ASI Sign Systems Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
ASI Sign Systems is a B2B franchise designing, making, and installing architectural and wayfinding signage for commercial buildings. Franchisees run local operations, managing design, production, and installation for business clients.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A ASI Sign Systems franchise requires a total initial investment of $309K – $329K, including a $50K – $70K franchise fee. Per the 2023 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.7M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $309K – $329K
- 60th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.7M
- 19th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 24
- 27th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $309K – $329K including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $2.7M/year (median $2.2M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 75/100 (higher is better).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- ASI Sign Systems, Inc.
- Parent company
- Wolfe Capital Partners LLC
- Predecessor
- TIP Marketing Inc. (formerly ASI Marketing Inc.)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- James Wolfe
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 8181 Jetstar Drive, Suite 100, Irving, Texas 75063
- Auditor
- Whitley Penn LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $21.6M
- vs $24.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- James Wolfe
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 1988
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 14% above the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown8 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| License Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Territory Feenot refundable | $5K | $25K | |
| Office Equipment, Computers, Other Hardware and Software | $52K | $52K | |
| Furniture | $25K | $25K | |
| Real Estate | $37K | $37K | |
| Additional Funds - 6 Months | $120K | $120K | |
| Training Cost | $12K | $12K | |
| Initial Marketing Program | $13K | $13K | |
| Total initial investment | $309K | $329K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $309K – $329K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $120K – $120K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $70K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Flat Service Fee of $3,250 per month per franchise territory
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $3,250 per month per franchise territory |
| Technology fee | $80 |
| Training fee | $12K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 82% above the business services norm.
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$381K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
87%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
14 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one ASI Sign Systems unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
87%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 ASI Sign Systems units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
30.2%
3.74× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.67×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$8.3M
on $19.0M purchase
Total debt
$10.7M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.7M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.2M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 15
- vs category median 35 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $44K→$10.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 296 Business Services brands
Revenue is 8.5x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $2.7M/year in gross sales. Median is $2.2M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 8.5x.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (0.0% 3-year CAGR) with 24 units.
Multi-unit rate
Only 12% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Business Services averages
How ASI Sign Systems Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 24
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 63%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 11.9%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 21 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $645K
- Median loan
- $323K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (2 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
ASI Sign Systems presents elevated risk due to lack of profitability disclosure, unknown unit growth, franchisor going concern issues, and high capital requirements relative to system size.
Litigation (Item 3)
Item 3 states no litigation information is required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Whitley Penn LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo disclosed net income (Item 19) prevents ROI validation despite $2.7M avg revenue claim
- 02MEDSmall unit base (24 units) with unknown growth trajectory suggests limited system scale and stability
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False — indicates potential financial distress at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($308.5K-$328.5K) with $3,250/month royalty creates significant breakeven burden without profit transparency
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years typical), suggesting franchisor risk or low franchisee retention confidence
- 06MEDNo litigation disclosed may indicate unreported disputes or inadequate FDD detail
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Dallas, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 states no litigation information is required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 110 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Dallas, TX or online
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 0 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- i2 CRM (Mothernode, Inc.)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: i2 CRM (Mothernode, Inc.)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
34 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
ASI Sign Systems · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a ASI Sign Systems franchise?
The total investment to open a ASI Sign Systems franchise ranges from $309K – $329K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do ASI Sign Systems franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the ASI Sign Systems FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.7M. The median is $2.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the ASI Sign Systems FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the ASI Sign Systems FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is ASI Sign Systems's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for ASI Sign Systems (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many ASI Sign Systems franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, ASI Sign Systems has 24 total units in the United States, including 15 franchised units and 9 company-owned units.
Is ASI Sign Systems a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates ASI Sign Systems as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 75 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.