Signs Now / Signs By TomorrowFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $50K – $304K
- 12th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 29th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 141
- 43rd pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Franchising since 2000. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 151 to 141 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
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 A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 33/100.
- System contracting at -6.6% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Alliance Franchise Brands LLC
- Parent company
- Alliance Franchise Holdings LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Marcantonio
- CEO experience
- 2011 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- MI
- 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
Signs Now/Signs By Tomorrow franchisees operate retail or production-focused locations producing custom signage, vehicle wraps, promotional products, and print materials for local businesses and consumers. Day-to-day operations involve client consultations, design work, production management (in-house or via third parties), inventory management, and account servicing. Revenue models typically blend high-margin custom orders with lower-margin commodity products.
- CEO
- Michael Marcantonio
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 2000
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 40
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 12 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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $85K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $20K
- Better than avg 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.
vs Business Services averages
How Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 141
- 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
- 4.3%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -4.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -6.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 8
- 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 105
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 0
- 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
Declining franchisee count, litigation history, undisclosed financials, and aggressive minimum royalty structure present material risks despite protected territory and reasonable initial fee.
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 33 / 100 rating
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-4.1% YoY) suggests system contraction and potential market saturation or performance issues
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents validation of ROI claims and profitability benchmarks
- 03HIGHTwo litigation cases involving breach of contract and post-termination disputes raise concerns about franchisor enforcement practices and franchisee disputes
- 04MINORMinimum royalty floor of 6% on $300,000 threshold creates fixed cost burden regardless of actual sales performance
- 05MINORWide investment range ($50K-$304K) lacks clarity on which locations achieve profitability and why variance exists
- 06MINOR20-year term is unusually long and locks franchisees into relationship with declining system momentum
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 | 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?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow (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 Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Signs Now / Signs By Tomorrow has 141 total units in the United States, including 151 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 A-grade franchise with a risk score of 33 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.