WOW 1 DAY PAINTING franchise unit economics
WOW 1 DAY PAINTING franchisees sell residential and commercial painting delivered in a single day, working a territory built from subterritories of which the average franchisee holds five. The United States average is $489,017 a year at a job size of $3,484, about 140 jobs, under three a week. Underneath sits a minimum royalty of $8,000 per subterritory, which binds below $133,333 of subterritory revenue against a published average of $117,813.
- Primary source
- WOW 1 DAY PAINTING LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- the locations the filing reports on
- 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 minimum royalty is $8,000 per subterritory, which binds below $133,333 of subterritory revenue. The published United States average subterritory produces $117,813 and the median $98,961, so for most of this system the royalty is a fixed charge.
- The $8,000 minimum royalty per subterritory binds below $133,333 of subterritory revenue. The United States average subterritory produces $117,813 and the median $98,961 *, so the minimum governs across most of the system.
- Canadian franchisees average 2.4 times the United States ones. C$1,190,627 against $489,017, and $197,410 against $117,813 per subterritory, on businesses said to differ in currency alone.
- A United States franchisee completes about 140 jobs a year. $489,017 at a $3,484 job size *, under three a week, against seven a week in Canada.
- Royalty plus the sales, marketing and technology fee is a flat 11% of revenue. Rising to 14% where a branding cooperative is authorized *.
- Ten United States franchises closed during 2025 against three that opened. Every one of the ten had traded for at least 12 months, against 34 that reported a full year.
How much does a WOW 1 DAY PAINTING franchise make?
The average WOW 1 DAY PAINTING unit reported $489,017 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $371,899. 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 11% 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 WOW 1 DAY PAINTING performers
WOW 1 DAY PAINTING splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $1,040,101 a year. The worst averaged $150,717. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $371,899. The average was $489,017. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 6.9× gap between bands, and 51.2× between the strongest and weakest single location, 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 $96,050 to $189,200, a 2.0× 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
- 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.
- The gift card book.Gift cards are sold before the service is delivered. The top performers are not selling more of them by accident, they are running a deliberate seasonal push into the holidays and out of it again. The accounting follows: a gift card is deferred revenue until it is redeemed, so cash and earned revenue arrive in different periods.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 11.0% 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
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
Top performers
How far apart the locations are
This filing does not split its locations into performance bands, so the gap between the highest and lowest WOW 1 DAY PAINTING location is not disclosed. What it does publish is on the Model and Finance tabs.
Two countries
The same brand, two and a half times apart.
| Measure | United States, all 34 | United States, over 24 months | United States, 12 to 24 months | Canada, all 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchisees | 34 | 32 | 2 | 14 |
| Total sales | $16,626,583 | $16,159,173 | $467,410 | $16,668,774 |
| Average sales | $489,017 | $504,974 | $233,705 | $1,190,627 |
| Median sales | $371,899 | $384,931 | $233,705 | $1,025,152 |
| Highest | $2,757,391 | $2,757,391 | $338,727 | $3,116,690 |
| Lowest | $53,870 | $53,870 | $128,683 | $248,402 |
| Top 25% average | $1,040,101 | $1,094,284 | $338,727 | $2,196,326 |
| Bottom 25% average | $150,717 | $153,471 | $128,683 | $403,710 |
| Reaching the average | 10 of 34 | 10 of 32 | 1 of 2 | 6 of 14 |
| Average job size | $3,484 | $3,458 | $3,891 | $3,284 |
| Median job size | $3,377 | $3,213 | $3,891 | $3,449 |
| Jobs a year * | 140 | 146 | 60 | 363 |
| Jobs a week * | 2.7 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 7.0 |
Revenue, job size and counts are as the brand reported it; the job rows are marked. Dividing each group's average revenue by its own average job size.
Canadian franchisees average C$1,190,627 against $489,017 in the United States. 2.4 times, on a job size of $3,284 against $3,484. So Canadian businesses charge slightly less per job and complete two and a half times as many. The two groups are described as differing in currency alone.
Ten of 34 reach the average in the United States and 6 of 14 in Canada. 29% against 43%. The United States distribution is stretched by a $2,757,391 high against a $53,870 low, 51 times, while Canada's runs from $3,116,690 down to $248,402, twelve times.
The United States median is 76% of its average; Canada's is 86%. $371,899 against $489,017, and C$1,025,152 against C$1,190,627. Both point the same way, and the tighter Canadian distribution alongside the higher level says that system is further through its build-up.
