JunkStart franchise unit economics
JunkStart franchisees run truck-based junk removal businesses for residential and commercial customers, pricing each job by the weight hauled on on-board scales.
JunkStart franchise at a glance
The 2026 FDD from Junk Start Franchise, LLC reports no franchised outlets: its Item 19 covers the one affiliate-owned business in San Antonio for 2024 and 2025.
The JunkStart affiliate business billed $1,212,492 in 2025 on 1,995 jobs at an average of $608, according to Item 19 of JunkStart’s 2026 FDD, issued 24 April 2026. Fees paid to JunkStart come to about 16.98%* of sales. A JunkStart franchise costs $134,464 to $335,565 to open.
- A JunkStart franchise costs $134,464 to $335,565 to open for one territory of five subterritories with one vehicle, according to the 2026 FDD.
- JunkStart charges an 8% royalty, a 5.5% Revenue Center fee and a 2.5% brand fund contribution, 16% of sales in all*, and requires a further 8% of gross sales to be spent on local advertising.
- A JunkStart franchise also pays $650 a month for technology and $338 a month for each leased on-board weighing system, $11,856 a year with one vehicle*.
- JunkStart had no franchised outlets at the end of 2023, 2024 or 2025. The one affiliate-owned business opened in January 2023.
- The JunkStart affiliate business billed $1,212,492 in 2025, up 96.0% from $618,730 in 2024, on 1,995 jobs at an average of $608.
- The JunkStart affiliate business took 50.69% of its 2025 revenue from commercial clients, up from 14.19% in 2024.
- JunkStart direct crew wages were 20.3% of the affiliate business’s revenue in 2025, down from 35.2% in 2024, while the wage bill rose 13.1%*.
These figures come from JunkStart's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors. The 16% is the sum of the 8% royalty, 5.5% Revenue Center fee and 2.5% brand fund. The $11,856 is ($650 + $338) x 12. The 13.1% is the rise in wages from $217,588 to $246,099.
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Talk to Averan → Averan JunkStart Conversion Package →- The Item 19 figures cover one affiliate-owned business, not franchisees. The business opened in San Antonio in January 2023, used three to four vehicles and operated in 20 subterritories during 2024 and 2025. No franchised outlet had opened by the end of 2025.
- Revenue rose 96.0% between 2024 and 2025 and direct crew wages rose 13.1%*. Wages went from $217,588 to $246,099, or from $157.33 to $123.36 a job*. As a share of revenue they fell from 35.2% to 20.3%.
- Commercial revenue accounted for 88.7% of the 2025 increase*. Commercial revenue rose from $87,796 to $614,670 and household revenue from $530,934 to $597,824. Commercial clients went from 17 to 214, and the average commercial job fell 14.3% to $817.
- Percentage charges paid to the brand add to 16% of gross sales*. The royalty is 8%, the Revenue Center fee 5.5% and the brand fund 2.5%. The local advertising requirement of 8% is spent by the franchisee. Technology at $650 a month and the weighing system lease at $338 a month a vehicle come on top.
- The minimum royalty is set per subterritory per year. It rises from $825 in year one to $3,850 from year five. On a five-subterritory territory the year-five minimum is $19,250 a year*, which equals 8% of $240,625 of sales*.
Revenue
How much does a JunkStart franchise make?
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $618,730 | $1,212,492 | 96.0% |
| Jobs | 1,383 | 1,995 | 44.3% |
| Average job | $447 | $608 | 35.8% |
| Median job | $307 | $411 | not printed |
| Highest job | $6,878 | $30,438 | not printed |
| Gross margin | $286,524 | $799,822 | 179.1% |
| Gross margin % | 46.3% | 66.0% | not printed |
| Commercial clients | 17 | 214 | 1,158.8% |
Source: JunkStart 2026 FDD, Item 19, Table 1(A). Figures were reported by the owners of the affiliate-owned business and are unaudited. Gross margin is gross revenue less wages, payroll taxes, workers’ compensation insurance, truck fuel and waste disposal.
The FDD reports no revenue for franchised outlets because none had opened by December 31, 2025. Item 19 covers the one affiliate-owned business, which opened in the San Antonio, Texas area in January 2023 and is owned by an affiliate of the franchisor.
