Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise
2025 filing · September 25, 2025Growing
Sunbelt Business Brokers at a glance
A business brokerage helping owners sell their companies and buyers find and purchase businesses in a territory. At the end of 2025 there were 130 Sunbelt Business Brokers locations in the US, 129 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Business services
- Franchisor
- MMI Business Brokers, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Independence, Ohio
- Typical size
- 700–1,200 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $61K–$115K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40K–$50K
- Depending on the territory: $49,500 for a large metro area, $39,500 for a smaller one
- Royalty
- 4% marketing fee + minimum
- No royalty. A monthly marketing fee of 4% of the first $1,000,000 of yearly gross revenue, capped at $40,000 a year, with a monthly minimum of $1,000 ($900 in a smaller territory) in the first year and $1,200 ($1,000) after that
- Renewal fee
- $2,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 130
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 129
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- +13
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
From MMI Business Brokers, LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Sunbelt Business Brokers among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sunbelt Business Brokers | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $87,950 | Costs less than 90% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $39,500 | Lower than 57% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 130 | More than 80% of franchises |
How much a Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise costs
Opening one Sunbelt Business Brokers costs an estimated $61,400 to $114,500. 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 IS TO BE MADE INITIAL FRANCHISE FEE ($39,500 to $49,500) and ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR 3 MONTHS ($15,000 to $45,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| IS TO BE MADE INITIAL FRANCHISE FEE | $39,500 | $49,500 | |
| TRAVEL AND LIVING EXPENSES WHILE TRAINING | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| RENT | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| OFFICE EQUIPMENT AND FURNISHINGS | $0 | $5,000 | |
| INSURANCE | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| MISC. OPENING COSTS | $2,400 | $6,000 | |
| ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR 3 MONTHS | $15,000 | $45,000 | |
| Total | $61,400 | $114,500 |
Source: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2025 filing, page 19
Sunbelt Business Brokers franchise fee
The franchise fee is $39,500 to $49,500, depending on the territory: $49,500 for a large metro area, $39,500 for a smaller one. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2025 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | No royalty. A monthly marketing fee of 4% of the first $1,000,000 of yearly gross revenue, capped at $40,000 a year, with a monthly minimum of $1,000 ($900 in a smaller territory) in the first year and $1,200 ($1,000) after that. |
|---|---|
| Monthly Technology and Administrative Fee | $250 per month |
| Transfer | $10,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $2,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2025 filing, page 14
Other fees as filed, from pages 16–17. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Sunbelt Business Brokers does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2025 filing, page 38
SBA loans to Sunbelt Business Brokers franchisees
Lenders approved 5 SBA 7(a) loans for Sunbelt Business Brokers franchisees from 2020 to 2026, $1.27M in all. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 4 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Sunbelt Business Brokers | Typical business services brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +6.6% / +11% | 0% / +3.6% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0.8% / 11% | 5.9% / 25% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical business services brand is the median of the 114 brands in business services franchises with three years of counts.
How Sunbelt Business Brokers compares
Of the 324 business services franchises on this site, Sunbelt Business Brokers is the 118th cheapest to open and the 66th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sunbelt Business Brokers | Typical business services brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $61K | $77K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $115K | $136K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $45K | $40K |
| US locations | 130 | 32 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 187 of 324 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 324 brands in business services franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 116 (−2) | 1 | – | – |
| 2023 | 120 (+4) | 1 | +10 | −6 |
| 2024 | 121 (+1) | 1 | +7 | −6 |
| 2025 | 129 (+8) | 1 | +9 | −1 |
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: franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 118 to 129 (+11, +9%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2025 filing, page 39
2022: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2024 filing, page 41
Who owns Sunbelt Business Brokers?
Sunbelt Business Brokers franchises are sold by MMI Business Brokers, LLC. It is a subsidiary of SB Administrative Services, Inc.
From MMI Business Brokers, LLC’s 2025 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: MMI Business Brokers, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 12
Sunbelt Business Brokers filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from MMI Business Brokers, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued September 25, 2025; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | September 25, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
