Big Frog

What Big Frog does

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More, Inc. is a privately held franchise system founded in 2008 and headquartered in Dunedin, Florida, that operates a light-manufacturing retail custom apparel business under the Big Frog brand. The company's franchisees operate independently owned retail boutiques (typically 800–1,200 square feet, with 9AM–6PM weekday hours) that produce and sell custom-decorated apparel to individual consumers, local businesses, schools, sports teams, nonprofits, and community organizations across 25 US states and Canada, with a network of 75–100+ locations as of recent reporting.

The core production technology is Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing, which allows high-quality custom printing with no minimum order quantities, serving the underserved 1- to 100-garment market that large screen printers cannot efficiently address. Big Frog complements DTG with screen printing, embroidery, vinyl application, Ultra Print (heat press), and — following a 2023 exclusive partnership with Axiom America — Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing. Franchisees use a proprietary point-of-sale system and an enhanced online design tool for customer-facing customization. The Big Frog® mark and logo are registered trademarks.

The business model combines one-time franchise fees ($60,000 per new location, with 20% veteran and 10% diversity discounts available) with recurring revenue from a 6% royalty on store sales (minimum $1,200/month after month seven) and a 1.5% contribution to a national marketing fund. Franchise candidates must demonstrate $250,000 in liquid assets and $450,000 in net worth, with total build-out costs ranging from $157,952 to $379,268. The go-to-market motion is a structured, enterprise-style franchise sales process combined with community-led local marketing, an annual Frog-A-Thon conference, and regional franchisee meetings. Quantified unit-economics signals include an estimated $933,438 average gross revenue for top-quartile stores, 70% repeat-and-referral customers, and seven franchisees surpassing $1M in 2022 system sales.

Name

Big Frog

Legal name

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, Inc.

Website

https://bigfrogfranchise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Frog is a privately held franchise system operating 75–100+ light-manufacturing retail boutiques that use Direct-to-Garment printing and complementary decoration methods to produce custom apparel for B2C consumers, local businesses, schools, sports teams, and community organizations across 25 US states and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Apparel Franchise Services

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sportswear Customization & Printing Retail (CRAMACAK)

Keywords

• Custom t-shirt printing
• Garment decorating services
• Direct-to-garment printing
• Franchise retail stores
• Apparel decoration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: Initial franchise fee of $60,000 for new franchise locations, with discounts available for veterans (20% off) and diversity candidates (10% off through IFA DiversityFran program)
2. Royalty Payments: Monthly royalty of 6% of sales with a minimum of $1,200/month (which kicks in after the 7th month of operation). This is the primary recurring revenue stream from franchisees.
3. National Marketing Fund: 1.5% of sales collected on behalf of franchisees and contributed to national marketing fund for digital campaigns and marketing support
4. Retail Store Revenue: Franchise stores generate revenue through B2C (individual consumers) and B2B (local businesses, organizations, sports teams) custom apparel sales using multiple decorating methods

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts, Inc. is a franchise company that sells and supports the Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More brand, a high-tech, light manufacturing retail garment decorating boutique concept. Franchisees operate 800-1,200 sq ft retail stores offering custom apparel printing with no minimum order requirements using Direct-to-Garment (DTG), Direct-to-Film (DTF), screen printing, embroidery, vinyl, and heat press techniques, serving 1 to 10,000+ garments per order for both individual consumers (B2C) and local businesses/organizations (B2B). The franchisor generates revenue from a $60,000 initial franchise fee, 6% recurring royalty on sales, and a 1.5% national marketing fund contribution across its 75+ franchise locations.

Product overview

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More is a franchise-based light manufacturing retail business using cutting-edge technology to create custom-designed apparel. The core offering centers on Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing as the primary service, supplemented by Screen Printing, Embroidery, Vinyl, and Ultra Print (heat press) decoration services. The business model enables customers to order anywhere from 1 to 10,000+ custom garments with no minimums, serving both individual consumers (B2C) and business/organizational clients (B2B). In 2023, Big Frog expanded its technology portfolio through a partnership with Axiom of America to offer Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing as an additional in-house capability. The company operates as a turnkey franchise opportunity with comprehensive training and support programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More Franchise A high-tech light manufacturing retail garment decorating boutique franchise opportunity. Franchisees acquire the right to operate an independently owned Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More store under the company's brand, training, support, and operational systems. Initial franchise fee is $60,000 with total build-out investment ranging from $157,952 to $379,268. Candidates require $250K liquid assets and $450K net worth.
• Custom Apparel Decorating Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of customers are repeat and referral based
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Axiom AmericacoreTechnology or Integration · 19 September 2023Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More and Axiom America formed a partnership to introduce Axiom's state-of-the-art Arcus Direct-to-Film (DTF) printers to nearly 100 Big Frog shops. This agreement enables Big Frog to add a full gamut of apparel printing in-house and bring the latest in garment printing technology to its customers. Big Frog is the sole distributor of Axiom's DTF printers for franchise locations.
• VetFran (International Franchise Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of the International Franchise Association's VetFran program, offering qualified veterans up to 20% discount off the initial franchise fee for first standard franchise location.
• IFA DiversityFran ProgramsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Frog participates in the IFA DiversityFran program that provides majority owned (51% or greater) qualifying female or ethnic minority groups with a 10% discount off the initial franchise fee.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Underground Printing: Underground Printing is a multi-location custom apparel retailer (including campus and storefront locations) offering screen printing, embroidery, and DTG with a similar B2B/B2C mix to Big Frog, serving comparable group and team customers.
• Printful: Printful is a large print-on-demand and fulfillment platform for custom apparel, overlapping with Big Frog on DTG/digital printing and small-batch custom merchandise for creators, brands, and small businesses.
• CustomInk: CustomInk is a leading online custom apparel platform serving B2B/B2C customers with no-minimum-order DTG and screen printing, directly competing with Big Frog's franchise retail model for the same small-to-mid volume custom apparel market.
• SpeedPro Imaging: SpeedPro Imaging is a large-format printing franchise serving B2B customers with signage, wraps, and branded graphics, adjacent to Big Frog's specialty-custom-print franchise model and SMB customer base.
• Minuteman Press: Minuteman Press is a large printing franchise network offering B2B printing services including apparel/embroidery adjacent capabilities, comparable to Big Frog as a B2B-focused print franchise using a franchise-retail distribution model.
• RushOrderTees: RushOrderTees is a national custom t-shirt and apparel decorator operating primarily via online ordering with rush turnaround, directly competing with Big Frog stores for corporate teams, events, and group custom apparel orders.
• AlphaGraphics: AlphaGraphics is a printing and marketing services franchise with shared customer overlap (small businesses needing branded apparel and marketing materials), comparing to Big Frog on franchise-channel structure and SMB print services.
• EmbroidMe: EmbroidMe is a custom embroidery and apparel franchise serving SMBs with branded apparel, comparing directly to Big Frog on apparel-decoration franchise model and B2B customer mix, though focused on embroidery versus Big Frog's DTG lead.

Broad incumbents

• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Cimpress (parent of Vistaprint) is a large-scale custom print and apparel conglomerate serving SMB custom merchandise needs through online channels, offering overlapping custom apparel and promotional products capability far beyond Big Frog's niche.
• Threadless: Threadless is an online custom apparel retailer with artist-designed and on-demand printing capabilities, serving a similar small-batch custom apparel consumer base as Big Frog through digital channels rather than retail storefronts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BigFrogCustomTshirts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigfrog
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigfrogcustomtshirts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Frog