How to Open a Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise in 7 Steps: Checklist

The 2026 FDD describes an expected minimum net worth of $250,000 and minimum liquidity of $150,000. The official inquiry form screens prospects against the same figures. The FDD does not say whether an entity applicant may aggregate multiple owners’ resources, so confirm how the franchisor applies the thresholds. Meeting them does not require approval.

The FDD calls business-management experience vital and describes salon-management and business-ownership experience as highly desirable, not absolute minimums. The official franchise application requests employment, financial, ownership, location, timing, expertise, income, and funding information. It authorizes credit verification and states that submission obligates neither side.

The sequence separates applicant action, franchisor approval, and third-party dependencies. Applicant, site, lease, design, training, and opening approvals are different decisions.

A typical Salon is approximately 1,200 to 1,500 square feet in a freestanding or in-line retail location with parking, visibility, and prominent signage. Site acceptance is not a representation that the location will succeed.

Evidence: 2026 FDD Items 8, 11 and 12; Franchise Agreement §§1.2 and 3.1–3.8. The three-mile protection bars another Pigtails & Crewcuts Salon while the franchisee complies, but not the franchisor’s reserved brands, channels, product sales, advertising, or e-commerce.

The disclosed program totals five days: at least three days at a designated location and two days of on-the-job training. The table shows 27.5 classroom hours and five on-the-job hours covering pre-opening, vendors, employee management, finance, POS, QuickBooks, marketing, testing, and graduation.

Current practice requires one principal owner and the Operating Manager, if different, to complete training to the franchisor’s satisfaction. The Franchise Agreement preserves broader authority to require every 25%-or-more owner to attend. The trainee group pays its own wages, travel, and living expenses, and the nonrefundable Initial Training Fee is due before attendance.

Required coverage includes at least $2 million in public and product liability protection, lease-required insurance, workers’ compensation, employment practices liability, and business interruption coverage for at least six months. Licensing varies by jurisdiction and must be verified with relevant authorities and qualified professionals.

The FDD says the development schedule usually calls for exercising an option every six to nine months, starting construction or renovation within 120 days after site approval, and opening five months after exercise. Those are disclosed usual terms, not a substitute for the blank dates that must be completed in the signed Development Addendum.

For each additional Salon, the franchisee must give timely written exercise notice and propose a site. The site must be approved within 60 days of notice, and the location addendum must be returned within 10 business days after receipt. Missing the schedule, defaulting, or ceasing required operations can end the development rights and Development Territory while prepaid fees are retained. Opened Salons retain the territories governed by their location addenda.

State-Specific Addenda can change payment timing and other terms. Before signing, verify the final legal entity, every filled-in date and territory description, approved extensions, lease provisions, and any difference from the agreement attached to the FDD.

Use Item 20 and Exhibit C to ask current and former franchisees for actual dates for approval, site submission, lease approval, permits, buildout, training, readiness review, and opening. The FTC’s pre-sign guidance also recommends checking for FDD updates and differences between the attached and final agreements.