SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ILLINOIS
The Grounds Guys franchise in Illinois: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Grounds Guys in Illinois have taken 11 SBA loans since 1991 (average $155,909)— 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 40.4% is the better guide.
Loans in IL
11
Resolved
5
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
40.4%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IL. 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.
Businesses in this industry
3,476
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
27.3
national 26.7
Versus the country
+2%
denser
Every business in The Grounds Guys's industry operating in Illinois — 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.
| System | Loans in IL | Local charge-off | Units in IL |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVPRO (UNIT) | 43 | 3.8% | 91 |
| MOLLY MAID | 10 | thin | 22 |
| Fish Window Cleaning | 6 | thin | — |
| Maidpro | 6 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how The Grounds Guys compares to the systems a buyer in Illinois would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing The Grounds Guys's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →