FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

GREAT CLIPS franchise in Michigan: what the public record shows

Franchisees of GREAT CLIPS in Michigan have taken 27 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $243,662). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. GREAT CLIPS's national ratio is 0.4×.

SBA loan outcomes · Michiganvs same-year franchise loans

Loans in MI

27

Charged off (all years)

0 of 17

Loss ratio in MI

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.4×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MI. 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 · Michigan vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

2,326

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

22.9

national 26.6

Versus the country

-14%

thinner

Every business in GREAT CLIPS's industry operating in Michigan — 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 · Michigan vs nationalBelow-average wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$567

Michigan, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$698

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-19%

cheaper to staff

What GREAT CLIPS's industry actually pays workers in Michigan, 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 Michigan5 systems
SystemLoans in MICharged off (all years)Loss ratio in MIUnits in MI
Fantastic Sams308 of 23——
Sport Clips130 of 10—18
Image Sun117 of 8——
European Wax Center90 of 4——
MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS50 of 4—13

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

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