Weed Man Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $69K – $87K
- Disclosed sales
- $1.5M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- on 14 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Weed Man is a home-services franchise providing lawn fertilization, weed control, and turf care for homes and businesses. Franchisees run a route-based operation with technician crews on recurring seasonal service plans in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Weed Man franchise requires a total initial investment of $69K – $87K, including a $20K – $34K franchise fee. Per the 2022 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $1.5M. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 14 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
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 4 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $69K – $87K
- 14th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.5M
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 232
- 77th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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 $69K – $87K including a $20K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $1.5M/year. Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 100/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +18 franchised outlets in the latest year (18 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Midwest Lawn Care, LLC
- Parent company
- Turf Holdings Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2022 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- TH Canada, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2022 FDD
- CEO title
- CEO (of Turf Holdings Inc.)
- Jennifer Lemcke
- Incorporated in
- Wisconsin
- HQ
- 2211 Eagle Dr., Middleton, WI 53562
- Auditor
- Brock, Schechter & Polakoff, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.6M
- vs $10.5M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jennifer Lemcke
- Headquarters
- Wisconsin
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 36
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 54% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $25K | $26K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $24K | $40K |
| Total initial investment | $69K | $87K |
Source: Weed Man 2022 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
- $69K – $87K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $26K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $34K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- A flat annual royalty per production vehicle, tiered by f…
- Ad fund
- 20% of the Lawn Care Royalty paid for each production veh…
- Total fee load
- 8.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Lawn Care Royalty is a flat annual per-production-vehicle fee (2022 rates): $13,571.68/yr for each of the first two vehicles, $9,500.18/yr for the third vehicle, and $6,785.84/yr for each subsequent vehicle, CPI-adjusted annually from a November 1, 1995 base year. Separately, Pest Control Royalty is 6% of monthly Gross Work Done for Mosquito Control and Perimeter Pest Control services. |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $50 |
| Total fee load | 8.3% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 150% above the home services norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Source: FDD 2022 · 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 Weed Man 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 royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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
$104K
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 Weed Man 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 royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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 royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $1.5M
- 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.
- Sample size
- 125 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · large
- Reporting year
- 2021
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2022
- Disclosed in the 2022 filing, covering 2021
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 $1.5M/year in gross sales.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.3% (near the Home Services median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 0/10 — minimal disclosure beyond the required average. Hard to judge the distribution of outcomes across units.
Operator retention
System expanding at 12.0% CAGR over 3 years across 232 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 Home Services medians
How Weed Man 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 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 232
- Opened
- 18
- 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
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +12.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +12.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 14
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 23 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
94 current owners across 23 states.
- MI 10
- IL 9
- GA 7
- CT 6
- OK 6
- OH 5
- SC 5
- AL 4
- AR 4
- KS 4
- MS 4
- NC 4
- +11 more states
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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 14
- Loan volume
- $2.4M
- Median loan
- $140K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- on 14 loans · 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 13
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 19.3%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 117
- 4.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 14%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 38% went to startups / new businesses, 62% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in landscaping services, franchised businesses charge off at 19.3% vs 13.3% for independents — franchising is associated with 45% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Weed Man charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Weed Man franchisees
Showing 3 of 13 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Weed Man from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 65%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.29%
- Lender concentration
- 14.3%
- Job velocity
- 4.8 per $100K
- Startup risk premium
- 0.0pp
- NAICS benchmark
- 17.7%
- NAICS 561730
- Jobs supported
- 117
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 14% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American National Bank | 2 | $132K | 0.0% |
| 2 | Libertyville Bank & Trust Company, National Association | 1 | $205K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Columbia Bank | 1 | $130K | N/A |
| 4 | Glacier Bank | 1 | $36K | 0.0% |
| 5 | Tompkins Community Bank | 1 | $60K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Mountain West Small Business Finance | 1 | $250K | 0.0% |
| 7 | First National Bank of Michigan | 1 | $510K | N/A |
| 8 | The Huntington National Bank | 1 | $150K | 0.0% |
| 9 | Comerica Bank | 1 | $414K | N/A |
| 10 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 1 | $150K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIMichigan | 2 | 0 | -- |
| NENebraska | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CACalifornia | 1 | 0 | -- |
| ILIllinois | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| KYKentucky | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MTMontana | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NYNew York | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OKOklahoma | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| PAPennsylvania | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 14 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Financially strong: net income $778,038, audited, Item 19 disclosed (avg gross sales $1.47M), 233 units with 12% growth and zero turnover. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern. Only minor flag is a thin net worth of $294,338 relative to earnings.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Brock, Schechter & Polakoff, 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: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 100 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORThin net worth $294,338 relative to $778,038 net income
- 02HIGHNo litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, avg gross sales $1,468,589
- 04MINOR233 units, 12% growth, 0% turnover
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.3% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · 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 | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | Unit Territory based on population |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 58 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- WEMMS.net
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: WEMMS.net
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
94 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 Weed Man franchise?
The total investment to open a Weed Man franchise ranges from $69K – $87K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Weed Man franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Weed Man FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.5M. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Weed Man?
Weed Man is franchised by Midwest Lawn Care, LLC. Its parent company is Turf Holdings Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is TH Canada, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2022 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Weed Man 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 Weed Man FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Weed Man's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Weed Man has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 14 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Weed Man franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Weed Man has 232 total units in the United States, including 232 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 18 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Weed Man a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Weed Man as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 100 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.