Company Overview and Industry
The Shrunk 3D Franchise is positioned in the “mobile experience + customized keepsake” space—using a mobile scanning booth to create full-color 3D-printed replicas (figurines and related products) that customers order at events and receive later.
Multiple franchise directories and broker platforms describe the concept as a 100% mobile 3D scanning booth business (often marketed as “world’s first/only” in its category) that blends photogrammetry/3D capture with 3D printing fulfillment. The model is designed to show up where people already gather—graduations, sporting events, corporate functions, weddings, and community events—then convert “wow” moments into paid orders.
As for timing: most sources consistently place the founding around 2019 and the start of franchising in 2021 (though at least one brand deck graphic indicates 2022 as the franchising start). Headquarters are typically listed in the area.
In terms of scale, counts vary by source and by how “unit” is defined (franchisee vs. territory vs. booth). Some sources report ~51 U.S. franchised outlets/units, while other materials reference higher “open” counts (e.g., 70+). For a buyer, the only definitive source for outlet counts and growth history is Item 20 of the current Franchise Disclosure Document, which you should request and review carefully.
Notably, lists Shrunk 3D as appearing on its franchise rankings, including “Top New & Emerging Franchises” (ranked #69 in 2025 on its directory page), which can be a useful third-party data point when you’re evaluating momentum.
What Franchisees Get
From an operations standpoint, the offer is a mobile, event-driven sales-and-execution business. The franchisee (or a small team) brings the booth to events, scans customers, and manages customer communication through delivery.
A key part of Shrunk 3D’s pitch is that corporate handles much of the back-end production work. Multiple sources describe the franchisor as managing printing, design/production preparation, and shipping, so the franchisee can focus on booking events and running the booth locally. In a franchise deck associated with the brand, the corporate side is described as handling items such as: website hosting/maintenance, server maintenance, a design team to prepare 3D files, the actual 3D printing, quality control checkpoints, software updates, packaging, and staffing costs on the corporate side for those back-end tasks.
The same deck also describes multiple ownership “modes” (owner-operator through executive-style delegation), which aligns with how broker platforms describe the opportunity as potentially suitable for semi-absentee ownership—if you hire or develop a capable operator and keep event booking consistent.
On training/support, details vary by platform, but generally include in-person training in the Charleston area plus onboarding and ongoing support (coaching calls, community, troubleshooting/tech support).
Customer base is mixed. Many write-ups emphasize consumer-facing moments (families, graduates, athletes, wedding parties), but also highlight B2B channels such as corporate events and partnerships. The concept’s revenue is typically tied to discrete events and orders—not multi-year contracted recurring service, which matters when you compare it to service franchises built on monthly contracts.
Startup Costs and Ongoing Fees
Published investment ranges for Shrunk 3D commonly fall in the mid–six figures. Several franchise directories report an initial total investment around $172,485–$252,235, while other sources list approximately $184,690–$266,440.
The franchise/territory fee is commonly listed around $49,900 for a single territory. A brand deck also shows multi-territory pricing (e.g., two territories at a discount vs. buying separately) and frames territories by population size. Liquid capital requirements are often presented around $70,000, and net worth requirements around $200,000.
Ongoing fees are an area where you should expect to confirm specifics directly in Item 6 of the FDD. A Shrunk 3D franchise presentation deck lists royalty at 8% and a brand fund at 2%. At the same time, at least one broker/marketplace source lists an 8% royalty and a 2% ad fee (consistent with the deck), while another franchise platform describes a flat monthly royalty model (and may list different advertising/brand fund terms).
Beyond fees, the practical “startup reality” includes a real vehicle-and-logistics component: one deck explicitly states franchisees are responsible for obtaining a vehicle that can tow 3,500 lbs, obtaining necessary insurance, licenses/permits, and hiring bookkeeping/accounting support. Those are not minor details—they affect your cash planning, risk profile, and how “semi-absentee” the business can truly be in your market.
