Signs Now franchise
2024 filing · March 27, 2024
Signs Now at a glance
A sign and graphics center designing and producing signs, displays and other graphic products for businesses, under the Signs Now or Signs By Tomorrow name. At the end of 2023 there were 76 Signs Now locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Alliance Franchise Brands LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Plymouth, Michigan
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $50K–$304K
- Buying an existing center
- Franchise fee
- $20,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6% (tiered)
- 6% of gross sales up to about $1.2 million a year, then lower rates on higher sales
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 1% to 2% of monthly gross sales depending on the center type, with a yearly cap
- Agreement length
- 20 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 76
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 76
- Company-owned
- 0
- States
- 27
- Most in Maryland, Florida and Michigan
From Alliance Franchise Brands LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Signs Now among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Signs Now | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $177,043 | Costs less than 73% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $20,000 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 76 | More than 72% of franchises |
How much a Signs Now franchise costs
Opening buying an existing center costs an estimated $50,058 to $304,028. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are software and equipment ($16,758 to $107,002) and additional funds and working capital (for 1st year) ($0 to $85,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20,000 | ||
| Training Expenses | $2,400 | $7,400 | |
| Rent Deposit | $0 | $7,700 | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $3,500 | |
| CoreBridge Set-up Fee | $500 | ||
| Exterior Signage | $0 | $12,000 | |
| Software and Equipment | $16,758 | $107,002 | |
| Marketing and brand identification | $0 | $20,026 | |
| KickStart Initial Marketing Deposit | $7,500 | ||
| Professional fees (lawyer, accountant, etc.) | $2,900 | $23,100 | |
| Insurance (for 1 year) | $0 | $10,300 | |
| Additional funds and working capital (for 1st year) | $0 | $85,000 | |
| Total | $50,058 | $304,028 | |
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, page 21
Signs Now franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales up to about $1.2 million a year, then lower rates on higher sales. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% to 2% of monthly gross sales depending on the center type, with a yearly cap. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, pages 15 and 16
Sales and earnings
No figures Signs Now does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, page 46
SBA loans to Signs Now franchisees
Lenders approved 74 SBA-backed loans for Signs Now franchisees from 1990 to 2016, $13.8M in all: 68 7(a) loans and 6 504 loans. Of the 73 that have ended, 65 were paid in full and 8 were charged off (11%). The other one hasn’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Signs Now compares
Of the 34 printing and sign franchises on this site, Signs Now is the 6th cheapest to open and the 16th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Signs Now | Typical printing and sign brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $50K | $133K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $304K | $312K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $20K | $48K | $40K |
| US locations | 76 | 98 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −7.3% | −3.8% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 23 of 34 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 34 brands in printing and sign franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 84 (−4) | 0 |
| 2020 | 82 (−2) | 0 |
| 2021 | 81 (−1) | 0 |
| 2022 | 78 (−3) | 0 |
| 2023 | 76 (−2) | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2019 to the end of 2023, franchised locations went from 88 to 76 (−12, −14%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2022 filing.
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, page 46
2019–2020: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2022 filing, page 45
Where Signs Now locations are
At the end of 2023, Signs Now had franchised locations in 27 states. The most are in Maryland, Florida and Michigan.
- Maryland7
- Florida6
- Michigan6
- Pennsylvania6
- North Carolina5
- California4
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Maryland | 7 |
| Florida | 6 |
| Michigan | 6 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 |
| North Carolina | 5 |
| California | 4 |
| Colorado | 4 |
| Illinois | 4 |
| Texas | 4 |
| Massachusetts | 3 |
All 27 states
| New Jersey | 3 |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | 3 |
| Arizona | 2 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| Iowa | 2 |
| Ohio | 2 |
| Virginia | 2 |
| Washington | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Idaho | 1 |
| Kansas | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
| Utah | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, page 47
Who owns Signs Now?
Signs Now franchises are sold by Alliance Franchise Brands LLC.
From Alliance Franchise Brands LLC’s 2024 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 14. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Alliance Franchise Brands LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 14, bankruptcy on page 14
Signs Now filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Alliance Franchise Brands LLC’s 2024 filing, issued March 27, 2024; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | March 27, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
| 2022 filing | March 25, 2022 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2019–2020 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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