SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE
Mr. Handyman franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Mr. Handyman in Tennessee have taken 6 SBA loans since 1991 (average $294,166)— 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 24.3% is the better guide.
Loans in TN
6
Resolved
3
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
24.3%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. 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
1,638
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
22.7
national 39.6
Versus the country
-43%
thinner
Every business in Mr. Handyman's industry operating in Tennessee — 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 TN | Local charge-off | Units in TN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Hardware | 10 | thin | — |
| FIBRENEW | 6 | thin | — |
| MIGHTY DOG ROOFING | 6 | thin | — |
| Five Star Painting | 5 | thin | — |
| SAM THE CONCRETE MAN | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Mr. Handyman compares to the systems a buyer in Tennessee 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 Mr. Handyman's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →