Budget Blinds Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Budget Blinds franchisees defaulted on 6.6% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 7 of 106 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Window Treatment Stores industry average of 8.6%.
- 6.6%SBA default rate7 of 106 loans
- 106loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 8.6%Window Treatment Stores averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 10.2%all-franchise average7.8% non-franchised
| SBA default rate | 6.6% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 106 |
| Loans charged off | 7 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Window Treatment Stores |
| Industry average | 8.6% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 15 Budget Blinds SBA borrowers failed to repay — below the Window Treatment Stores average of 8.6%.
What is the Budget Blinds franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Budget Blinds is a Window Treatment Stores franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Budget Blinds franchisees: 106 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 7 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019106
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate6.6%
- Window Treatment Stores franchise benchmark8.6%
- Brand vs industry0.8x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$177,207
- New SBA loans since 2020193
- Early charge-offs since 20202
How does Budget Blinds compare with other Window Treatment Stores franchises?
The table sets Budget Blinds's charge-off rate beside its Window Treatment Stores peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Budget Blinds | Window Treatment Stores | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 6.6% | 8.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 106 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 7 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $177,207 | — | — | — |
What has Budget Blinds SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Budget Blinds franchisees have taken 193 new SBA 7(a) loans. 2 have already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are worth noting. Most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 2 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| FY2012 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 10 | 1 | 10.0% |
| FY2015 | 16 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2016 | 16 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 13 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 15 | 2 | 13.3% |
| FY2019 | 20 | 3 | 15.0% |
| FY2020 | 31 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 35 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 33 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 35 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 25 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 20 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 14 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Budget Blinds's figure rests on 106 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 106 resolved loans, the sample is large enough that a single default barely moves the figure. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Budget Blinds figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Is Budget Blinds in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Budget Blinds's SBA 7(a) default rate was 6.6% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (7 of 106 loans charged off) — the only Window Treatment Stores brand tracked here. A default rate close to the Window Treatment Stores average of 8.6% is, on its own, neither a warning sign nor a reassurance.
Frequently asked
- What is Budget Blinds's franchise failure rate?
- Budget Blinds franchisees defaulted on 6.6% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 7 of 106 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Window Treatment Stores industry average of 8.6%.
- How does Budget Blinds compare to other Window Treatment Stores franchises?
- Budget Blinds's 6.6% SBA default rate is lower than the Window Treatment Stores industry average of 8.6%. See every Window Treatment Stores franchise ranked on the Window Treatment Stores industry page. Window Treatment Stores franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Budget Blinds franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 6.6% (7 of 106 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/budget-blinds/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)