101 Mobility

When families face the moment of reckoning — a parent who can no longer climb the stairs safely, a veteran returning home with mobility challenges, a spouse whose arthritis has turned the bathroom into a hazard zone — they need a trusted local provider who understands both the emotional weight and the technical complexity of the solution. That is the exact problem 101 Mobility was built to solve. Founded in 2008 by Keith Barnhardt and Luke Sampson in Wilmington, North Carolina, the company set out to professionalize a fragmented, underserved market by delivering premium mobility and accessibility equipment — stair lifts, wheelchair ramps, vertical platform lifts, home elevators, bath safety equipment, auto lifts, and patient lifts — directly to clients in their homes. The brand began franchising in 2010, just two years after its founding, and scaled rapidly enough to attract institutional backing from the Cortec Group, which acquired 101 Mobility in May 2013. Today, with Mark Baker serving as President, the franchise operates 178 franchised units and 16 company-owned units for a reported total of 207 units, representing 5.1% growth over a three-year period and a footprint spanning more than 100 territories across the United States and Canada. The mobility aid and accessibility solutions market is not a niche product category — it is a structural, demographically-driven economic force valued at over $20 billion in the U.S. alone. For franchise investors evaluating where to place capital in the current environment, 101 Mobility occupies a defensible, purpose-driven position at the intersection of aging demographics, healthcare cost pressures, and the surging demand for home-based independence solutions. This analysis is produced independently by PeerSense and is not marketing material generated by 101 Mobility or its corporate parent.

The industry backdrop for the 101 Mobility franchise opportunity is, by almost any analytical measure, one of the most compelling in the franchise universe. The global medical equipment market was valued at USD 580.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 960.7 billion by 2033, compounding at a CAGR of 6.8%. Within that broader market, the durable medical equipment segment was recorded at USD 208.34 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 339.52 billion by 2032, representing a CAGR of 6.24% through that period. The global mobility devices market specifically was valued at USD 8.76 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 22.70 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 7.1%, while the Global Mobility Aid Medical Devices Market stood at USD 5.32 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit USD 6.95 billion by 2030. These figures are not driven by speculation — they are driven by one of the most powerful and irreversible demographic shifts in modern history. The Baby Boomer population is projected to reach 82 million Americans aged 65 and older by 2050, and the number of Americans over 65 is expected to double by 2030. Nearly 90% of seniors express a strong preference to age in place rather than transition to assisted living or nursing care, particularly as institutional care costs continue to accelerate. Beyond the senior segment, 34 million U.S. adults currently live with some form of mobility challenge, encompassing conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, and multiple sclerosis. The market structure remains fragmented at the local and regional level, which is precisely what creates the franchise opportunity — a nationally-branded, professionally-operated provider with supply chain scale and institutional vendor relationships can capture disproportionate share in any territory it enters.

The 101 Mobility franchise cost structure positions this opportunity as a mid-tier investment relative to the broader franchise landscape, with meaningful upside on the capital efficiency side given the service-based, low-overhead operating model. The initial franchise fee is $74,000 for a standard territory, though franchise fee ranges have been reported between $47,000 and $72,000 in some disclosure periods, reflecting the evolving fee structure as the brand has matured. Veterans benefit from a meaningful incentive through the VetFran program, receiving either $10,000 off the franchise fee for a first startup franchise or $5,000 off for first territories — a significant reduction that reflects the brand's strong cultural alignment with the veteran community and its VA FSS Contract relationships. Total initial investment to open a 101 Mobility franchise ranges from approximately $181,850 to $258,600, with some disclosure periods showing a range of $182,000 to $259,000. The investment breakdown is transparent and detailed across the Franchise Disclosure Document: vehicle and signage runs $9,000 to $12,000; lease and utility security deposits with initial monthly payments run $13,500 to $27,000; equipment costs range from $12,000 to $18,000; initial software is $2,700 to $5,400; training costs $5,500 to $9,200; initial launch advertising runs $4,000 to $6,000; business and vehicle insurance deposits and premiums are $8,000 to $12,000; and the additional funds reserve for the initial six months is $50,000 to $75,000. Minimum liquid capital required is $100,000, and minimum net worth is $400,000. The ongoing royalty structure is tiered: 7% on gross sales up to $2 million annually, 6% on gross sales between $2 million and $3 million, and 5% on gross sales above $3 million — a design that rewards top performers with reduced effective royalty rates as they scale. The advertising contribution to the national brand fund is 4% of gross sales, bringing total ongoing fees to between 9% and 11% of revenue depending on annual volume. For investors sourcing capital, the service-based model and strong cash flow profile of mobility installation and rental businesses typically support SBA loan eligibility, and the veteran discount further broadens the accessible investor pool.