The affiliate business operated 20 subterritories with three to four vehicles. A single franchise is one territory of five subterritories with one vehicle. The business’s 2025 revenue is $60,625 a subterritory*, up from $30,937 in 2024*, and $303,123 to $404,164 a vehicle* on three to four vehicles.
The business changed from volume pricing to weight-based pricing in October 2024. Volume pricing charges by the amount of material hauled; weight-based pricing charges by its weight. The franchise offering requires franchisees to use weight-based pricing. The 2024 figures therefore cover about nine months of volume pricing.
Item 19 names conditions that may not apply to a new franchisee. The FDD says the affiliate business operates where the brand already has a reputation, had more operating history at the start of the period than a new franchisee will have, and has an owner with an interest in a San Antonio landfill, which may affect the availability and cost of disposal.
Costs
Direct costs and imputed fees, 2024 and 2025
| Line | 2024 | % of revenue | 2025 | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $618,730 | 100% | $1,212,492 | 100% |
| Wages | $217,588 | 35.2% | $246,099 | 20.3% |
| Payroll taxes | $23,088 | 3.7% | $28,811 | 2.4% |
| Workers’ compensation | $7,572 | 1.2% | $5,588 | 0.5% |
| Truck fuel | $32,731 | 5.3% | $38,370 | 3.2% |
| Waste disposal | $51,225 | 8.3% | $93,798 | 7.7% |
| Total cost of goods | $332,205 | 53.7% | $412,669 | 34.0% |
| Revenue less cost of goods | $286,524 | 46.3% | $799,822 | 66.0% |
| Imputed franchise charges | $156,295 | 25.26% | $298,798 | 24.64% |
| Revenue less cost of goods and charges | $130,229 | 21.05% | $501,024 | 41.32% |
Source: JunkStart 2026 FDD, Item 19, Part II. Cents dropped. The imputed charges are the royalty, brand fund, Revenue Center fee, technology fee and minimum advertising spend the business would have paid under the current franchise agreement; the business pays none of them.
The last line is not a profit figure. Item 19 says the figures leave out bonuses, employee health insurance, repairs and maintenance, licences and permits, depreciation and other operating costs. Wages cover the direct truck team and exclude manager and administrative salaries and any owner’s draw. Rent, vehicle finance and insurance other than workers’ compensation are also outside the table.
The imputed charges leave out the on-board weighing system lease. The lease is $338 a month for each vehicle. At three to four vehicles that is $12,168 to $16,224 a year*, which would take the 2025 last line to between $484,800 and $488,856*, or 40.0% to 40.3% of revenue*.
Wages a job fell from $157.33 to $123.36*. The business completed 612 more jobs* with $28,511 more wages*. Item 19 says drivers were paid $17.00 to $18.50 an hour and navigators $15.00 to $16.50 an hour during the two years, before tips, bonuses and overtime.
Disposal a job rose from $37.04 to $47.02*, and fuel a job fell from $23.67 to $19.23*. As shares of revenue, disposal fell from 8.3% to 7.7% and fuel from 5.3% to 3.2%. The FDD notes that disposal costs at the affiliate may reflect its owner’s landfill interest.
Commercial and household
Commercial and household revenue, 2024 and 2025
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial revenue | $87,796 | $614,670 | 600.1% |
| Commercial share of revenue | 14.19% | 50.69% | 36.5 points |
| Commercial jobs | 92 | 752 | 717.4% |
| Commercial average job | $954 | $817 | -14.3% |
| Commercial clients | 17 | 214 | 1,158.8% |
| Household revenue | $530,934 | $597,824 | 12.6% |
| Household jobs | 1,291 | 1,243 | -3.7% |
| Household average job | $411 | $481 | 16.9% |
Source: JunkStart 2026 FDD, Item 19, Table 1(A). The FDD prints the change in commercial share as 36.5%; it is a change in percentage points. Commercial and household revenue for 2025 add to $1,212,494*, $2 more than the printed gross revenue of $1,212,492.
