Shine Window Cleaning franchise unit economics
Shine Window Cleaning franchisees run exterior cleaning businesses that sell window cleaning, pressure washing, gutter clearing and holiday lighting installation to residential and commercial customers.
Shine Window Cleaning franchise at a glance
Shine Window Cleaning’s Item 19 reports 2025 revenue by territory structure for 48 businesses, average ticket and estimate conversion rates for 69 units, and cleaning and holiday lighting revenue for 33 single-territory businesses.
Shine Window Cleaning franchisees averaged $528,932 of sales in 2025, with a median of $347,981, according to Item 19 of Shine Window Cleaning’s 2026 FDD, issued 24 April 2026. The 48 in that group are 64%* of Shine Window Cleaning’s 75 locations. Fees paid to Shine Window Cleaning come to about 10.7%* of sales.
- A Shine Window Cleaning franchise costs $141,570 to $203,095 to open, including a $49,900 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Shine Window Cleaning charges a royalty of 7% of sales, a 2% brand fund contribution and a $750 monthly technology fee.
- Shine Window Cleaning reported 75 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- 36% of reporting Shine Window Cleaning locations reached the average.
- Work out Shine Window Cleaning's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Shine Window Cleaning's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- A second territory has historically produced $156,122 a year. That is 13 two-territory businesses averaging $312,243 in total against $575,028 for a single-territory business *, 3.7 times less per territory.
- Estimate conversion accounts for a $427,164 revenue range on the same estimates. The system converts 70% on average, 44% at the low and 96% at the high; the average business books 783 jobs from about 1,118 estimates *.
- Below $205,714 of annual revenue the 7% royalty becomes a $14,400 flat charge. The $1,200 monthly minimum applies there *. The average territory inside a two-territory business bills $156,122, where 7% would be $10,929.
- Required local advertising and technology cost $34,200 a year whatever the business bills. That is 38.4% of the lowest-selling reporting business's $88,985 and 1.7% of the highest-selling one's $2,020,134 *.
- Holiday lighting supplies 33% of single-territory revenue, ranging from 8.8% to 82.3%. That is $189,532 of the average business's $575,028 *, a second business with its own season sitting inside the first.
How much does a Shine Window Cleaning franchise make?
The average Shine Window Cleaning unit reported $528,932 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $347,981. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 10.7% 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 Shine Window Cleaning performers
Shine Window Cleaning groups its businesses by territory structure and publishes no sales bands. The highest-selling of the 33 Shine Window Cleaning single-territory businesses billed $2,020,134 in 2025. The lowest-selling Shine Window Cleaning single-territory business billed $88,985. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $347,981. The average was $528,932. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The highest-selling Shine Window Cleaning business sells 22.7× the lowest-selling one. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory quoted at 125,000 households, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $141,570 to $203,095, a 1.4× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 10.7% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
Live operating levers
- Jobs.Each job is won separately. Track how many quotes turn into work and the average job value.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 48 of 75 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
One territory or two
Revenue by territory structure, 2025
| Structure | Businesses | Territories | Average revenue | Median | Per territory * | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One territory | 33 | 33 | $575,028.46 | $350,552.50 | $575,028 | $2,020,133.94 | $88,985.01 |
| Two territories | 13 | 26 | $312,243.16 | $241,248.79 | $156,122 | $1,084,527.72 | $107,064.95 |
| Three territories | 2 | 6 | $552,666.26 * | n/a | $184,222 | $638,595.32 | $466,737.20 |
| Four territories | 1 | 4 | $1,715,019.00 | n/a | $428,755 | $1,715,019.00 | $1,715,019.00 |
| System | 48 | 66 | $528,931.55 | $347,981.42 | $384,677 | $2,020,133.94 | $88,985.01 |
Revenue, medians, highs and lows are as the brand reported it; the per-territory column, the three-territory average and the system's 48-business count are marked *.
A business holding two territories bills $312,243 in total. That compares with $575,028 for a business holding one. The second piece of ground has historically added a fraction of the first. That turns the multi-territory decision from an obvious yes into a question about whether the first territory is anywhere near finished.
The one four-territory business bills $1,715,019, or $428,755 a territory. That is ahead of every other multi-territory Shine structure, and that business opened in 2014. It is a single data point, and it says that per-territory output at scale is achievable: the thirteen two-territory businesses sit at $156,122.
Twelve of 33 single-territory businesses reached their own group average. That is 36%. A $2,020,134 high against an $88,985 low, 23 times, stretches that mean well above the $350,553 median. So the typical single-territory business bills about 61% of what the average suggests.
Eleven of 33 single-territory businesses billed less in 2025 than in 2024. Declines of 3.96% to 23.99%, against a median growth of 10.23% and an average of 41.71% raised by one business at 567.91%. Excluding that one business the average falls to 25.26% *, a system where a third of mature businesses went backwards while the rest grew.
Five of 13 two-territory businesses also shrank. Declines reached 21.38%, and the median growth was 4.33%. Holding two territories offers little protection against a year that goes the wrong way, and the two structures behave alike on that measure.
Quotes and job value
Ticket and estimate conversion
| Measure | High | Average | Median | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket | $1,538.34 | $722.08 | $679.45 | $312.74 |
| Estimate conversion | 96% | 70% | 70% | 44% |
| Jobs from 1,118 estimates * | 1,074 | 783 | 783 | 492 |
| Revenue at the $734.54 single-territory ticket * | $788,610 | $575,028 | $575,028 | $361,446 |
Tickets and conversion rates are as the brand reported it across the 69 units open the full measurement period; the job and revenue rows are marked *.
The same 1,118 estimates produce $361,446 or $788,610 *. That is at the published 44% and 96% conversion rates. That $427,164 gap is bought with no extra marketing, no extra vehicles and no extra territory. It is the estimator standing in the customer's driveway.
The average single-territory business runs 15 jobs a week. That is 783 a year at $734.54 *. That is three a day. At that density one additional job a week is worth $38,196 a year, which is 6.6% of the average business and 43% of the lowest-selling one.
Tickets run from $312.74 to $1,538.34. That is 4.9 times. The high ticket belongs to the system's largest business and the low ticket to its smallest, so ticket and volume move together here. The businesses doing the most work are also charging the most for each piece of it.
The median conversion rate equals the average at 70%. That means the distribution is balanced, and half the system sits below a rate that the top quarter beats by 26 points. A business at 44% is losing more than a third of the work it has already paid to find.
The median ticket of $679.45 sits $42.63 below the average. That is a 5.9% gap. Pricing across this system is tight, and a $50 improvement on the median ticket is worth $39,150 a year at 783 jobs *, the same order as a whole extra job per week.
Lighting
Cleaning and holiday lighting revenue
| Group | Total sales | Cleaning | Lighting | Lighting share * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All 33, average | $575,028 | $385,496 | $189,532 | 33.0% |
| Eight largest, average | $1,344,023 | $898,003 | $446,020 | 33.2% |
| Eight smallest, average | $147,584 | $109,691 | $37,893 | 25.7% |
| Highest lighting share | $338,847 | $60,067 | $278,780 | 82.3% |
| Lowest lighting share | $590,237 | $538,181 | $52,056 | 8.8% |
| 13 two-territory businesses, average | $312,243 | $195,382 | $116,861 | 37.4% |
Total, cleaning and lighting revenue are as the brand reported it for each business; the group averages and the share column are marked *.
Lighting supplies 33.0% of the average single-territory business. That is $189,532 of $575,028 *. That is a seasonal installation business with its own crews, inventory and ladder work, run inside a window cleaning brand. It arrives in the weeks when cleaning demand is at its thinnest.
The largest eight businesses take the same 33.2% from lighting as the whole group. That compares with 25.7% for the smallest eight *. Scale arrives in both lines together, which suggests lighting grows with the cleaning book.
One business draws 82.3% of $338,847 from lighting and another draws 8.8% of $590,237. That is $278,780 against $52,056. The same franchise agreement supports two completely different businesses, and the one leaning on lighting bills 43% less in total.
Six of 33 businesses take more than 40% from lighting; seven take under 20% *. That puts 13 of 33 Shine businesses, or 39%, at one extreme or the other. So the cash-flow shape an owner should plan for depends far more on their own mix than on any published average.
Two-territory businesses take 37.4% from lighting. That compares with 33.0% for single-territory businesses *. They have smaller revenue, and a larger share of it is seasonal. That tightens the working capital (cash to run the business day to day) problem in the months a second territory is being brought up.
Fees and what it costs to open
Annual franchisor and required-spend obligations
| Business | Revenue | Royalty | National advertising | Local advertising | Technology | Total with local advertising | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest single territory | $2,020,134 | $141,409 | $40,403 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $216,012 | 10.7% |
| Average single territory | $575,028 | $40,252 | $11,501 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $85,953 | 14.9% |
| System average per business | $528,932 | $37,025 | $10,579 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $81,804 | 15.5% |
| Average per territory | $384,677 | $26,927 | $7,694 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $68,821 | 17.9% |
| Median single territory | $350,553 | $24,539 | $7,011 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $65,750 | 18.8% |
| Territory inside a two-territory business | $156,122 | $14,400 | $3,122 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $51,722 | 33.1% |
| Lowest-selling reporting business | $88,985 | $14,400 | $1,780 | $25,200 | $9,000 | $50,380 | 56.6% |
We applied the published rates to the filed revenue.
The $1,200 monthly royalty minimum applies below $205,714 of annual revenue *. The average territory inside a two-territory business bills $156,122, where 7% would be $10,929 against the $14,400 owed, an effective 9.2%. Half of the second territories in this system sit under that line.
Fixed obligations are $34,200 a year whatever the business bills. That is $25,200 of required local advertising and $9,000 of technology. At the lowest-selling reporting business's $88,985 that alone is 38.4%, and at the highest-selling one's $2,020,134 it is 1.7% *, the widest compression in the whole fee structure.
Local advertising may rise to $5,000 a month. That is $60,000 a year, against the $25,200 in the table. At the median single-territory business that change alone would move the total obligation, local advertising included, from 18.8% to 28.7% of revenue *, so the headline 7% royalty describes a small part of what the arrangement actually costs.
A job taken across the territory line costs $639 more than it earns. That is $1,000 to the franchisor plus half the revenue to the neighboring owner, against the system average ticket of $722.08 *. That is among the sharpest boundary penalties in this library, and it makes the estimator's map a financial control.
What it costs to open a territory
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,900 | $49,900 |
| Additional funds, three months | $30,000 | $60,000 |
| Start-up package | $22,500 | $32,500 |
| Grand opening advertising | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Initial training fee | $7,500 | $7,500 |
| Service vehicle, three months | $3,000 | $4,800 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $4,000 |
| Sales vehicle, three months | $1,500 | $5,500 |
| Rent, lease and improvements | $1,000 | $6,000 |
| Travel and living while training | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Accounting and wages services | $990 | $1,500 |
| Professional fees | $500 | $2,000 |
| Financial training | $495 | $495 |
| Licenses and permits | $200 | $600 |
| Office set-up and computer equipment | $185 | $3,000 |
| Office furniture | $0 | $2,300 |
| Total | $141,570 | $203,095 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Discounts available
- Shine Window Cleaning charges $29,900 for a second franchise and $24,900 for each one after that when bought at the same time as the first.
- Shine Window Cleaning takes $2,500 off the first franchise's fee for honorably discharged U.S. Armed Forces veterans owning at least 50%.
From Item 5 of the Shine Window Cleaning 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
$99,900 to $109,900 of the build is payable to the franchisor at signing. That is the franchise fee, start-up package, training fee and grand opening advertising together, 70.6% of the low column and 54.1% of the high *. The two required vehicles account for $4,500 to $10,300 across their first three months.
Grand opening advertising is $20,000 paid to the franchisor about four months before opening. The franchisor has full control over strategy, timing and placement. Read against the conversion figures, that budget buys the estimate flow a new business converts at whatever rate it can manage. The rate is where the money actually moves.
Working capital of $30,000 to $60,000 covers three months. That compares with fixed obligations of $2,850 a month in advertising and technology plus a $600 monthly royalty minimum in the first full calendar year *. Three months of that is $10,350, leaving $19,650 of the low estimate for wages, fuel and everything else.
A protected area holds 75,000 to 125,000 households, of which about 20,000 earn $125,000 or more. The average single-territory business bills $28.75 per target household a year, and its 783 jobs reach 3.9% of them *. The franchisor may review the area every five years and reduce it where population has grown 20% or more.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does a Shine Window Cleaning franchise make?
Shine Window Cleaning franchisees averaged $528,932 of sales in 2025, with a median of $347,981, according to Item 19 of Shine Window Cleaning’s 2026 FDD, issued 24 April 2026. The 48 in that group are 64%* of Shine Window Cleaning’s 75 locations. Fees paid to Shine Window Cleaning come to about 10.7%* of sales.
What should a Shine Window Cleaning business be billing?
Thirty-three businesses holding a single territory averaged $575,028.46 in 2025 with a median of $350,552.50, a high of $2,020,133.94 and a low of $88,985.01. Twelve of the 33 reached the average. Thirteen businesses holding two territories each averaged $312,243.16 in total with a median of $241,248.79, a high of $1,084,527.72 and a low of $107,064.95. Two businesses holding three territories billed $638,595.32 and $466,737.20, and one holding four billed $1,715,019.00. The system average across 48 sets of books was $528,931.55 with a median of $347,981.42. There were 75 franchised units at 31 December 2025 and zero company-owned units.
Does a second territory double the Shine Window Cleaning business?
The published record says otherwise. A two-territory business averaged $312,243 across both, which is $156,122 a territory against $575,028 for a business holding one, 3.7 times less per piece of ground, which is marked *. Their median was $241,248.79, or $120,624 a territory. The one four-territory business reached $428,755 a territory, so higher per-unit output is achievable, and that business opened in 2014. Each protected area has its own franchise agreement and its own $2,100 monthly local advertising spend and $750 monthly technology fee. So a second territory arrives with $34,200 of annual fixed cost attached.
How much comes from holiday lighting at Shine Window Cleaning?
Across the 33 single-territory businesses, lighting supplied 33.0% of revenue, $189,532 of the average $575,028, which is marked *. The range runs from 8.8% to 82.3%, with six businesses above 40% and seven below 20%. The thirteen two-territory businesses drew 37.4% from lighting. Two further units in the system sell holiday lighting alone and sit outside the performance dataset. One South Carolina franchisee closed two lighting-only franchises and reopened them as full-service businesses.
What fees does Shine Window Cleaning charge?
The royalty is the greater of 7% of monthly gross revenues or a minimum of $600 a month in the first full calendar year and $1,200 a month thereafter. Any shortfall is payable within 30 days of notice. The national advertising fee is 2% and may rise to 3% on 60 days' notice. A local advertising spend of $2,100 a month is required and verified, may rise to $5,000 a month, and any unspent balance is payable to the franchisor. Technology costs $750 a month. A cooperative marketing contribution of 3% to 4% may be voted in, capped with the national fee at 6% together. Accepting a job inside another franchisee's protected area costs $1,000 to the franchisor plus half the revenue to that franchisee. Transfers cost $10,000, or $5,000 to an existing franchisee.
Who does bookkeeping for a Shine Window Cleaning franchise?
Three mechanics shape the close. A third of Shine Window Cleaning revenue arrives through the lighting season. At the extremes of this system that share reaches 82%. So a thirteen-week cash forecast built on an annual average will misread the winter and the spring in opposite directions. Second, the royalty is the greater of 7% or a monthly minimum. The minimum applies below $17,143 of monthly revenue. Most businesses cross and re-cross that line inside a single year. The royalty accrual is a minimum in some months and a percentage in others. Getting that wrong shows up as a shortfall notice with a 30-day clock. Third, two obligations are fixed at $2,850 a month regardless of revenue. The local advertising half of that must be spent with vendors and verified, with any shortfall payable to the franchisor, so the spend has to be documented. Underneath it all, estimate conversion at 44% to 96% sits ahead of every other lever for the same marketing spend. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- The filing gives no profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
Questions worth putting to Shine Window Cleaning
These are questions the Shine Window Cleaning filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to Shine Window Cleaning directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- Which factors does Shine Window Cleaning see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- 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 Shine Window Cleaning locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check 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 estimate conversion at Shine Window Cleaning?
We review your unit economics, cash forecast and reporting, built around conversion, ticket, the lighting season and the fixed monthly minimum that decides this model.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Shine Development, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Shine Window Cleaning® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Shine Development, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 24 April 2026.
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Shine Window Cleaning reads against the rest of the window cleaning and exteriors group: Fish Window Cleaning · Outdoor Lighting Perspectives · 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?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- At what point do spreadsheets stop coping?It explains what changes at around ten units and why lenders care.
- I run several locations. Which ones actually make money?It shows each location's contribution to profit and the reporting it takes to see it.