Propelled Brands

CARROLLTON, Texas — FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise with more than 750 locations in nine countries worldwide, recently held its 2022 FASTSIGNS^® International Convention in Grapevine, Texas. Themed Building Your Future, the multiple-day event taught best practices as well as celebrated franchisee achievements and the continued growth of the franchise network in both sales volume and number of locations.

Over 900 people attended which included FASTSIGNS franchisees, center team members, 220 first-time attendees, exhibitors, and corporate staff members.  Attendees represented 400 center locations in the US and International locations.

Attendees had the opportunity to participate in general sessions, educational sessions, peer panels and roundtable discussions. Highlights from the event included hearing from Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher of the Dallas Cowboys, Dancing with the Stars champion, and successful real estate investor.

Additional speakers included Trent Shelton, Former NFL wide receiver and now one of the most authentic and powerful voices in the area of personal development as an inspiring motivational speaker and author; Scott Greenberg, author of The Wealthy Franchisee; and Scott Bornstein, a memory expert and business author who is world-renowned for his brain-changing memory systems that unleash the brain’s ability to learn deep and fast, and achieve exceptional and enduring recall.

In addition, corporate team members educated franchisees in various breakout sessions, and attendees also had the opportunity to gain insight from a panel of high-profile vertical industry sign and visual graphic buyers at the Secrets of Success Customer Experience Panel.

Highlights from the 2022 convention include:

• 2021 System-wide Sales for FASTSIGNS was $638M
• 170 FASTSIGNS/SIGNWAVE centers exceeded $1 million in annual sales, including 37 centers achieving over $2 million, 13 centers achieving over $3 million, 8 centers achieving over $4 million, 4 centers achieving over $5 million, 3 centers achieving over $6 million, 2 centers achieving over $17 million and one center achieving over $18 million.
• The FASTSIGNS Award, which recognizes the franchisee who best represents the FASTSIGNS name in both the business community and within the FASTSIGNS network, was awarded to Stan Gray with FASTSIGNS of Long Beach and FASTSIGNS of Torrance.
• The WhatTheyThink | Printing News |Wide Format & Signage FASTSIGNS Project of the Year was presented to Jon Toy from York, PA for their team’s work with Shippensburg University.
• FASTSIGNS held their Vendor Show Training Events that included 7 different sessions from Bodaq Finishes (Nelcos), Zund America, Unibind/Peleman, GSG, Avery Dennison, Ricoh and ASI.
• Grimco was presented the FASTSIGNS Vendor of Year Award for the US, and ND Graphics was presented the FASTSIGNS Vendor of the Year Award for Canada
• Franchisees and their center teams were recognized for outstanding sign and graphic projects in the 2021 FASTSIGNS Customer Solutions Awards, which included grand prize winner Jon Toy, FASTSIGNS of York, for their work with Shippensburg University.

During each convention, FASTSIGNS hosts Breakfast with a Purpose, a Community Giveback project to make a difference in the community where the event is held. This year, FASTSIGNS worked with the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth with a focus on addressing food insecurity. The Fleet and Family Services department at the base was in need of perishable items as well as hygiene products and baby care items, so the outreach from FASTSIGNS was perfectly timed. Together, FASTSIGNS franchisees and employees as well as the corporate staff at FASTSIGNS International Inc., along with vendor partners, helped support over 6,000 military and family members in the Ft. Worth area. Vendor partners included Avery Dennison, Click2Sell, Colex, Grimco, GSG, Ornamental Post & Panel, Plasticade, PromoMatting,  Ricoh, Sinalite.

“2021 was a record year for FASTSIGNS. Same center sales exceeded 16% in the US, 17% in the UK and 24% in Canada. The number of FASTSIGNS locations grew to a record 761 locations in nine countries” said Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “Our annual convention brings our franchise network together to recognize, honor and celebrate their many achievements, as well as to engage in educational and networking opportunities to kick off the year. This one-of-a-kind event enabled us to celebrate our connections through FASTSIGNS, and it set the stage for an even more successful 2022.”

The Franchise Puts New Software In Place to Reach Goals and Exceed Expectations for Franchisees.

CARROLLTON, Texas — FASTSIGNS International, Inc. Is putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to promising to help Franchisees generate more revenue and profits in 2022.

FASTSIGNS International, Inc announced that they have joined forces with the leader in financial data consolidation and analysis, ProfitKeeper. “Our most important Key Strategic Objective is to help each of our franchisees further increase profitability by 25%, after already achieving the prior goal–set in 2009–to increase franchisee profitability by 50%. We are committed to providing our franchisees excellent support and service, focused on increasing profitability and driving high-margin revenue. We have been researching tools to help our franchisees further improve profitability and selected ProfitKeeper,” said Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. at the FASTSIGNS International Convention recently; over 485 franchisees attended the convention.

“We looked at several software solutions and chose ProfitKeeper, who has been helping franchisors help their franchisees improve profitability for over 14 years,” added Monson.

