From the filed FDD — automated extraction, check the source
2026 FDD
Spherion
Staffing & recruiting · parent company: not identified
Spherion is a staffing and recruiting franchise that places temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire workers with employers in light industrial and administrative roles. A franchisee operates a staffing office in a territory, recruiting candidates and selling workforce services to local businesses, with the franchisor handling payroll funding and back-office support.
Spherion net unit count declined 15.1% over 2023–2025 per its FDD Item 20.
New to franchising? Start here
A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.
Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. Most numbers on this page come from that document; others come from federal SBA loan records and labor and census data, each labelled with its source:
- Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
- Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
- Item 20 — how many locations opened, transferred and left the system, the main basis for our verdict, which rates how strong the disclosed record is, or says when the system is too new, the filing too old, or the disclosure too thin to judge.
Our rating · opinion
Weaker disclosed record
Below our threshold on the operating record we compute from Item 20 — unit growth, the mix of exits, owner turnover and promise-keeping. What pulls it down: units fell 15% (2023–2025: 212 → 180); most exits were terminations or closures rather than transfers to new owners; the fiscal 2025 exit rate was 9.5%, well above the 6.0% median across 48 comparable systems (business services). This is our opinion of the filing, not a finding about the franchisor's finances.
Exit rate · fiscal 2025
9.5%
vs 6.0% median across 48 comparable systems (business services)
Cost to open
$133K–$301K
Item 7 total investment range
SBA loan losses
Too few to rate
0 seasoned resolved loans; 30 needed
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Data as of 2026-10-29. Figures come from Spherion's public FDD filings (latest: MN 2026, extracted 2026-07-29) and SBA FOIA loan records (through FY2026), extracted by us and possibly containing errors. The rating is our opinion, not investment, legal, or tax advice. Franchisor or owner and see something wrong? Report a correction — we review every request.
What each source says
FDD record · SBA loans · model · auditor
The sources broadly agree, and the verdict follows the FDD's operating record.
FDD record · Item 20
Weaker operating record
Units fell 15% (2023–2025: 212 → 180); exit rate 9.5% (fiscal 2025) vs 6.0% median.
SBA loans · vs same-year loans
Too few seasoned loans
0 resolved loans approved by FY2020; 30 needed.
Modeled risk
Not scored
Too little evidence for the model.
Auditor opinion · Item 21
Clean opinion
Unqualified audit, 2026 FDD. Says nothing about franchisee results.
Behind the verdict
the record, factor by factor · Item 20
latest consecutive years · Item 20 Table 1
terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3
transfers vs. base · Table 3
actual vs. projected openings · Table 5
Item 19 disclosure + completeness · shown, not counted in the verdict
Systemwide units
2023–2025
Survival record
FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year
In fiscal 2025, 18 of 189 franchised outlets left the system — an exit rate of 9.5% (fiscal 2025), vs a 6.0% median across 48 comparable systems (business services). An exit is not a failure: this counts terminations, non-renewals and "ceased — other reasons" as reported, and excludes transfers to new owners.
Show the outlet tables ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Status (FTC) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 215 | 212 | 192 |
| Opened | 29 | 10 | 9 |
| Transfers | 11 | 19 | 8 |
| Terminations | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Non-renewals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 32 | 29 | 13 |
| Outlets at end | 212 | 192 | 180 |
| Net change | -3 | -20 | -12 |
The franchisor's own finances
FDD ITEM 21 · AUDITED STATEMENTS · 2026 FDD
Bennett Thrasher LLP gave an unmodified (clean) opinion on the statements in the 2026 FDD; revenue was roughly flat from FY2023 to FY2025.
This is the company selling the franchise, not any franchisee. A clean opinion means the statements are fairly presented — not that the business is healthy.
