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.
- Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 74/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 4 loans (below the industry average).
- System contracting at -22.1% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
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 SIGN GYPSIES unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
1495%
Above typical band (30–60%)
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.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
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
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 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.
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.
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 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
Item 11
Training & Operations
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
14 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
SIGN GYPSIES · FDD (2025) PDF