A prospective U.S. franchisee should plan around the 2025 Color Me Mine FDD estimate of $219,180 to $475,410 for one standard studio. The disclosed model is a single, approved Color Me Mine location that typically occupies 1,200 to 2,000 square feet and seats about 40 to 70 customers. The range includes the Initial Franchise Fee and Additional Funds, but it does not eliminate local uncertainty in rent, construction, permits, shipping, taxes, insurance, or later technology and remodeling obligations.
Estimated Initial Investment for the single-studio format in the Franchise Disclosure Document issued December 24, 2025. The total includes a $30,000 Initial Franchise Fee and $20,000 to $60,000 of Additional Funds for an initial operating period of up to four months. Source: 2025 FDD, Item 7, pages 8–10.
Legal franchisor: Color Me Mine LLC, a Louisiana limited liability company; parent: Twist Brands LLC. Document: Color Me Mine Franchise Disclosure Document issued December 24, 2025. Cost Items used: Item 5 page 5; Item 6 pages 5–8; Item 7 pages 8–10; plus cost-relevant provisions in Items 8, 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17. Official website check: July 14, 2026. The current official franchise investment page publishes the same total range, but no official franchise-controlled public copy of the 2025 FDD was identified.
What does the Color Me Mine startup range include?
The 2025 FDD includes 16 Item 7 expense categories. The largest disclosed variables are Tenant Improvements, Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment, Additional Funds, premises rent and deposit, Initial Inventory and Supplies, and the Exterior Sign. The Item 7 total is not just the franchise fee: most startup capital is paid to landlords, contractors, suppliers, insurers, advisers and service providers.
Floating bars show the official low and high amounts. The scale ends at the $200,000 high estimate for Tenant Improvements.
Source: Color Me Mine 2025 FDD, Item 7, pages 8–10. These are official ranges, not a typical budget or midpoint.
Premises, build-out and required systems
| Item 7 expense | Low–high | When due | Payee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | When signing the Franchise Agreement | Color Me Mine LLC |
| Business Premises Rent and Rent Deposit | $6,000–$24,000 | When signing the lease | Landlord |
| Tenant Improvements | $65,000–$200,000 | As incurred | Contractor |
| Architectural, Electrical and Permit Fees | $500–$10,000 | As incurred | Suppliers and city |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $65,000–$84,000 | As incurred | Suppliers |
| Computers, Communications and Digital Marketing Systems | $6,500–$7,100 | As incurred | Suppliers or franchisor |
| Exterior Sign | $8,500–$17,000 | As incurred | Suppliers |
| Sales Tax, Shipping and Handling | $2,000–$16,000 | As incurred | Suppliers |
Opening inventory, professional setup and early operating capital
| Item 7 expense | Low–high | When due | Payee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Inventory and Supplies | $12,000–$18,000 | Before opening | Suppliers |
| Grand Opening Marketing and Advertising | $1,500–$3,500 | Before opening | Approved service provider |
| Accounting Setup Fee | $0–$500 | Before opening | QuickBooks or other provider |
| Credit Card and Gift Card Processor | $700 | Before opening | Approved service provider |
| Insurance | $230–$710 | As incurred | Insurer |
| Organizational Expenses | $250–$1,500 | Before signing | Professional adviser or formation provider |
| Incidental Costs Incurred During Training | $1,000–$2,400 | As incurred | Airlines, hotels and restaurants |
| Additional Funds for up to four months | $20,000–$60,000 | As incurred | Various recipients |
Source for both tables: Color Me Mine 2025 FDD, Item 7, pages 8–10. The official total is $219,180 to $475,410 and the line items reconcile exactly to those endpoints.
Why can the build-out amount move so widely?
Tenant Improvements are the largest single source of variation because the FDD assumes a 1,200- to 2,000-square-foot leased space already has specified basic amenities. The range does not subtract any tenant-improvement allowance or other landlord contribution negotiated in the lease. The franchisee must select a site, obtain written acceptance, and avoid signing a lease or purchase contract until Color Me Mine has approved the site and submitted document.
For calendar year 2025, some franchisees reported negotiated landlord contributions in this range toward Tenant Improvements and Architectural, Electrical and Permit Fees. The contribution is not guaranteed and is not netted against the $65,000 to $200,000 build-out range. Source: 2025 FDD, Item 7, page 10.
The same official Item 7 range can produce materially different cash requirements depending on the existing condition of the premises and the lease package. A landlord allowance may reduce the franchisee-funded build-out, but the FDD does not treat the maximum reported contribution as a standard credit.
