FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Fish Window Cleaning franchise in New Jersey: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Fish Window Cleaning in New Jersey have taken 5 SBA loans since 1991 (average $215,000)— 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 20.8% is the better guide.

SBA loan outcomes · New Jerseyvs national

Loans in NJ

5

Resolved

1

Local charge-off

thin

National charge-off

20.8%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NJ. 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 · New Jersey vs nationalDense market

Businesses in this industry

3,473

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

36.6

national 26.7

Versus the country

+37%

denser

Every business in Fish Window Cleaning's industry operating in New Jersey — 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.

Labor cost · New Jersey vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$689

New Jersey, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$659

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+5%

costlier to staff

What Fish Window Cleaning's industry actually pays workers in New Jersey, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal independent of the FDD — a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in New Jersey4 systems
SystemLoans in NJLocal charge-offUnits in NJ
SERVPRO2910.5%74
MOLLY MAID9thin12
PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION8thin6
Lawn Doctor7thin

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Fish Window Cleaning compares to the systems a buyer in New Jersey would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Fish Window Cleaning's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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