The daily operating reality of a 101 Mobility franchise is fundamentally different from food service or retail franchise models, which carry higher labor costs, perishable inventory, and foot-traffic dependency. A 101 Mobility franchisee's core activities involve conducting in-home consultations to assess client needs, selling and installing mobility and accessibility equipment, managing a rental inventory program that generates recurring monthly revenue, and maintaining installed equipment for ongoing service revenue. The business is structured to run efficiently with a lean team — co-founder Keith Barnhardt himself noted that franchisee Larry Wright launched his Phoenix and Tucson operations with a single employee and expanded to 10 employees as the business scaled. The multi-format operating model does not require premium retail real estate; instead, franchisees operate from a warehouse or light commercial space that serves as inventory staging and a service hub. 101 Mobility's training program is two weeks of intensive in-person instruction covering product installation and certification, hands-on technical training on core mobility products, installation standards, safety protocols, quality control, financial management, marketing execution, lead conversion, CRM systems, vendor relationship management, and sales process development. Support begins at contract signing, when each franchisee is paired with a dedicated onboarding partner who oversees territory planning, vendor setup, hiring guidance, and operational readiness. The corporate infrastructure includes a proprietary cloud-based operating system, in-house marketing support that manages all web interactions internally, and exclusive vendor relationships that deliver unrivaled pricing on product procurement. Franchisees also benefit from large, exclusive protected territories and access to national contracts including a VA FSS Contract, which provides a structured pipeline into the veteran customer segment — a group that represents a significant and recurring source of demand for mobility and accessibility solutions.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document for 101 Mobility as reflected in the current database record. However, independently corroborated revenue data from franchise research sources provides meaningful visibility into unit-level performance. In 2022, the average sales for a 101 Mobility franchise unit were reported at $627,000, with another data source indicating an average gross revenue of $706,437 per unit. The $706,437 average gross revenue figure exceeds the sub-sector average of $597,165 by approximately 18%, a material outperformance that suggests the brand's vendor relationships, national marketing, and operational infrastructure deliver measurable competitive advantages at the unit level. The company explicitly positions its model as built for high return on investment, and the tiered royalty structure reinforces that claim — a franchisee generating $2.5 million in annual gross revenue pays an effective royalty of approximately 6.4%, compared to the flat 7% paid at lower volume, representing thousands of dollars in annual savings that drop directly to owner earnings. The business model also benefits from a recurring revenue dimension through rental programs, which provide cash flow stability between installation projects and reduce the volatility typical of project-based service businesses. The 87% expansion rate — meaning 87% of 101 Mobility owners have successfully grown into larger multi-unit or multi-territory operations — is a particularly powerful signal of franchisee satisfaction and unit-level financial health, since operators do not voluntarily invest additional capital into a business model that is not generating adequate returns. Payback period on the initial $181,850 to $258,600 investment, modeled against an average gross revenue of $627,000 to $706,437 and estimated owner earnings after royalties and advertising fees of roughly 15% to 25% of revenue (consistent with service-based franchise norms), suggests a payback window in the range of two to four years for well-managed operations in appropriately sized territories.