The FDD offers one Item 7 cost schedule for the standard studio. It does not publish separate cost ranges for a nontraditional location, conversion, resale, mobile unit, home-based operation, freestanding building, area-development agreement or other format. Item 12 uses “Non-Traditional” only to describe certain captive-facility locations for territorial purposes; it is not a separately priced franchise format in Item 7. The official Color Me Mine brand website and official U.S. franchising website should therefore be read together with the current FDD rather than used to infer an undisclosed format-specific budget.
When is the startup money paid?
Cash is not paid at one moment. The 2025 FDD describes a sequence beginning before contract signing, followed by the Initial Franchise Fee, lease and construction obligations, pre-opening purchases, and Additional Funds used during early operations. Item 11 says the typical period from signing to opening is eight months, while the franchisee generally must secure an approved site, sign an approved lease and open within 12 months.
Review the disclosure before paying
The FDD states that it must be delivered at least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or franchise-related payment. The FTC Franchise Rule explains the federal disclosure framework.
Pay the Initial Franchise Fee at signing
The $30,000 Initial Franchise Fee is due in a lump sum when the Franchise Agreement is signed. It is nonrefundable and uniformly charged except for the disclosed additional-franchise discount.
Commit to the approved premises
The $6,000 to $24,000 estimate for rent and deposit is due when the lease is signed. Tenant Improvements, design, electrical work, permits, equipment, systems, signage, sales tax, shipping and handling are then paid as incurred.
Fund the opening package
Initial Inventory and Supplies, Grand Opening Marketing and Advertising, accounting setup, payment-processing equipment, organizational costs, insurance and training travel are generally paid before opening or as incurred. The Initial Franchise Fee does not purchase these third-party items.
Use Additional Funds during initial operations
The $20,000 to $60,000 Additional Funds allowance is already inside the Item 7 total. It may cover payroll, marketing expenses, utilities and debt service, if applicable, to the extent early cash flow does not cover them during a period estimated at up to four months.
The official investment page labels its Additional Funds line as “For the First 3 Months,” but the note on that same page and the controlling 2025 FDD describe an initial period of up to four months. This article uses the FDD’s four-month period. Compare the wording on the official investment disclosure page with Item 7 before budgeting.
Which fees continue after the studio opens?
The recurring cost contract includes a 5% Royalty Fee, a currently stated 1% Advertising Fund Fee, a separate Local Advertising requirement equal to the greater of $500 or 2% of monthly Gross Revenues, and a $239 monthly Technology Fee stated in the 2025 FDD. These obligations use different payment recipients and bases, so they should not be collapsed into one annual dollar estimate.
| Fee or obligation | Amount or basis | Timing | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty Fee | 5% of Gross Revenues | Monthly for the previous month | Paid to Color Me Mine by automatic payment or withdrawal; payment frequency may be changed with notice. |
| Advertising Fund Fee | Currently 1% of Gross Revenues | Monthly with Royalty | May increase to 2% during the term with at least 60 days’ advance written notice. |
| Local Advertising | Greater of $500 or 2% of Gross Revenues per month | As stated in the Operations Manuals | Spent locally through approved media; separate from the Advertising Fund Fee and grand-opening spend. |
| Technology Fee | $239 per month in the 2025 FDD | Monthly on the designated day | Subject to increase; the FDD anticipated a possible increase in 2026 with at least 60 days’ notice. |
| Information Technology Systems maintenance | $500–$1,500 annually | As incurred | FDD estimate paid to third-party repair, update and maintenance providers; required changes are at the franchisee’s expense. |
| Continuing Education and Ongoing Training | Varies; nominal fee may apply | Before attendance | Participation is currently optional under Item 6, but third-party programs and all travel, lodging and meals remain the franchisee’s cost. |
Source: Color Me Mine 2025 FDD, Item 6, pages 5–8, and Item 11, pages 17–22. “Gross Revenues” is the FDD-defined fee base, not profit or owner income.
- Gross Revenues
- Total money or other compensation received or earned for authorized goods and services from the accepted location or in connection with the Trade Name or Marks, excluding sales tax, returned merchandise, gratuities and gift cards sold within an accounting period.
- Advertising Fund
- A system-wide fund controlled by Color Me Mine; franchisees may not benefit directly or proportionately from every expenditure.
- Local Advertising
- A separate required studio-level expenditure, not a payment that replaces the Advertising Fund Fee.
- Technology Fee
- A franchisor or designee fee supporting specified software, websites, email, digital marketing, booking, music and related network services; future increases are allowed with notice.
How much purchasing is tied to approved sources or specifications?
Color Me Mine’s cost structure is supplier-dependent. Item 8 requires proprietary ceramic and craft products to be purchased from affiliates and approved suppliers, and requires 90% of non-proprietary ceramic and craft products to come from those sources. The franchisor estimates that a substantial share of both startup and operating purchases will be made from Color Me Mine, affiliates, approved suppliers or in accordance with system specifications.
