179 SBA loans have financed Merle Norman Cosmetics locations since 1992, written by 97 different lenders across 38 states. Half were approved for $54K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 47% went to owners whose business was under two years old.
A lender that has already underwritten this brand knows the unit economics, the build-out costs, and the franchisor. That is worth more to you than a bigger bank starting from scratch.