FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS®, a leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise, has announced that it has been ranked the number-one franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500® for the fifth consecutive year.
Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the Franchise 500 ranks FASTSIGNS as #44 overall—the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100—for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power.
“We are incredibly proud to once again be the number-one franchise opportunity in the sign, graphics, and visual communications sector. After such an unprecedented year with so much uncertainty, our business model continued to show its resiliency and FASTSIGNS emerged strong and poised for growth in 2021,” said Mark Jameson, Chief Support and Development Officer, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “This recognition is proof of our outstanding international network of franchisees and their commitment to serving their communities as well as our exceptional franchise support team that worked around the clock to help the system succeed.”
Fastsigns Holdings Inc., parent company of FASTSIGNS, reported a strong year of growth amid the pandemic, most notably making its first acquisition with the addition of NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services brand, to its portfolio. Additionally FASTSIGNS signed thirty-one franchise agreements to develop new, co-branded, and conversion centers worldwide and the opening of thirty locations, including the brand’s first center in the Dominican Republic.
Much of FASTSIGNS’ success in 2020 can be credited to centers being deemed essential businesses, allowing franchisees to pivot their services to focus on what matters most—serving their customers.
This year, Fastsigns Holdings Inc. aims to sell thirty NerdsToGo franchises nationwide as part of its plans to grow the brand’s presence in new and existing markets. FASTSIGNS is aiming to sign at least thirty-five franchise agreements across the U.S. in markets such as Southern California, the Midwest, New England, and along the Northeast Corridor.
FASTSIGNS is particularly focusing on its co-brand and conversion programs, which helps existing business owners add a FASTSIGNS to their store or fully convert their business to a FASTSIGNS franchise. FASTSIGNS has helped countless owners of print shops, photography studios, camera stores, embroidery shops, and more, diversify their product lines and services to meet the growing demand for signs, graphics, and visual communications. Both the co-brand franchise opportunity and conversion can be started with only $15,000 down on the initial franchise fee.
“I spent over thirty years as the owner of an independent sign shop before converting my business into a FASTSIGNS franchise in 2016,” said Jeffrey Chudoff, a FASTSIGNS franchisee in Maple Shade, New Jersey. “I could not imagine what it would have been like to operate during the pandemic without the support of FASTSIGNS and our network of franchisees. While so many small businesses struggled or closed their doors permanently, we exceeded $1 million in revenue for the first time. I was truly in business for myself, but not by myself.”
FASTSIGNS is known in the industry for equipping its franchisees with tools vital to securing the ongoing success of each individual location. In addition to the brand’s online FASTSIGNS University, FASTSIGNS partners with 1HUDDLE, a workforce-training platform that converts unique training content into science-backed, quick-burst training games that are proven to accelerate workforce productivity.
FASTSIGNS also offers a special incentive for first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters, which includes a 50 percent reduction on the franchise fee—a savings of $24,875.
—Press Release
