Premier Martial Arts franchise
2022 filing · May 18, 2022GrowingShares sales figures
Premier Martial Arts at a glance
A martial arts studio teaching karate, self-defense and character development classes to children and adults. At the end of 2021 there were 175 Premier Martial Arts locations in the US, 166 franchised and 9 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Premier Franchising Group, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Bedford, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $184K–$422K
- A new studio
- Franchise fee
- $49,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7% + minimum
- 7% of monthly gross sales, with a $600 monthly minimum from the 13th month
- Brand fund
- None now
- 0% of gross sales, paid monthly; it can rise to 5%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 175
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 166
- Company-owned
- 9
- Change in 1 years
- +104
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 30
- Most in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee
From Premier Franchising Group, LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Premier Martial Arts among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Premier Martial Arts | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $302,725 | Costs less than 56% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $49,500 | Higher than 64% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 175 | More than 84% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $315,850 | Lower than 87% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.0× | Lower than 75% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Premier Martial Arts franchise costs
Opening a new studio costs an estimated $183,650 to $421,800. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements (before any TI) ($42,000 to $150,000) and initial franchise fee ($49,500). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $49,500 | ||
| Lease Payments (Deposits/Prepaids) | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements (before any TI) | $42,000 | $150,000 | |
| Licenses, Architectural, Engineering Fee, Bid Assistance | $15,500 | $16,500 | |
| Construction Management Fees | $0 | $18,250 | |
| Wages, Travel & Living expenses during training | $575 | $7,000 | |
| Furniture, fixtures, and equipment | $17,000 | $23,000 | |
| Signs | $7,000 | $12,500 | |
| Initial Inventory & Supplies | $800 | $25,000 | |
| Start Up Salaries (two to four months) | $9,900 | $36,000 | |
| Insurance | $125 | $2,000 | |
| Computer System & A/V Equipment | $5,300 | $14,800 | |
| Software (Studio Pro, Franchise Resource Accounting) | $700 | $1,000 | |
| Legal & Accounting Fees | $2,000 | $14,000 | |
| Optional Pre- Sale/Grand Opening Coordinator | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Digital Footprint | $750 | ||
| Grand Opening Advertising | $20,000 | $25,000 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $7,500 | $15,000 | |
| Total | $183,650 | $421,800 | |
Source: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 24
Premier Martial Arts franchise fee
The franchise fee is $49,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 15
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of monthly gross sales, with a $600 monthly minimum from the 13th month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 0% of gross sales, paid monthly; it can rise to 5%. |
| Digital Footprint Fee | $750 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 16
Other fees as filed, from page 17. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Premier Martial Arts publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $315,850
- Median sales
- $286,336
- Average EBITDA
- $75,950
- Median EBITDA
- $89,140
Yearly figures for 2021, covering franchised studios, 2021 fiscal year. The average is about 1 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 59
SBA loans to Premier Martial Arts franchisees
Lenders approved 81 SBA 7(a) loans for Premier Martial Arts franchisees from 2020 to 2025, $16.2M in all. Of the 42 that have ended, 35 were paid in full and 7 were charged off (16.7%). The other 39 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Premier Martial Arts compares
Of the 120 sports franchises on this site, Premier Martial Arts is the 53rd cheapest to open and the 13th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Premier Martial Arts | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $184K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $422K | $442K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $316K | $733K | $794K |
| US locations | 175 | 15 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 2.6% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | +167.7% | +38.5% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 77 of 120 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 120 brands in sports franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 68 (+6) | 4 | +6 | 0 |
| 2020 | 94 (+26) | 5 | – | – |
| 2021 | 166 (+72) | 9 | – | – |
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: fitness franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 62
Where Premier Martial Arts locations are
At the end of 2021, Premier Martial Arts had locations in 30 states. The most are in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee.
- Texas38
- Georgia16
- Tennessee14
- Florida13
- North Carolina10
- Pennsylvania9
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 38 | 0 | 38 |
| Georgia | 14 | 2 | 16 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| Florida | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| North Carolina | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Colorado | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Massachusetts | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Utah | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Michigan | 5 | 0 | 5 |
All 30 states
| Missouri | 5 |
|---|---|
| California | 4 |
| Indiana | 4 |
| Kansas | 4 |
| Rhode Island | 4 |
| South Carolina | 4 |
| Arizona | 3 |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| Ohio | 3 |
| Virginia | 3 |
| Kentucky | 2 |
| Oregon | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 2 |
| Connecticut | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 |
| Mississippi | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
Source: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, page 63
Who owns Premier Martial Arts?
Premier Martial Arts franchises are sold by Premier Franchising Group, LLC. It is a subsidiary of Premier Martial Arts International, Inc.
Premier Martial Arts is one of the 8 Unleashed Brands franchises here. Private equity firm Seidler Equity Partners, which bought the company in 2023. Unleashed added Sylvan Learning in 2024.
From Premier Franchising Group, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 8; The Dallas Morning News.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 13–14. |
|---|---|
| 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: Premier Franchising Group, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on pages 13–14, bankruptcy on page 15
Premier Martial Arts filings
The figures on this page come from Premier Franchising Group, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued May 18, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | May 18, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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