A full-year, single-unit Dryer Vent Wizard owner-operator may have an estimated pre-tax owner-operator benefit of roughly $21,000 to $66,000 per year, with a base analytical scenario near $35,000. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document reports Gross Sales—not business profit, owner compensation, or take-home pay—so this range is an independent scenario rather than an official earnings claim.
- Legal franchisor
- Dryer Vent Wizard SPV LLC
- Disclosure reviewed
- 2026 U.S. Franchise Disclosure Document, issued April 1, 2026; Item 19 covers January 1–December 31, 2025
- Item 19 status
- Official Gross Sales and Gross Sales per Job only; no outlet profit, EBITDA, Net Income, Cash Flow, or Owner Compensation disclosure
- Applicable population
- 73 franchised, single-unit businesses open and reporting for the full 2025 calendar year; no company-operated businesses
- External benchmark
- IRS Statistics of Income, tax year 2023, broad “Administrative and support services” sole-proprietor row; BLS May 2023 supervisor wage data for owner-role sensitivity
- Date checked
- July 14, 2026
No matching public FDD hosted on a verified franchise-controlled domain was located, so FDD references are cited in plain text by year, Item, and page. The official U.S. Dryer Vent Wizard franchise page separately identifies the same 2025 single-unit and multi-unit reporting populations.
What does Dryer Vent Wizard Item 19 actually measure?
Item 19 officially measures Gross Sales, not owner income. For the 2025 Reporting Period, the franchisor reported average, median, high, and low Gross Sales for 73 full-year single-unit businesses and separately reported aggregated Gross Sales for 31 multi-unit franchisees operating 81 businesses. The disclosure states that all U.S. outlets were franchised; there were no company-operated outlets to use as a profitability proxy.
“Gross Sales” broadly means revenue and receipts arising from the Business, excluding collected sales taxes, authorized refunds, rebates or discounts, and approved Excluded Services. That definition leaves out the operating costs required to produce those sales. It therefore cannot be silently relabeled as salary, profit, cash flow, or owner earnings.
| 2025 single-unit cohort | Average Gross Sales | Median Gross Sales | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | $532,924 | $425,464 | 18 |
| Top 50% | $370,009 | $271,666 | 37 |
| All single-unit reporting businesses | $236,672 | $165,307 | 73 |
| Bottom 50% | $99,631 | $114,113 | 36 |
| Bottom 25% | $64,005 | $61,801 | 18 |
Source: 2026 Dryer Vent Wizard SPV LLC FDD, Item 19, pp. 62–65. The all-single-unit range was $14,712 to $1,074,034. Only 25 of 73 businesses, or 34%, attained the all-unit average Gross Sales or more, illustrating why the $165,307 median is a more conservative central revenue anchor than the $236,672 average.
The full-year tables excluded eight businesses that opened during 2025 and ten businesses that closed during 2025. Item 20 also shows the U.S. system moved from 165 franchised outlets at the start of 2025 to 163 at year-end, with eight openings, nine terminations, and one non-renewal. The reported cohort is therefore useful for established full-year operations but does not represent start-up ramp periods or every closure outcome.
Can multi-unit sales be converted into a per-unit earnings figure?
No; a defensible per-unit result cannot be derived from the multi-unit table. Item 19 reports $747,054 average and $618,849 median annual Gross Sales per reporting multi-unit franchisee, not per business. Those 31 franchisees operated 81 businesses and were allowed to report sales in aggregate, so the FDD states that separate unit-level Gross Sales were unavailable. Dividing the owner total by outlet count would impose an unsupported assumption about how sales were distributed across territories and operating locations.
How is the estimated owner-earnings range calculated?
The range multiplies three FDD-reported single-unit revenue medians by a broad official industry margin proxy. Conservative uses the Bottom 50% median Gross Sales; Base uses the median for all single-unit reporting businesses; Upside uses the Top 50% median. These cohorts are observed FDD groupings, not probabilities or promises about where a new owner will land.
The base margin is 2023 IRS “Administrative and support services” sole-proprietor net income less deficit divided by business receipts: $24.229 billion ÷ $114.423 billion = 21.2%. The Conservative and Upside cases apply an editorial sensitivity of minus or plus 3 percentage points because the IRS table supplies one broad all-in margin rather than a Dryer Vent Wizard margin distribution.