The growth trajectory of the 101 Mobility franchise system tells a consistent story of methodical, compounding expansion. The brand launched franchising in 2010 and has scaled to 207 total units as of the most recent reporting period, representing 5.1% system-wide growth over three years — a steady rate that reflects disciplined franchisee selection rather than speculative unit inflation. The system currently includes 178 franchised units and 16 company-owned units, and operates in more than 100 territories across the U.S. and Canada. The competitive moat 101 Mobility has built is multidimensional: exclusive vendor relationships with leading mobility product manufacturers create pricing advantages that independent local operators cannot replicate; the VA FSS Contract provides institutional access to the veteran customer base that competitors without federal contracting experience cannot easily access; the proprietary cloud-based operating system creates operational consistency and data visibility across the franchise system; and the in-house marketing team managing all digital and web interactions internally ensures brand consistency and lead quality in a way that outsourced marketing cannot match. The brand was recognized as a Franchise Business Review Top Franchise in 2022 and has been named a top franchise for veterans, validating its operational and franchisee satisfaction metrics against a broad peer group. The Cortec Group's institutional backing since May 2013 provides corporate financial stability and strategic resources that support continued technology investment, vendor relationship development, and franchise system infrastructure. The industry tailwinds — aging demographics, aging-in-place preference among 90% of seniors, and the projected doubling of the 65-plus population by 2030 — are secular forces that will continue to drive demand regardless of macroeconomic cycle, making this one of the more recession-resistant franchise categories available to investors today.

The ideal 101 Mobility franchisee is not defined by a specific industry background but rather by a combination of service orientation, operational discipline, and community engagement capacity. The brand actively serves seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities — populations whose trust is earned through personal interaction, reliability, and demonstrated commitment to their wellbeing. Franchisees who describe the business as a "feel good" business are not engaging in marketing language — they are reflecting the reality that on-site consultations involve clients navigating physically and emotionally vulnerable circumstances, and the ability to guide those conversations with empathy while also executing the technical and logistical dimensions of the business is the defining skill set. Multi-unit ownership is a clear expectation within the 101 Mobility system, with the business model explicitly built for scalability and multi-territory expansion; the 87% expansion rate among existing owners confirms that this is not theoretical aspiration but documented operational behavior. The company is currently accepting inquiries from potential franchisees in Florida, Texas, and Utah, representing three of the most demographically favorable markets in the country for aging-in-place demand, given their large and growing senior populations. The franchise agreement grants large, exclusive protected territories, which provide the geographic runway necessary for multi-unit growth and protect franchisees' customer base from internal brand competition. The business can be operated in an owner-operator model, as demonstrated by numerous franchisees who began with one or two employees, or scaled toward a semi-absentee structure as team depth increases. The timeline from signing to opening is accelerated by the dedicated onboarding partner structure, which compresses the typically slow pre-launch period by providing immediate guidance on site selection, vendor setup, and hiring.

The investment thesis for the 101 Mobility franchise opportunity is built on three structurally sound pillars that serious franchise investors should evaluate carefully. First, the demographic demand is not cyclical — it is permanent and accelerating, driven by a 82 million-person senior cohort, a 34 million-person mobility-challenged adult population, and a 90% aging-in-place preference rate that is only strengthening as institutional care costs rise. Second, the unit economics show average gross revenues of $627,000 to $706,437, outperforming the sub-sector average by 18%, with a tiered royalty structure that rewards scale and a recurring rental income model that smooths cash flow. Third, the franchise system infrastructure — proprietary technology, in-house marketing, VA FSS Contract access, exclusive vendor pricing, and a dedicated onboarding structure — provides genuine competitive advantages that justify the $74,000 franchise fee and the $181,850 to $258,600 total investment range relative to building an independent mobility solutions business from scratch. The FPI Score of 61 (Moderate) from the PeerSense database reflects a balanced risk-reward profile consistent with a growing, mid-stage franchise system with strong industry tailwinds and a demonstrated track record of franchisee expansion. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark 101 Mobility against other franchise opportunities across the mobility, healthcare, and home services categories with full analytical rigor. Explore the complete 101 Mobility franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.