If you’re considering joining a franchise business, you might be wondering about the benefits of joining a global network and asking questions like, What does it feel like to join a global network? Or, how does it help you once you’re in it? When you join the FASTSIGNS franchise, you’ll gain access to a well-known brand, a proven business model and the know-how to use the most cutting-edge technology in the industry. However, that’s just the beginning…
Joining FASTSIGNS also means becoming part of an internationally recognised, global powerhouse, with both an international support network and a dedicated local UK team working alongside you every step of the way.
So, what does it look like in practice?
Your Journey Starts in Dallas: Global HQ Foundations Training
Once you’ve signed your franchise agreement, every new FASTSIGNS franchisee begins with two weeks of training at our global headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Our ‘Foundations’ programme is designed to give you everything you need to gain a practical understanding of running your new centre.
Key Areas Covered in Foundations Training
- Core Operations: Hands-on experience with signage production, quoting, and workflow management.
- Business & Sales: Comprehensive training in B2B sales strategies, customer service, and business management.
- Expert Instruction: Delivered by a team of signage, technological, and business experts who have worked with the network for years.
Most people who arrive in Dallas only have a basic understanding of the signage industry. By the time they leave, they have the confidence and skills they need to take their place in it.
When you join FASTSIGNS, you’re stepping into a model we’ve refined for more than 40 years, across 860-plus locations worldwide.
Your time in Dallas is all about us sharing the best of our expertise and experiences with you.
Our Operations Manager, Rebecca Perks, attended Foundations Training in 2025, as it is compulsory for all FASTSIGNS Support team members to undertake this training as well. She comments on her experience. “ After attending Foundations Training, I got it! I undertook the experience our onboarding franchisees go through, so I could confidently help them ease into their new role as a FASTSIGNS Franchisee. The wealth of information shared at Foundations is phenomenal. As a member of the UK Support Team, I got a greater understanding of the information our franchisees come back with and what the UK team needed, to do to help put that knowledge into action for our franchisees.”
Back Home: Personalised UK Support from Stafford
Returning to the UK, you’ll find the support becomes much more personal. Our UK team is based in Stafford and will work closely with you from the outset:
| UK Team Member | Role | Key Responsibilities & Support Provided |
| Rebecca Perks | Operations Manager | Guides everything from your initial enquiry through to launch preparation and opening day. |
| Hannah Evans-Janosi | Marketing Specialist | Builds a tailored local launch plan and adapts international campaigns for the UK market. |
| Emily Heathcote & Rory Gallop | Business Consultants | Work directly with you to review financial performance, margins, workflow and strategic growth goals. |
The UK Support Team works alongside our American counterparts and is continuously working to bring over initiatives and efficiencies from our Head Office and tailors programmes, to suit the UK market. This also means that this team is consistently sharing training, thought leadership and so much more. Our UK support remains consistent as your business scales.
Location Search and Build Support
Even before you attend Foundations training, the UK support team is working on the set-up of your centre. This includes scoping out available premises in your chosen territory, recommending architects and specifications from tradespeople, ordering machinery and getting the practicalities of your centre ready for launch. Once your centre is open, your Business Consultant will spend a week with you in-centre, helping you turn that theoretical knowledge learnt in Dallas into the practical skills you need to run your centre day-to-day.
Dedicated Ongoing Coaching
Your Business Consultant’s help is ongoing; after that first dedicated week, they will have a consistent presence in your centre as your business ramps up, whether that’s in-person visits, at the end of the phone or a virtual call. Our consultants know the business inside out and can help you come to terms with the numbers, challenges and goals you should be setting yourself.
They regularly review performance, margins and workflow. You can count on them to have your back should anything unexpected happen, or should you find yourself facing a challenge they can help you with.
The first few weeks and months in any new business are always intense, especially when you’re still learning the systems, perfecting customer interactions and managing your team. When you join FASTSIGNS, you’ll always have someone to call upon for guidance and advice.
Everyone in the FASTSIGNS network has been through what you’ll experience, so you can always find another franchise partner to help navigate those early stages.
Peer Mentoring: Learning from Experienced Franchisees
One element of our support model franchisees consistently say they value is our mentoring programme. As a new owner, you’ll be paired with an experienced franchisee from within the network, someone who remembers exactly what starting felt like.