The United States top quarter averages $1,040,101 and the bottom quarter $150,717. Seven times. In Canada the same comparison is $2,196,326 against $403,710, 5.4 times. The lowest and the highest Canadian figures are both about two and a half times the American ones.
Two United States franchisees are between 12 and 24 months old. They average $233,705 at a job size of $3,891, the highest anywhere here, about 60 jobs a year each. Mature businesses at $504,974 run 146. So the build-up is job count while the ticket starts high and settles.
Subterritories and the minimum
Eight thousand dollars a subterritory, whatever it earns.
| Level | Revenue per subterritory | Royalty at 6% | Minimum royalty | Payable | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest United States subterritory | $428,546 | $25,713 | $8,000 | $25,713 | 6.00% |
| Canadian average | $197,410 | $11,845 | $8,000 | $11,845 | 6.00% |
| break-even * | $133,333 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 6.00% |
| United States average | $117,813 | $7,069 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 6.79% |
| United States median | $98,961 | $5,938 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 8.08% |
| United States, 12 to 24 months | $72,540 | $4,352 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 11.03% |
| Lowest United States subterritory | $19,813 | $1,189 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 40.38% |
Revenue-per-subterritory figures are as the brand reported it; the royalty, minimum, payable and effective-rate columns are marked *.
The minimum binds below $133,333 of revenue per subterritory. *. Both American figures are below it, $117,813 on average and $98,961 at the middle. For most American subterritories the 6% royalty is in practice an $8,000 flat charge.
At the United States median subterritory the effective rate is 8.08%. $8,000 against $5,938 of percentage royalty *. A franchisee holding the median three subterritories at that level pays $24,000 a year where the rate alone would produce $17,813.
Each subterritory is measured on its own. A franchisee holding five subterritories where two are strong and three are weak pays the minimum on all three regardless of the total. Makes buying an extra subterritory a commitment to $8,000 a year before any work arrives.
The lowest-selling United States subterritory produced $19,813. Against an $8,000 minimum, that is an effective royalty of 40.4% * on that piece of ground. The highest-selling produced $428,546, 22 times more, and pays the flat 6%.
Canadian subterritories average $197,410, above the minimum. 68% above the United States figure *. So the same minimum that governs most United States subterritories touches almost zero subterritories in Canada, which compounds the revenue gap between the two groups.
Fees and what it costs to open
Eleven percent, with a minimum underneath it.
| Level | Sales | Royalty at 6% | Sales, marketing and technology at 5% | Total | With a 3% cooperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest franchisee | $2,757,391 | $165,443 | $137,870 | $303,313 | $386,035 |
| Top 25% average | $1,040,101 | $62,406 | $52,005 | $114,411 | $145,614 |
| System average | $489,017 | $29,341 | $24,451 | $53,792 | $68,463 |
| System median | $371,899 | $22,314 | $18,595 | $40,909 | $52,066 |
| Bottom 25% average | $150,717 | $9,043 | $7,536 | $16,579 | $21,101 |
| Lowest franchisee | $53,870 | $3,232 | $2,694 | $5,926 | $7,542 |
Ours, applying the published rates to filed revenue.
Royalty and the sales, marketing and technology fee are a flat 11% of revenue. $53,792 at the system average *. The marketing side is nearly as large as the royalty, and it buys a sales center and a customer relationship system.
A branding cooperative would take the load to 14%. $68,463 at the average *. It requires the consent of 65% of affected franchisees measured on sales, so the largest operators in an area effectively decide it.
The royalty is drawn twice a month. Within three business days of the 15th and month end. On a business completing 2.7 jobs a week at $3,484, that is roughly $560 leaving the account every fortnight, tied to reported revenue.
The minimum royalty rises by at least 10% on renewal. From $8,000 per subterritory to at least $8,800. At the American average of five subterritories, the minimum rises from $40,000 to $44,000 a year. On sales that would have to reach $146,667 per subterritory to escape it.
What it costs to open a territory.
