SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026
Fantastic Sams Franchise Failure Rate: 28.6% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 3 Fantastic Sams SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the Beauty Salons average of 8.6%.
Between 2010 and 2019, 105 Fantastic Sams franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 30 defaulted — a 28.6% charge-off rate, 3.3x the Beauty Salons average of 8.6%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
What is the Fantastic Sams franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Fantastic Sams is a Beauty Salons franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Fantastic Sams franchisees: 105 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 30 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019105
- Charged off30
- Charge-off rate28.6%
- Beauty Salons franchise benchmark8.6%
- Brand vs industry3.3x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$184,729
- New SBA loans since 20208
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Fantastic Sams compare with other Beauty Salons franchises?
The table sets Fantastic Sams's charge-off rate beside its Beauty Salons peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.
| Measure | Fantastic Sams | Beauty Salons | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 28.6% | 8.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 105 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 30 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $184,729 | — | — | — |
What has Fantastic Sams SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Fantastic Sams franchisees have taken 8 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2011 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 11 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| FY2014 | 4 | 1 | 25.0% |
| FY2015 | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| FY2016 | 17 | 4 | 23.5% |
| FY2017 | 22 | 14 | 63.6% |
| FY2018 | 18 | 6 | 33.3% |
| FY2019 | 5 | 2 | 40.0% |
| FY2022 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 1 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Fantastic Sams's figure rests on 105 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 105 resolved loans, the sample is large enough that a single default barely moves the figure. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Fantastic Sams figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Frequently asked
- What is Fantastic Sams's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
- Between 2010 and 2019, 105 Fantastic Sams franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 30 defaulted — a 28.6% charge-off rate, 3.3x the Beauty Salons average of 8.6%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
- Is Fantastic Sams a safe franchise investment?
- Between 2010–2019, Fantastic Sams franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 28.6% versus a 8.6% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Fantastic Sams franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 28.6% (30 of 105 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/fantastic-sams/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)