Bottom line
- Total investment $101K – $211K including a $20K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $854K/year (median $557K).
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 42/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 598 loans (below the industry average).
- System growing at 520% CAGR over 3 years with 1366 total units — strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one BUDGET BLINDS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
45%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 BUDGET BLINDS units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$512K
on $2.6M purchase
Total debt
$2.0M
SBA $1.3M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Budget Blinds franchisees operate in-home window covering retail and installation services, measuring windows, presenting design options, and coordinating installation for residential and commercial clients. Day-to-day activities include customer consultations, order management, inventory coordination, and managing a small installation crew or subcontractors. The model relies on local marketing, repeat business, and referrals in a protected territory.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Budget Blinds presents moderate-to-caution risk: a mature, slow-growing system with undisclosed profitability, active litigation, and high entry costs that limit visibility into realistic unit economics and franchisee satisfaction.
Score breakdown · what drove the 42 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 — unable to validate profitability claims against $853,650 average revenue
- 02MINORStagnant unit growth (0.3% YoY) suggests market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction in mature 1,366-unit system
- 03MINORTiered royalty structure with fixed fees ($1,250–$2,500/mo) creates burden for lower-revenue locations; breakeven analysis unclear
- 04HIGHActive litigation including franchisor collection suit against franchisee (GTHI, LLC) indicates payment/compliance disputes
- 05MINORHigh initial investment range ($100,500–$211,250) combined with lack of Item 19 net income data prevents ROI validation
- 06MINORProtected territory offers competitive advantage but does not offset opaque profitability metrics
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
71 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
BUDGET BLINDS · FDD (2025) PDF