- Conservative: $114,113 Bottom 50% median Gross Sales × 18.2% margin.
- Base: $165,307 all-single-unit median Gross Sales × 21.2% margin.
- Upside: $271,666 Top 50% median Gross Sales × 24.2% margin.
- Owner role: The IRS sole-proprietor measure does not deduct a wage paid to the proprietor, so the result is treated as owner-operator benefit—labor value plus any residual business result—not passive profit.
- Accounting treatment: The IRS net-income measure reflects aggregate Schedule C deductions, including items such as business interest and depreciation. Financing principal and personal income taxes are outside the model.
FDD-reported 2025 single-unit Gross Sales medians combined with the IRS margin proxy and ±3 percentage-point sensitivity.
| Scenario | Gross Sales anchor | Margin | Estimated owner-operator benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $114,113 | 18.2% | $20,740 |
| Base | $165,307 | 21.2% | $35,004 |
| Upside | $271,666 | 24.2% | $65,676 |
Why is the confidence rating limited?
Confidence is limited because the strongest same-brand evidence stops at revenue. The IRS denominator and numerator cover a broad sole-proprietor industrial sector, not Dryer Vent Wizard franchisees, and the data are for tax year 2023 rather than 2025. The benchmark blends different service models, markets, labor structures, business ages, and capital intensity. It is preferable to an unsupported generic “franchise margin,” but it cannot reveal the actual cost structure of this system.
Which FDD fees put the most pressure on annual earnings?
The largest disclosed recurring burden is the combination of the 10% License Fee, current 2% MAP Fee, and 5% Call Center Fee. At the $165,307 single-unit median Gross Sales, those percentage fees total about $28,102 before local marketing, software, insurance, vehicles, technician payroll, supplies, occupancy, and other operating costs. Minimum monthly fees may control at lower sales levels or later contract months.
The FDD also reserves the right, after the initial marketing period, to require annual local marketing equal to the greater of $12,000 or 6% of prior-year Gross Sales. The current first-year and second-year local marketing requirements are $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. Base Software System Fees are currently $250.95 per month, before additional users, email accounts, and QuickBooks options. Local Marketing Group contributions of up to 3% and a Key Accounts/Management Fee of up to 5% of applicable sales can apply in specified circumstances.
Dollar amounts apply the 2026 FDD terms to $165,307 of annual Gross Sales; the local-marketing bar is conditional and the software bar excludes add-ons.
The IRS benchmark is an all-in net-income margin after reported business deductions. The scenario therefore does not subtract the FDD fees a second time. The fee chart serves as a reasonableness and risk check: a buyer should confirm that a franchisee-level profit-and-loss statement includes every applicable fee and does not omit local marketing, call-center, software, vehicle, or technician costs.
How does hands-on ownership change the result?
The published $21,000–$66,000 range is an owner-operator benefit range, not a manager-run passive-profit range. Item 15 requires an individual franchisee to directly perform or supervise the Business unless the franchisor consents otherwise. When consent is given, a trained bona fide manager must directly supervise; an entity-owned franchise likewise needs a trained designated owner or approved manager.
The distinction matters because the IRS sole-proprietor benchmark does not deduct a wage paid to the proprietor. Some or all of the modeled benefit can therefore compensate the owner for selling jobs, scheduling, driving, performing or supervising field work, hiring, quality control, and administration. Replacing that work with a paid manager converts labor value into an operating expense.
What happens under a manager-wage sensitivity?
A national manager-wage proxy absorbs more than the modeled owner-operator benefit in all three scenarios. The May 2023 BLS median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers was $36.45 per hour. Annualized at 2,080 hours, that equals $75,816 before employer payroll taxes, benefits, recruiting, or coverage gaps.
| Scenario | Owner-operator benefit | Annualized manager-wage proxy | Residual after wage proxy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $20,740 | $75,816 | −$55,076 |
| Base | $35,004 | $75,816 | −$40,812 |
| Upside | $65,676 | $75,816 | −$10,140 |
Source for wage proxy: BLS May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, occupation 49-1011. This is a sensitivity test, not a Dryer Vent Wizard staffing forecast. A local manager may cost less or more, may also perform billable field work, and may supervise multiple territories. The subtraction also does not add employer payroll taxes or benefits.
