hair Salon for Men, LLC
- Predecessor
- and Affiliates
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Brian J. Bowe
- Incorporated in
- Wisconsin
- HQ
- 1369 Mourning Dove Court, De Pere, WI 54115-9518
- Auditor
- KerberRose SC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $419K
- vs $468K prior year
Affiliated brands
- The Barbershop of SE Wisconsin
- We have offered Salon franchises s
- of ours or a licensee or franchisee of ours or our affiliate
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brian J. Bowe
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 10
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 58% below the typical personal care & beauty franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35K | $35K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Training for 2 people | $2K | $4K | |
| Security Deposit and Rent | $2K | $6K | |
| Licenses, Dues, Utilities Deposits | $500 | $2K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $10K | $23K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $70K | $150K | |
| Opening Inventory | $2K | $3K | |
| POS Computer System and Software | $2K | $4K | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $1K | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $500 | $3K | |
| Signage | $4K | $9K | |
| Insurance | $600 | $2K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds | $15K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $155K | $282K |
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $155K – $282K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.5%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $50 |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $3K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
A 6.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 42% below the personal care & beauty norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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
$117K
25.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
49%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
25 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 The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
49%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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 The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.7M
on $8.5M purchase
Total debt
$6.8M
SBA $4.3M + 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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $461K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $473K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 34
- vs category median 38
- Range (low → high)
- $86K→$828K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $242K→$702K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 179 Personal Care & Beauty brands
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 $461K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.1x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.5% — below the Personal Care & Beauty average of 7.8%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -4.1% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Personal Care & Beauty averages
How The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 49
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.3%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 96%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -4.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -4.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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
Clean profile: no litigation, no bankruptcy, no going-concern, positive net worth $207,904 and net income $301,663, audited, Item 19 disclosed. Minor -4.1% unit decline is not material.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · KerberRose SC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 69 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy
- 02MINORPositive net worth $207,904, net income $301,663
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, audited financials
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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 | 5 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Wisconsin |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 48 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 47 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisor
- POS system
- MyTime
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MyTime
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
45 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place franchise?
The total investment to open a The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place franchise ranges from $155K – $282K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $461K. The median is $473K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place 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 The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place (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 The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place has 49 total units in the United States, including 47 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Barbershop / The Guy’s Place as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 69 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?
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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.