The ShadeFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $295K – $482K
- 29th pct Personal Care…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 34th pct Personal Care…
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 32nd pct Personal Care…
- Units
- 0
- 0th pct Personal Care…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Personal Care & Beauty · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Personal Care & Beauty 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
Started franchising in 2026. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $295K – $482K including a $50K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 75/100.
- No 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
- Legal entity
- The Shade Franchising Group, LLC
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 601 21st Street, Suite 300, Vero Beach, Florida 32960
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Affiliated brands
- The Shade NYC Soho
- The Shade IP
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
The Shade appears to be a window treatment, shade installation, or solar control franchise (exact business model unclear from provided data). Franchisees would likely handle customer acquisition, installation/service delivery, and local marketing in their protected territory. Day-to-day operations presumably involve scheduling appointments, managing installation crews or performing installations, and customer service.
- CEO
- Courtney Yeager
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2026
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 0
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 17 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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Better than avg 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 |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Personal Care & Beauty averages
How The Shade Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 0
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- 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
The Shade presents extreme risk: zero operating units, missing financial disclosures, franchisor going concern issues, and high capital requirements on an unproven business model.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 75 / 100 rating
- 01MINORZero existing franchised units with unknown growth trajectory indicates pre-revenue or failed system expansion
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (missing Item 19) prevents ROI validation and suggests poor unit economics
- 03HIGHGoing concern status is FALSE, signaling potential financial instability or operational distress at franchisor level
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($295k-$482k) paired with $1,500/month royalty floor creates unsustainable fixed cost burden if revenue is low
- 05MINOR10-year term is lengthy lock-in for unproven concept with zero operating franchisees to reference
- 06MINOR8% royalty on unknown gross revenue creates income uncertainty; minimum floor suggests expectation of underperformance
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 | 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
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
19 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Shade · FDD (2026) PDF
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 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 D-grade franchise with a risk score of 75 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.
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.