If you are looking for franchisee performance metrics, the most reliable place to find earnings claims is Item 19 of the FDD—because it is clear that franchisors are not required to provide earnings claims, but if they do, those claims must be in Item 19.
What’s publicly visible (without seeing the full FDD) tends to be unit-economics and select high-level metrics. For example, one franchise marketplace page states (citing the 2024 FDD Item 19) an average order size of $242.02 and an average gross margin of 59.5%. Another franchise information page lists (and labels as Item 19 highlights) an average order amount of $279.80 and an “average estimated gross margin” of 46.74%. These are not the same figures, which is exactly why you should treat third-party summaries as directional and validate against the current FDD you receive.
A brand deck also provides per-product MSRP/COGS/profit illustrations for figurines (e.g., a 3-inch figurine shown at $60 MSRP, $15 COGS, $45 “profit,” and a 9-inch figurine at $265 MSRP, $120 COGS, $145 “profit”). Treat this as pre-overhead contribution—not take-home income—because it does not automatically include event fees, staffing, travel, failed scans/remakes, refunds/chargebacks, royalties/brand fund, local marketing, insurance, and general overhead.
How the Industry Itself Compares
Shrunk 3D Industry Advantages
The strongest “why” behind Shrunk 3D is emotional: it sells an experience and a keepsake, not a commodity. In a world where most gifts are interchangeable, a personalized 3D figurine can be a “stop-and-stare” product that performs well at events because it’s visual, social-media-friendly, and easy to understand in seconds.
Operationally, the model can look simpler than many retail concepts: it’s mobile, doesn’t require a storefront in many cases, and may avoid holding traditional inventory. If the franchisor truly centralizes high-skill production (file prep, printing, QC, shipping), that can reduce the technical barrier for an owner who is more business-oriented than maker-oriented.
From a market-tailwind perspective, 3D printing as a broader category is growing. The U.S. “3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping Services” industry at about $3.1B in 2024 and $4.0B in 2025 (not the same niche as event figurines, but still indicative of an expanding adoption environment). also points to strong growth in industrial additive manufacturing segments like metals-based 3D printing.
Finally, there may be meaningful partnership or channel opportunities in the model. One brand deck claims contracts with 250+ U.S. military installations and references collegiate licensing relationships; and has also described the concept as developing partnerships with universities and NIL-related activity. The practical takeaway: if those partnerships translate into real, repeatable event access in your territory, they can reduce the “cold start” problem that many event businesses face.
Compared to Commercial Cleaning Industry
The biggest strategic difference is revenue shape.
A mobile 3D scanning concept is typically transactional: you earn when you book an event and convert attendees into orders. That can be lucrative, but it often means revenue is more sensitive to (1) your ability to continuously source events and partnerships, and (2) discretionary consumer spending patterns. Even if you land some B2B accounts, many of those are still event-tied rather than “contracted monthly service.”
There’s also a technology-and-logistics layer that doesn’t exist in most service-based franchises. You may need a towing-capable vehicle, insurance, transport planning, on-site setup, and operational safeguards for hardware. If a key piece of equipment fails during a prime weekend, that can instantly affect cash flow, reviews, and partner relationships.
Now compare that to commercial cleaning.
The U.S. market for janitorial services alone is routinely cited at well over $100B, with listing the U.S. Janitorial Services market size around $110.0B in 2025 and $112.0B in 2026. A large part of this demand is B2B: offices, medical facilities, schools, warehouses, and other commercial buildings that require ongoing service to operate.
Commercial cleaning also tends to be “need-based,” not novelty-based. includes cleaning services among businesses often considered recession resistant because they provide essential services needed regardless of economic conditions. That doesn’t mean cleaning is effortless—but it does mean the baseline demand profile is structurally different from an event-driven purchase.
Most importantly for career-changers: commercial cleaning can be built on long-term contracts that pay monthly. That recurring cash flow is what many first-time owners really mean when they say they want a business that is “stable,” “scalable,” and potentially semi-absentee.
