FranchiseVerdict
FASTFRAME logo
FV-00918·MODERATEExcellent86

Fastframe

RetailFranchising since 1987Website
Investment
$135K – $247K
29th pct Retail
Avg revenue
53rd pct Retail
Royalty
6.0%
41st pct Retail
Units
39
35th pct Retail
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $135K – $247K including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
  • No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
  • Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 57/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 13 loans (below the industry average).
  • Auditor disclosed a going-concern note — flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
FASTFRAME U.S.A., INC.
Incorporated in
California
HQ
433 West Allen Avenue, #114, San Dimas, California 91773
Auditor
Assurance Dimensions
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$1.1M
vs $982K prior year
⚠ Going-concern note
Disclosed in FDD 2024
Status as of 2024; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.

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 FASTFRAME unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
Item 19 not disclosed — typing your own estimate
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: retail
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $135K–$247K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $10K–$15K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

26%

Below typical band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$53K
EBITDA margin
7.0%
Total invested
$203K
Payback
47 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Overview

About

FASTFRAME franchisees operate custom picture framing shops that design and manufacture framed artwork, posters, and memorabilia for retail customers. Day-to-day operations include customer consultations on frame selection, mat cutting, glass fitting, and installation, along with inventory management, sales transactions, and order fulfillment.

CEO
John Fletcher
Founded
1986
FDD year
2024
States available
14

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$135K – $247K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$10K – $15K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$35K
Royalty
6.0%
Gross Receipts · typical 6–8%
Ad fund
2.0%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
8.0%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
39
Opened
1
Last reporting year
Closed
2
Turnover rate
5.1%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
-2.5%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
-17.0%
Compounded over last 3 years
2022
39-1
Franchised units
2023
40
Franchised units
2024
47
Franchised units

Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.

Item 20 · 11 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).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 11 states
Not registered

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.

Total loans
13
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

57
Risk · 0-100
MODERATE57 / 100

FASTFRAME presents elevated risk due to contracting unit count, undisclosed financials, active litigation over royalties, and franchisor going concern status—suggesting both system weakness and franchisee profitability challenges.

Score breakdown · what drove the 57 / 100 rating

  1. 01MINORUnit count declining 2.5% YoY indicates shrinking system despite 39-unit base
  2. 02MINORTwo franchisor-initiated royalty collection lawsuits suggest payment disputes and cash flow stress among franchisees
  3. 03MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income data prevents ROI validation and suggests weak unit economics
  4. 04MINORHigh initial investment range ($135K-$246K) paired with 6% royalty creates significant fixed cost burden
  5. 05HIGHGoing concern status indicates potential solvency questions at franchisor level
  6. 06MINORDeclining unit count contradicts the typical growth narrative needed to justify franchise expansion

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Geographic
Protected territory
Yes
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
10 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
2
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
Yes
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Optional
Governing law
California

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
80 hrs
On-the-job training
48 hrs
POS system
LifeSaver Software
Operating tech stack

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

15 numbers

Locked
(321) 501-••••
Alex Roche
FL
(661) 775-••••
Pamela Sunderland
CA
(708) 848-••••
IL

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

FASTFRAME · FDD (2024) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above