Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise unit economics
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchisees install and maintain landscape, architectural, holiday and permanent lighting from a van. Seventy-six franchisees working 133 territories averaged $770,468 in the year to September 2025. A separate benchmarking study puts a twelve-line cost model against $818,812 of revenue, leaving $172,903 before the owner is paid. The agreement sets a local advertising minimum of $55,000 a year for one territory.
- Primary source
- OLP Franchise, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 76 of 141 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
The agreement requires $55,000 a year of local advertising for a single territory. A bottom-quarter single-territory franchisee bills $178,425, so that minimum alone is 30.8% of the year, and the lowest-selling franchisees in the system billed $41,795, which the minimum exceeds outright.
- The $55,000 advertising minimum is 30.8% of a bottom-quarter single-territory franchisee’s revenue. $55,000 against $178,425 *, and 131.6% of the lowest-selling franchisees’s $41,795.
- A second territory earns about half what the first does. $343,311 a territory across the 93 held by multi-territory franchisees, against $665,690 for the 40 running one *.
- Materials and labor take 23.1% of revenue in the highest-selling third and 58.5% in the lowest-selling one. Gross profit 69.4% against 47.5% *, 21.9 points on the same work.
- Twelve cost lines leave $172,903 on $818,812 before the owner is paid. 21.1% of revenue, after labor, materials, royalty, marketing, overhead wages, vehicles, insurance, card fees, tools, licenses and technology.
- A holiday lighting job bills 40.9% of what a landscape install does. $1,900.39 against $4,649.19 *, and holiday work is 12.8% of system revenue from a few weeks of the year.
How much does a Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise make?
The average Outdoor Lighting Perspectives unit reported $770,468 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $525,654. The brand’s disclosure document puts the profit line at 21.1% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 8.9% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Top performers
What separates the top Outdoor Lighting Perspectives performers
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $1,673,638 a year. The worst averaged $227,170. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $525,654. The average was $770,468. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 7.4× gap between bands is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $180,700 to $226,500, a 1.3× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
Live operating levers
- Cost of what you sell.Products and materials take 25.5% of sales, against 21.1% kept at the end. Buying terms, price discipline and waste are where this is won, and each of them compounds at volume. Small movements here move the result more than anything else, because nothing else in the structure is that large.
- Jobs, the operating driver.This model bills on jobs. Every job is won again, so the owner works on how many quotes turn into work and what the average job is worth when it does. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Service and retail mix.Attachment rate on retail, and the share of customers on the higher service tiers, lift what each hour earns without adding an hour or a room. It is the only lever that raises the ceiling without spending capital.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 8.9% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.76 of 141 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
Territories and what they earn
76 franchisees, 133 territories, $770,468 each.
The same twelve months appear three ways: every franchisee, the 40 running a single territory, and the 36 running several. Read together they answer the question a second territory poses.
| Group | Franchisees | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest | Reaching the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top quarter | 19 | $1,673,638 | $1,314,602 | $1,000,125 | $2,957,861 | 7 / 37% |
| Second quarter | 19 | $748,815 | $733,380 | $526,028 | $962,550 | 9 / 47% |
| Third quarter | 19 | $432,250 | $434,145 | $332,405 | $525,280 | 10 / 53% |
| Bottom quarter | 19 | $227,170 | $255,159 | $41,795 | $321,592 | 11 / 58% |
| All 76 | 76 | $770,468 | $525,654 | $41,795 | $2,957,861 | 27 / 36% |
Every figure is as the brand reported it.
| Group | Franchisees | Territories * | Average a franchisee | Median | Lowest | Highest | Average a territory * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single territory | 40 | 40 | $665,690 | $464,036 | $41,795 | $2,707,613 | $665,690 |
| Multi-territory | 36 | 93 | $886,888 | $697,516 | $216,453 | $2,957,861 | $343,311 |
| All | 76 | 133 | $770,468 | $525,654 | $41,795 | $2,957,861 | $440,267 |
Franchisee counts and revenue figures are as the brand reported it; the territory counts and the per-territory column are marked *.
