Wonderly Lights Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Wonderly Lights is a home services franchise that designs, installs, and maintains premium holiday and permanent outdoor lighting. Franchisees run local operations, managing design, installation crews, and seasonal accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A WONDERLY LIGHTS franchise requires a total initial investment of $100K – $125K, including a $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $100K – $125K
- 34th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subset
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 34th pct Home Services
- Units
- 43
- 41st pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home 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
- COSTTotal investment $100K – $125K including a $20K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 discloses 2025 revenue/job-count/ticket-price data at the FRANCHISEE-ENTITY level (some entities operate 2-3 outlets), explicitly stated as not extrapolable to a single outlet. Table 4 All-Franchisee revenue: avg $199,609, high $532,042, low $25,872 (entity-level, n=19). Table 7 Holiday-only: avg $179,084, high $497,198, low $25,872 (n=18 entities/34 outlets). Table 9 Non-Holiday: avg $56,944, high $160,094, low $4,755 (n=10 entities/22 outlets). Company-owned Local Operations location (Chesapeake/Norfolk/Virginia Beach) generated $328,433 in 2025 across 157 jobs. No franchisee net income, profit, or EBITDA figures are disclosed anywhere in Item 19.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 58/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- BFB Light Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- BFB Light Holdings, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Buzz Franchise Brands, LLC
- CEO title
- President
- Brian M. Garrison
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 2829 Guardian Lane, Suite 100, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
- Auditor
- Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $26K
- vs $187K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Brian M. Garrison
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 15
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 50% below the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $6K | $15K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $74K | $90K |
| Total initial investment | $100K | $125K |
Source: WONDERLY LIGHTS 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $100K – $125K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $6K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 12.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $395 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 12.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
WONDERLY LIGHTS 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 WONDERLY LIGHTS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
61%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 discloses 2025 revenue/job-count/ticket-price data at the FRANCHISEE-ENTITY level (some entities operate 2-3 outlets), explicitly stated as not extrapolable to a single outlet. Table 4 All-Franchisee revenue: avg $199,609, high $532,042, low $25,872 (entity-level, n=19). Table 7 Holiday-only: avg $179,084, high $497,198, low $25,872 (n=18 entities/34 outlets). Table 9 Non-Holiday: avg $56,944, high $160,094, low $4,755 (n=10 entities/22 outlets). Company-owned Local Operations location (Chesapeake/Norfolk/Virginia Beach) generated $328,433 in 2025 across 157 jobs. No franchisee net income, profit, or EBITDA figures are disclosed anywhere in Item 19.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Item 19 type
- entity-level revenue and job-count data for 19 franchisees operating 36 outlets (not per single outlet); no franchisee bottom-line/net income disclosed
- Sample size
- 12 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · small
- Transparency tier
- none
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 7 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 321 Home Services brands
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 12.0% — above the Home Services average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports entity-level revenue and job-count data for 19 franchisees operating 36 outlets (not per single outlet); no franchisee bottom-line/net income disclosed rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Home Services averages
How Wonderly Lights Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 43
- Opened
- 6
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 17
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Last reporting year only, multi-year history not disclosed in this brand's FDD.
Item 20 · 4 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $150K
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Dave Warn (VP of Franchise Development) and Karen Denise Warn jointly filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition on April 24, 2014; plan confirmed August 20, 2014; discharge entered January 27, 2020 (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division, Case No. 14-24219).
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHOld officer personal bankruptcy (2014, discharged 2020) - low weight
- 02MINOREarly-stage franchisor treated as minor
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 12.0% 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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | up to 25,000 Targeted Households |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 15 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Virginia Beach, VA (mediation under Franchise Agreement) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 38 hrs
- Training location
- Virginia Beach, Virginia (onsite) preceded by remote/online training
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee selects and franchisor approves only
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Integrated Business Management System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Integrated Business Management System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
28 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
WONDERLY LIGHTS · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a WONDERLY LIGHTS franchise?
The total investment to open a WONDERLY LIGHTS franchise ranges from $100K – $125K, 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 WONDERLY LIGHTS franchise owners earn?
WONDERLY LIGHTS 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 WONDERLY LIGHTS 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 WONDERLY LIGHTS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is WONDERLY LIGHTS's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for WONDERLY LIGHTS (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 WONDERLY LIGHTS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, WONDERLY LIGHTS has 43 total units in the United States, including 42 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 6 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is WONDERLY LIGHTS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates WONDERLY LIGHTS as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 58 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?
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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.