At the FDD single-unit revenue anchors, the evidence does not support describing the concept as passive income. Manager-run ownership may require materially higher sales, shared supervision across multiple territories, a working manager who generates billable revenue, lower local compensation, or a different cost structure. Those conditions must be verified rather than assumed.
What can move actual owner earnings outside the range?
The largest unresolved uncertainty is the actual franchisee expense structure. Item 19 provides no direct labor, vehicle, supply, insurance, occupancy, local advertising, bad-debt, warranty, or owner-compensation data. A modest shift in technician utilization or marketing efficiency can materially change the amount left after Gross Sales.
- Job volume and ticket
- Item 19 reports average Gross Sales per Job of $384.86 and a median of $331.19 across 154 full-year reporting businesses. Annual revenue depends on both completed-job count and realized ticket, and the FDD does not disclose job counts by single-unit sales cohort.
- Labor model
- A hands-on owner can replace some paid labor or supervision, but that creates compensation for work performed rather than passive business profit. Additional technicians may increase capacity while adding payroll, workers’ compensation, vehicles, and training expense.
- Territory and format
- The standard initial territory covers 100,000 to 150,000 Target Households. The Business may be home-based where zoning permits, while the FDD also describes a typical rented facility of about 2,000 square feet with estimated annual rent of $12,000 to $24,000.
- Fee mix
- Core percentage fees can be supplemented by minimum fees, local marketing, Local Marketing Group contributions, Key Accounts fees, and software add-ons. Applicable programs and the timing of minimums affect the P&L.
- Business age
- The full-year Item 19 cohort excludes 2025 openings. A new territory may spend heavily on local marketing and technician capacity before reaching the sales level of an established reporting business.
- Debt and taxes
- Operating benefit is shown before personal income taxes and financing principal payments. Interest treatment is embedded only indirectly in the broad IRS benchmark; each buyer’s debt amount, rate, term, and tax situation will differ.
Does the $84,900–$163,400 initial investment reduce one year of earnings?
No; the Item 7 initial investment should not be subtracted from one year of Gross Sales to calculate annual profit. It includes one-time and start-up items such as the initial franchise fee, equipment, supplies, training, and opening capital. Financing those costs may create annual interest and principal payments, but debt service must be modeled separately using the buyer’s actual loan structure. This article does not calculate ROI, payback, break-even, or after-tax take-home pay.
What should a buyer verify before relying on this estimate?
A buyer should replace the broad benchmark with actual, normalized franchisee P&Ls whenever possible. The FDD says written substantiation for Item 19 is available on reasonable request, and Item 20 identifies current and former franchisees who can describe the costs behind the disclosed sales.
- Request the Item 19 written substantiation and reconcile the single-unit cohort, full-year eligibility rules, closures, and any amendments to the April 1, 2026 FDD.
- Ask multiple comparable franchisees for 2024 and 2025 profit-and-loss statements, separating Gross Sales, technician payroll, owner wages, vehicle expense, supplies, insurance, occupancy, marketing, and every Item 6 fee.
- Determine whether each interviewed owner works in the field, sells and schedules jobs, directly supervises technicians, uses a paid manager, or shares management across multiple territories.
- Confirm which local marketing requirement, Local Marketing Group contribution, Key Accounts fee, software configuration, and minimum monthly fees would apply to the proposed territory and contract year.
- Compare completed jobs, average ticket, lead sources, close rate, callbacks, warranty work, drive time, technician utilization, and customer concentration—not Gross Sales alone.
- Model financing separately using the actual financed amount, interest rate, amortization, vehicle obligations, and working-capital needs; do not calculate personal taxes from a system average.
What is the strongest defensible annual earnings range?
The strongest defensible range from the available evidence is approximately $21,000 to $66,000 of annual pre-tax owner-operator benefit, with a base scenario around $35,000. It is scenario-based, not official Dryer Vent Wizard profit or owner-compensation data. The principal driver is the Gross Sales level achieved within the wide single-unit distribution. The largest uncertainty is the absence of same-brand operating-expense and owner-labor data.
The range should not be read as manager-run profit, after-tax take-home pay, or a guaranteed outcome. Before deciding, a buyer should verify the Item 19 substantiation, obtain normalized P&Ls from comparable current and former franchisees, and identify exactly how much owner labor, paid management, local marketing, technician capacity, and debt service are required for the proposed territory.