Item 19 does not split businesses into performance bands, because it covers one business. What it does split is that business’s revenue by client type, by quarter and by month.
Commercial revenue grew by $526,874 and household revenue by $66,890*. Commercial work was 88.7% of the increase*. Household revenue rose 12.6% on 48 fewer jobs, as the average household job rose from $411 to $481.
The 214 commercial clients averaged 3.5 jobs and $2,872 of revenue each in 2025*. The FDD does not say how many of them were on repeat or contract terms.
The commercial share rose through 2025. It was 33.75% in the first quarter, 40.90% in the second, 56.29% in the third and 66.18% in the fourth. In the fourth quarter household revenue was $106,334, down 26.3% from the fourth quarter of 2024.
Brand charges
Brand charges
| Charge | Rate | A year at $1,212,492 |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales, or the minimum royalty if higher | $96,999 |
| Local advertising requirement | 8% of gross sales | $96,999 |
| Revenue Center fee | 5.5% of gross sales | $66,687 |
| Brand fund | 2.5% of gross sales (may rise to 3%) | $30,312 |
| Technology fee | $650 a month | $7,800 |
| On-board weighing system lease | $338 a month a vehicle | $4,056* |
| Paid to the brand (all but local advertising) | 16% of sales plus $988 a month* | $205,855, or 16.98% of sales* |
Source: JunkStart 2026 FDD, Item 6. The first five amounts in the right-hand column are printed in Item 19, Part II as imputed charges; the weighing lease is added by Averan for one vehicle. The local advertising requirement is spent by the franchisee with vendors unless the franchisor asks for it to be paid to it.
The three percentage charges paid to the brand add to 16% of gross sales*. The Revenue Center fee pays for the system-wide call center and lead booking platform, inbound leads and local commercial sales training. Every customer order must go through the Revenue Center, the websites or the required software.
The fixed charges are a larger share of revenue at lower sales. At $303,123 a year, which is the affiliate’s 2025 revenue a subterritory times five*, the charges paid to the brand with one vehicle come to $60,356, or 19.91% of sales*.
The minimum royalty is charged per subterritory per year: $825 in year one, $1,650 in year two, $2,475 in year three, $3,025 in year four and $3,850 in years five to ten. On five subterritories the year-five figure is $19,250*, equal to 8% of $240,625*, or $48,125 a subterritory*. At its 2024 revenue of $30,937 a subterritory, 8% would have been $2,475 a subterritory*, below the year-five minimum.
Some charges are reserved but not currently assessed. These are a Key Accounts fee of 5% of gross sales on each Key Account job, an annual conference at an estimated $750 a person, and a regional advertising cooperative. The technology fee and the weighing lease may each rise by up to 10% a year. Additional training is $750 a trainer a day, and a transfer costs $15,000.
Cost to open
Cost to open
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $52,500 | $52,500 |
| Initial training fee | $7,500 | $7,500 |
| Vehicle | $7,500 | $75,000 |
| Vehicle upfit and decal package | $5,000 | $50,000 |
| On-board weighing system lease | $1,014 | $1,115 |
| Rent, 3 months | $1,500 | $7,000 |
| Signage | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Equipment | $1,000 | $5,000 |
| Technology system | $1,000 | $3,500 |
| Insurance | $5,000 | $30,000 |
| Travel and living while training | $1,500 | $4,000 |
| Grand opening marketing | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Technology fee, 3 months | $1,950 | $1,950 |
| Professional fees | $1,500 | $5,000 |
| Business permits and licenses | $500 | $3,000 |
| Additional funds, 3 months | $30,000 | $70,000 |
| Total | $134,464 | $335,565 |
Source: JunkStart 2026 FDD, Item 7, Chart A. $65,000 to $110,000 of the total is paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
The vehicle and the upfit package account for 55.9% of the gap between the low and high totals*. The low figures assume a 10% deposit on financing a vehicle costed at $75,000 and an upfit package of about $50,000; the high figures assume both are bought outright. The upfit package is bought from the franchisor’s affiliate.
