Big Frog Custom T-Shirts Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Big Frog Custom T-Shirts is a print franchise producing custom t-shirts, apparel, and gifts, with no minimum order, using digital printing. Franchisees run a print shop handling design, printing, and customer orders for consumers and businesses in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Big Frog Custom T-Shirts franchise requires a total initial investment of $158K – $376K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $545K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 10.0% charge-off rate across 16 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $158K – $376K
- 49th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $545K
- 6th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 9th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 73
- 43rd pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 10.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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 $158K – $376K including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $545K/year (median $491K).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 63/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 10.0% across 16 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, Inc.
- Predecessor
- and Affiliates
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Dr. Christina P. Bacon-DeFrece
- CEO experience
- 17 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Florida
- HQ
- 533 Main Street, Dunedin, Florida 34698
- Auditor
- PDR CPAs (pdr-cpa.com)
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.6M
- vs $3.8M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Dr. Christina P. Bacon-DeFrece
- Headquarters
- Florida
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 25
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about average for a business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee, Standardnot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Training Travel Expenses | $2K | $5K | |
| Lease Deposits and Store Build Out, Standard location | $15K | $50K | |
| Equipment, Furniture & Fixtures for Standard Franchise | $15K | $112K | |
| Computer System and Software | $7K | $13K | |
| Signs, Standard location | $5K | $13K | |
| Office Supplies | $2K | $4K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $3K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $3K | |
| Franchise Opening Costs, including Utility Deposits, Licenses | $1K | $2K | |
| Opening Inventory, Standard location | $5K | $6K | |
| Promotional and Advertising - 3 Months for Standard Franchise | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months for Standard Franchise | $40K | $42K | |
| Total initial investment | $164K | $323K |
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
- $158K – $376K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $350 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $6K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 55% below the business services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Big Frog Custom T-Shirts until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$324K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Big Frog Custom T-Shirts unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $545K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $491K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical actual
- Sample size
- 66 outlets
- vs category median 37
- Range (low → high)
- $128K→$1.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $243K→$967K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 296 Business Services brands
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 $545K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.0x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.5% — below the Business Services average of 12.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 6/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -2.6% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Big Frog Custom T-Shirts Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 73
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 8
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 11.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -2.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 7
- Closed (3yr)
- 8
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 10.8%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 4.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 5.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 25 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
25
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 16
- Loan volume
- $2.2M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 10.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 90.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 9
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 6.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 16.7%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 70
- 3.1 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 38%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 100% went to startups / new businesses, 0% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in other clothing stores, franchised businesses charge off at 16.7% vs 25.9% for independents — franchising is associated with 36% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Big Frog Custom T-Shirts franchisees
Showing 3 of 9 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Big Frog Custom T-Shirts's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 9 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 9 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 10.0% — 38% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Active franchisee litigation, non-disclosed profitability data, small/stagnant unit base, and financial stability concerns make this a speculative investment requiring extensive validation before proceeding.
Litigation (Item 3)
Adroit 365, LLC v. Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, Inc. (Circuit Court, Oakland County, MI, filed Dec 2024) - breach of contract/conversion claim over termination of a Franchise Agreement for failure to use required POS system; franchisor filed answer, affirmative defenses, and counterclaims; case in early stages, no trial date.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PDR CPAs (pdr-cpa.com)
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 63 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHActive litigation with franchisee (Adroit 365) involving breach of contract and conversion claims, with franchisor counterclaim for trademark infringement suggests systemic operational/relationship issues
- 02MINORRoyalty structure creates cash flow pressure: $1,200/month minimum ($14,400/year) represents 2.8% of average revenue even before growth, limiting franchisee margins
- 03MINOROnly 74 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — insufficient scale and transparency on unit growth/attrition rates
- 04HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE (meaning concern exists) — franchisor financial stability questions despite modest unit base
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Pinellas County, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Adroit 365, LLC v. Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, Inc. (Circuit Court, Oakland County, MI, filed Dec 2024) - breach of contract/conversion claim over termination of a Franchise Agreement for failure to use required POS system; franchisor filed answer, affirmative defenses, and counterclaims; case in early stages, no trial date.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 35 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 35 hrs
- Training location
- Big Frog University in Dunedin, Florida; your Market (on-site); Center of Excellence store; virtual/eLearning
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee (subject to franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CoreBridge POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CoreBridge POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
9 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Big Frog Custom T-Shirts · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Big Frog Custom T-Shirts franchise?
The total investment to open a Big Frog Custom T-Shirts franchise ranges from $158K – $376K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Big Frog Custom T-Shirts franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Big Frog Custom T-Shirts FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $545K. The median is $491K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Big Frog Custom T-Shirts 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 Big Frog Custom T-Shirts FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Big Frog Custom T-Shirts's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts has a charge-off rate of 10.0% across 16 loans, meaning 10.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Big Frog Custom T-Shirts franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts has 73 total units in the United States, including 73 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Big Frog Custom T-Shirts a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Big Frog Custom T-Shirts as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 63 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
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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.