The Glass GuruFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Glass Guru franchise requires a total initial investment of $141K – $369K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $740K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 7.1% charge-off rate across 27 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $141K – $369K
- 53rd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $740K
- 28th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 28th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 81
- 58th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- 7.1%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Cleaning & Maintenance 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $141K – $369K including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $740K/year (median $659K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 50/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 7.1% across 27 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- The Glass Guru Enterprises, Inc.
- Predecessor
- The Glass Guru Franchise Systems
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President/CEO
- Daniel Frey
- CEO experience
- 18 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 5550 Granite Parkway Suite 280, Plano, TX 75024
- Auditor
- CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.7M
- vs $4.9M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- have offered franchises in any other line of business
- Roseville Glass Partners
- has
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
The Glass Guru franchisees operate mobile or shop-based glass repair and replacement services, serving residential and commercial customers with windshield repair, window replacement, and related glass services. Day-to-day operations include customer scheduling, on-site or in-shop glass work, parts inventory management, and service delivery within their protected territory.
- CEO
- Daniel Frey
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 24
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $50K | $200K | |
| Real Estate/Rent | $4K | $8K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $500 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $500 | $2K | |
| Insurance | $500 | $3K | |
| Office/Shop Equipment and Supplies | $5K | $9K | |
| Glass Restoration Tools | $1K | $1K | |
| Training Expenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Signage | $3K | $4K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $500 | $4K | |
| Computer Equipment | $1K | $5K | |
| Software Systems | $1K | $3K | |
| Phone System | $500 | $3K | |
| Vehicles & Modifications | $15K | $25K | |
| Initial Local Advertising | $4K | $8K | |
| Brand Identity Package | $0 | $5K | |
| Licenses & Permits | $2K | $4K | |
| Legal & Accounting | $3K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds/Working Capital (3 months) | $50K | $80K | |
| Total initial investment | $141K | $369K |
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
$74K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $141K – $369K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $80K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $200K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $6K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $740K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $659K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 66 units
- vs category median 31 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $125K→$2.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $363K→$952K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How The Glass Guru Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 81
- Opened
- 12
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 4
- Turnover rate
- 4.9%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 50.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +11.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +3.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Projected new
- 14
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 3.9%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 5.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 7 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
- California
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Virginia
- Washington
- 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.
- Total loans
- 27
- Loan volume
- $3.8M
- Median loan
- $99K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 7.1%
- 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)
- 92.3%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 16
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into The Glass Guru's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 13 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 11-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Glass Guru presents moderate-to-cautionary risk due to missing profitability data, modest growth trajectory, high capital requirements, and gross-sales-based royalties that lack income transparency.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information required to be disclosed
Largest disclosed settlement: $500,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CliftonLarsonAllen 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 50 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — unable to validate actual profitability against $740K average revenue claim
- 02MINORHigh initial investment range ($140K–$369K) with no transparent breakdown of how capital is deployed
- 03MEDModest unit growth (11.1% YoY) with only 81 units suggests limited brand momentum and market saturation risk in protected territories
- 04MINOR7% royalty on gross sales (not net) means franchisees pay regardless of profitability
- 05MINORFranchise fee ($49,500) represents 6.7% of minimum investment — high front-loaded cost before operations begin
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosed is positive, but small unit count limits visibility into systemic legal patterns
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Zip Codes |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Collin County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 36 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 56 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- FieldPulse
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: FieldPulse
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
8 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Glass Guru · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Glass Guru franchise?
The total investment to open a The Glass Guru franchise ranges from $141K – $369K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Glass Guru franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Glass Guru FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $740K. The median is $659K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Glass Guru's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, The Glass Guru has a charge-off rate of 7.1% across 27 loans, meaning 7.1% 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 The Glass Guru franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Glass Guru has 81 total units in the United States, including 71 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 12 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Glass Guru a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Glass Guru as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 50 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.