Client News

We recently sat down with Ray Titus, CEO of United Franchise Group and Founder of Signarama. Out of college, Ray worked for his father, a franchising pioneer of almost 50 years. After learning the inner workings of running a business, he quickly realized that there was a big opportunity for a retail sign business. At the young age of 23, Ray built his first store in Long Island in 1986. Fast forward to present day, Signarama is the worlds largest full service sign company.

FH: So why should someone join Signarama as a franchisee?

RT: We have over 800 stores in 52 countries. We are the worlds largest sign company and have a brand and a system that appeals to our customers. As a franchisor, we are able to provide quality leads to our franchisees, save them money through mass purchasing power, and teach them how to execute in a proven system.

FH: Where are you looking to grow?

RT: We still have a lot of opportunity in the US but are also looking internationally. Right now is a great time to join as we are offering master franchise agreements which we know will be appealing to many investors.

FH: What are some challenges you see in the business?

RT: Any business has challenges. I would be lying if I told you otherwise. And certainly the last couple of years has been different for everyone. It has been financially tough for a large amount of people. We’ve been fortunate though and handled the downturn quite well. Some of our franchisees who had too much exposure to the real estate or construction industries were hit the hardest but many of our franchisees have a diversified client base which helped them tread the waters and even stay very profitable during the mess.

FH: Are you looking specifically for multi-unit operators?

RT: No, not really. While we do have multi-unit operators, we feel that one location can really grow organically into a very large business. A franchisee can increase product offering or even add on another franchise that we offer. United Franchise Group, Signarama’s parent company, has 6 brands in their portfolio, some of which can be complimentary to Signarama.

FH: What is the ideal franchisee?

RT: We are looking for people that have some business experience. It’s not mandatory for them to have had run a business before. We teach that. But having good communication skills, confidence, marketing abilities and not giving up will make you successful in our system.

The thing that attracted us to Signarama was a few things. Ray and his team have been around for many years and they own a portfolio of brands. Furthermore, we were impressed when we spoke to actual franchisees about their experience with the company but most importantly, we believe there is a fundamental and great need for signs in the world. Just walk down most streets in the US. Notice how many signs are in need of an upgrade. Small business owners still don’t realize how important good signage is. Think about it this way, if you are a patron and new to an area and saw a convenience store with good signage and one with bad signage. Which store would you go into?