Sunbelt Business Brokers Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Sunbelt Business Brokers discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Franchisor explicitly declines to provide financial performance representations. No earnings claims made.
What a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $44,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 4% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $61,400 – $114,500 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
4% marketing fee capped at $40k/year; tech fee $250/month; minimum marketing $1,600-$1,200/month after year 4.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Sunbelt Business Brokers system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 130 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 1 |
| Transferred to new owners | 3 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Low terminations/ceased ops. Minimal transfers suggest stability.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Sunbelt Business Brokers worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $61,400 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.5%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Sunbelt Business Brokers
The franchisor's framing: Franchisor explicitly declines to provide financial performance representations. No earnin… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $61,400–$114,500, including a $44,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise owners make?
- Sunbelt Business Brokers discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise fees?
- Sunbelt Business Brokers' FDD discloses a $44,500 initial franchise fee, a 4% royalty on gross sales, a 4% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 4% marketing fee capped at $40k/year; tech fee $250/month; minimum marketing $1,600-$1,200/month after year 4.
- What is the Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise profit margin?
- Sunbelt Business Brokers discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise failure rate?
- Low terminations/ceased ops. Minimal transfers suggest stability.
- How many Sunbelt Business Brokers locations are there?
- Sunbelt Business Brokers' FDD reports 130 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 3 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Sunbelt Business Brokers have complaints or lawsuits?
- Sunbelt Business Brokers discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Sunbelt Business Brokers scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Sunbelt Business Brokers? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Sunbelt Business Brokers to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Sunbelt Business Brokers or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.