FASTSIGNS
Make Your Statement
With signs and graphics, you can say anything, do anything and be anything! Become a franchisee today.
Outlets: 765+
Minimum Investment: £36,000
Funding Support: Yes
Total Investment: £150,000
Average Floor Space: 1,500 sqft
About FASTSIGNS
FASTSIGNS is a global leader in the franchised signs and graphics sector, with over 765 centres operating worldwide. Offering a proven route to successful business ownership, in an industry driven by technology and creativity, to exceed an annual turnover of £1 million.
As a FASTSIGNS franchisee, you’ll help any business, in any industry, make their statement through signs and graphics. Whether they need exterior building signs, signs to direct and inform, signs to decorate, signs to theme an event, or signs to promote – signage is always in demand. So, your business will always be in demand.
Training and Support Provided
With a dedicated, UK-based support team and a US-based Head Office, the business support you’ll receive is at the core of our promise to lead you to grow a profitable business.
With world-leading, industry experts at the helm, you’ll soon feel confident in your journey, as you are nurtured throughout the lifetime of your franchise with us.
F’see quote: “We were definitely nervous, as we were both complete sign novices. But we had help at every turn!” Tunde Sodipo, FASTSIGNS Northampton
Comprehensive Training Delivered
We know signage looks technical, and we can’t deny that it is! But, we have comprehensive training methods designed to ensure you’re well on the path to becoming an expert, when you open the doors of your business.
As a franchisee, you will receive:
2 weeks of Foundations Training at our Dallas Head Office
1 Week in a UK centre with your mentor
1 Week, Centre-based Business Consultant training visit, pre-launch
24/7 access to FASTSIGNS University
Gamification Mobile Access Training
A robust programme of ongoing training events, in sales, marketing, substrates and more
Annual visits from US-based industry experts
2 Convention event opportunities, per annum
Business Management
Our team of dedicated Business Consultants work with you to develop your business plan, and help you manage your objectives against it for success. We are also able to help you access HR support, accounting support, technical expertise and much more. Whatever you need, whenever you need it.
F’see quote: “We love being owners; being in control of our business and working in it, as well on it. The Head Office Support Team helped us move our mindsets from employees to owners, supporting us to achieve our goals. We’ve grown our business by over 30%, have taken on new team members, and we’re extremely excited for the future!” Melanie & Jose Martinez and Alan White
Marketing Support
We consistently invest in our brand positioning, website, and technology ensuring we can attribute ROI to your marketing activities. Marketing is at the centre of what we do. With consistent ‘On Your Behalf’ marketing activity and local marketing support, we’ll help you ensure your business is as visible as possible.
The Ideal FASTSIGNS Franchisee
Believe it or not, our franchisees rarely join us with previous signage experience! All we require from our franchisees is for you to be organised, business-minded and able to communicate effectively with your customers.
As our franchise opportunity is predominantly a management opportunity, depending on your experience, skills and likes, we can build your team around you! If you’re a great manager, we’ll build a team of sales, design and production around you. Like-wise if you’re a creative designer, we’ll recruit management skills, sales experience and production expertise.
FASTSIGNS’ History
FASTSIGNS first launched in Dallas, Texas in 1985, reaching the UK in 1994 and has expanded into 8 other countries over the past 37 years. Over this time, FASTSIGNS we’ve helped our franchisees build businesses that facilitate their lifestyle, allowing them to build a career to complements their skills.
To do this, we continuously strive to bring cutting-edge signage technology, coupled with powerful business strategy, so our top centres consistently achieve sales in excess of £1million.
FASTSIGNS has won countless international franchise industry awards and, specifically in the UK, we are consistently awarded 5-star satisfaction from our franchise network.
Case Studies
Melanie & Jose Martinez and Alan White – Team Members to Franchisees
As long-term employees of the FASTSIGNS Crawley centre, (and great friends outside of work) when the previous owner of the centre decided to activate his exit plan from the business in 2018, we decided that collectively, we wanted to become franchisees.
We’d all worked in the centre for over 20 years, Alan worked as lead designer, Jose managed production and I (Mel) managed sales so we already knew our stuff, and we had experienced the career longevity that the signage industry offered, but being the owner of a centre always felt like it didn’t quite fit our life plan. The security that ‘employment’ provided was attractive but when the chance to buy the centre came up, we just knew that we couldn’t miss the opportunity.
And it’s been liberating! We love being owners, we love being in control of our business and working in it, as well on it. The head office support team helped us move our mindsets from employees to owners and helped make sure that we have robust marketing activity, business planning and strategies in place to help us keep achieving.
Even through 2020 and 2021 and all of the external challenges that have been presented, we’ve grown our business by over 30% – we’ve taken on new team members and we’re extremely excited for the future!
Simon and Friederike Slee, Husband & Wife Partnership That Enables Their Lifestyle
After a redundancy opportunity was made to me (Simon) during the financial crisis in 2010, returning to my career as an investment banker was not inspiring and with Friederike’s consultative experience as a landscape architect, we wanted to find an opportunity that combined our skills. As young business professionals, who were recently married and wanted to start a family, we needed to generate an income but craft a lifestyle that also allowed us to be present as we welcomed children.
Working Together
FASTSIGNS was the perfect business that combined our expertise. I worked on obtaining clients through sales, while Friederike would work consultatively with them, nurturing their signage project through idea generation, production and installation. As our business grew, we developed our team, which allowed Friedrike to work part-time in the business and be around for our growing family.
The Network & Support
When we found FASTSIGNS, we liked the network support. Having a great mentor, who has now become a firm friend, helped us to get to grips with the signage industry quickly. Coupled with the tremendous support that the UK Support Team provides, our business continues to grow. We now consistently hit sales of £850,000+ and we’re aiming to exceed £1 million in the next year or so. We’d have achieved this sooner, had the pandemic not hit, but the support we were offered through this time was vital and helped us prepare for great things as we enter 2023.
Laide & Tunde Sodipo – 12 Months in Business
I was working overseas (Tunde) in the oil industry and with Laide at home in England, it was hard to strike the right work-life balance. After receiving an opportunity for a redundancy package, I jumped at the chance to be at home, although I still felt the pull of wanting to work. That’s how we found franchising and FASTSIGNS. Being complete sign novices, we were definitely nervous but we had help at every turn!
From obtaining finance for purchasing the centre to preparing it for launch, even booking flights to our training in Dallas help was readily available. When we started talking with clients and required assistance through our first projects and installations, we only had to pick up the phone to our business consultant or our mentor. Help was always on hand. With every job completed, we grew with confidence. In March 2023, we’re just short of being 12 months in business but we know we’re on the right path.
We are actively growing our centre through dedicated marketing, sales and production processes, learning something new every day but we find that this makes every day exciting! As we grow, we’ll continue to bolster our workforce with additional team members and we’ll continue to make measured development under the guidance of the FASTSIGNS franchise model.
The best part about our new reality is that we are living together, working together and building a great foundation for our future.