FASTSIGNS : Navy Veteran Dan Gray Hits 600K in Year Two With FASTSIGNS

This FASTSIGNS franchisee testimonial features Dan Gray, the Long Beach, California owner, walking prospective candidates through how his US Navy Reserve background led him to the brand and what the first two years of FASTSIGNS ownership have produced. Dan served in the Navy Reserve as an architect with the Civil Engineering Corps, working alongside the Seabees. His biggest takeaway from military service was the experience of being part of an organization where everyone is on the same mission supporting each other along the way — an attribute he was specifically looking for in a franchise system. That value alignment is what carried him through the FASTSIGNS discovery process. The professional fit was direct. Dan had spent years working signage projects for architectural firms, and messaging — telling people's stories — had always been important to his work. He had wanted to own his own business but didn't have all the tools he needed to start from scratch. FASTSIGNS gave him the operational and creative platform to take his existing knowledge and bring it to the next level as a business owner. On the financial side, Dan calls out two specifics. The 50 percent veteran franchise fee savings was a meaningful entry-cost reduction that helped him get a better grip on the early financials of a small business. He also describes how speaking with other veterans already in the FASTSIGNS network — and seeing their commitment to building their own businesses and family wealth — was a major factor. Two years in, his center crossed $600,000 in revenue, which he names as a great milestone, and the third year is mapped out with the FASTSIGNS team supporting his goals. This watch page is part of the FASTSIGNS US content series on Franchise Direct.