There’s a real difference between hearing advice from someone at Head Office, compared to hearing it from someone who dealt with the same customer issues, staffing worries and growth decisions firsthand. Many of our franchisees have commented how their mentors have become firm friends and once the mentee had learnt the ropes, the mentor relationship evolved into a sounding board for both parties!
Whilst you have one dedicated mentor, the network is made up of franchisees at different stages of their franchisee journey. We have franchisees who are signing their fourth franchise agreement, franchisees who opened their centre in December last year and plenty somewhere in between. Whatever your challenge, someone will have advice or recommendations for you.
Just last month (July), we held our annual Mid-Year Collaboration Meeting, where franchisees come together for guided sessions, round-table discussions and networking. These organic meetings create the perfect platforms for franchisee interaction and conversation, which any of our franchisees find valuable, but they are entirely invaluable to franchisees at the start of their journey!
Farooq Wani opened his franchise, FASTSIGNS Solihull in June 2026. He attended his first franchise meeting with just 4 weeks under his belt! Here are his thoughts on the event: “I couldn’t attend the social gathering the night before the meeting and having not attended one of these events, I didn’t think I was missing out. However, attending the actual meeting and soaking up the genuine camaraderie, information sharing and open opportunities to discuss my new status as a FASTSIGNS franchisee with the network, I was genuinely sad to have missed the social event, due to the fantastic relationship building and networking opportunities it presented.
The Advantages of Being Part of Something Bigger
Not only will you have access to a team of experts and a network of hundreds of franchisees, but you’ll also benefit from advanced technology and software that most small businesses can’t access on their own.
1. Proprietary Operational Technology
Systems like Profit Keeper, which is built specifically around the way our centres operate, give you a clear, real-time view of sales, profitability, and performance. These help you make key decisions based on your actual numbers, not just instinct alone. Your business consultant uses the same systems, which means conversations tend to be practical and specific, so you won’t spend hours explaining what’s going on before receiving useful advice.
2. Commercial Growth & Purchasing Power
- National Accounts: Our UK Operations Team works to secure larger contracts and national account partnerships to feed work directly into our centres.
- Supplier Pricing: The scale of the global network improves your purchasing power with suppliers, ensuring better pricing on materials and equipment as your business grows, positively impacting your bottom line over time.
A Support System Built for Long-Term Success
Even when you join a well-established franchise like FASTSIGNS, running your own business is tough. There will always be the pressures of responsibility and steep learning curves. However, our support means you’ll never have to face any challenge alone.
When you join FASTSIGNS, you gain:
- Thorough ‘Foundations’ training in Dallas before you launch.
- A dedicated UK support team spending personal time with your centre.
- Systems and software built specifically around centre operations.
- National account opportunities and enhanced supplier purchasing power.
- Peer mentors who have already navigated the challenges you’ll face.
These structural advantages are why so many FASTSIGNS franchisees build strong, long-term businesses, and why so many say joining the network was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made.
Ready to See What Ownership Looks Like?
Taking the first step doesn’t mean making a commitment; it just means getting the facts. Book an Informal Discovery Call with Rebecca Perks today to explore available territories near you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A: Every new FASTSIGNS franchisee begins with our intensive ‘Foundations’ training programme at global headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Over two weeks, owners cover production, sales, customer service, quoting, workflow, and business management, giving candidates with no prior printing or signage experience the confidence to run their business.
A: Our dedicated UK support team based in Stafford works directly with you. This includes operational launch guidance from Operations Manager Rebecca Perks, localised marketing launch strategies from Hannah Evans-Janosi and ongoing business and financial coaching from dedicated Business Consultants Emily Heathcote and Rory Gallop.
A: Yes. Most new franchisees arrive at initial training with only a basic understanding of the signage industry. The combination of global HQ training, local UK support, proprietary operational software and ongoing peer mentorship provides all the tools required to build a successful centre.
A: FASTSIGNS franchisees utilise proprietary software tailored specifically to centre operations, including Profit Keeper. These systems provide real-time reporting on sales, workflow, and profitability, enabling data-driven decisions and focused coaching with your business consultant.
A: As a new franchisee, you are paired with an experienced UK franchise owner through our mentoring programme. Your mentor provides practical, peer-to-peer advice on everyday customer management, staffing and growth strategies based on direct experience.
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