A territory held by a multi-territory owner earns 51.6% of what a single-territory one does. $343,311 against $665,690 *, so the second and third territories add roughly half a business each.
The multi-territory quartiles break at $356,519 against $178,425. The lowest-selling third of multi-territory franchisees averages twice what the bottom quarter of single-territory ones does, because two half-territories still add up.
The highest-selling franchisees bills 70.8 times the lowest-selling franchisees. $2,957,861 against $41,795 *, and the median of $525,654 is 68.2% of the average.
The system has grown 2.40 times since 2018.
| Year | System sales | Change * |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $24,939,275 | n/a |
| 2019 | $26,593,827 | +6.6% |
| 2020 | $30,087,144 | +13.1% |
| 2021 | $45,515,302 | +51.3% |
| 2022 | $53,685,550 | +17.9% |
| 2023 | $54,893,459 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $56,494,236 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | $59,909,822 | +6.0% |
The annual figures are as the brand reported it and the change column is marked *.
Holiday lighting is 12.8% of system revenue. $7,671,222 of $59,909,822, earned inside a season that runs a few weeks, against residential work range across the year.
Growth has slowed to 6.0% from 51.3% in 2021. The three years since 2022 added $6,224,272 between them *, against $15,428,158 in 2021 alone.
The cost lines
Twelve lines, and $172,903 left.
Behind these figures are 66 franchisees working 113 of the system’s 146 territories. For the 55 that had traded at least two full years, a twelve-line cost model runs against $818,812 of revenue.
| Line | Average | Share of revenue | Median | Reaching the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $818,812 | 100.0% | $649,157 | 23 / 42% |
| Cost of goods, labor | $136,267 | 16.6% | $107,760 | 22 / 40% |
| Cost of goods, materials | $208,705 | 25.5% | $168,682 | 20 / 36% |
| Gross profit | $473,840 | 57.9% | n/a | n/a |
| Royalties | $57,317 | 7.0% | $45,441 | 22 / 40% |
| Local marketing | $73,106 | 8.9% | $53,229 | 18 / 33% |
| National branding and marketing fund | $12,282 | 1.5% | $9,737 | 13 / 24% |
| Overhead salaries and wages | $63,623 | 7.8% | $45,104 | 22 / 40% |
| Vehicle expense | $33,361 | 4.1% | $23,821 | 17 / 31% |
| Insurance | $20,902 | 2.6% | $14,972 | 16 / 29% |
| Bank and merchant fees | $19,814 | 2.4% | $15,185 | 21 / 38% |
| Technology and telephone | $14,926 | 1.8% | $9,982 | 16 / 29% |
| Small tools, equipment and uniforms | $4,933 | 0.6% | $1,937 | 16 / 29% |
| Licenses and permits | $673 | 0.1% | $193 | 15 / 27% |
| Left after these twelve lines | $172,903 | 21.1% | n/a | n/a |
Every average, median and attainment figure is as the brand reported it; the share column is also filed.
Marketing and royalty together take $142,705. 10.4% of revenue on marketing and 7.0% on royalty *, more than overhead wages, vehicles and insurance combined at $117,886.
The median franchisee bills 79.3% of the average. $649,157 against $818,812 *, with 23 of 55 reaching it.
The same work at 23.1% of revenue or 58.5%.
The study also ranks franchisees into thirds on each cost line separately. Materials run 16.8% to 34.5% of revenue and labor 6.3% to 24.0%, which is where a 21.9-point gross-margin gap comes from.
| Measure | Highest-selling third | Middle third | Lowest-selling third | Full range across all 66 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross share of sales kept | 69.4% | 58.5% | 47.5% | 28.3% to 85.3% |
| Materials as a share of revenue | 16.8% | 26.6% | 34.5% | 1.4% to 42.4% |
| Labor as a share of revenue | 6.3% | 16.3% | 24.0% | 0.0% to 33.4% |
| Materials and labor together * | 23.1% | 42.9% | 58.5% | n/a |
| Marketing and advertising | 4.9% | 9.1% | 17.5% | 1.4% to 42.6% |
| Vehicle expense | 1.7% | 3.5% | 6.6% | 0.7% to 10.9% |
Every percentage is as the brand reported it apart from the combined row, which adds the two rows above it.
