SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MINNESOTA
Fantastic Sams franchise in Minnesota: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fantastic Sams in Minnesota have taken 66 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $209,723). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted less often than franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 3 charge-offs among 50 resolved loans, where about 9.5 would be expected (0.3×). Fantastic Sams's national ratio is 1.2×.
Loans in MN
66
Charged off (all years)
3 of 50
Loss ratio in MN
0.3×
Loss ratio nationally
1.2×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MN. 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.
Businesses in this industry
1,569
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
27.1
national 26.6
Versus the country
+2%
denser
Every business in Fantastic Sams's industry operating in Minnesota — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$753
Minnesota, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+8%
costlier to staff
What Fantastic Sams's industry actually pays workers in Minnesota, 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.
| System | Loans in MN | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MN | Units in MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport Clips | 22 | 1 of 19 | — | 46 |
| GREAT CLIPS | 15 | 0 of 12 | — | — |
| Planet Beach | 11 | 4 of 10 | — | — |
| European Wax Center | 10 | 0 of 10 | — | — |
| COST CUTTERS | 6 | 0 of 5 | — | 15 |
| Amazing Lash Studio | 5 | 1 of 3 | — | 6 |
| Deka Lash | 5 | 1 of 2 | — | — |
| The Woodhouse Day Spa | 5 | — | — | — |
Other systems in Fantastic Sams's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Minnesota. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Fantastic Sams’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.