Hard Knocks
The total investment to open a Hard Knocks franchise ranges from $9,500 to $9,500.
What is the Hard Knocks franchise?
Hard Knocks is an indoor entertainment business where customers play simulated combat games and video games. The estimated total initial investment to open is $9,500.
The franchise was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.
Loan Activity Score
15/100
SBA Default Rate
40.0%
Active Lenders
4
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, Hard Knocks has 2 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 4 lenders made 5 loans to franchisees of Hard Knocks. PeerSense calculates Hard Knocks's score as 15 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity.
Franchising since 2005 · 2 locations
$9,500 to $9,500
2
2 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
LimitedDistinct lenders in public SBA records for Hard Knocks
5
Total SBA loans
$559K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for Hard Knocks
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Emerging (3 to 9 loans)
Are lenders increasingly or decreasingly funding this brand? Growing trends score highest.
Blended default rate (recent + all time) compared to NAICS sector peers.
Quality lenders actively backing this brand, with penalty for lender pullback.
FDD availability, Item 19 disclosure, and overall data completeness.
Geographic spread of SBA funded locations across states.
SBA Lending Performance
SBA Default Rate
40.0%
vs 7.9% peer avg
SBA Loans
5
Total Volume
$2.8M
Active Lenders
4
States
4
vs. SBA Sector Average
SBA loan default rate vs. all franchises in the same NAICS sector, not limited to direct competitors
Key Highlights
Franchise Financing Resources
Data Insights
Key performance metrics for Hard Knocks based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
40.0%
32.1% above peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
5 loans
Across 4 lenders
Lender Diversity
4 lenders
Avg 1.3 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Low cost entry
$9,500 to $9,500 total
Hard Knocks: Deep SBA Data
Brand specific metrics derived directly from SBA 7(a) approval records: peak lending year, leading state, average loan size, and lender concentration. PeerSense computes these per brand so capital advisors and prospective franchisees can benchmark this opportunity against the rest of the franchise universe.
Peak SBA Year
2015
4 approvals. The best year on record for Hard Knocks.
Top SBA State
Ohio
2 SBA financed Hard Knocks locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$559K
Median $605K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own Hard Knocks unit.
Lender Concentration
80%
Concentrated
Share of Hard Knocks approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
Hard Knocks's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 2015 (4 approvals). Operator density is highest in Ohio with 2 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $559K, with the median at $605K. Lender mix is concentrated: the top three SBA lenders account for 80% of approvals. Credit decisions concentrate with a small group of incumbents.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$98
Principal & Interest only
Indicative only, as of October 1, 2026. Not a quote, commitment or offer of credit. Final pricing, leverage and terms are determined by the lender at underwriting, after full transaction materials are reviewed. PeerSense sources the file. The lender sets pricing. What these terms mean.
Locations
Hard Knocks, unit breakdown
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Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; the capital source sets final terms.
- Edward L. Freeman founded PeerSense in January 2020.
- He is a Registered Franchise Consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a credential issued in March 2022, and worked as a franchise consultant there from March 2022 to May 2023.
- His recorded experience includes a $22 million SBA construction loan, with about $16 million funded on the deal.
- In the 12 months through September 30, 2026, PeerSense tracked 912 publicly announced financings with a disclosed size of $361.32 billion. PeerSense Capital Data Report · Methodology page
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