Safeguard Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $11K – $65K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Safeguard is a B2B business products franchise selling checks, business forms, printing, and promotional products to companies. Franchisees work as advisors, building client accounts and managing orders and supplier fulfillment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Safeguard franchise requires a total initial investment of $11K – $65K. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
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 scored2 of 2 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $11K – $65K
- 3rd pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 45
- 34th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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 $11K – $65K.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 50/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Safeguard Franchise Sales, Inc.
- Parent company
- Safeguard Holdings, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Deluxe Corporation
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- Safeguard Franchise Systems, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Director
- Mark Byers
- Incorporated in
- Texas
- HQ
- 3000 Kellway Drive, Carrollton, Texas 75006
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.8M
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mark Byers
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 23
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 71% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
The filing does not state an initial franchise fee.
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $6K | $20K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $5K | $45K |
| Total initial investment | $11K | $65K |
Source: Safeguard 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
- $11K – $65K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $6K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Fee not disclosed
- Royalty
- None
- Ad fund
- No mandatory advertising fund contribution disclosed; dir…
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $65 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Safeguard makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Safeguard 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 annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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.
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
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+3.0% 3-year CAGR) with 45 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 Safeguard 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 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 45
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 11
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 76%
- 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
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- 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
30 current owners across 20 states.
- CA 6
- PA 3
- IL 2
- IN 2
- NY 2
- AZ 1
- FL 1
- GA 1
- HI 1
- ID 1
- KY 1
- MN 1
- +8 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $800K
- Median loan
- $800K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 1 loan, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Safeguard discloses 5 past litigation matters, but all involved affiliate SBS rather than the franchisor SFS and are resolved/settled, including a large $6.79M judgment against the affiliate. No going concern or bankruptcy, audited financials, $8.8M revenue and modest 3.0% growth to 45 units. Litigation is affiliate-level and historical, keeping weight moderate.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
5 past litigation matters, all involving affiliate SBS (not the franchisor SFS directly) and mostly Pre-Existing Distributor commission/territory disputes; largest was a $6,792,649.74 final judgment against SBS (Thurston Enterprises); all matters resolved/settled or paid.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
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
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 50 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOR5 resolved suits against affiliate SBS (not franchisor)
- 02MINOR$6.79M judgment against affiliate (Thurston, resolved)
- 03MINORNo going concern; audited; +3.0% growth
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | non_exclusive |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Dallas, Texas (mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 5 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
5 past litigation matters, all involving affiliate SBS (not the franchisor SFS directly) and mostly Pre-Existing Distributor commission/territory disputes; largest was a $6,792,649.74 final judgment against SBS (Thurston Enterprises); all matters resolved/settled or paid.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 155 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 130 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CMS (Customer Management System)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CMS (Customer Management System)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
30 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 Safeguard franchise?
The total investment to open a Safeguard franchise ranges from $11K – $65K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Safeguard franchise owners earn?
Safeguard makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Safeguard?
Safeguard is franchised by Safeguard Franchise Sales, Inc.. Its parent company is Safeguard Holdings, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Deluxe Corporation. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Safeguard 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 Safeguard FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Safeguard's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Safeguard (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 Safeguard franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Safeguard has 45 total units in the United States, including 34 franchised units and 11 company-owned units.
Is Safeguard a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Safeguard as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 50 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Safeguard, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Business Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Business Services category
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.