Twisted InkFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Twisted Ink franchise requires a total initial investment of $109K – $421K, including a $47K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2022 FDD, average unit revenue was $433K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $109K – $421K
- 32nd pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $433K
- 9th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- 15th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 1
- 3rd 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $109K – $421K including a $47K franchise fee, 6.5% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $433K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 31/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Twisted Ink Franchising, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Brandon Gano
- CEO experience
- 2022 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 15 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Overview
About
Twisted Ink franchisees operate tattoo and body art studios, providing custom tattoo services, piercings, and related ink work to walk-in and appointment-based clientele. Daily operations include artist scheduling, client consultations, design customization, equipment sterilization, and retail merchandise sales (inks, needles, apparel). Franchisees typically manage 2–6 artists and maintain health department compliance.
- CEO
- Brandon Gano
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $47K | $47K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $25K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $47K | $349K |
| Total initial investment | $109K | $421K |
Source: Twisted Ink 2022 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$67K
15.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
24%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $109K – $421K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $47K – $47K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $125 |
| Transfer fee | $14K |
| Renewal fee | $12K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $433K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate Store Actuals
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $311K→$555K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 2 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · below
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How Twisted Ink Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Twisted Ink presents HIGH RISK due to single-unit franchise system, undisclosed financials, going concern issues, and lack of demonstrated franchisee profitability metrics.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
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 31 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 franchised unit in system with unknown growth trajectory suggests nascent/stalling franchise development
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (no Item 19) prevents ROI validation and profitability assessment
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability or corporate restructuring risk
- 04MINORWide investment range ($108k–$421k) lacks transparency on what drives 287% cost variance
- 05MED6.5% royalty on undisclosed revenues creates earnings uncertainty; combined with $47k franchise fee, breakeven timeline unclear
- 06MINORSingle operating unit means no proven multi-location business model or franchisee success stories to validate
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 | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | household based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 70,000 |
| 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 | Hunterdon County, New Jersey |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 14 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
14 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Twisted Ink · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Twisted Ink franchise?
The total investment to open a Twisted Ink franchise ranges from $109K – $421K, with an initial franchise fee of $47K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Twisted Ink franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Twisted Ink FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $433K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Twisted Ink's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Twisted Ink (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 Twisted Ink franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Twisted Ink has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Twisted Ink a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Twisted Ink as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 31 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.