Bumble Bee Blinds Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Bumble Bee Blinds franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Bumble Bee Blinds discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2025 gross sales for 34 franchisees operating 132 territories: median $547,993; range $184,945–$1,290,367. Reports only gross revenue, excludes costs/expenses/profit.
What a Bumble Bee Blinds franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 11% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $163,466 – $208,676 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 4–6% tiered; $500/month minimum; extensive ancillary fees (tech, CRM, accounting, digital marketing, contact center).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Bumble Bee Blinds system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 212 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 26 |
| Transferred to new owners | 6 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
26 terminations (2025); 57 outlets ceased/non-renewed (2023–2025); rapid expansion masks churn.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Bumble Bee Blinds worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 11% of sales | steeper than 86% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $163,466 | about average (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.5%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Bumble Bee Blinds
The franchisor's framing: 2025 gross sales for 34 franchisees operating 132 territories: median $547,993; range $184… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Bumble Bee Blinds franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Bumble Bee Blinds franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $163,466–$208,676, including a $59,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Bumble Bee Blinds franchise owners make?
- 2025 gross sales for 34 franchisees operating 132 territories: median $547,993; range $184,945–$1,290,367. Reports only gross revenue, excludes costs/expenses/profit. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Bumble Bee Blinds franchise fees?
- Bumble Bee Blinds' FDD discloses a $59,500 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 11% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 4–6% tiered; $500/month minimum; extensive ancillary fees (tech, CRM, accounting, digital marketing, contact center).
- What is the Bumble Bee Blinds franchise profit margin?
- Bumble Bee Blinds does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2025 gross sales for 34 franchisees operating 132 territories: median $547,993; range $184,945–$1,290,367. Reports only gross revenue, excludes costs/expenses/profit. Recurring fees alone take about 11% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Bumble Bee Blinds franchise failure rate?
- 26 terminations (2025); 57 outlets ceased/non-renewed (2023–2025); rapid expansion masks churn.
- How many Bumble Bee Blinds locations are there?
- Bumble Bee Blinds' FDD reports 212 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 6 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Bumble Bee Blinds have complaints or lawsuits?
- Bumble Bee Blinds discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Bumble Bee Blinds franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Bumble Bee Blinds scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 11% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Bumble Bee Blinds to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Bumble Bee Blinds or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.