Creative Colors InternationalFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Creative Colors International franchise requires a total initial investment of $101K – $123K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $368K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $101K – $123K
- 34th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $368K
- 11th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- 37th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 73
- 56th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Cleaning & Maintenance 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
Each dollar invested generates 3.3x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1991. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 71 to 70 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $101K – $123K including a $60K franchise fee, 7.5% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $368K/year (median $128K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 25/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Creative Colors International, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 19015 S. Jodi Road, Suite E, Mokena, Illinois 60448
- Auditor
- Hearne & Associates, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.6M
- vs $2.5M prior year
Overview
About
Creative Colors International franchisees operate interior painting and color consultation services, typically serving residential and commercial clients. Day-to-day activities include estimating projects, managing painting crews, color consulting, customer relations, and overseeing quality control on job sites. Most franchisees function as owner-operators or small business managers coordinating teams and client acquisitions.
- CEO
- Mark J. Bollman
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 1990
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 27
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $0 | $600 |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $42K | $63K |
| Total initial investment | $101K | $123K |
Source: Creative Colors International 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$39K
10.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
34%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
35 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $101K – $123K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $600
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
| Total fee load | 8.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $368K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $128K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 70 units
- vs category median 31 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $48K→$4.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 204 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
vs Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How Creative Colors International Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 73
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 2.7%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 96%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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 9 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 9
- Loan volume
- $1.5M
- Median loan
- $77K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Creative Colors International's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Creative Colors presents moderate-to-high risk due to missing financial disclosures (Item 19), undisclosed franchisor going concern issues, stagnant unit growth, and high upfront fees relative to unverified profitability claims.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Hearne & Associates, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 25 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure despite $367k average revenue claim — cannot verify profitability or validate the gap between gross revenue and undisclosed net income
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests franchisor financial instability or operational uncertainty that could affect support and system viability
- 03MINORHigh franchise fee ($59,500) combined with total investment of $101-123k creates significant sunk cost before generating revenue
- 04MINORUnit count stagnation at 73 with unknown growth trajectory — no evidence of system expansion or franchisee success driving recruitment
- 05MINOR7.5% royalty on gross sales (not net) means franchisees pay even during unprofitable months, exacerbating cash flow risk
- 06MINORProtected territory is positive but cannot offset lack of financial transparency and franchisor stability concerns
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Area of Primary Responsibility |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 136 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- POS system
- QuickBooks Online Plus
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks Online Plus
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
50 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Creative Colors International · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Creative Colors International franchise?
The total investment to open a Creative Colors International franchise ranges from $101K – $123K, 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 Creative Colors International franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Creative Colors International FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $368K. The median is $128K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Creative Colors International's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Creative Colors International (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 Creative Colors International franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Creative Colors International has 73 total units in the United States, including 71 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Creative Colors International a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Creative Colors International as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 25 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.