Board & Brush Creative StudioFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Board & Brush Creative Studio franchise requires a total initial investment of $75K – $100K, including a $25K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $116K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $75K – $100K
- 6th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- $116K
- 2nd pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 194
- 41st pct Recreation & …
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 258 to 193 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $75K – $100K including a $25K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $116K/year (median $110K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 62/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- BOARD AND BRUSH CREATIVE STUDIO FRANCHISING LLC
- Parent company
- None
- Predecessor
- company
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- WI
- HQ
- 117 Hill Street, Hartland, WI 53029
- Auditor
- Cherry Bekaert LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.9M
- vs $3.0M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Board and Brush
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate paint-and-sip social studios where customers create wood-sign DIY projects in group settings. Day-to-day operations include managing class scheduling, instructing patrons, managing materials/inventory, handling walk-in traffic and event bookings, and maintaining the studio facility. Revenue derives from per-person class fees, private event bookings, and retail product sales.
- CEO
- Julie Selby
- Headquarters
- WI
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 41
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Training Expenses | $1K | $5K | |
| Premises Lease Deposits | $2K | $3K | |
| Utilities Deposits | $0 | $250 | |
| Leasehold Improvements, Construction and/or Remodeling | $9K | $12K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $10K | $12K | |
| Signage | $800 | $800 | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $1K | $2K | |
| Computer Systems | $2K | $2K | |
| Initial Inventory to Begin Operating | $10K | $14K | |
| Office Supplies | $250 | $500 | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $3K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $2K | $2K | |
| Insurance | $400 | $500 | |
| Operating Expenses / Additional Funds - 3 months | $11K | $18K | |
| Total initial investment | $75K | $100K |
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.
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
$16K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
16%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $75K – $100K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $11K – $18K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- greater of 6% of monthly Gross Revenue or a minimum of $4…
- Ad fund
- greater of 1% of monthly Gross Revenue, subject to increa…
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $157 |
| Transfer fee | $19K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $11K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $116K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $110K
- Item 19 type
- Historical Revenue
- Sample size
- 176 units
- vs category median 5 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $27K→$339K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 176 Recreation & Entertainment brands
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Board & Brush Creative Studio Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 194
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 41
- Turnover rate
- 21.1%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -14.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -25.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 15
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.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 63
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Board & Brush shows contraction risk with declining unit growth, undisclosed profitability metrics, and high minimum royalty burdens that may compress already-thin margins on modest average revenues.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Cherry Bekaert LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 62 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 14.6% YoY (194 units), signaling potential system contraction or franchisee exits
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — unable to validate profitability claims against $75K-$100K investment
- 03MINORHigh royalty floor of $400/month minimum creates cash flow pressure; requires ~$80K monthly revenue just to break even on royalties alone
- 04MINORAverage revenue of $116K is modest relative to investment size — payback period potentially 8-12 months before operating expenses
- 05MED5-year term is relatively short; limited runway to recoup investment and scale
- 06HIGHNo going concern statement suggests franchisor stability concerns or recent financial restructuring
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Population or Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Wisconsin |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 28 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 18 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- web-based payment, digital loyalty, and marketing application
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: web-based payment, digital loyalty, and marketing application
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
97 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Board & Brush Creative Studio · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Board & Brush Creative Studio franchise?
The total investment to open a Board & Brush Creative Studio franchise ranges from $75K – $100K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Board & Brush Creative Studio franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Board & Brush Creative Studio FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $116K. The median is $110K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Board & Brush Creative Studio's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Board & Brush Creative Studio (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 Board & Brush Creative Studio franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Board & Brush Creative Studio has 194 total units in the United States, including 258 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Board & Brush Creative Studio a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Board & Brush Creative Studio as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 62 out of 100, 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.
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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.