Sign GypsiesFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A SIGN GYPSIES franchise requires a total initial investment of $4K – $10K, including a $1K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $4K – $10K
- 1st pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 29th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 588
- 52nd pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business Services 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
The system contracted 12% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $4K – $10K including a $1K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 62/100.
- 35 units terminated last reporting year (6.0% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- SIGN GYPSIES FRANCHISING, LLC
- CEO title
- President
- Stacey Hess
- CEO experience
- 10 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 601 S. Ohio Drive, Celina, Texas 75009
- Auditor
- Desroches Partners
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $556K
- vs $572K prior year
Overview
About
Sign Gypsies franchisees operate a direct-to-consumer or B2B sign and decor installation/customization business, likely involving design consultation, fabrication coordination, and customer fulfillment. Day-to-day activities likely include sales outreach, project quoting, order management, and installation/delivery logistics. The model appears to rely on a network of independent operators purchasing sign inventory or pieces from the franchisor.
- CEO
- Stacey Hess
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 45
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise feenot refundable | $1K | $1K | |
| Initial Inventory of Sign Piecesnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Site leasenot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Marketingnot refundable | $0 | $350 | |
| Hand toolsnot refundable | $0 | $250 | |
| Telephone/cell phonenot refundable | $0 | $750 | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $50 | $750 | |
| Licensing and permitsnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $0 | $200 | |
| Legal/Accountingnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Additional funds (3 months)not refundable | — | — | |
| Total initial investment | $4K | $10K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $4K – $10K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $0
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $1K – $1K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- $1,000 per year minimum purchase of Sign Pieces
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $1K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Business Services averages
How Sign Gypsies Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 588
- Opened
- 31
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 74
- Terminated
- 35
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 32
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.6%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -11.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -22.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 49
- Transfer rate
- 8.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 84.3%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 11.4%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 1.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $36K
- Median loan
- $18K
- average
- 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Sign Gypsies exhibits high-risk markers including declining unit count, multi-state regulatory litigation alleging franchise law violations, undisclosed financial performance, and questionable going concern status — making validation of business viability extremely difficult.
Litigation (Item 3)
Six administrative proceedings by state regulators alleging violations of franchise disclosure and registration laws. All settled via consent orders or assurance of voluntary compliance between 2019-2021. No admission of liability in any case. Penalties and investigative costs totaling approximately $33,250 plus refund/rescission obligations.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Desroches Partners
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 62 / 100 rating
- 01MEDSignificant unit decline of 11.7% YoY (588 units) indicates system contraction and franchisee satisfaction issues
- 02HIGHMultiple active state litigation across 6 states for alleged franchise law violations and inadequate disclosures
- 03MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed (Item 19 missing) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 04HIGHGoing Concern status is False — suggests potential franchisor financial instability or operational distress
- 05MINORExtremely low franchise fee ($1,000) combined with vague royalty structure ($1,000 annual minimum 'purchase') raises questions about franchisor revenue model and commitment
- 06MINOR1-year term is unusually short and creates instability for franchisee business planning
- 07MINORActive regulatory proceedings indicate franchisor may have operated without proper franchise registration in multiple states
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 | 1 year |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 1 year |
| Territory type | Zip codes, physical boundaries, travel time and distance, and map |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 | Texas |
| Litigation count | 6 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Six administrative proceedings by state regulators alleging violations of franchise disclosure and registration laws. All settled via consent orders or assurance of voluntary compliance between 2019-2021. No admission of liability in any case. Penalties and investigative costs totaling approximately $33,250 plus refund/rescission obligations.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 7 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Virtual Classroom Training
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Field support
- 0 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
14 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
SIGN GYPSIES · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a SIGN GYPSIES franchise?
The total investment to open a SIGN GYPSIES franchise ranges from $4K – $10K, with an initial franchise fee of $1K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do SIGN GYPSIES franchise owners earn?
SIGN GYPSIES does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is SIGN GYPSIES's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for SIGN GYPSIES (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 SIGN GYPSIES franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, SIGN GYPSIES has 588 total units in the United States, including 587 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 31 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is SIGN GYPSIES a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates SIGN GYPSIES as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 62 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.