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3 Common Mistakes to Avoid After Buying a Pet Franchise

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Congratulations! You Bought a Pet Franchise

The bubbles have settled from the toasts of investment. You invested your money wisely and your franchisor has given you the skills to succeed. (This should be an going dialogue with a good franchise, but unfortunately this is not always the case). You have completed your homework–due diligence. You have hired employees. You have You have opened the doors.

 

You have had a soft open, then a grand opening. Now your business is up and running. Now what?

 

Mistakes are bound to happen, they are inevitable. And with all business pursuits, this inevitability is something entrepreneurs need to strive to control. Hindrances like the 2008 recession happen. This will effect your business and is out of franchisees’ control. What is in your control, is how hard you work, learn, and adapt. Interestingly enough, the pet franchise was the only industry to see growth during the recession. But in every industry, dedication is what produces results.

Assuming the Hard work is Over

Many franchisees sit back after opening and think the job is done. The illusion is thinking all they have left to do is monitor sales. This is far from true. Whether you’re a franchisee, independent business owner, or a start-up, the work is continuous. Fortunately those invested in franchises have help where the the latter won’t.

 

Due diligence and opening the doors may be the easiest task. Good franchisors assist the whole way through the process well after the doors are open. But an owner’s direct success is going to be a product of their own merit.

 

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique aims to have new store locations break even after six months. This is a challenge in the pet franchise industry, but a norm for Splash and Dash. The model used is one where owners treat their shops like a work in progress. It is going to take ongoing dedication, supplemented with corporate help, to gain success.

 

Failure to Act

A pet franchise opens up in Orlando Florida. This city is one of the top rated places for pet owners and entrepreneurs. The shop opens in a high volume area that receives countless foot traffic, and signs a three year lease. Variables for establishing a lucrative pet franchise are in the shop owners favor. The shop opens and business is good. The neighborhood around the pet franchise blossoms, and surrounding business also profit exceedingly. Three years go by and the rent goes up 35%. What does the pet franchise owner do?

 

Negotiating leasing, finding a new location, and marketing that new location is hard work. Hard, but necessary to keep fiscally succeeding. An ideal pet franchise shows how to avoid these blunders. Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique uses a model that has been proven to work. Service, marketing, products, are all solidified. Still, the company is constantly updating and making things even better. Shop owners are invited to participate in “working on the company, not in the company,” a term coined by Entrepreneurial author Michael Gerber.

 

Splash and Dash has the competitive edge but will not compromise their values. This gives customers a service with the “mom and pop” feel paired with the excellent service customers trust.

Approaching Business as a Learning Endeavor

Financial success is never an accident. Achieving results is an outcome of tenacity. Entrepreneurs need to be constant learners that can adapt quickly, and innovate naturally. Industry and circumstantial changes happen and will impact your market. How one reacts to these changes is what determines the success.

 

It takes an open-mind to learn, especially in today’s business world. Technological convergence and marketing trends effect the industry rapidly. Adaptation is key. Opening a pet franchise is a journey, and the journey has lots of twists and turns. Owners should actively seek out franchisor assistance. Business coaches, consultants, and accountants all offer a different perspective owners will find helpful.

But don’t sell yourself short. Your own perspective is valuable and your own insights need to be taken into consideration too. Afterall, it is your shop. Combining the wisdom of others fortified with your own, is a good formula for success.

 

Trust your franchisor. If you feel you can’t, this is a bad sign. A good franchisor will have an open door when it comes to educating. If a pet franchise does not have a training workshop, or is dubious about workshopping new owners, this is also a bad sign.

 

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique is here to inform both franchisees and customers. The education never stops, and if everyone works hard, so will the business.

Final Thoughts, and a Little Pep Talk for Motivation

No matter where you are in the business world it takes dedication to succeed. One can buy a popular burger franchise–one with minimal risk. The brand is the most recognizable in the world. The location is not saturated. The burgers can practically sell themselves. A franchise owner uses the same product, the same service, and the same system as every other shop.

 

Holistically, the franchise is seeing huge growth. Sales are good across the board. Franchises scenarios like this happen everyday.

 

But, franchises like this still fail. A shop owner can have every factor set in their favor–have lightning in a bottle–but will not succeed. A polarizing disparity exists within the business world between success and failure.

 

What makes the difference is how hard you work.

 

5 Marketing Tips for the Digital Age

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5 Marketing Tips for the Digital Age

The Game has Changed

In 1990 the Internet became the recognizable online world we surf everyday. For the past two decades digital convergence has changed the way business is done, and the way consumers live. Everyone uses the internet. Everyone has a smartphone. This convergence has changed the way marketing and PR campaigns work.

Business is done differently. The days of sending out a scattershot press release to media companies is over. The door to door salesman is obsolete.

