FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA

Bright Star Healthcare/Brightstar franchise in California: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Bright Star Healthcare/Brightstar in California have taken 7 SBA loans since 1991 (average $193,957)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 6.7% is the better guide.

SBA loan outcomes · Californiavs national

Loans in CA

7

Resolved

5

Local charge-off

thin

National charge-off

6.7%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.

Market density · California vs nationalDense market

Businesses in this industry

9,297

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

23.6

national 17.4

Versus the country

+36%

denser

Every business in Bright Star Healthcare/Brightstar's industry operating in California — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in California9 systems
SystemLoans in CALocal charge-offUnits in CA
SENIOR HELPERS18thin54
Comfort Keepers12thin
Amada Senior Care11thin41
NURSE NEXT DOOR10thin
SYNERGY HOME CARE9thin76
Visiting Angels9thin
Firstlight Homecare8thin
HOME HELPERS HOME CARE7thin44
ComForcare Senior Services5thin23

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Bright Star Healthcare/Brightstar compares to the systems a buyer in California would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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