Varsity Zone Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $204K – $269K
- Disclosed sales
- $1.4M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Varsity Zone is a home services franchise providing HVAC heating, cooling, and ventilation services. Franchisees run local operations, dispatching technicians and managing scheduling and sales.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Varsity Zone franchise requires a total initial investment of $204K – $269K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $1.4M. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2024. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored4 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $204K – $269K
- 78th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- Per franchisee, not per outletCompany-owned only1 franchisee
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 8th pct Home Services
- Units
- 6
- 12th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · 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 $204K – $269K including a $60K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $1.4M/year (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance). Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +6 franchised outlets in the latest year (6 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- FLAGRevenue data based on only 1 franchisee. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- HPB HVAC LLC
- Parent company
- JEZ Investments LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- Amped Services Plus, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Anthony "Tony" Hulbert
- Incorporated in
- Pennsylvania
- HQ
- 2525 N. 117th Avenue, Third Floor, Omaha, Nebraska 68164
- Auditor
- Forvis Mazars, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $212K
- vs $869K prior year
Affiliated brands
- HorsePower Nation
- HPB HVAC Holdings
- HPB Automotive Sales
- HPB Accounting
- HPB Blinds and Shutters
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 11
8 other brands on this site name JEZ Investments LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- BUMBLE BEE BLINDSA
- Blingle!B
- Gatsby GlassB
- Groovy Hues Peace Love Paint PowerwashB
- Heroes Lawn CareB
- Mighty Dog RoofingA
- Stand Strong FencingA
- iFoamF
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Anthony "Tony" Hulbert
- Headquarters
- NE
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 41% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Insurance (90 days)not refundable | $5K | $8K | |
| Tuition Feenot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Trainingnot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Emerging Business Academynot refundable | $10K | $10K | |
| Opening Packagenot refundable | $5K | $7K | |
| Initial Inventory Packagenot refundable | $5K | $8K | |
| Rent and Utilities (90 days)not refundable | $7K | $15K | |
| Vehiclesnot refundable | $36K | $41K | |
| Licenses Certificates and Permitsnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $1K | $11K | |
| Technology Feenot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Special Software Feenot refundable | $900 | $900 | |
| Contact Center Feenot refundable | $1K | $4K | |
| Dues and Subscriptionsnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Brand Marketing Feenot refundable | $16K | $16K | |
| Initial Marketing Expenditure and Local Advertising Expenditure (90 days)not refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Digital Management Feenot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Accounting Services Feenot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $204K | $269K |
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
- $204K – $269K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $12K |
| Renewal fee | $12K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $8K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 135% above the home services norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single franchisee - not a system average
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Varsity Zone until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$266K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Varsity Zone unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single franchisee - not a system average
- Avg gross sales
- $1.4M
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Historical
- Sample size
- 1 franchisee
- vs category median 32 · small
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 5 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average franchisee generates $1.4M/year in gross sales. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Home Services median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 5/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence. Sample size of 1 franchisee — 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 Home Services medians
How Varsity Zone Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 6
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 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
- California
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- South Dakota
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
18 current owners across 8 states.
- TX 5
- FL 3
- AZ 2
- GA 2
- NC 2
- TN 2
- CO 1
- IN 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $325K
- Median loan
- $325K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 1 loan, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- 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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Two pending matters disclosed: (1) JMR Capital Holdings, Inc. et al. v. MDR United LLC et al. (D.N.J. No. 2:25-cv-18583), alleging fraudulent/negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and consumer protection violations by franchisor affiliate MDR United LLC and individuals, seeking rescission and damages; (2) Beutler Holdings, LLC and Zachery Beutler v. Joshua Skolnick, Skolnick Holdings, LLC, and JEZ Investments, LLC (AAA arbitration, Omaha, NE), a governance/ownership dispute involving the franchisor's parent company alleging fraudulent misrepresentation, minority oppression, and breach of fiduciary duty. No bankruptcy disclosed. No concluded actions.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Forvis Mazars, LLP
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: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative franchisor net worth -$725,133
- 02HIGH2 pending suits incl. fraud/misrepresentation/rescission against affiliate
- 03MINORTiny system (6 units), pre-opening/early stage
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 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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| 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 |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Bucks County, Pennsylvania (AAA) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two pending matters disclosed: (1) JMR Capital Holdings, Inc. et al. v. MDR United LLC et al. (D.N.J. No. 2:25-cv-18583), alleging fraudulent/negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and consumer protection violations by franchisor affiliate MDR United LLC and individuals, seeking rescission and damages; (2) Beutler Holdings, LLC and Zachery Beutler v. Joshua Skolnick, Skolnick Holdings, LLC, and JEZ Investments, LLC (AAA arbitration, Omaha, NE), a governance/ownership dispute involving the franchisor's parent company alleging fraudulent misrepresentation, minority oppression, and breach of fiduciary duty. No bankruptcy disclosed. No concluded actions.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 83 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 22 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and at franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee, subject to franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- ServiceTitan
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ServiceTitan
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
18 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Varsity Zone franchise?
The total investment to open a Varsity Zone franchise ranges from $204K – $269K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Varsity Zone franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Varsity Zone FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.4M. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures; Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance; Based on a single franchisee - not a system average. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Varsity Zone?
Varsity Zone is franchised by HPB HVAC LLC. Its parent company is JEZ Investments LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Varsity Zone 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 Varsity Zone FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Varsity Zone's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Varsity Zone (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 Varsity Zone franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Varsity Zone has 6 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Varsity Zone a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Varsity Zone as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.