Pet Store Franchises

You’ve Found the Perfect Pet Franchise- Now What?

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Finding the perfect franchise is the dream of any pet lover who wants to be a franchise owner. This is why most people scour the many pet business opportunities in an effort to find the one that is just what they are looking for. Once you have found this, you may not know where to go. Here are the next steps you will need to take with your pet franchise.

 

Create Your Support Group

For any franchisee to be successful, they need to have a support team that is there for them when things get rough. Most people just think about their family and friends for this, which is great but not a complete team. You should also have a professional team that you can ask questions of in the event that you don’t know what you should do. Make sure you talk to these people and ensure they are ready to help you as needed with your business endeavor.

pet store franchises

pet store franchises

 

There are a couple professionals that you should add to your  support team. One is an attorney for your pet franchise as you will need someone who can answer legal questions and look over your papers. Another is an accountant as they are the best professional to help you with your finances.

 

Form a Plan of Action

The next thing you will want to do is to create a plan of action. To do this, you will need to talk with the franchisor to determine what needs to be done. They will be able to give you a list of the things that will need to be done just to get to the signing of the franchise agreement with the pet franchise. From there, you will have another list of tasks that need to be completed to get the store up and running.

 

As you create the plan of action, put deadlines on these items. For large tasks, break them up into smaller tasks so that it is easier to manage and create timelines for. Here are some of the tasks you do not want to overlook.

 

Finding the Funding

If you do not have the cash to pay for the franchise and all startup costs out of pocket, then you need to find the financing you need. This is a huge task that may start with finding the funding options that are right for you, putting in loan applications, etc. You want to make sure you are following your plan of action completely in order to realize your dreams with the pet franchise with this. Do not waste time as funding is what is needed to move the process along.

 

Creating a Business Plan

Depending on your franchisor, this is something you may need to have before you even get to the signing. If you need to get a loan to fund the franchise, then you will need to have a business plan in order to do this as well. Even if it is not needed from outside sources, you should still create this. It will help you to fully realize your dream for the pet franchise and see how you will get where you want to go. If you are not sure how to do this, there are many resources you can find online to help you with this.pet store franchise

 

Meeting With the Franchisor

Even though you know you want to buy the franchise, you should still meet with the franchisor. This will give you the chance to really kick off your relationship with them, which you will have over the next several years depending on the length of the franchise agreement. This is also a great time to fully understand what is expected of you as a franchisee and how things will work. Along with this you will also want to go to Discovery Day where you will get to see a franchise in action and talk with the franchisee of that location.

 

Don’t Let Your Drive Die

As you look at your action plan and the myriad of tasks you have ahead of you before you can even open your pet grooming business, do not get discouraged. Nothing in life, especially nothing this rewarding, comes together overnight. Don’t lose your drive to be successful with your pet franchise. The drive is one of the biggest aspects to your success so make sure that this is always there. Here are a few tips that can help you keep your drive:

 

  • Keep your goals printed on something that you can look at frequently, like on the refrigerator. This will help remind you where you want to be with the pet franchise.
  • Keep balance in your life. You must make time for the business and your family but you also need time for yourself.
  • Don’t compare your franchise to others. Just because your franchise is not performing as well as a friend’s business does not mean you should dwell on this. Rather look at your own success.
  • Focus on the positive. It can seem hard to stay motivated when you see your business is down in the number of customers or other negative stats. However, try to think about how you can solve these while also looking at the positive stats, like how much your average price per customer is.

Skills for Every Great Pet Food Franchise Owner’s Success

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As the owner of a pet food franchise, you will feel the pressure of being at the top. However there are a few things that, as a leader, can lighten the load. As you run your pet supply franchise, think about your day-to-day responsibilities and if you’re applying any of the following skills. If not, think about where and when you may be able to try them.

1. Give Power To People Doing the Work

Many pet food franchise owners think that because they own the business, every decision has to be made by them, whether it’s something huge that will affect the franchise as a whole or just giving a discount to a customer on the front line. Stress can be alleviated simply by giving those who are working the front line the authority to make certain small-risk decisions instead of having to call you every time. Considering giving your employees a little more training or ruling on certain things and freeing yourself from those smaller responsibilities.

2. Create Role Clarity
As an employee, it can be extremely frustrating to have a title for your job, but not know what the responsibilities of that job are. To create simplicity and understanding in your pet food franchise, create a list of duties and descriptions for each role. While some flexibility is alright, don’t try to flex the meaning of the roles too far. A quick way to frustrate employees of your pet supply franchise is to tell an employee their job is one thing then to discipline them for not doing something unlisted on their description—let alone something they’ve never been trained to do.

3. Share Leadership

If you’re pet food franchise feels like it’s becoming a little too big to stand on your shoulders alone, consider creating another management role for co-leadership. A great way to alleviate the pressure and even team build in your pet supply franchise is to share responsibility, train another in leadership, and to let them take over—especially when you’re unable to be at the ‘head’ of your pet store for any reason.

4. Stop, Look, Listen
An extremely important thing for any pet food franchise owner to do is stop, listen to the employees and the customers, and to encourage talk among your employees. By encouraging talk with your employees, you elevate comradery and team morale. You minimize the chance for strained relationships within your pet supply franchise, and even create a nice working atmosphere that individuals are stoked to come to every day. Make it safe to communicate by allowing others to speak without repercussions, but do not accept bad mouthing. There is a respectful way to speak and that should be encouraged over blatant bad-mouthing.

5. Be Passionate About Your Pet Food Franchise

It’s your pet food franchise. Put your heart into it. Your employees will feel your passion (or lack thereof) and adapted it into their own behavior. Create a mission statement that you truly believe and hang it somewhere handy to remind you and your employees why you’re there. Your passion, as a pet supply franchise owner, is a powerful tool; use it to share your heart for the pet industry and influence your employees.