Franchise Facts Report → brands → The Shade
The Shade franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Stable network
The Shade is a franchise in the 'Other' category with an initial investment ranging from $295,250 to $482,300.
Everything below is free, read straight off The Shade's registered filing, with where the numbers land against other peers. Weighing The Shade against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in The Shade's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 640203 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
Considering The Shade? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. The Shade will be on it if it fits.
The Shade franchise profit — what the FDD discloses
Plainly: The Shade does not disclose franchise profit or revenue. Its most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-backed earnings figure for The Shade — any number quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure. The absence is itself worth weighing; the fees, litigation and outlet churn The Shade's FDD does contain are on this page. For brands that put earnings on paper, see Other franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings.
The Shade lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
The Shade's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) discloses no litigation in Item 3. That is a real signal rather than a gap: the FTC Franchise Rule requires a franchisor to disclose material litigation involving itself, its predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 in a current filing means there was nothing it was required to report. It is worth reading alongside the churn numbers — a system can have a clean Item 3 and still be losing franchisees, which is what Item 20 shows.
The Shade closures & failure rate
Before you sign, The Shade will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what The Shade's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a other of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. The Shade's latest tables show a stable franchised network.
Who owns The Shade?
The Shade's franchise is offered by The Shade Franchising Group, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing The Shade is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
The Shade franchise — frequently asked
Who owns The Shade — who is the franchisor?
The Shade's most recently filed FDD (2026) names The Shade Franchising Group, LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a The Shade franchise cost?
The Shade's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $295,250 – $482,300. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against other peers it sits in the lower quartile (median $227,750).
How much profit does a The Shade franchise make?
The Shade makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-disclosed revenue or profit figure for The Shade at all — and profit would never be disclosed even where earnings are, because it depends on your rent, labor and how you operate. Any profit figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
Does The Shade disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
No — The Shade's most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Its absence is worth weighing.
Are there lawsuits against The Shade?
No — The Shade's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses no litigation in Item 3. Franchisors must disclose material litigation involving themselves, their predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 is a genuine signal rather than an omission.
Is The Shade a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from The Shade's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against other peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on The Shade or other: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.