Marketing runs 1.4% of revenue at one franchisee and 42.6% at another. A 41.2-point range on the same line *, which is wider than the whole gross-margin range.
Vehicle expense costs 6.6% of revenue in the lowest-selling third and 1.7% in the highest-selling one. 4.9 points *, on the $818,812 average that is $40,122 a year between the two.
What a job is worth
$4,649 a landscape job, $1,900 a holiday one.
What each project type actually billed comes from 12,926 completed jobs across 74 franchisees. A permanent lighting install is the largest ticket, a holiday job the smallest, and the range within each type is wider than the gap between them.
| Project type | Franchisees reporting | Projects | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest | Low to high * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent lighting install | 56 | 1,343 | $5,665.63 | $5,395.00 | $1,115.00 | $15,631.00 | 14.0× |
| New residential landscape install | 74 | 6,299 | $4,649.19 | $4,556.00 | $1,639.00 | $13,855.00 | 8.5× |
| Holiday lighting project | 64 | 5,284 | $1,900.39 | $1,776.00 | $307.00 | $5,230.00 | 17.0× |
Counts, project numbers and prices are as the brand reported it; the final column is marked *.
A holiday job bills 40.9% of a landscape install. $1,900.39 against $4,649.19 *, so the holiday season needs 2.4 jobs to match one landscape project, and it produced 5,284 of them against 6,299.
The permanent install is the largest ticket and the smallest volume. $5,665.63 across 1,343 projects *, against 6,299 landscape installs, 10.4% of the project count and 16.2% of the three types’ combined value at their own averages.
Ticket varies more between franchisees than between project types. The landscape install runs $1,639 to $13,855 across franchisee averages, 8.5 times *, where the gap from a holiday job to a permanent install is 3.0 times.
Opening and the brand’s cut
The advertising minimum is the binding number.
Royalty is the greater of 7% of revenue or $1,400 a month, falling to 5% above $1,000,000 for the rest of that year. The national fund is 1.5% on the first $1,000,000 only, digital marketing is $300 a month. The agreement sets a local advertising investment of at least $55,000 a year for one territory.
| Revenue | Royalty | National fund | Digital | To the franchisor | Share | Advertising minimum | All in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,673,638, the top quarter | $103,682 | $15,000 | $3,600 | $122,282 | 7.31% | $55,000 | 10.59% |
| $818,812, the benchmarking average | $57,317 | $12,282 | $3,600 | $73,199 | 8.94% | $55,000 | 15.66% |
| $665,690, the single-territory average | $46,598 | $9,985 | $3,600 | $60,183 | 9.04% | $55,000 | 17.30% |
| $178,425, the single-territory bottom quarter | $16,800 | $2,676 | $3,600 | $23,076 | 12.93% | $55,000 | 43.76% |
| $41,795, the lowest-selling franchisee | $16,800 | $627 | $3,600 | $21,027 | 50.31% | $55,000 | 181.90% |
Rates, minimums and the revenue figures are as the brand reported it; every dollar figure and share is marked *.
The minimum royalty governs any franchisee below $240,000. $16,800 a year *, which covers the whole bottom quarter of single-territory franchisees, whose average is $178,425.
A two-territory franchisee owes $100,000 of advertising against $110,000. The saving is $10,000 a year *, and each territory beyond the second adds $35,000, against the $343,311 a multi-territory franchisee averages per territory, that is 10.2%.
The national fund stops at $1,000,000 of revenue. So a franchisee at $2,957,861 pays $15,000 into it, 0.51% of the year against 1.5% for anyone below the cap *.
