Signs by Tomorrow Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Signs by Tomorrow franchisees defaulted on 11.8% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 2 of 17 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is roughly in line with the Sign Manufacturing industry average of 11.3%.
- 11.8%SBA default rate, small sample2 of 17 loans
- 17loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 11.3%Sign Manufacturing averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 2nd lowestindustry rankof 4 Sign Manufacturing brands
| SBA default rate | 11.8% (small sample) |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 17 |
| Loans charged off | 2 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Sign Manufacturing |
| Industry average | 11.3% |
| 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.
2 of 17 Signs by Tomorrow SBA borrowers failed to repay — too few loans to call a rate; read it as a flag, not a verdict.
What is the Signs by Tomorrow franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Signs by Tomorrow is a Sign Manufacturing franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Signs by Tomorrow franchisees: 17 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 2 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–FY201917
- Charged off2
- Charge-off rate (small sample)11.8%
- Sign Manufacturing franchise benchmark11.3%
- Brand vs industry1.0x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$222,318
- New SBA loans since 20209
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Signs by Tomorrow compare with other Sign Manufacturing franchises?
The table sets Signs by Tomorrow's charge-off rate beside its Sign Manufacturing 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 | Signs by Tomorrow | Sign Manufacturing | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 11.8% (small sample) | 11.3% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 17 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 2 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $222,318 | — | — | — |
What has Signs by Tomorrow SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Signs by Tomorrow franchisees have taken 9 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 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| FY2013 | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| FY2014 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2019 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 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?
Signs by Tomorrow's figure rests on 17 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the count is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 17 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 5.9 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Signs by Tomorrow figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Small sample (17 loans). A single default moves this figure substantially.
Is Signs by Tomorrow in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Signs by Tomorrow's SBA 7(a) default rate was 11.8% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (2 of 17 loans charged off) — 2nd lowest of 4 Sign Manufacturing brands tracked here. A default rate close to the Sign Manufacturing average of 11.3% is, on its own, neither a warning sign nor a reassurance. With only 17 loans in the sample, one default moves the rate by about 5.9 percentage points, so read it as a flag rather than a verdict.
Frequently asked
- What is Signs by Tomorrow's franchise failure rate?
- Signs by Tomorrow franchisees defaulted on 11.8% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 2 of 17 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is roughly in line with the Sign Manufacturing industry average of 11.3%.
- How does Signs by Tomorrow compare to other Sign Manufacturing franchises?
- Signs by Tomorrow's 11.8% SBA default rate is roughly in line with the Sign Manufacturing industry average of 11.3%. See every Sign Manufacturing franchise ranked on the Sign Manufacturing industry page. Sign Manufacturing 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). Signs by Tomorrow franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 11.8% (2 of 17 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/signs-by-tomorrow/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)