SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026
The Little Gym Franchise Failure Rate: 7.7% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 13 The Little Gym SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers average of 11.4%.
Between 2010 and 2019, 26 The Little Gym franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 2 defaulted — a 7.7% charge-off rate, 0.7x the Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers average of 11.4%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
What is the The Little Gym franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
The Little Gym is a Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to The Little Gym franchisees: 26 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 2 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201926
- Charged off2
- Charge-off rate7.7%
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers franchise benchmark11.4%
- Brand vs industry0.7x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$172,969
- New SBA loans since 2020109
- Early charge-offs since 20201
How does The Little Gym compare with other Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers franchises?
The table sets The Little Gym's charge-off rate beside its Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | The Little Gym | Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 7.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 26 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 2 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $172,969 | — | — | — |
What has The Little Gym SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, The Little Gym franchisees have taken 109 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2013 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| FY2017 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| FY2019 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 9 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 19 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 24 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 35 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 17 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
The Little Gym's figure rests on 26 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 26 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 3.8 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every The Little Gym figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 26 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Frequently asked
- What is The Little Gym's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
- Between 2010 and 2019, 26 The Little Gym franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 2 defaulted — a 7.7% charge-off rate, 0.7x the Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers average of 11.4%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
- Is The Little Gym a safe franchise investment?
- Between 2010–2019, The Little Gym franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 7.7% versus a 11.4% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). The Little Gym franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 7.7% (2 of 26 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/the-little-gym/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)