The percentages describe goods and services purchased or leased from the franchisor, affiliates, approved suppliers, or under required specifications.
Source: Color Me Mine 2025 FDD, Item 8, pages 10–13. These are franchisor estimates of purchasing concentration, not percentages of sales, profit or total operating expense.
Named cost-relevant affiliates include Chesapeake Supply LLC, TD Art Supply, LLC and PYOP Studio Stuff LLC. The system also requires an approved credit-card and gift-card processor, specified Information Technology Systems, minimum inventory levels, and prescribed insurance coverage. Supplier approvals and specifications may change, which can create future replacement, upgrade or inventory costs that are not quantified in Item 7.
Does Color Me Mine disclose a liquid-capital or net-worth minimum?
No minimum Liquid Capital, Net Worth or Non-Borrowed Funds threshold is stated in the 2025 FDD, and no numerical threshold appeared on the official investment or candidate pages checked July 14, 2026. That absence does not mean a buyer can finance the full Item 7 range or that the franchisor will accept any capital structure; it means the reviewed official materials do not publish a specific minimum.
Ask Color Me Mine to identify its current underwriting criteria in writing and separate those criteria from the $219,180 to $475,410 Estimated Initial Investment. Liquid Capital, Net Worth and Total Initial Investment are different measures. The official candidate information page discusses candidate support but does not publish a numerical capital threshold.
Item 10 states that neither Color Me Mine LLC nor an affiliate offers direct or indirect financing or guarantees notes, leases or obligations. A financing approval from an outside lender therefore would be separate from franchise approval. In addition, when the franchisee is a legal entity, its beneficial owners and their spouses must personally guarantee the Franchise Agreement obligations under Item 15.
Which costs can arise after opening or when ownership changes?
Several material obligations are event-triggered rather than part of the original Item 7 total. The most specific fixed charge is the $7,500 Transfer Fee, but renewal, relocation, modernization, technology replacement and default-related costs can be larger because the FDD does not cap them.
- Additional-franchise discount: a qualified and eligible franchisee may receive a $5,000 discount from the then-current Initial Franchise Fee for an additional franchise. Compliance with existing Franchise Agreements is required; the discount does not reduce construction, equipment or working-capital costs.
- Transfer: $7,500 is due 30 days before a third-party transfer. No Transfer Fee is charged for a transfer to a legal entity controlled by the franchisee, but the transferee may need to renovate, modernize, train and sign the then-current Franchise Agreement.
- Audit: the franchisee pays the cost of an audit plus interest on past-due amounts when an audit finds an underpayment of 3% or more.
- Late payment: interest is 18% or the highest amount allowed by state law, whichever is less, plus a $100 late fee per month. State-specific limits can apply.
- Renewal: Item 6 does not list a fixed Renewal Fee, but Item 17 requires renovation and modernization as specified, a then-current agreement, and renewal training at the franchisee’s expense.
- Relocation: relocation requires prior consent and a new premises built, equipped and furnished to then-current standards. The FDD does not disclose a fixed Relocation Fee or a relocation investment range.
- Technology and system changes: Color Me Mine can change required Information Technology Systems, equipment, products, services and operating specifications. The franchisee must comply at its own expense, and the FDD states no contractual limit on required technology-specification changes.
- De-identification after termination or non-renewal: the franchisee must cease use of the Marks and system materials, de-identify the premises and pay amounts due; the FDD does not quantify those completion costs.
Source: Color Me Mine 2025 FDD, Items 5–6, 11, 12, 16 and 17, including Item 17 pages 27–33.
What does the official investment range not fully resolve?
The official range is a disclosure estimate, not a commitment that a studio can open at either endpoint in every market. The following items require current, location-specific verification without replacing the FDD figures with generic industry assumptions.
The official training and support page describes training and opening assistance, while the FDD controls which travel, lodging, meals, technology and continuing-education costs remain the franchisee’s responsibility.
What is the practical capital takeaway?
The verified starting point is $219,180 to $475,410 for one standard Color Me Mine studio under the 2025 FDD. The Initial Franchise Fee is $30,000, while the principal range driver is the premises and build-out package. Additional Funds of $20,000 to $60,000 are already included for up to four months, not added on top of Item 7. After opening, the franchisee must distinguish the 5% Royalty Fee, the Advertising Fund Fee, the Local Advertising requirement, the Technology Fee and approved-source purchasing obligations. The largest unresolved buyer question is not the published total; it is whether the selected site, lease terms, current supplier package and current capital-approval criteria fit within that total without relying on an undisclosed landlord credit or financing assumption.