Border Magic vs Budget Blinds

Budget Blinds is the stronger opportunity right now, and it’s not close. The dimension that wins is TAM — 1,355 units versus 26. Even with a -0.805% unit contraction, that installed base is two orders of magnitude larger, and the average unit revenue of $774,915 signals operators with real cash flow to spend on software. The low $19,950 franchise fee and wide investment band ($100.5K–$211.3K) also suggest a mix of owner-operators and multi-unit players, which is exactly the kind of segmentation that rewards a modular, scalable platform.

The meaningful tradeoff is terrain. Budget Blinds runs a franchisor-controlled procurement model, which means corporate likely mandates or heavily influences the tech stack. That’s a double-edged sword: harder to wedge in at the unit level, but if you land a franchisor deal, you unlock the whole system in one sale. Border Magic’s approved-supplier model is more open, but with only 26 units, the total contract value ceiling is painfully low — you’d need near-100% attach rate just to match a mediocre penetration of Budget Blinds’ base. The ad fund and royalty spread at Budget Blinds (3.5% royalty, no listed ad fund) also leaves more operator margin for software spend than Border Magic’s combined 17% load.

Verdict: Budget Blinds’ massive TAM and high AUV outweigh its controlled procurement friction — sell the franchisor, own the system.