Fastsigns Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $231K – $386K
- Disclosed sales
- $1.1M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 12.0%
- on 437 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FASTSIGNS is a B2B franchise producing custom signs, banners, vehicle wraps, and visual graphics for local businesses. Franchisees run a sign-and-graphics center handling design, printing, and installation in a protected territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A FASTSIGNS franchise requires a total initial investment of $231K – $386K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 12.0% charge-off rate across 437 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $231K – $386K
- 57th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 13th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 9th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 710
- 63rd pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 12.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services median · 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 $231K – $386K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $824K), with an estimated 34% cash-on-cash return (based on EBITDA $189,585 13.6%).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 81/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 12.0% across 437 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHPositive: net +5 franchised outlets in the latest year (20 opened, 12 closed) (Item 20).
- FLAGItem 4 discloses a bankruptcy of an officer or of a company an officer ran, not of the franchisor. Review Item 4 for details.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
- Parent company
- Propelled Brands Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Propelled Brands Holdings, Inc. (PBHI)
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Catherine Monson
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 2542 Highlander Way, Carrollton, Texas 75006-2333
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $105.2M
- vs $98.2M prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1
3 other brands on this site name Propelled Brands Holdings, Inc. (PBHI) as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2026 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Catherine Monson
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 1986
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 46
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 132% above the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $35K | $55K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $146K | $282K |
| Total initial investment | $231K | $386K |
Source: FASTSIGNS 2026 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
- $231K – $386K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $55K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 3.0 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $50 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $7K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $2K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 59% above the business services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for FASTSIGNS until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$354K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings
The FDD reports $190K as EBITDA $189,585 13.6%. This is a disclosed figure, not our estimate — we publish no modelled profit for FASTSIGNS.
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, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one FASTSIGNS unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $824K
- Avg ebitda $189,585 13.6%
- $190K
- Reported as EBITDA $189,585 13.6% in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 33.8%
- Based on EBITDA $189,585 13.6% / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical actual (average/median Gross Sales + EBITDA P&L survey)
- Sample size
- 690 outlets
- vs category median 37 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $39K→$9.1MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 105 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $377K→$2.3M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 296 Business Services 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 $1.1M/year in gross sales. Median is $824K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 3.5x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Business Services median).
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 roughly stable (+3.0% 3-year CAGR) with 710 units.
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 Business Services medians
How Fastsigns Compares
Category median of published Business Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 710
- Opened
- 20
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 12
- Terminated
- 4
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +3.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +3.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 4
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 32
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
24 current owners across 15 states; 18 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- TX 6
- CA 3
- FL 2
- PA 2
- AL 1
- GA 1
- IN 1
- MD 1
- MO 1
- NC 1
- NJ 1
- NY 1
- +3 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 437
- Loan volume
- $142.8M
- Median loan
- $215K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 12.0%
- on 437 loans · 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)
- 88.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 126
- Defaults
- 36
- Typical loan rate
- 6.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 20.4%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 2,502
- 1.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 11%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 53% went to startups / new businesses, 47% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in sign manufacturing, franchised businesses charge off at 20.4% vs 17.9% for independents — franchising is associated with 14% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Fastsigns charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Fastsigns franchisees
Showing 3 of 126 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Fastsigns from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 3.1%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 72%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.93%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $123K
- Lender concentration
- 10.5%
- Job velocity
- 1.8 per $100K
- Startup risk premium
- +23.0pp
- NAICS benchmark
- 16.4%
- NAICS 339950
- Jobs supported
- 2,502
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 11% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 46 | $8.0M | 7.7% |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 33 | $10.5M | 20.0% |
| 3 | Citizens Bank | 28 | $8.5M | 33.3% |
| 4 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 16 | $3.1M | 12.5% |
| 5 | The Bancorp Bank National Association | 15 | $3.3M | 0.0% |
| 6 | KeyBank National Association | 13 | $2.0M | 0.0% |
| 7 | PNC Bank, National Association | 13 | $1.9M | 10.0% |
| 8 | SouthState Bank, National Association | 11 | $2.6M | 33.3% |
| 9 | Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB | 11 | $2.7M | 0.0% |
| 10 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 10 | $2.2M | 20.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXTexas | 48 | 3 | 9.1% |
| CACalifornia | 41 | 5 | 16.7% |
| FLFlorida | 34 | 1 | 5.0% |
| OHOhio | 27 | 1 | 5.0% |
| ILIllinois | 23 | 3 | 21.4% |
| COColorado | 19 | 2 | 12.5% |
| MNMinnesota | 19 | 2 | 11.1% |
| GAGeorgia | 18 | 3 | 23.1% |
| NJNew Jersey | 17 | 1 | 9.1% |
| INIndiana | 14 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 12.0% — 25% 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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
1) FASTSIGNS v. Hassan Brothers LLC et al - arbitration (AAA Case No. 01-24-0007-5247) for fraud, breach of franchise agreement, tortious interference; counterclaims for ~$300,000. 2) Lincolnshire Police Pension Fund v. Taylor et al - shareholder derivative suit against Floor & Decor officers including two FASTSIGNS directors; settled September 2024 for $8,000,000.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Subject: an officer. An officer’s own bankruptcy or a company an officer ran, not the franchisor’s
Doug Hall, VP of Marketing, filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy January 22, 2016 (Case No. 16-30296-bhj7), discharged September 8, 2016. Jennifer Rote (General Counsel) was SVP/General Counsel of TGI Friday's Inc. which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy November 2, 2024 (Case No. 24-80069); Rote left TGI Friday's in September 2024 prior to filing.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
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 81 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORSlow unit growth of only 2.3% YoY suggests market saturation or franchisee underperformance in a 705-unit system
- 02HIGHLitigation involving founder/leadership (Brad Brutocao and John Roth) at Floor & Décor raises governance and judgment concerns that may extend to FASTSIGNS operations
- 03MINORBreach of contract arbitration against Hassan Brothers LLC indicates potential franchisee disputes and possible franchisor enforcement issues
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Minimum of 4,000 businesses in the assigned Territory |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 15 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 24 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 9 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Dallas County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1) FASTSIGNS v. Hassan Brothers LLC et al - arbitration (AAA Case No. 01-24-0007-5247) for fraud, breach of franchise agreement, tortious interference; counterclaims for ~$300,000. 2) Lincolnshire Police Pension Fund v. Taylor et al - shareholder derivative suit against Floor & Decor officers including two FASTSIGNS directors; settled September 2024 for $8,000,000.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 80 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Training location
- FASTSIGNS training facility and in a FASTSIGNS Center
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CoreBridge Management System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CoreBridge Management System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
42 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a FASTSIGNS franchise?
The total investment to open a FASTSIGNS franchise ranges from $231K – $386K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do FASTSIGNS franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the FASTSIGNS FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. The median is $824K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns FASTSIGNS?
FASTSIGNS is franchised by FASTSIGNS International, Inc.. Its parent company is Propelled Brands Franchising, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Propelled Brands Holdings, Inc. (PBHI). Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the FASTSIGNS 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 FASTSIGNS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is FASTSIGNS's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, FASTSIGNS has a charge-off rate of 12.0% across 437 loans, meaning 12.0% 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 FASTSIGNS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, FASTSIGNS has 710 total units in the United States, including 710 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 20 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is FASTSIGNS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates FASTSIGNS as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 81 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
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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.