FranchiseVerdict
FASTSIGNS logo
FV-00919·STRONGExcellent100

Fastsigns

Business Services - Printing & SignsFranchising since 1986Website
Investment
$215K – $377K
70th pct Printing & Si…
Avg revenue
$1.1M
43rd pct Printing & Si…
Royalty
6.0%
10th pct Printing & Si…
Units
705
97th pct Printing & Si…
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $215K – $377K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
  • Average unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $817K). Estimated payback in 1.1 years.
  • Rated STRONG with a risk score of 37/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 630 loans (below the industry average).
  • System growing at 410% CAGR over 3 years with 705 total units — strong expansion trajectory.

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
Parent company
Propelled Brands Franchising, LLC
Incorporated in
Texas
HQ
2542 Highlander Way, Carrollton, Texas 75006-2333
Auditor
BDO USA, P.C.
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$72.4M
vs $98.2M prior year

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 FASTSIGNS unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
FDD Item 19 reports $1,111,091
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: $215K–$377K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $35K–$55K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

23%

Below typical band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$78K
EBITDA margin
7.0%
Total invested
$341K
Payback
53 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

FASTSIGNS franchisees operate sign-making and visual communication centers, producing custom signs, vehicle wraps, banners, and promotional graphics for local businesses. Day-to-day operations include client consultations, design work (in-house or outsourced), production on digital printers and vinyl cutters, and installation services. Most units function as B2B service providers serving contractors, retailers, and corporate clients within a protected territory.

CEO
Catherine Monson
Founded
1986
FDD year
2025
States available
46

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$215K – $377K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$35K – $55K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$50K
Royalty
6.0%
Percentage of Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
Ad fund
2.0%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
8.0%
vs 9–13% typical
Payback period
1.1 yrs
From v3 / Item 19

Item 19

Financial Performance

Avg gross sales
$1.1M
Per unit, per year
Median gross sales
$817K
Item 19 type
Actual results
Sample size
684 units
vs category median 42 · large
Range (low → high)
$60K$48.4M
Cohort dispersion
Transparency
10 / 5
vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Revenue rank43th
vs Business Services - Printing & Signs peers
Investment cost rank70th
Lower investment ranks lower (better)
Royalty rate rank10th
Lower royalty = lower percentile (better)
Unit count rank97th
vs Business Services - Printing & Signs peers
Risk score rank3th
Lower risk = lower percentile (better)

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
705
Opened
20
Last reporting year
Closed
4
Turnover rate
0.6%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
+2.3%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
+4.1%
Compounded over last 3 years
2023
705+16
Franchised units
2024
689
Franchised units
2025
677
Franchised units

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).

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
Available · 5 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
630
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

37
Risk · 0-100
STRONG37 / 100

Mature franchise system with modest growth, undisclosed financial performance claims, and leadership litigation history presents moderate risk requiring careful franchisee reference validation.

Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating

  1. 01MINORSlow unit growth of only 2.3% YoY suggests market saturation or franchisee underperformance in a 705-unit system
  2. 02HIGHLitigation involving founder/leadership (Brad Brutocao and John Roth) at Floor & Décor raises governance and judgment concerns that may extend to FASTSIGNS operations
  3. 03MINORBreach of contract arbitration against Hassan Brothers LLC indicates potential franchisee disputes and possible franchisor enforcement issues
  4. 04MINORItem 19 (Financial Performance Representations) absent — the $1.11M avg revenue figure cannot be independently verified or attributed to specific unit types/locations

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 area
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
Required
Governing law
Texas

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
80 hrs
On-the-job training
40 hrs
POS system
CoreBridge Management System
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

100 numbers

Locked
(714) 375-••••
CA
(925) 820-••••
CA
(623) 536-••••
AZ

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

FASTSIGNS · FDD (2025) PDF

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