Knights of the Razor

The vendor opportunity at Knights of the Razor

Knights of the Razor is a personal-services franchise based in North Carolina with a total footprint of 12 units—6 franchised and 6 company-owned. The system contracted by 14.3% year-over-year, which means the addressable market for software vendors is both small and potentially consolidating. For a SaaS vendor, this is not a volume play; it is a targeted, relationship-driven sale where every unit counts. The franchise charges a 6.0% royalty and operates on a 7-year initial term, with renewal terms also set at 7 years. No average unit volume (AUV) is disclosed in the 2025 FDD, so vendors cannot benchmark potential ROI against unit-level revenue. The absence of a parent company suggests independent ownership, which often means faster decision cycles at HQ—but also fewer layers of procurement bureaucracy to navigate.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority sits at the top of the organization. The 2025 FDD lists Damian Johnson as Founder and President/CEO and Jermaine Johnson as Vice President/COO. These two individuals are the most likely final decision-makers for any enterprise-level software investment. Supporting them are Kurt Ross, Director of Operations, and Charlie Petty, Director of Training. In a system this small, the buying center is compact: the CEO and COO likely approve budget, while the Director of Operations may evaluate tools that affect daily workflows and the Director of Training may weigh in on platforms that impact onboarding or compliance. Vendors should prepare to engage directly with the C-suite rather than a dedicated IT or procurement department, which is not listed in the FDD.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2025 FDD does not disclose any mandated or recommended technology systems. There is no named POS vendor, no required operational software, and no specified hardware or digital infrastructure. This is a blank-slate scenario for software vendors. It also means that the current tech stack is unknown to outside parties unless discovered through direct outreach. For a vendor, the absence of a mandate is both an opportunity and a challenge: you can position your solution as a first-mover standard, but you will need to invest in educating the leadership team on why a formal tech stack matters for a franchise system—even one of this size.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, was not captured in our corpus. This means the procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open market—is not publicly known. Vendors should assume an open or informal model until told otherwise. The renewal structure, drawn from Item 17, provides a clear timing signal: franchisees must provide written notice of intent to renew, be in full compliance, sign the then-current form of agreement (which may have materially different terms), execute a general release, upgrade the business to then-current standards, and pay a renewal fee. The 7-year term means that, barring early exits, each franchise agreement has a predictable endpoint. For a vendor, this creates a natural conversation about technology upgrades tied to renewal cycles—especially since the renewal clause explicitly requires upgrading to current standards.

How to read the Knights of the Razor FDD

The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is the primary source for the facts on this page. It was filed with state franchise regulators and is available in full through the embedded viewer below. When reading the FDD, pay closest attention to Item 1 (the executives listed above), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, though absent here), Item 11 (franchisor assistance, where tech mandates would typically appear), and Item 17 (renewal and termination). Because no tech systems are mandated, Item 11 is notably sparse for vendor research purposes. The unit count and ownership structure confirm this is a small, independently owned system where personal relationships with HQ will matter more than formal RFP processes. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on real FDD data.