Color Me Mine Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Color Me Mine is an entertainment franchise operating paint-your-own-pottery studios where guests hand-paint ceramics that are then kiln-fired. Franchisees run a studio managing walk-ins, parties, and events, plus kiln and inventory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Color Me Mine franchise requires a total initial investment of $219K – $475K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $513K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 13.0% charge-off rate across 77 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $219K – $475K
- 19th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- $513K
- 7th pct Recreation & …
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 1st pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 125
- 47th pct Recreation & …
- SBA charge-off
- 13.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Recreation & Entertainment 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 $219K – $475K including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $513K/year (median $479K). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 68/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 13.0% across 77 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 18.1% CAGR over 3 years with 125 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Color Me Mine LLC
- Parent company
- Twist Brands LLC
- Predecessor
- Color Me Mine Enterprises, Inc. (CMME)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Director and CEO
- Teresa Johnson
- Incorporated in
- LA
- HQ
- 1852 N. Causeway Blvd, Mandeville, LA 70471
- Auditor
- Reagan & Reagan CPA, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.2M
- vs $4.4M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Teresa Johnson
- Headquarters
- LA
- Founded
- 2020
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 26
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 74% below the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $169K | $385K |
| Total initial investment | $219K | $475K |
Source: Color Me Mine 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $219K – $475K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $60K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $239 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $12K – $18K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 48% below the recreation & entertainment norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · 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
$87K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.4 yrs
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 Color Me Mine unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
23%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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 Color Me Mine units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.0M
on $5.1M purchase
Total debt
$4.1M
SBA $2.6M + 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $513K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $479K
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 revenue
- Sample size
- 109
- vs category median 5 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $146K→$1.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $282K→$819K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 166 Recreation & Entertainment 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 $513K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.5x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.0% — below the Recreation & Entertainment average of 8.8%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 18.1% CAGR over 3 years across 125 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Color Me Mine Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 125
- Opened
- 12
- 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
- 3.2%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +18.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +18.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 8
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 25 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 77
- Loan volume
- $9.0M
- Median loan
- $105K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 13.0%
- 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)
- 86.8%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 30
- Defaults
- 7
- Typical loan rate
- 8.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 11.3%
- brand is above its industry ↑
- Jobs supported
- 425
- 5.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 19%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 68% went to startups / new businesses, 32% to established operators
Vintage analysis
Color Me Mine charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Color Me Mine franchisees
Showing 3 of 30 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 Color Me Mine's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 24-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 13.0% — 19% 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
Solid unit economics offset by corporate going concern warning and slow growth trajectory; verify whether 10.7% YoY growth is sustainable and clarify the nature of the going concern disclosure.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reagan & Reagan CPA, LLC
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
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status is False — suggests potential financial instability at corporate level despite positive unit economics
- 02MINORModest unit growth of 10.7% YoY is slower than healthy franchise systems (typically 15%+ for expanding brands)
- 03MINORHigh initial investment range ($219K-$475K) against average net income of $139,707 yields 1.6-3.4 year payback period with execution risk
- 04MINOR5% royalty on $513K average revenue = $25,650 annual corporate fees reduces franchisee margin meaningfully
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 | 6 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Mandeville, Louisiana (mediation required; litigation in Louisiana courts) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | LA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- Online, Mandeville LA, Nashville-Metro TN, or another designated location; new store opening on-site
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Field support
- 40 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 8 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects site subject to franchisor's written acceptance; franchisor provides criteria and reviews proposed sites
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
136 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Color Me Mine · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Color Me Mine franchise?
The total investment to open a Color Me Mine franchise ranges from $219K – $475K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Color Me Mine franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Color Me Mine FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $513K. The median is $479K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Color Me Mine 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 Color Me Mine FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Color Me Mine's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Color Me Mine has a charge-off rate of 13.0% across 77 loans, meaning 13.0% 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 Color Me Mine franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Color Me Mine has 125 total units in the United States, including 124 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 12 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Color Me Mine a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Color Me Mine as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 68 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?
If you represent Color Me Mine, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.