$180,700 to open, and the van is a quarter of it.
| Line | Low | High | Share of the low column * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,500 | $59,500 | 32.9% |
| Vehicle | $50,000 | $55,000 | 27.7% |
| Start-up marketing, first ninety days | $25,000 | $55,000 | 13.8% |
| Additional funds, three months | $20,000 | $20,000 | 11.1% |
| Inventory and demonstration kit | $14,000 | $16,000 | 7.7% |
| Vehicle wrap | $4,000 | $5,000 | 2.2% |
| Travel and living while training | $2,000 | $3,500 | 1.1% |
| Initial marketing collateral | $2,000 | $3,000 | 1.1% |
| Computer hardware and software | $1,700 | $5,500 | 0.9% |
| Trade show booth | $1,500 | $2,000 | 0.8% |
| Tools and equipment | $1,000 | $2,000 | 0.6% |
| Total | $180,700 | $226,500 | 100% |
Amounts are as the brand reported it and the share column is marked *; both columns add to their stated totals exactly.
Opening costs 23.5% of what an average franchisee bills in a year. $180,700 against $770,468 *, and 101.3% of what a bottom-quarter single-territory franchisee bills.
141 territories, and 16 changed hands.
| Year | At start | Opened | Terminated | At end | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 110 | 20 | 2 | 128 | 2 |
| 2024 | 126 | 11 | 2 | 135 | 10 |
| 2025 | 135 | 8 | 2 | 141 | 16 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it.
Openings have halved twice. 20, then 11, then 8 *, while terminations held at 2 a year throughout.
Transfers rose eightfold in two years. 2 in 2023 to 16 in 2025 *, so buying an existing territory is now the more common route in than opening one.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What does an Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchisee bill?
Across 76 franchisees working 133 territories in the year to September 2025 the average was $770,468 with a median of $525,654, ranging from $41,795 to $2,957,861. By quarter the averages run $1,673,638, $748,815, $432,250 and $227,170. Franchisees running a single territory averaged $665,690 and those running several $886,888.
What does a territory earn?
A single-territory franchisee averages $665,690 from one territory. The 36 multi-territory franchisees hold 93 territories between them and average $343,311 each, so the second and subsequent territories earn about half what the first does. Across all 133 territories the average is $440,267.
What do the costs look like?
On the filed model, revenue of $818,812 costs $136,267 of installation labor and $208,705 of materials, leaving $473,840 of gross profit. Royalties, marketing, overhead wages, vehicles, insurance, card fees, technology, tools and licenses take a further $300,937. That leaves $172,903 or 21.1% before the owner is paid or rent, professional fees, depreciation, interest and tax are deducted.
What does a job bill?
A new residential landscape install averages $4,649.19 across 6,299 projects, a holiday lighting project $1,900.39 across 5,284, and a permanent lighting install $5,665.63 across 1,343. Franchisee averages for a landscape install run from $1,639 to $13,855. These three types are 64.9% of system retail sales.
What does the brand take?
The greater of 7% of revenue or $1,400 a month, falling to 5% above $1,000,000 for the rest of that year. A 1.5% national branding fee on the first $1,000,000 only. And $300 a month of digital marketing. On top, the agreement requires at least $55,000 a year of local advertising for one territory, $100,000 for two contiguous territories and $35,000 more for each further one.
What does it cost to open?
$180,700 to $226,500, of which $59,500 is the franchise fee, $50,000 to $55,000 the van and $25,000 to $55,000 start-up marketing. The franchise fee is 15% lower for a qualifying veteran, $10,000 lower for an existing home-services contractor. $30,000 for a second contiguous territory bought at the same time.
Questions worth putting to Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Outdoor Lighting Perspectives locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →What is your gross profit by job type?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around materials and labor per project, margin by job type and season. The advertising minimum measured against what it actually returns.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives reads against the rest of the window cleaning and exteriors group: Fish Window Cleaning · Shine Window Cleaning · Window Genie. The window cleaning and exteriors guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?Where the extra revenue went, line by line.
- At what point do spreadsheets stop coping?What changes at around ten units, and why lenders care.