Zoomin Groomin® Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $64K – $188K
- Disclosed sales
- $206K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- on 12 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Zoomin Groomin is a mobile pet grooming franchise that brings full-service grooming to customers' driveways in equipped vans. Franchisees operate as area representatives, recruiting and supporting mobile grooming units across a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Zoomin Groomin® franchise requires a total initial investment of $64K – $188K, including a $45K franchise fee. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $206K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 12 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 scored6 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $64K – $188K
- 15th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $206K
- 6th pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 70
- 72nd pct Pet Services
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Pet 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 $64K – $188K including a $45K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $206K/year (median $203K).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 74/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 12 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +55 franchised outlets in the latest year (55 opened, 0 closed); 18 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 90.0% CAGR over 3 years with 70 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Zoomin Groomin USA LLC
- Parent company
- Loyalty, LLC
- Predecessor
- ZG Enterprises, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO
- Joshua Fitzgerald
- Incorporated in
- Virginia
- HQ
- 780 Lynnhaven Parkway, Suite 240, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
- Auditor
- BRC (brc.cpa), Raleigh, North Carolina
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.7M
- vs $206K prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1
8 other brands on this site name Loyalty, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- ATAXB
- Cooper’s ScoopersC
- Hike DoggieD
- LedgersF
- Loyalty Business BrokersC
- Loyalty Business ServicesB
- Salty Dawg Pet SalonD
- The Inspection Boys® (Area Representative)D
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2024 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
- Joshua Fitzgerald
- Headquarters
- Virginia
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 21
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 62% below the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $5K | $10K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $14K | $133K |
| Total initial investment | $64K | $188K |
Source: Zoomin Groomin® 2024 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
- $64K – $188K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $10K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Royalty Fee is 8% of Gross Revenue, with a $125/week mini…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 25.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $350 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 25.0% of rev |
At 25.0% total fee load, roughly $52K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 66% below the pet services norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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 Zoomin Groomin® 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, 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
$133K
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 Zoomin Groomin® 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, 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, 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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $206K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $203K
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
- 11 outlets
- vs category median 12
- Range (low → high)
- $122K→$272KCited, not corroborated — printed on page 43 of the 2024 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- 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 69 Pet Services 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 $206K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.6x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 25.0% — above the Pet Services median of 8.0%.
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 expanding at 90.0% CAGR over 3 years across 70 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 Pet Services medians
How Zoomin Groomin® Compares
Category median of published Pet 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 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 70
- Opened
- 55
- 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
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +90.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +90.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 18
- 0.26 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 24
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 21 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.
21
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 12
- Loan volume
- $1.4M
- Median loan
- $148K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- on 12 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
- 8
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 10.8%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 10.4%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 42
- 2.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 42%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 83% went to startups / new businesses, 17% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in pet care (except veterinary) services, franchised businesses charge off at 10.4% vs 11.3% for independents — franchising is associated with 8% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Zoomin Groomin® franchisees
Showing 3 of 8 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 Zoomin Groomin® from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 73%
- Avg interest rate
- 10.75%
- Lender concentration
- 41.7%
- Job velocity
- 2.9 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 4.6%
- NAICS 812910
- Jobs supported
- 42
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 42% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 5 | $365K | 0.0% |
| 2 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 1 | $150K | N/A |
| 3 | Zions Bank, A Division of | 1 | $150K | N/A |
| 4 | First Bank of the Lake | 1 | $178K | N/A |
| 5 | Bankwell Bank | 1 | $180K | N/A |
| 6 | First Commonwealth Bank | 1 | $120K | N/A |
| 7 | Northeast Bank | 1 | $146K | N/A |
| 8 | Readycap Lending, LLC | 1 | $154K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TNTennessee | 3 | 0 | -- |
| OHOhio | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 2 | 0 | -- |
| COColorado | 1 | 0 | -- |
| IDIdaho | 1 | 0 | -- |
| MIMichigan | 1 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | -- |
| PAPennsylvania | 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 12 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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Multiple pending civil suits and an arbitration against CEO John T. Hewitt and affiliates (fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract) arising from unrelated ATAX/Ledgers ventures; a concluded 2021 federal trademark/tortious-interference suit settled for $545,000; a California DFPI consent order requiring Hewitt to disclose a prior federal consent order in future FDDs; and a DOJ action against unrelated Liberty Tax Service naming Hewitt's prior employer.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BRC (brc.cpa), Raleigh, North Carolina
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
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPre-opening: 0 units, $0 revenue, no operating history
- 02HIGH7 litigation matters but all personal to Chairman (6 concluded, 1 pending), not franchisor entity
- 03MINORThin net worth $39,797, no bankruptcy/going-concern
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 25.0% 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 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 125,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 | 15 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Virginia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 6 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Multiple pending civil suits and an arbitration against CEO John T. Hewitt and affiliates (fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract) arising from unrelated ATAX/Ledgers ventures; a concluded 2021 federal trademark/tortious-interference suit settled for $545,000; a California DFPI consent order requiring Hewitt to disclose a prior federal consent order in future FDDs; and a DOJ action against unrelated Liberty Tax Service naming Hewitt's prior employer.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Virginia Beach, VA, another designated training center, or online (Zoom)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (no site selection assistance offered; may operate from home or office)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- HubSpot / Sales Msg / Zoom Professional / Microsoft Office
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: HubSpot / Sales Msg / Zoom Professional / Microsoft Office
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
6 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 Zoomin Groomin® franchise?
The total investment to open a Zoomin Groomin® franchise ranges from $64K – $188K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Zoomin Groomin® franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Zoomin Groomin® FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $206K. The median is $203K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Zoomin Groomin®?
Zoomin Groomin® is franchised by Zoomin Groomin USA LLC. Its parent company is Loyalty, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Zoomin Groomin® 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 Zoomin Groomin® FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Zoomin Groomin®'s franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Zoomin Groomin® has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 12 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 Zoomin Groomin® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Zoomin Groomin® has 70 total units in the United States, including 70 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 55 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Zoomin Groomin® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Zoomin Groomin® as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 74 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.