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | $60,000 |
| Initial marketing expense | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Additional funds, three months | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Insurance | $8,000 | $25,000 |
| Vehicles and graphics lease deposit | $4,800 | $12,800 |
| Additional insurance premiums, certain states | $0 | $9,500 |
| Training expenses | $4,500 | $8,400 |
| Professional fees | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Real estate and rent | $0 | $4,500 |
| Equipment | $2,500 | $4,500 |
| Computer hardware, software and technology | $2,000 | $4,000 |
| Office equipment and supplies | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Licenses and permits | $250 | $1,500 |
| Total | $96,050 | $189,200 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Every agreement signed in 2025 carried a $60,000 fee. The high end of the published range, which assumes three subterritories. Most owners start with three subterritories, and a $24,000 minimum royalty a year from the start *.
Insurance is the fourth largest line at $8,000 to $25,000, with up to $9,500 more in certain states. Combined, a possible $34,500, 18% of the high column *. For a trade working inside customers' homes at height, that is the cost of being allowed to start.
Cash to run the business day to day of $15,000 to $25,000 covers three months. The minimum royalty is $24,000 a year at three subterritories, and $15,000 of marketing is required in the first six months *. The low opening estimate is about a quarter of those two charges combined.
Ground costs $20,000 a subterritory. Against a published average subterritory producing $117,813 a year and a median producing $98,961. The fee recovers quickly; the $8,000 annual minimum attached to it is the recurring commitment that matters.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What should a WOW 1 DAY PAINTING franchise be billing?
Across 34 United States franchises open through at least the last 12 months of 2025, sales averaged $489,017 with a median of $371,899. 10 of the 34 reached the average. The top quarter averaged $1,040,101 and the bottom quarter $150,717, with a high of $2,757,391 and a low of $53,870. The 32 businesses open longer than 24 months averaged $504,974 and the two open 12 to 24 months averaged $233,705. Per subterritory the average was $117,813 and the median $98,961, ranging from $428,546 down to $19,813. Fourteen Canadian franchises averaged C$1,190,627 with a median of C$1,025,152.
How does the minimum royalty work?
The minimum runs from $5,000, pro-rated for a partial first calendar year, to $8,000 per subterritory per calendar year. Is evaluated for each subterritory independently of the royalties paid on any other. It is settled by 31 March of the following year as the amount by which the minimum exceeds the royalties actually paid. Rises by at least 10% on renewal. At 6%, $8,000 corresponds to $133,333 of subterritory revenue. That is marked *, above the published United States average of $117,813 and well above the median of $98,961. So for most United States subterritories the royalty operates as a flat $8,000, giving effective rates of 6.79% at the average and 8.08% at the median.
Why are the Canadian figures so much higher?
Canadian franchisees run businesses substantially similar to the United States ones, with substantially similar results, the two groups differing in currency alone. The Canadian average is C$1,190,627 against $489,017 and per subterritory $197,410 against $117,813, 2.4 and 1.7 times, both marked *. Canadian job size is slightly lower at $3,284 against $3,484, so the difference is job count: roughly 363 jobs a year against 140. Canadian franchisees also hold more ground, averaging 6 subterritories against 5, with a median of 5 against 3.
What does the brand take?
A royalty of 6% of sales paid semi-monthly, subject to a minimum of $5,000 rising to $8,000 per subterritory per calendar year settled each March. A sales, marketing and technology fee of 5% of sales. It covers the sales center, the customer system, advertising, promotion, public relations, website and social media management and loyalty and gift card programs. A branding cooperative of up to 3% of sales where the franchisor authorizes one and 65% of affected franchisees by sales consent, creditable against local marketing obligations. Together the percentage charges are 11% of revenue, rising to 14% with a cooperative, which is marked *.
Who does bookkeeping for a WOW 1 DAY PAINTING franchise?
Three mechanics shape the close. The royalty minimum is measured per subterritory and settled once a year in March. So a franchisee holding several subterritories needs revenue tracked separately for each one throughout the year, a consolidated figure hides which pieces of ground will trigger a shortfall. By March it is too late to act on it. Second, the royalty is drawn twice a month on reported revenue, so the fee liability runs ahead of the cash for any job billed on terms. Third, the $15,000 initial marketing expense has to be spent within six months and verified to the franchisor, which makes it a documented obligation. Underneath it all, a $3,484 job run about 140 times a year means the schedule is the forecast. One lost week is 2.7 jobs or roughly $9,400 of revenue. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- No cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
Questions worth putting to WOW 1 DAY PAINTING
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- 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 WOW 1 DAY PAINTING 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 →Which of your subterritories will miss the minimum?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around per-subterritory revenue tracking, a March settlement date, and a job count that is the whole forecast.
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