FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · INDIANA

Fantastic Sams franchise in Indiana: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Fantastic Sams in Indiana have taken 12 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $113,044). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Fantastic Sams's national ratio is 1.2×.

SBA loan outcomes · Indianavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in IN

12

Charged off (all years)

5 of 10

Loss ratio in IN

—

Loss ratio nationally

1.2×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IN. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.

Market density · Indiana vs nationalThin market

Businesses in this industry

1,515

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

21.9

national 26.6

Versus the country

-18%

thinner

Every business in Fantastic Sams's industry operating in Indiana — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Labor cost · Indiana vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$658

Indiana, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$698

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-6%

cheaper to staff

What Fantastic Sams's industry actually pays workers in Indiana, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Indiana7 systems
SystemLoans in INCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in INUnits in IN
Sport Clips316 of 26—40
GREAT CLIPS80 of 4——
MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS80 of 7—25
Planet Beach72 of 5——
The Woodhouse Day Spa70 of 6——
SUPERCUTS60 of 4—13
The Lash Lounge50 of 1——

Other systems in Fantastic Sams's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Indiana. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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