How the Assett Franchise Compares
Simpler Systems, Bigger Potential
If your goal is to leave your career and buy a business that behaves more like an “asset” than a job, the biggest question to ask any franchise is: “Can this be built on recurring revenue, with systems that let me work on the business rather than in it?”
Assett positions itself directly around that executive-owner outcome inside commercial cleaning. The brand’s own materials emphasize recurring income (commercial facilities paying monthly), and a “proven $1,000,000+” model designed to build a professional service company (not an owner-operator job).
This is where the difference in industry structure matters. A 3D scanning booth franchise can have impressive unit economics, but it still tends to require continual event sourcing and conversion. Commercial cleaning, by contrast, compounds through contracts: each new account adds monthly revenue that stacks over time.
Assett also explicitly targets first-time business owners by emphasizing guidance, systems, and training—designed to help a new owner avoid “figuring it out” from scratch. For a corporate professional trying to reduce risk while building independence, that structure is often the difference between a stressful reinvention and a controlled transition.
Automated Hiring = Time and Money Saved
In service businesses, growth is frequently bottlenecked by staffing. Many owners don’t lose because demand isn’t there—they lose because they can’t hire and retain a reliable workforce fast enough to service new accounts.
Assett’s differentiation claim is a proprietary automated hiring system designed to reduce the time burden of recruiting, screening, and keeping a pipeline of candidates. The company explicitly states that traditional hiring can consume 20–30 hours per week, and frames its system as a way to reclaim that time for sales, client management, and scaling.
This matters in a “semi-absentee” context. When you’re leaving a career, you’re often buying two things at once: income and time. Any franchise that requires constant owner involvement to keep staffing filled is, in practice, a job with a different title.
A system that reduces hiring friction also protects quality. In commercial cleaning, client retention is often won or lost on service consistency. A stable staffing pipeline supports that consistency—especially as you move toward $1M+ revenue levels where your operation must scale without breaking.
Personalized and Founder-Led
Culture and leadership structure are easy to overlook when you’re comparing fees and investment ranges—but they directly affect your experience as an owner.
Assett describes itself as founder-led, with the founder explicitly identified in bizbuysell.com. The brand’s messaging emphasizes personalized training and ongoing access to leadership as part of the support provided to franchisees throughout their launch and scale-up.
Assett also contrasts itself against private-equity or conglomerate-owned systems by positioning as family-owned and more “direct-access,” which can matter for first-time owners who want close mentorship during the most fragile first year.
For career-changers, this is not fluff. Your ramp-up period is where most risk lives: sales learning curves, hiring, operations management, and confidence-building. A franchisor’s responsiveness and willingness to coach can materially affect outcomes—even if it doesn’t show up as a line item in Item 7.
Final Thoughts
The Shrunk 3D Franchise can be compelling for the right buyer—especially someone who wants a unique, attention-grabbing, mobile concept and enjoys the energy of events, partnerships, and visual product-selling. Its unit economics can look attractive on the surface (especially if your territory has strong event density), and the broader “personalization + 3D printing” trend is real.
But for a corporate professional prioritizing stability, scalability, and predictability, the business model’s event-driven nature is the core tradeoff. You typically have to keep booking to keep earning, and your “pipeline” is often measured in upcoming event dates rather than contracted monthly revenue.
Commercial cleaning is fundamentally different: it’s a $100B+ U.S. market with ongoing demand, tenders and contracts, and recurring revenue potential when you build a long-term client base. Assett then stacks a second layer on top of that industry foundation—positioning a $1M+ recurring revenue target, semi-absentee potential (including public claims of as little as five hours/week once established), and an automated hiring system designed to reduce one of the most time-consuming operational burdens in service businesses.
“If you’re exploring franchise opportunities and want a model that can deliver long-term income, flexibility, and control — we’d love to show you how Assett Franchise can help you build a business that works for your life. Visit https://assettfranchise.com to connect with our team and learn more.”
