descriptionThe Franchise Dossier
FDD Sourced
Independent analysis. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving. All figures sourced from public FDD filings.
Franchise dossier · Moving services / junk removal

Owning a College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving: what actually happens

VERDICT · ASSET — IF YOU SCALE
Strong sales, weak drop-through: after roughly 17% in royalty and required marketing, one territory is a hard job and only a scaled, multi-territory operation becomes an asset.
You'd pocket / yr*
$20K–$200K
1 unit · before your salary
Your time
50–65 hrs/wk
owner-operator
Becomes an asset at
~3 units
real wealth: 3+ territories
Agreement term
10 yrs
then renewal
Year one, honestly

Year one is two businesses at once, junk removal and moving, each with its own trucks, crews and seasonality, fed largely by the franchisor's central sales and booking center. Labor is young, hourly and high-turnover, and the mandated marketing spend runs whether or not the phones ring. The disclosed numbers for businesses under three years old (about $730,000 in sales and $56,000 EBITDA on average) are the honest year-one-to-three picture: real revenue, thin profit.

Where each sales dollar goes
Supplies / goods ~13%Labor ~43%Rent ~4%Franchisor fees ~9%Other opex ~30%Left before debt & you ~9%

Illustrative split for a typical unit (industry estimate). The green slice is store cash flow before your loan payment and before paying yourself a salary — not profit.

If you want out

Multi-territory businesses with a manager and a few million in sales do sell as operating companies, but at roughly 11% EBITDA the multiple is applied to a modest earnings number, and transfers need franchisor approval. The reported franchised count fell from 202 at the start of 2024 to 165, which suggests consolidation and exits; a single young territory earning five figures has little resale value beyond its trucks.

Smart for

Operators who want a multi-territory, manager-run labor business and can live on thin margins while volume builds.

Dumb for

Single-territory owner-operators expecting the $1.55M average to translate into six-figure take-home.

The disclosure it's built on

The verdict above is our read of the numbers College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving files with regulators — here they are, cited.

College Hunks Hauling Junk & MovingFDD 2026
Item 5 · Initial franchise fee
$55,000
Item 7 · Initial investment
$203,100 – $355,500
Item 6 · Royalty
7%
Item 6 · Ad / brand fund
2% (+ required local ad spend)
Item 19 · Avg unit revenue
$1,554,610
Item 20 · US units (~2025)
165
SOURCEFranchisePayback and FranchiseInvestorData 2026 FDD summaries agree on Item 7 $203,100-$355,500, 7% royalty and the unit count of 165 (159 franchised + 6 company), high-medium confidence. Fee: FranchisePayback shows $55,000, FranchiseInvestorData $75,000 and Franzy a $55,000-$75,000 range; $55,000 used, medium confidence. Brand fund 2% per Franzy, FranchiseInvestorData and 1851 Franchise (FranchisePayback's 10% appears to add the 8% local requirement), medium confidence. Average sales $1.55M confirmed on collegehunksfranchise.com (2026 FDD issued April 30, 2026), high confidence; EBITDA split is single-source, medium. The prior-year FDD showed Item 7 of $258,100-$480,500 (Franzy). Term 10 years per the franchisor site, high confidence. The 2026 FDD was used because it is the best corroborated.
The catch

The fees stack well past the 7% royalty. On top of royalty you owe a 2% brand fund, and you are required to spend the greater of a monthly minimum ($1,100 to $1,500) or 8% of gross sales on local marketing; older summaries also show a 1% technology fee. That is roughly 17% to 18% of every dollar committed before labor, trucks or insurance, which is why the franchisor's own Item 19 shows EBITDA of only about 11% of sales for established businesses and under 8% for newer ones. The $1.55M average is also per owner, and most owners hold several territories.

*How to read these numbers. Disclosed (FDD): Item 7 range, 7% royalty, 2% brand fund, local marketing requirement, Item 19 gross sales and EBITDA by age of business, 10-year term. Take-home range is anchored on the disclosed EBITDA (it is not confirmed whether that EBITDA is before or after an owner salary). Cost-structure % and hours are ESTIMATES (medium confidence). Fee amount is medium confidence. — "You'd pocket" is estimated owner cash flow for one average unit before a salary for your own full-time work, so it is not take-home pay. Averages are not promises; your unit could earn far less. This is analysis, not advice — read the current FDD in full and talk to current and former franchisees before you commit.

Seriously considering College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving?

Pressure-test the affordability, then read the full FDD and validate Item 19 (or its absence) with existing franchisees. When we add vetted franchise-consultant and financing partners, they'll be clearly disclosed here and never change our analysis.

Run a rough affordability check →