SignaramaFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Signarama franchise requires a total initial investment of $245K – $638K, including a $50K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $916K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 29.5% charge-off rate across 276 loans[1]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $245K – $638K
- 49th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $916K
- 17th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 684
- 52nd pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- 29.5%
- 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
29.5% of SBA loans charged off across 276 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Franchising since 1987. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 684 to 675 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $245K – $638K including a $50K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $916K/year (median $593K).
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 29.5% across 276 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Sign*A*Rama Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Ray Titus
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 2121 Vista Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL 33411
- Auditor
- Milbery & Kesselman, CPAs, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $20.1M
- vs $20.9M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Signarama franchisees operate sign and print shops, producing custom signage, vinyl lettering, banners, and promotional materials for local businesses. Day-to-day operations involve design consulting, order management, production using cutting/printing equipment, and customer service. Revenue depends heavily on local B2B relationships and competitive pricing in a commoditized market.
- CEO
- Ray Titus
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1986
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 44
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 10 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Travel and Living expenses while at training school | $245 | $566 | |
| Real Estate (Rental payments) | $4K | $8K | |
| Real Estate Service Charge | $0 | $2K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $2K | $44K | |
| Architectural Services | $0 | $10K | |
| Standard Equipment Package | $150K | $166K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $2K | |
| Security Deposit/Utility Deposits/Licenses | $0 | $3K | |
| Additional Funds (0-6 mos.) | $39K | $61K | |
| Total initial investment | $245K | $345K |
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.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$128K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
26%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.9 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $245K – $638K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $39K – $76K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of $500 per month or 6% of gross sales up to $1,0…
- Ad fund
- 1.0
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of $500 per month or 6% of gross sales up to $1,000,000 and 4% over $1,000,000 |
| Technology fee | $467 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $40K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $916K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $593K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 313 units
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $32K→$10.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Signarama Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 684
- Opened
- 23
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 20
- Terminated
- 15
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.9%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.4%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +1.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 48
- Transfer rate
- 7.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 97.2%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 2.2%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 23 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 276
- Loan volume
- $64.7M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 29.5%
- 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)
- 64.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 25.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 111
- Defaults
- 56
Vintage analysis
Signarama charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Signarama's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 16-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
A 29.5% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Signarama shows signs of systemic maturity challenges with stagnant growth, regulatory baggage, opaque profitability metrics, and territorial vulnerability that create meaningful financial risk for new franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation information is required to be disclosed in this Disclosure Document.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Milbery & Kesselman, CPAs, LLC
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 68 / 100 rating
- 01MINORStagnant unit growth (0.4% YoY) suggests market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORNo average net income disclosure prevents ROI validation; with $500/month minimum royalty, profitability is unclear
- 03MINORMultiple regulatory actions (1993 FTC, 1996 Maryland, 2021-2022 California) indicate systemic compliance issues and earnings claims problems
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; franchisees can cannibalize each other's revenue
- 05MINORHigh investment range ($245K-$638K) with flat revenue trajectory raises payback period concerns
- 06HIGHCurrent litigation for non-payment suggests franchisee financial distress within the system
- 07MED35-year term with $49,500 upfront fee locks franchisees into long commitment with limited exit flexibility
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 | 35 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 35 years |
| Territory type | non_exclusive |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Palm Beach County, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 5 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation information is required to be disclosed in this Disclosure Document.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 80 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- West Palm Beach, Florida
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- POS system
- Corebridge
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Corebridge
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
29 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Signarama · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Signarama franchise?
The total investment to open a Signarama franchise ranges from $245K – $638K, 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 Signarama franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Signarama FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $916K. The median is $593K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Signarama's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Signarama has a charge-off rate of 29.5% across 276 loans, meaning 29.5% 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 Signarama franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Signarama has 684 total units in the United States, including 684 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 23 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Signarama a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Signarama as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 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.