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 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 #1 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 31 franchise agreements to develop new, co-branded, and conversion centers worldwide and the opening of 30 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 30 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 35 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 30 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% reduction on the franchise fee — a savings of $24,875.

FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity. In 2020, Entrepreneur magazine named FASTSIGNS a Top Growth Franchise and one of the Top Franchises for Veterans. Additionally, FASTSIGNS was ranked on Franchise Times' annual Top 200+ list, Franchise Gator recognized the brand as one of its Top 100 Franchises of 2020, Franchise Direct named FASTSIGNS one of the Top 100 Global Franchises, and Franchise Business Review named FASTSIGNS one of its Top Franchises for Second Careers and Top Franchises for Veterans. In 2019, the brand was named to America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine. Franchise Business Review has also recognized FASTSIGNS as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years, as well as one of its Top 50 Franchises for Women and Top Service Franchises lists in 2019. FASTSIGNS has also received the Canadian Franchise Association Franchisees' Choice for eight consecutive years.

For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679).

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 740 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS® centers in 8 countries including the United States and Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, the United Arab Emirates, Malta and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE®). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints. 

In 2020, Fastsigns Holdings Inc. acquired GTN CAPITAL GROUP, LLC the parent company of NerdsToGo, an emerging IT services franchise brand. Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns, Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).