FASTSIGNS Franchisees are beginning to use ProfitKeeper, an integrated software solution connecting payroll and financial measurement services. “Financial health of franchisees is paramount for franchisors to grow their brand.  ProfitKeeper is truly excited about working with such an iconic brand as FASTSIGNS who believes in helping their franchisees maximize profits. We look forward to this partnership and delivering our turn-key benchmarking, trends, and analytics which helps franchisees pinpoint areas for improving their profitability,” said Kyle McEuen, President and COO at ProfitKeeper.

“We love that users can drill down and get financial data by region, metro area, sales volume, or board group. We know this detailed information and benchmarking will be invaluable to our franchisees as they work to improve profitability and implement best practices,” said Monson. Franchisees can now sync their accounting software to upload financials each month and receive instant feedback on how their center is performing in relation to other centers within the network.

The ProfitKeeper software program is complementary and offered to all franchisees as part of the FASTSIGNS support.

CARROLLTON, Texas — FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the world’s leading sign and visual graphics franchisor with more than 750 FASTSIGNS® locations worldwide announces attending speakers at the International Franchise Association’s 62nd Annual Convention in San Diego Feb. 26 to March 1 at the San Diego Convention Center. The convention will highlight franchising’s impact on the nation’s economic recovery, policy proposals impacting the business model, share best practices to help all in franchising be the best they can be, and discussions about opportunities for the future of the industry.

Catherine Monson, CEO of FASTSIGNS International and Propelled Brands and the Chair of the International Franchise Association, will be speaking on the State of the Association on Sunday, February 27. On Monday February 28, she will also be moderating for Franchisor Speaker: Technology-fueled Transformation in the Restaurant Industry, Paul Brown, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Brands. On Tuesday March 1, Monson will be Passing the Gavel to incoming IFA Chair Charlie Chase from First Service Brands.

Mark Jameson, Chief Support and Development Officer at FASTSIGNS, will be speaking at the convention and participating at a panel discussion called “International Summit: Supporting Your Brand Internationally.”

Stan Gray, a multi-unit FASTSIGNS franchisee and military veteran, will be a panelist at the Sunday General Session sharing how military life prepared him for the role of business owner. Stan will also be awarded the Franchisee of the Year for FASTSIGNS at the “Franchisee of the Year Celebration.” This event will include FASTSIGNS and other brands who chose to recognize their franchisee of the year at IFA.

Jeff Lewis, the Assistant Vice President of Franchise Support for FASTSIGNS, will be leading the class Financial Analytics: Tools and Best Practices for Franchisee and Franchisor Profitability at the IFA breakout sessions.

“My team and I are always honored to be part of this powerful event that helps franchisors and franchisees improve their businesses, learn best practices, and expand their network in an ideal environment for growth and inspiration,” said Catherine Monson. “We look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with others in franchising and provide insight at the single most important and relevant franchising conference held today.”

IFA is the franchising sector’s only global trade association. For the first time in two years, this convention will bring together industry leaders to study the leading role franchising played in the post-pandemic economic recovery; delivering needed new, local business starts and jobs following the decline in jobs in 2020 and 2021; celebrating 30 years of proactive veteran recruitment into the ranks of franchising; sharing best practices; and looking ahead to addressing workforce challenges.

Featured speakers include NBA legend and franchising leader Shaquille O’Neal, Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown, Self Esteem Brand’s Seth Mortenson, America’s first black female combat pilot Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, author and workforce innovator Seth Mattison, in addition to IFA President and CEO Matthew Haller and IFA Chair Catherine Monson, and numerous executive brand leaders, and lawmakers.

About the International Franchise Association:

Celebrating 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 733,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 7.6 million direct jobs, $674.3 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and 2.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.

Independent Survey Shows FASTSIGNS Ranks Highest in Franchisee Satisfaction in the Business Service Category Within the Top 200 Franchise Brands.

CARROLLTON, Texas — FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, was recently named Best-in-Category in the Business Service sector on Franchise Business Review’s list of the Top Franchises for 2022. This is the 17th annual ranking of the 200 best franchise opportunities as rated by franchise business owners. The list is available at https://franchisebusinessreview.com/page/top-franchises/.

“It is an immense honor to be named the #1 in category for business services for Franchise Business Review’s top 200 of 2022,” said Mark Jameson, Chief Support and Development Officer at Propelled Brands. “This achievement is only possible thanks to the tireless work of our franchisees and our corporate support team and their determination to become the go-to resource for visual communications in their communities. This success will push us harder to continue attracting the best franchise candidates to our brands and delivering quality services to our franchisees and clients.”

Franchise Business Review, a market research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction and employee engagement, provides the only rankings and awards for franchise companies based solely on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Franchise Business Review publishes its rankings of the top 200 franchises in its annual Guide to Today’s Top Franchises.

FASTSIGNS was among over 300 franchise brands, representing more than 30,000 franchise owners, that participated in Franchise Business Review’s research. FASTSIGNS’ franchisees were surveyed on 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems, including training & support, operations, franchisor/franchisee relations, and financial opportunity.