Revenue · FY2025
$416.1M
p. 198 · matched to statement
Net income · FY2025
$6.9M
p. 198 · matched to statement
Where FY2025 revenue came from
1% royalties
initial-fee share not extracted
Show the statement figures ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Fiscal year | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $414.4Mp. 198 · matched to statement | $408.4Mp. 198 · matched to statement | $416.1Mp. 198 · matched to statement |
| Royalty revenue | $2.3Mextracted · not cross-checked | $1.9Mextracted · not cross-checked | $1.9Mextracted · not cross-checked |
| Net income (loss) | $5.5Mp. 198 · matched to statement | $3.3Mp. 198 · matched to statement | $6.9Mp. 198 · matched to statement |
| Equity (deficit) at year end | not extracted | $39.9Mp. 197 | $52.3Mp. 197 |
The lender's view
SBA 7(a)/504 loan outcomes · compared with franchise loans of the same years
Banks have made 5 SBA-backed loans to Spherion franchisees since 2017. Only 0 of its loans approved by FY2020 have resolved — fewer than the 30 we need to compare it fairly with other franchise loans, so we don't rate it.
All-time, 0 of 1 resolved loans charged off (0.0%). That raw figure mixes every approval year since 2017 — loans made in 2006–08 failed at several times the rate of loans made in 2010–13 across all franchises — so it is shown as evidence, not as the score. 80% of the brand's loans have not resolved yet.
—
0 seasoned resolved · 30 needed
0.0%
0 of 1 resolved, every approval year
—
charged-off $ ÷ approved $, defaulted loans
$3,268,800
what recent franchisees borrowed
—
shown with 10+ defaults
4 vs 1
distinct banks still lending
Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%) · dashed line = all franchise loans that year
SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO SPHERION BY SBA FRANCHISE NAME/CODE · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL · EXPECTED = SAME-YEAR RATE ACROSS ALL SBA FRANCHISE LOANS, LOANS ≥ ~6 YEARS OLD
What it costs — and what it drags
FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty
Buying in means a $30,000 franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $133K–$301K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.
To open (Item 7)
$133K–$301K
all-in investment range
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$30,000
upfront, one-time
Royalty (Item 6)
See Item 6
not a single flat % — read the fee table
This is not profit. It covers what the FDD fixes: what you put in, and the royalty you owe on sales. Your take-home depends on labor, rent, supplies, and the months to breakeven, none of which the FDD fixes for your unit (some Item 19s include cost data — read it).
Build a real pro-forma for Spherion with a buyer-paid CPAHow the earnings claim is built
FDD ITEM 19 · BASIS · 2026 FDD
The headline figure is Sales (per franchisee) for Fiscal Year 2025, leaving out not open the entire 2025 year, ceased operations and left the system in 2025, Area-Based Franchise Agreement franchises and others. It is not an annual per-outlet figure, so we don't treat it as unit revenue.
Graded on three things the filing states: coverage (2 points if the figure covers at least 75% of the units it is compared with, 1 point for 50–75%), centre (2 points if it prints both a median and a mean, 1 for one of them), and costs (2 points for costs through a profit line or full cost detail, 1 for some cost items). 5–6 points = More complete, 3–4 = Partial, 0–2 = Limited. The grade describes the disclosure, not the business.
Show the basis ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| What is measured | Sales (per franchisee) (revenue; not an annual per-outlet figure) |
| Period | Fiscal Year 2025 |
| Whose results | Franchised outlets |
| Units included | 57 (total for comparison not stated) |
| Left out |
|
| Average (mean) | printed, but not an annual per-outlet figure |
| Median | printed, but not an annual per-outlet figure |
| Met or beat the average | 16 of 57 (28.1%) |
| Costs shown | Some cost items only |
| Where | p. 54 (Item 19 runs pp. 53–56) |
| The filing's words | “The information for Sales and Gross Profits is on a per franchisee basis. That is, if a franchisee has more than one Franchise Agreement with us, then the numbers achieved under each Franchise Agreement are combined.” |
Labor record
US Dept. of Labor enforcement · franchisee-level · FY2005–present
Federal investigators have concluded 14 wage cases against operators of this system, recovering $513K in back wages for 3,061 workers. Some of these cases are recent, not ancient history. These cases name franchisee-owned locations, not the franchisor itself.
