Set the Stage
The total investment to open a Set the Stage franchise ranges from $150,000 to $300,000. The initial franchise fee is $35,000. Ongoing royalties are 5.5% plus a 2% advertising fee.
What is the Set the Stage franchise?
Set the Stage is an interior design business that creates designed spaces for homes and workplaces. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates a total initial investment of $150,000 to $300,000 and lists an initial franchise fee of $35,000.
The royalty is 5.5 percent of sales, and the advertising or brand fund fee is 2 percent. The franchise agreement term is 10 years. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Loan Activity Score
70/100
SBA Default Rate
0.0%
Active Lenders
8
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, Set the Stage has 23 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 8 lenders made 25 loans to franchisees of Set the Stage. PeerSense calculates Set the Stage's score as 70 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity. Cost figures are based on the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document.
23 locations
$150,000 to $300,000
$35,000
23
23 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
StrongDistinct lenders in public SBA records for Set the Stage
25
Total SBA loans
$237K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for Set the Stage
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Established (25 to 99 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
0.0%
vs 9.9% peer avg
SBA Loans
25
Total Volume
$5.9M
Active Lenders
8
1 selective
States
17
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 Set the Stage based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
0.0%
9.9% below peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
25 loans
Across 8 lenders
Lender Diversity
8 lenders
Avg 3.1 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Mid range investment
$150,000 to $300,000 total
Set the Stage: 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
2025
16 approvals. The best year on record for Set the Stage.
Top SBA State
Georgia
4 SBA financed Set the Stage locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$237K
Median $287K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own Set the Stage unit.
Lender Concentration
80%
Concentrated
Share of Set the Stage approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
Set the Stage's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 2025 (16 approvals). The last five fiscal years account for 100% of cumulative volume ($5.9M approved). Operator density is highest in Georgia with 4 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $237K, with the median at $287K. 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
$1,553
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
Set the Stage, unit breakdown
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Page Review
Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; it does not lend, fund, or approve loans, and 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
Last reviewed LinkedIn profileAbout Edward Freeman