Special Strong franchise
2026 filing · April 3, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Special Strong at a glance
An adaptive fitness business offering in-home, on-site and virtual personal training, group fitness, aquatics and nutrition for people with mental, physical or cognitive challenges. At the end of 2025 there were 20 Special Strong locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Strong Kingdom, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2020
- 6 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Allen, Texas
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $90K–$129K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $47,250
- For one territory of about 250,000 people
- Royalty
- 8% + minimum
- The greater of 8% of monthly gross revenue, with lower rates above set revenue levels, or a monthly minimum for one territory of $625 in the first year, $825 in the second and $1,525 after that
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 2% of gross revenue or $400 a month, whichever is more; the rate can rise to 4%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 20
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 20
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +14
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 8
- Most in Texas, California and Arizona
Support and records
From Strong Kingdom, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 136; 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
Special Strong among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Special Strong | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $109,550 | Costs less than 86% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $47,250 | Higher than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 20 | Fewer than 50% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $181,513 | Lower than 95% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.7× | Higher than 53% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Special Strong franchise costs
Opening one Special Strong costs an estimated $89,750 to $129,350. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
The biggest costs are initial franchise fee ($47,250) and grand opening marketing & launch ($10,000 to $25,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $47,250 | ||
| Office Equipment, Software and Supplies | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Costs related to Initial Training | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Initial Marketing Kit | $3,500 | $5,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing & Launch | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| Initial Marketing and Promotions | $10,000 | $12,500 | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $2,100 | |
| Vehicle Wrap | $2,000 | $3,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $1,000 | $1,500 | |
| Adaptive Equipment (Optional) | $0 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Total | $89,750 | $129,350 | |
Source: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, page 18
Special Strong franchise fee
The franchise fee is $47,250, for one territory of about 250,000 people. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 8% of monthly gross revenue, with lower rates above set revenue levels, or a monthly minimum for one territory of $625 in the first year, $825 in the second and $1,525 after that. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue or $400 a month, whichever is more; the rate can rise to 4%. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 12 and 13
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Special Strong publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $181,513
- Median revenue
- $179,280
Yearly figures for 2025, covering franchised locations open all of 2025 (one covers two territories) (7 locations). The average and median are worked out from each location's sales as listed in the filing. The average is about 1.7 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: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 43–44
SBA loans to Special Strong franchisees
Lenders approved 6 SBA 7(a) loans for Special Strong franchisees from 2025 to 2026, $665K in all. None has been paid off or charged off 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Special Strong | Typical fitness brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +122% / +233% | +7.5% / +43% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 22% / 83% | 5.2% / 20% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical fitness brand is the median of the 73 brands in fitness franchises with three years of counts.
How Special Strong compares
Of the 195 fitness franchises on this site, Special Strong is the 23rd cheapest to open and the 79th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Special Strong | Typical fitness brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $90K | $297K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $129K | $584K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $47K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 7% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $182K | $426K | $794K |
| US locations | 20 | 14 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 127 of 195 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 195 brands in fitness franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 (+3) | 1 | – | – |
| 2023 | 7 (+1) | 1 | +2 | −1 |
| 2024 | 9 (+2) | 1 | +4 | −2 |
| 2025 | 20 (+11) | 0 | +13 | −2 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. An outlet can cover up to three territories.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: fitness franchise costs, home-based franchises and franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 3 to 20 (+17, +567%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2025 filing.
Source: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, page 49
2022: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2025 filing, page 42
Where Special Strong locations are
At the end of 2025, Special Strong had franchised locations in 8 states. The most are in Texas, California and Arizona.
- Texas10
- California3
- Arizona2
- Alabama1
- Connecticut1
- Florida1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Texas | 10 |
| California | 3 |
| Arizona | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 |
| Connecticut | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 |
Source: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, page 49
Who owns Special Strong?
Special Strong franchises are sold by Strong Kingdom, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Strong Kingdom, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 8.
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: Strong Kingdom, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Special Strong filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Strong Kingdom, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 3, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 3, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2025 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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