Concluded cases
14
Back wages owed
$513K
Employees affected
3,061
Since 2020
1
Read this carefully. The employers in these cases are individual Spherion franchisees — separately owned businesses operating under the brand name — not Spherion itself. The franchisor is not the respondent and in most cases is not a party. What the record shows is how this system's operators run their payrolls, which is worth knowing before you become one of them. Counts rise with system size and with age: a 20-year-old, 10,000-unit system will out-count a young one regardless of conduct. Cases are matched to the brand by trade name and may include misattributed employers. Source: DOL Wage and Hour Division concluded compliance actions, FY2005–present, most recent finding 2022.
Public records
Bankruptcy, closure & federal court records · coverage is selective · dockets are not scored
We have no verified public-record signals published for Spherion. This is not evidence that no events exist. Check PACER, the FDD's Item 3 (litigation) and Item 4 (bankruptcy), and recent news yourself.
9 questions to ask a Spherion franchisee
Built from this brand's own disclosures · take it to your validation calls
The franchisor will give you a list of owners to call. Most buyers ask whether they like it. These questions come from what Spherion has disclosed. Each one carries the number it came from, so you can check the answer against the record.
- 01
Spherion’s own Item 20 shows 18 of 189 franchised outlets left the system in fiscal 2025 — about 9.5%. Do you know any of those owners, and do you know why they left?
A franchisor will call these “transitions.” An owner three doors down usually knows whether they sold at a profit or handed the keys back.
FDD Item 20 · FY2025
- 02
8 units transferred to new owners in fiscal 2025. When you look at those, were they people cashing out a good business — or getting out of a bad one?
Item 20 counts transfers as neutral, but a transfer can be a good sale or a reluctant exit — the filing does not say which.
FDD Item 20 · FY2025
- 03
The system went from 212 units to 180 over 3 disclosed years. What's the explanation you've been given, and do you believe it?
A shrinking system means fewer owners funding the ad fund and support staff you're paying for.
FDD Item 20 · FY2023–FY2025
- 04
Spherion makes an earnings claim in Item 19. Does your unit look like that number — and do you know which units they included to build it?
Item 19 is legal to build from a flattering subset. Ask whether they excluded new units, closed units, or company stores.
FDD Item 19 · 2026
- 05
How many months did it take to cover your own costs, and how much cash did you burn getting there?
Ramp-to-breakeven working capital is the most underestimated line in any franchise purchase, and the most common reason otherwise-good units fail.
Not disclosed in any FDD — ask an owner
- 06
Item 3 discloses 3 legal matters. Do you know what those were about, and were any brought by franchisees?
Franchisee-brought suits over territory, fees or support tell you how the franchisor behaves when there's a disagreement.
FDD Item 3 · 2026
- 07
What does the franchisor charge for that you didn't expect — required tech fees, mandatory remodels, approved-supplier pricing?
Required spending appears across Items 6, 8 and 11 rather than in one place, so buyers routinely miss the total.
FDD Items 6, 8, 11
- 08
If your agreement came up for renewal tomorrow at current terms, would you sign again?
The single most predictive question you can ask. A hesitation is the answer.
Ask every owner you speak to
- 09
Who else should I call — including someone who left?
The franchisor's list is curated by definition. Former franchisees are where the unflattering truth lives, and current owners usually know how to reach them.
Ask every owner you speak to
Want this as a checklist you can take to the calls?
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A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Spherion’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
This page is what buyers see before they call you for validation. If the record above is wrong — or right in a way the numbers can't show — say so. Franchisors: send corrections with the page reference and we will review them against the filing and update or annotate the page. Corrections are checked against the filings; nothing you write is published with your name unless you agree to it.
Spherion franchise questions, answered from the filings
How many Spherion franchised outlets left the system last year?
In Spherion's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 18 of 189 franchised outlets left the system — an exit rate of 9.5% — compared with a 6.0% median across 48 comparable systems (business services) tracked here. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons" as the franchisor reported them; it excludes transfers to new owners. The FDD does not say why each outlet left, and an exit is not the same as a failure.
How much does a Spherion franchise cost?
Per Spherion's 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $30,000 (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $133K–$301K (Item 7).
Does Spherion disclose earnings (Item 19)?
Yes — Spherion makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2026 FDD, reporting a median unit volume of $4.1M. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.