Fantastic Sams Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Fantastic Sams franchisees defaulted on 28.6% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 30 of 105 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the Beauty Salons industry average of 8.6%.
- 28.6%SBA default rate30 of 105 loans
- 105loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 8.6%Beauty Salons averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 15th lowestindustry rankof 15 Beauty Salons brands
| SBA default rate | 28.6% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 105 |
| Loans charged off | 30 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Beauty Salons |
| Industry average | 8.6% |
| Total initial investment (FDD Item 7) | $162,500–$453,000 |
| 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 3 Fantastic Sams SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the Beauty Salons average of 8.6%.
What is the Fantastic Sams franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Fantastic Sams is a Beauty Salons franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Fantastic Sams franchisees: 105 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 30 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–FY2019105
- Charged off30
- Charge-off rate28.6%
- Beauty Salons franchise benchmark8.6%
- Brand vs industry3.3x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$184,729
- New SBA loans since 20208
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Fantastic Sams compare with other Beauty Salons franchises?
The table sets Fantastic Sams's charge-off rate beside its Beauty Salons 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. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.
| Measure | Fantastic Sams | Beauty Salons | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 28.6% | 8.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 105 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 30 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $184,729 | — | — | — |
What would Fantastic Sams's royalty and ad fund cost at your sales level?
From Fantastic Sams's FDD Item 6 (2026): royalty 6% of sales. Royalty and ad fund only · illustration. Other Item 6 fees, fixed or percentage, and local marketing minimums are not included.
| Annual sales | Royalty |
|---|---|
| $250,000 | $15,000 |
| $500,000 | $30,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $60,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $120,000 |
What has Fantastic Sams SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Fantastic Sams franchisees have taken 8 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 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 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2011 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| FY2014 | 4 | 1 | 25.0% |
| FY2015 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2016 | 17 | 4 | 23.5% |
| FY2017 | 22 | 14 | 63.6% |
| FY2018 | 18 | 6 | 33.3% |
| FY2019 | 5 | 2 | 40.0% |
| FY2022 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 1 | — | 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?
Fantastic Sams's figure rests on 105 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 105 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 Fantastic Sams figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Is Fantastic Sams in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Fantastic Sams's SBA 7(a) default rate was 28.6% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (30 of 105 loans charged off) — the highest of 15 Beauty Salons brands tracked here. A default rate this far above the Beauty Salons average of 8.6% is a signal worth investigating further before investing.
Frequently asked
- What is Fantastic Sams's franchise failure rate?
- Fantastic Sams franchisees defaulted on 28.6% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 30 of 105 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is higher than the Beauty Salons industry average of 8.6%.
- How does Fantastic Sams compare to other Beauty Salons franchises?
- Fantastic Sams's 28.6% SBA default rate is higher than the Beauty Salons industry average of 8.6%. See every Beauty Salons franchise ranked on the Beauty Salons industry page. Beauty Salons 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.
- How much does a Fantastic Sams franchise cost?
- Fantastic Sams's 2026 FDD puts the total initial investment (Item 7) at $162,500–$453,000, including an initial franchise fee of $35,000 (Item 5). The average SBA 7(a) loan to a Fantastic Sams franchisee in the 2010s cohort was $184,729.
- Who owns Fantastic Sams?
- Fantastic Sams is franchised by Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, according to the brand's FDD (2026).
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). Fantastic Sams franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 28.6% (30 of 105 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/fantastic-sams/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)