SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · WASHINGTON
The Grounds Guys franchise in Washington: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Grounds Guys in Washington have taken 18 SBA loans since 1991 (average $175,100), and of the 13 loans whose story has ended, 15.4% were charged off — versus 40.4% for The Grounds Guys nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in WA
18
Resolved
13
Local charge-off
15.4%
National charge-off
40.4%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = WA. 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.
Businesses in this industry
2,552
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
32.1
national 26.7
Versus the country
+20%
denser
Every business in The Grounds Guys's industry operating in Washington — 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 WA | Local charge-off | Units in WA |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVPRO (UNIT) | 15 | 10.0% | 57 |
| Chem-Dry | 7 | thin | — |
| MOLLY MAID | 7 | thin | 16 |
| RESTORATION 1 | 5 | thin | 18 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how The Grounds Guys compares to the systems a buyer in Washington 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 →