The Shade Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Shade is a nail salon franchise operating a waterless, e-file dry manicure and pedicure studio with long-wear gel and extensions. Franchisees run the studios, managing nail technicians, appointments, and retail.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Shade franchise requires a total initial investment of $295K – $482K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $295K – $482K
- 33rd pct Personal Care…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 0 outlets
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 45th pct Personal Care…
- Units
- 0
- 0th pct Personal Care…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Personal Care & Beauty · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Personal Care & Beauty 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
- COSTTotal investment $295K – $482K including a $50K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 40/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- The Shade Franchising Group, LLC
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Courtney Yeager
- Incorporated in
- Florida
- HQ
- 601 21st Street, Suite 300, Vero Beach, Florida 32960
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
Affiliated brands
- The Shade NYC Soho
- The Shade IP
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Courtney Yeager
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2026
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 0
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 26% below the typical personal care & beauty franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Initial Training and Expenses | $20K | $35K | |
| Premises Deposits and Lease Payments | $10K | $25K | |
| Utilities Deposits | $250 | $550 | |
| Architect & Design Fees | $10K | $20K | |
| Construction Management Fees | $10K | $20K | |
| Leasehold Improvements, Construction and/or Remodeling and Signage | $75K | $135K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $50K | $75K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $500 | $3K | |
| Initial Inventory to Begin Operating | $40K | $60K | |
| Office Equipment, Computer Systems, and Supplies | $5K | $7K | |
| Professional Fees (Attorney, Accountant) | $2K | $5K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $12K | $14K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $10K | $30K | |
| Development Fee (Multi-Unit Development Opportunity) | $92K | $262K | |
| Cost of First The Shade Outlet (Multi-Unit Development Opportunity) | $246K | $433K | |
| Total initial investment | $633K | $1.2M |
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
- $295K – $482K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $50 |
| Inventory (initial) | $40K – $60K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
The Shade did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Shade unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
37%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
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 10.0% — above the Personal Care & Beauty average of 7.8%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Personal Care & Beauty averages
How The Shade Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 0
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Pre-opening brand-new franchisor (began 2026) with zero units of any kind. No litigation, bankruptcy, or distress, but essentially no operating history. Base set around 40-45 for a pre-opening brand.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 40 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPre-opening, zero units
- 02MINORBrand-new franchisor (2026)
- 03HIGHNo litigation, bankruptcy, or distress
- 04MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 96 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at Restaurant location
- Site selection
- franchisor
- POS system
- MindBody Online
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MindBody Online
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Shade franchise?
The total investment to open a The Shade franchise ranges from $295K – $482K, 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 The Shade franchise owners earn?
The Shade 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 Item 19 in the The Shade FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the The Shade FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Shade's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Shade (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.
Is The Shade a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Shade as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 40 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent The Shade, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.