Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Signs Now and Signs By Tomorrow is a B2B franchise producing custom signs, banners, vehicle wraps, and graphics for local businesses. Franchisees run a sign-and-graphics center handling design, production, and client accounts in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchise requires a total initial investment of $50K – $304K, including a $20K franchise fee. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 12.7% charge-off rate across 88 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $50K – $304K
- 12th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 30th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 65
- 36th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- 12.7%
- % 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 avg · 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
- Total investment $50K – $304K including a $20K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 12.7% across 88 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- System contracting at -13.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Alliance Franchise Brands LLC
- Parent company
- Alliance Franchise Holdings LLC
- Predecessor
- Sign & Graphics Operations LLC (SGO)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Marcantonio
- CEO experience
- 2011 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Michigan
- HQ
- 47585 Galleon Drive, Plymouth, Michigan 48170-2466
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $29.0M
- vs $28.5M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Marcantonio
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 2000
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 40
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 33% below the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Training Expenses | $2K | $7K | |
| Rent Deposit | $0 | $8K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $4K | |
| CoreBridge Set-up Feenot refundable | $500 | $500 | |
| Exterior Signage | $0 | $12K | |
| Software and Equipment | $17K | $107K | |
| Marketing and Brand Identification | $0 | $20K | |
| KickStart Initial Marketing Depositnot refundable | $8K | $8K | |
| Professional Fees (Lawyer, Accountant, etc.) | $3K | $23K | |
| Insurance (for 1st year) | $0 | $10K | |
| Additional Funds and Working Capital (for 1st year) | $0 | $85K | |
| Total initial investment | $50K | $304K |
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
- $50K – $304K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $85K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Sliding scale: 6% of Gross Sales up to $1,206,312; 4% on …
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Sliding scale: 6% up to $1,206,312; 4% from $1,206,312 to $2,412,624; 1.5% above $2,412,624 |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $314 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% — below the Business Services average of 11.9%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -13.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 averages
How Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 65
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 6
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.2%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -13.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -13.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 4
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 5.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 97.4%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 2.6%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 26 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 88
- Loan volume
- $18.8M
- Median loan
- $214K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 12.7%
- 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
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 51
- Defaults
- 9
Vintage analysis
Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchisees
Showing 3 of 51 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow'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 20 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 12.7% — 21% 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
Strong financials (net worth $9.3M, net income $3.98M, revenue $29M) with only 2 concluded litigation matters. Concerns are no Item 19 disclosure and unit contraction (-13.3%, 65 units).
Litigation (Item 3)
Two cases: (1) Signs by Tomorrow of Siouxland, Inc. v. SGO - settled March 27, 2018 with franchise agreement extension and mutual releases; (2) Allegra Network LLC v. United Sign Ventures, LLC - pending arbitration filed August 18, 2016 for non-payment and non-compliance, with counterclaim filed September 30, 2016.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 43 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
- 02MINORNet unit growth -13.3%
- 03HIGHStrong financials, only concluded litigation
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Boundary-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Michigan |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two cases: (1) Signs by Tomorrow of Siouxland, Inc. v. SGO - settled March 27, 2018 with franchise agreement extension and mutual releases; (2) Allegra Network LLC v. United Sign Ventures, LLC - pending arbitration filed August 18, 2016 for non-payment and non-compliance, with counterclaim filed September 30, 2016.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 86 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- Alliance University in Middle River, Maryland, and virtual
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- CoreBridge
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CoreBridge
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
80 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchise?
The total investment to open a Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchise ranges from $50K – $304K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchise owners earn?
Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow 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 Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow has a charge-off rate of 12.7% across 88 loans, meaning 12.7% 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 Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow has 65 total units in the United States, including 65 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 out of 100 (higher is better), 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.
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.