In the millennium age, small business has replaced the outdated methods. A new era of influencing customers in appropriate ways has taken over. YouTube is the new Television set. Blogs, forums, and social media are the new newspaper. Media has evolved. Small business owners inside the pet franchise and out, must adapt to a brave new world.

Google Searches

Reaching your customer base is all about communication efforts. The first start is finding out who your target audience is. Then create a customer profile based on this. What are your customers key traits, preferences, and behaviors?

The Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique average customer is probably someone who loves their dogs like a child. They want to leave their pets with someone they can trust. Someone who will be loving and provide excellent service. They want their pet’s diet to be the healthiest premium option. This customer is new and expanding the pet franchise.

There are a variety of tools one can use to establish their customer profile. Marketing analytic software finds the demographic you are attempting to reach. HubSpot, Marketo, Moz, and Google Analytics are all great choices. Vigilantly tracking SEO (search engine optimization), and the effects of your posting should be handled internally. Use of this software paired with strong media will boost your google search ranking.

This is key. Where does your company’s website appear in a Google search? Studies show that customers do not click outside of the first page. The closer a company is to the top of the list, the better the results. This is basis for ranking. Companies should aim for highest ranking possible to influence customers. Partnerships with links to your site from various media outlets increases rank.

Quick and Impacting for the Skimming Eye

Marketing analysts all agree that in the digital age, everyone skims through content. Internet surfing is colossally involved and some customers are using their phones to do this. Advertorial campaigns need to be crisp, hard-hitting, and easy to read.

Website and graphic design is important. The most impacting websites feature one strong visual. Followed with a tab for a drop down menu to access further information. You should use eye-catching videos and infographics to disseminate large amounts of information quickly. Just as your storefront is an engaging place, you want your website to be equally as engaging.

Think of your business as a meal you are trying to sell to customers. The story of your business is the entree. Your PR, marketing, and content are the appetizers. The best way to reach and influence customers it first provide the appetizers. This generates interest for the entree–main content, sales pitch, etc.

Influences with Clout

Business PR and marketing strategies now use what is known as “influencer marketing.” This is when a partnership is formed with already trusted media “influencers.” Forging business relationships with an influencer with high internet clout is strategic. “Influencers” already have social media following. They have an established trust with consumers. Any sharing done by this “influencer” is endorsed by the digital collective conscious.

Gawker, started by Nick Denton, is an example of a blog that is an “influencer.” Blogs published by Gawker are trusted by readers. Blogs like this are the contemporary version of journalists.

In the pet franchise this translates to partnering with rescues, local media platforms, and bloggers. These strategies are being handled daily at Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique. The founder and CEO of the company is a pet business coach, with already established clout. This is opportune when observing competitors using third party marketing companies. Splash and Dash already has built-in functions to improve service and boost rankings. Customers are prompted to voluntarily report on service, then share to social media.

A tool to do this for your own company is Klout.com (purposefully spelled with a K). Klout runs an analysis of your social media content. You are scored based on various categories giving you a Klout score. The features let you see what posts are receiving the most traffic, and what kind of followers you have. Google Analytics is an even more in-depth software program that tracks this.

The MVP Game Changer: Social Media

Establishing strong social media presence is imperative for small business. Small business owners don’t have a marketing team like the “big guys.” It is important to pull in revenue from free easy-to-use sources. Social media can be used for pitching, monitoring, and storytelling. It is a platform to craft the narrative your customers see. A relationship with customers, reporters, and other business is created, posted, and shared.

The advantage of social media is that it allows customers to see a more intimate look at your company. Your social media page is the “face,” you want to show customers. If your social media sites are unpolished, this is bad for company reputation. Without links or strong information this derogates your company’s image. Social media sites should be monitored and posting should be strong, relevant, and consistent.

In the pet franchise this poses a strong advantage. The intimacy needed for PR is an intrinsic part of business. Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique has access to customer satisfaction reports, cute pictures of pets, and informative pet care articles. Pet franchise businesses organically capitalizes on a shared love for pets. This is something owners will want to broadcast. Emphatic customer response is the goal. You want to show customers the depth of care put into your service or product.

Meet the New PR Metrics

Social listening is an aspect of social media small business owners need to know. This helps you share and amplify your story. Using different analytic tools helps you maximize the effect your social media postings have. Use social listening tools to see what’s relevant. Topics that are going viral, and pertain to your business, are always what you’ll want to focus on.

Pop culture trends are not restricted to the entertainment industry. Everything can have a PR spin. For example, a big Hollywood hit this year is Finding Dory. Small business owners can use a brand’s traction to potentially gain traffic. Seasonal themes, and this year being an election year, also affects the pet franchise. The trick is to find out what your customers are most interested in.

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique has the edge. The pet franchise service is being matched with its PR and marketing. Excellence in all aspects of business is what makes shop owners proud and passionate. It is what keeps customers coming in, and what makes doggies love us as much as we love them.