FASTSIGNS’ survey data showed the following:

I enjoy being part of this organization: 4.5/5.0
I respect my Franchisor: 4.6/5.0
Senior Management promotes a clear vision for the company: 4.6/5.0
My Franchisor cares about my success: 4.5/5.0
Would you recommend this franchise to others? 4.5/5.0

“As an independent research firm, Franchise Business Review is committed to helping prospective franchisees get an objective view of the best franchise opportunities, based on actual feedback from franchise owners,” said Michelle Rowan, president & COO of Franchise Business Review. “We survey franchisees from franchise companies in the marketplace today and identify those with the highest levels of satisfaction and performance to educate potential buyers and help them choose which franchise to invest in. The companies on this year’s list of Top Franchises are the top-ranked brands in the key areas critical to their franchisees’ success.”

Visit FranchiseBusinessReview.com to see the full description of the 2022 Top Franchises.

About Franchise Business Review

Franchise Business Review (FBR) is a leading market research firm serving the franchise sector. FBR measures the satisfaction and engagement of franchisees and publishes various guides and reports for entrepreneurs considering an investment in a franchise business. Since 2005, FBR has surveyed hundreds of thousands of franchise owners and over 1,100 leading franchise companies. FBR publishes free and unbiased franchisee satisfaction research reports throughout the year online at http://www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com. To read our publications, visit https://franchisebusinessreview.com/page/publications/.

Sign, Graphics and Visual Communications Franchisor Reports Strong Year of Growth, Ranking #47 Overall on Esteemed List of Top Franchise Opportunities.

CARROLLTON, Texas — FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS^®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced today it has been ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500^® for the sixth consecutive year. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the Franchise 500^® ranks FASTSIGNS as #47 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 thrilled to once again be named the #1 franchise opportunity for signage, graphics, and visual communication in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list,” said Mark Jameson, Chief Support and Development Officer at Propelled Brands. “Our franchisees’ role of being the go-to resource for visual communications in their communities continues to grow stronger every day. The growth and momentum we’ve experienced is a true testament to the strong FASTSIGNS network, our brand’s adaptability, and the rising demand for our services.”

FASTSIGNS experienced strong double-digit growth in 2021, exceeding more than 15% comp sales and expanding their franchise network, awarding more than 25 franchises last year to develop locations in markets such as Southern CA, Western Canada, and Florida. This, combined with FASTSIGNS crossing the $600 million mark in network sales for the first time in company history, underscores the brands’ adaptability to a rapidly changing business environment and the continued demand for signage and visual graphics.

In Entrepreneur‘s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company’s 43-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve as well. The editorial team researches and assesses several factors that go into the evaluation, including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500® in ranking order.

“The past year has been one of the most challenging for businesses in recent memory, which made putting together our 43^rd annual Franchise 500 list more enlightening than ever,” says Entrepreneur Editor in Chief Jason Feifer. “The companies named to this year’s list showed us how being resilient, supportive, and nimble can help navigate extraordinary challenges and also underscore the grit and innovation that define entrepreneurship.”

The total investment for a FASTSIGNS franchise is approximately $233,555 – $307,308 including a $49,750 franchise fee. Ideal candidates have a net worth of $300,000 of which $80K is liquid. Additionally, FASTSIGNS offers a special incentive for veterans and first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee — a savings of $24,875.

To date, FASTSIGNS operates more than 750 locations in 46 states and eight countries. Of these FASTSIGNS franchisees, more than 10% are owned by veterans.

To view FASTSIGNS in the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2022 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 11th.

CARROLLTON, Texas — Franchise Dictionary Magazine recognizes FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, as one of the top 100 Game Changers of 2021. This recognition highlights franchises that fill a niche, help the communities they are a part of, and provide opportunities for aspiring business owners.

“We are honored to receive such high regard from Franchise Dictionary Magazine,” said Mark Jameson, chief support and development officer at Propelled Brands. “This is only possible thanks to the hard work and commitment of our franchisees who work tirelessly to support each other and their communities. I am proud of every member of the FASTSIGNS family, and I cannot wait to see how we will continue to grow in 2022.”

FASTSIGNS provides comprehensive, captivating signage and graphic solutions to help companies communicate their message and extend their branding. There are more than 750 independently owned and operated centers around the world, offering a diverse product range. Franchisees navigated the pandemic by fulfilling the critical signage needs for customers’ including PPE and more to help hospitals, local governments, and businesses communicate important health and safety information.

“2021 was a challenging year for the world,” said Alesia Visconti, CEO / Publisher of Franchise Dictionary Magazine. “A brand that earns the Top 100 Game Changers designation raises the bar and clearly sets itself apart! We are THRILLED to recognize and showcase these 100+ fran-tastic brands that went above and beyond. Congrats to this year’s Game Changers!”

FASTSIGNS has experienced strong double-digit growth and is expected to exceed more than 15% comp sales in 2021 and continues to expand the franchise network, awarding more than 25 this year to develop locations in markets such as Southern CA, Western Canada, and Florida.

The total investment for a FASTSIGNS franchise is approximately $233,555 – $307,308 including a $49,750 franchise fee. Ideal candidates have a net worth of $300,000 of which $80K is liquid. Additionally, FASTSIGNS offers a special incentive for veterans and first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee — a savings of $24,875.

The full list of the top 100 “Game Changers” can be found in the December issue of Franchise Dictionary Magazine.