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How Women are Dominating the Pet Business Sector

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Cracking the Glass Ceiling: Women in Business Continues to Rise with Growth in the Pet Industry

Amidst all the turmoil seen in headlines lately, there is good news. A force that was once marginalized, women in business are becoming a strong force. There are over 11.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States, making up 38% of all U.S. businesses, according to The 2016 State of Women-Owned Business Report. This is a 45% spike from 2007, compared with 9% increase in overall U.S. business. As the fiscal year draws to a close in 2017, many are anxiously waiting for reports of women in business statistics continuing to show growth. Women-owned businesses are vital to the country’s economy. They employ almost 9 million people and generate over $1.6 trillion in revenue every year. Just as importantly, women business leaders help spread equality in the workplace as we continue to chip away at the glass ceiling.

There is still a long way to go but the increase in women-owned business is a good sign. 61% of women in business can be found in one of four sectors—administration, professional technical services, health care, and the pet industry. Business growth in these individual sectors has widened the margins for women to own their own business. Another reason 3.5 million women-owned businesses have opened in the last decade is many women possess innate skills that make them strong business leaders. Women are often adept with priority setting, people coordinating, and communication.  Driven by tenacity and proficiency—more than half of the estimated 9.72 million new small business jobs and one-third of total anticipated new jobs will open from a women-owned business in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A company making huge ripples in the pet franchise industry, Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique have been able to open doors for many women looking to escape the inhibitions of corporate America. Women like Natalie Dufek who worked as a nurse before opening her own shop in Meridian, Idaho. “The last few years I was in nursing I got into the management side of things, so I didn’t have as much hands-on nursing with the patients. It was more like sitting in meetings and managing. I just kind of lost some of the passion. There was an organizational restructuring in the company I worked for, and everything just kinda changed for a while. So I was like I need to do something different.”

Natalie, among other women, found a new promising venture in the pet industry, an industry that is growing itself by over 62% since 2007, and ended with $66.75 total U.S. Spending.

Women-Owned Business in the Pet Industry

Based in Portland, Oregon, The Earth Friendly Pet Company Cycle Dog is owned by Lanette Fidrych. Her company stated in 2009 and has since recycled hundreds of thousands of used bike tubes. Cycle Dog’s business model takes old bike tubes—made from rubber that would otherwise sit in a landfill—and figured out a way to handcraft dog collars and leashes. The collars are antibacterial and her line has increased to harnesses, toys, and beds. Cycle Dog is a company within the pet industry that is pioneering the way for women-based businesses with strong values.

Another company founded by a woman that is partnered with Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique is Kelly K. Ison’s company, Einstein Pets. Einstein Pets’ treats are made with only seven ingredients including the superfood Chia Seed. The aim of the company is to provide pet owners with an all-natural responsible diet that is as delicious as it is healthy.

Splash and Dash love to give back and try to do our part in not only partnering with women in business but with women-led companies who are choosing to lead with corporate social responsibility. Companies that are using eco-friendly recycled materials to make pet supplies are strong partners. Dog food supplies that use all-natural holistic ingredients in their formulas are traits Splash and Dash values. Providing both Cycle Dog and Einstein Pet products in our shops is a point of pride.

Women in Franchising

In the franchising segment, women have also been able to gain more traction. With the ‘boy’s club’ networking schematic still ingrained in the corporate ladder, many women opted out of lower salaries and condescension—in favor of the freedom of franchising. 21% of all U.S. franchises are women-owned. An additional 43% are co-owned between men and women, making two-thirds of franchises controlled by a woman in some capacity.   

What makes franchising appealing for women, is that franchising gives them the ability to choose who they hire and work with. Franchising allows one to become their own boss. The benefits of this are that a franchise owner can control life-work balance, schedule, salary, location, and other important aspects of their career. For some women in business, owning a franchise gives them autonomy in the workplace they want.

Recent Survey published by the Franchise Business Review show that female franchisees are generally happy across the board. 90% of women stated they enjoyed operating this business while 74% stated they would “do it again.” Franchising, like all business, is a calculated risk. What separates owning a franchise from traditional career pathways, is that when you sit down for an interview with a franchisor, you are assessing their values as much as they are assessing your own. A reputable franchise has a business model that operates as two-way street—franchisee success is company success.

What Splash and Dash Has to Offer

Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique is a unique pet salon grooming and retail franchise. The company has proprietary software that simplifies every aspect of owning a pet store. Business operations like client booking, automated marketing, and employee management are all handled by the company’s terminal software. On top of this, an advantage Splash and Dash owners benefit from is having a recurring revenue source. The signature service is membership-based and is completely unique to Splash and Dash. This makes it a win-win for franchise owners and customers. Splash and Dash is the only franchise able to provide a recurring revenue stream with the signature service.

The company is also proud to have franchise owners from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. Before opening their shops many of the women franchisees worked in industries unrelated to pet care. Franchise owners like Sandy Yueng who opened her Splash and Dash in Suwanee, Georgia.  “I always loved dogs,” Sandy says. “I was thinking since I have to pay someone to do this. Why don’t I  just do it?” Sandy’s inspiration to open a pet shop was caring for her three Shelties. “With the boutique, I can educate people on high-quality food, how they can help their dog’s health. I am happy to hear to when customers tell me their dog’s skin-health gets better after switching foods and getting [spa] services.”

