Quick Verdict · who it fits
Set the Stage fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale real estate concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$204K - $261K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$60K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 2% ad
System size (Item 20)
113 +65
Years in business
13+ yrs
Item 3 litigation
1 suit
Model Set the Stage's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
Data extracted from the 2025 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (2%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
24
Total units open
18
Units opened last year
0
Units closed last year
18
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2025 filing.
5
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How Set the Stage ranks against 80 Real Estate peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
92nd pct · of 80 peers
Franchise fee
88th pct · of 80 peers
System size
55th pct · of 80 peers
Real Estate industry averages
Avg investment
$145K - $361K
Avg franchise fee
$32K
Avg system size
276
Franchises analyzed
80
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set the Stage | Disclosed | $60K | $204K - $261K | 6% | 113 |
| Howard Hanna Real Estate AssociatesSimilar price | Disclosed | $25K | $45K - $259K | 2–6% | 40 |
| Re MaxBiggest system | None | $35K | $50K - $337K | — | 2,994 |
| ItripTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $10K | $119K - $153K | 4–6.1% | 105 |
Not sure Set the Stage is the one?
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Set the Stage requires a $59,500 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $204,150–$261,345, per the most recent FDD on file.
Set the Stage franchises are sold by Set the Stage, Inc., the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Set the Stage discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% and an advertising fund contribution of 2% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2025 FDD, Set the Stage has 113 total locations, with 65 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt