Buildingstars franchise
2026 filing · April 21, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Buildingstars at a glance
A commercial cleaning business offered at three levels (Technician, On-Site Manager and Corporate), each starting with cleaning contracts on commercial premises. At the end of 2025 there were 1,229 Buildingstars locations in the US, 1,215 franchised and 14 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Buildingstars Management, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- St. Louis, Missouri
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $2K–$8K
- The Technician Program
- Franchise fee
- $995–$1K
- Technician Program, paid in cash or financed
- Royalty
- 10% + 20% mgmt
- 10% of gross sales plus a management fee of 20% of gross sales for the Technician Program (10% for On-Site Manager), deducted monthly
- Brand fund
- None now
- No brand fund
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- $200 for Technician $1,000 for On-Site Manager $2,000 for Corporate
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 1,229
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 1,215
- Company-owned
- 14
- Change in 3 years
- +306
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 15
- Most in Illinois, Missouri and Texas
From Buildingstars Management, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 199; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Buildingstars among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Buildingstars | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $5,370 | Costs less than 100% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $995 | Lower than 99% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 10% | Higher than 95% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1,229 | More than 98% of franchises |
How much a Buildingstars franchise costs
Opening the Technician Program costs an estimated $2,445 to $8,295. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the franchises under $10K.
The biggest costs are equipment ($1,000 to $3,000) and travel and living expenses during training ($0 to $1,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $995 | ||
| Travel and living expenses during training | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Equipment | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Insurance | $100 | $1,000 | |
| Legal, accounting and professional fees | $250 | $1,000 | |
| Opening inventory (supplies) | $100 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $500 | ||
| Total | $2,445 | $8,295 | |
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, page 16
Buildingstars franchise fee
The franchise fee is $995 to $1,295, Technician Program, paid in cash or financed. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 10% of gross sales plus a management fee of 20% of gross sales for the Technician Program (10% for On-Site Manager), deducted monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | No brand fund |
| Renewal Fee | $200 for Technician $1,000 for On-Site Manager $2,000 for Corporate |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 14 and 22
Other fees as filed, from page 14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Buildingstars publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, page 31
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Buildingstars | Typical commercial cleaning brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +3.1% / +34% | +3.1% / +14% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 20% / 67% | 6.2% / 25% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical commercial cleaning brand is the median of the 15 brands in commercial cleaning franchises with three years of counts.
How Buildingstars compares
Of the 45 commercial cleaning franchises on this site, Buildingstars is the cheapest to open and the 3rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Buildingstars | Typical commercial cleaning brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $2K | $66K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $8K | $134K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $995 | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 10% | 7% | 6% |
| US locations | 1,229 | 47 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 31 of 45 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 45 brands in commercial cleaning franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,060 (+151) | 13 | +295 | −144 |
| 2024 | 1,179 (+119) | 14 | +345 | −226 |
| 2025 | 1,215 (+36) | 14 | +276 | −240 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: cleaning franchise costs, home-based franchises and franchise failure rates.
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, page 34
Where Buildingstars locations are
At the end of 2025, Buildingstars had locations in 15 states. The most are in Illinois, Missouri and Texas.
- Illinois257
- Missouri181
- Texas138
- Pennsylvania134
- New Jersey111
- Arizona99
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 256 | 1 | 257 |
| Missouri | 180 | 1 | 181 |
| Texas | 135 | 3 | 138 |
| Pennsylvania | 133 | 1 | 134 |
| New Jersey | 110 | 1 | 111 |
| Arizona | 98 | 1 | 99 |
| North Carolina | 89 | 2 | 91 |
| Florida | 86 | 1 | 87 |
| Georgia | 69 | 1 | 70 |
| Tennessee | 36 | 1 | 37 |
All 15 states
| Kansas | 13 |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | 8 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
| West Virginia | 1 |
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, page 35
Who owns Buildingstars?
Buildingstars franchises are sold by Buildingstars Management, Inc. It is a subsidiary of Buildingstars International, Inc.
From Buildingstars Management, Inc’s 2026 filing, page 6.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Buildingstars Management, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Buildingstars filings
The figures on this page come from Buildingstars Management, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 21, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 21, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other commercial cleaning franchises
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