Two territories cost $225,464 to $557,680 and three cost $303,478 to $768,296. The initial franchise fee is $52,500 for the first territory, $51,000 for the second and $49,500 for the third, so $103,500 for two and $153,000 for three. Qualifying veterans and first responders receive 10% off the first territory’s fee.
The FDD estimates two to four months from signing to opening. The franchisee must open within four months of signing unless the franchisor extends it, and must order vehicles within two weeks of signing.
A franchisee must add vehicles as sales rise. Once the required vehicle count for its territories is reached, a franchisee must add a vehicle whenever average gross sales per active vehicle reach $25,000 in a month. Each added vehicle brings another weighing system lease at $338 a month.
Locations
Locations, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Franchised, start | Franchised, end | Affiliate-owned, start | Affiliate-owned, end | Total, end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Source: JunkStart 2026 FDD, Item 20, Tables 1, 3, 4 and 5. There were no openings, terminations, non-renewals, reacquisitions or transfers of franchised outlets in the three years.
JunkStart had no franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The franchisor was formed in Texas on May 15, 2025 and began offering franchises from the issuance date of this FDD. The one outlet is the affiliate-owned business in Texas that opened in 2023.
The franchisor projects 12 franchised openings in the next fiscal year and had no signed agreements awaiting opening at December 31, 2025. The projected openings are four in Texas, two each in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, and one each in Alabama and Nebraska.
The FDD includes a state-required risk notice on the franchisor’s financial condition. It says the franchisor’s financial condition, as shown in its Item 21 statements, calls into question its ability to provide services and support. The same page notes minimum royalty payments and the franchisor’s short operating history.
Territories are not exclusive. Each subterritory has about 60,000 to 90,000 people. While a franchisee complies with its agreement, the franchisor will not place another JunkStart business in its territory, but it may sell through other channels there.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask
How much does it cost to open a JunkStart franchise?
The 2026 FDD estimates $134,464 to $335,565 for one territory of five subterritories with one vehicle. That includes a $52,500 initial franchise fee, a $7,500 training fee, a vehicle at $7,500 to $75,000 and an upfit package at $5,000 to $50,000. Two territories are estimated at $225,464 to $557,680.
What fees does a JunkStart franchisee pay?
An 8% royalty with a minimum per subterritory, a 5.5% Revenue Center fee and a 2.5% brand fund contribution, which add to 16% of gross sales*, plus an 8% local advertising requirement spent by the franchisee. On top of that come a $650 monthly technology fee and $338 a month for each on-board weighing system.
How much does a JunkStart franchise make?
The FDD reports no franchisee revenue because no franchised outlet had opened by the end of 2025. The one affiliate-owned business, which operates 20 subterritories, billed $618,730 in 2024 and $1,212,492 in 2025. Its revenue less direct costs and imputed franchise charges was $501,024 in 2025, before rent, office salaries, vehicle finance and other operating costs.
How many JunkStart locations are there?
At December 31, 2025 there were no franchised outlets and one affiliate-owned business in Texas. The franchisor projects 12 franchised openings in the following year across six states.
How does the JunkStart minimum royalty work?
The royalty is the greater of 8% of gross sales or a minimum set per subterritory per year. The minimum is $825 in year one and rises to $3,850 from year five. A five-subterritory territory therefore owes at least $19,250 a year from year five*.
What does the JunkStart Item 19 leave out?
Item 19 excludes manager and administrative salaries, the owner’s draw, bonuses, health insurance, repairs and maintenance, licences, depreciation, taxes other than payroll taxes and other operating costs. The imputed charges also leave out the $338 monthly weighing system lease.
Questions worth putting to JunkStart
These are questions the filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to the franchisor directly.
- Is the revenue in Item 19 gross sales or collected revenue, and how many locations sit below the average?
- Which factors does JunkStart see in its highest-selling locations, such as territory, years open and staffing?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many JunkStart locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It also checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Reporting for a JunkStart owner
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your monthly reporting around the figures on this page.
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Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- What does this location earn on the money I put into it?It works out the payback period and cash-on-cash return for one unit.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.
Where these figures come from
Every figure here comes from Junk Start Franchise, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear. The figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. JunkStart is a trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Junk Start Franchise, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 24 April 2026.