Another woman who converted her grooming shop to a Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique is Jaime Meyer from Coppell, Texas. I was looking for a way to stay current in our technologically driven society,” Jaime says. “It was extremely hard as an independent to find that technology.” After opening her Splash and Dash, Jaime has found a new ease with owning her own small business. “The transition was fun, I really enjoyed all the additional technology that was afforded to us. I enjoyed being able to provide the friendly user experience. I thought it was nothing but positive,” she says.

From more ideas for women in business, click here.

 

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Business Ideas for Women: Why Franchising Works

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The business world is no longer the climate of males with power suits and marginalizing ideals. Women have exploded into the startup sphere and franchise world alike—offering refreshing and nuanced views into an enterprise and how to start and successfully run a business.  An increasingly common framework is women taking control of their careers, venturing into entrepreneurial realms.  Business ideas for women span from website management to pet sitting, but how do you settle on the right business plan?

It all starts with an idea.

Mix a little introspection and a feasible business concept.  Entrepreneurial women have taken market segments by storm. If you want to own your own small business and become your own boss, it begins with an idea. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is your goal for your business?
  • What are your interests? What do you like to do?
  • What are good at?
  • What do you want to learn?
  • What makes you happy?

What is your Objective?

Do you want to earn a second income? Many women consider representing another company selling insurance, cosmetics, or timeshares. The list doesn’t stop there! The sales segment of the marketplace is constantly widening—inviting many women to make strong figures as an independent sales rep.

Freelancing is also gaining strength in the digital schematic. Blogging, software development, and website management are also budding sideline careers where women can earn some extra cash.

Do you want to work in a career that offers flexibility to spend time with the family? Many entrepreneurs quit their job, not only because they are tired of corporate America, but because it’s basically impossible to raise a family while working a 9-5. Becoming self-employed gives you the keys to your schedule.

Do you want to change the world? One of the most challenging business ideas for women is starting a co-op or nonprofit. The work will be intensive, but if you are poised you can make this dream a reality.

Do you want to contribute back to society and better the community around you? This is good. Too many people depart corporate careers to start their own business with purely fiscal motivations. With this mindset, you are going to fail. It takes passion to deliver the intrinsic motivation necessary to see true success in all industries of business.

Consider a Successful Business Model: Franchising

“The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling—Ambrose Bierce.”

Business experts tend to agree with Bierce. We interpret Bierce’s words to mean that yes, business is about risk, but what separates it from gambling are the certainties. A calculated risk is the business-savvy gamble business owners make when investing with a franchise that fits them.

Many opt for franchising because it offers more stability. You take a brand, and a concept in a pathway of your choosing, and success becomes much easier because the path is already carved. It’s easier to go when one has already gone before you. Many of the time-consuming and expensive tasks of owning a business are already fine-tuned in franchising.

This comforting when 51% of small business fail in the first four years, according to the National Association of Small Business’s Economic Report.

Franchising offers:

  • Brand Awareness
  • Support
  • Training
  • Access to Inventory, Equipment, and Supplies
  • Marketing
  • Faster ROI (Return on Investment)
  • Culture Fit
  • Proprietary Software

When you are in league with a good franchisor, they should treat you as a business partner—fully invested in your success.

Women and Franchising

The ‘Glass Ceiling’ is cracking and in some cases shattering within various business ideas for women. The franchise sector is helping many women escape outmoded constraints found in the traditional workforce.  According to a Women-Owned Businesses Report, between 1997 and 2014 the number of women-owned business increased by 59%. Compared with the 41% of male-owned business growth during the same time period.

The franchise world has open doors embracing women to help level the playing field. According to the Wall Street Journal, 28.1% of the sector is dominated by women owners and is widening further in 2017. (Lets push this numbers up!) As the playing field diversifies many wonder, why women are overturning job offers to begin franchising?

The reason is overall satisfaction.

The Franchise Business Review surveyed 6,400 women representing 300 franchise brands from July 2015 to December 2016 to report new numbers on female participation. What they found is pleasing.

Key Findings of the Study:

  • 90% of women enjoy operating their business
  • 85% state they would recommend their franchise brand to others
  • 88% state they enjoy being part of their organization
  • 84% say the respect their franchisor
  • 74% state they would do it again knowing what they know today
  • 54% of female franchisees state overall work/life is balanced

Compared with the reports of employee disengagement across various industries in America, these statistics are quite impressive. We hope this is a beckoning force for more women to abandon the hypocrisy of corporate jobs and start calling the shots by becoming self-employed as a franchisee.

What other business ideas for women are opening in different markets?

Pet Care: A Booming Industry

The pet industry first started gaining traction after the huge expansion which began during the Great Recession. During the recession, the pet industry proved itself recession-proof—an industry economically independent of the climate of the rest of the marketplace.

Since 1994, the industry has holistically grown by a galvanizing 269%. Last year, total expenditures ended at $66.75 billion—10.7% growth from the previous year. Even more impressive was that pet industry’s expansion surpassed forecasts given by economic analysts. The projection for the 2017 year is estimated to end at $69.36 billion.

There are several societal factors contributing to the continuum of expansion in the pet industry. First, the baby boomers are retiring. Retirees follow the market trends of getting a dog for companionship in their golden years. This trend is also giving way to even more promising news for pet franchises—Millennials are now the primary pet owners in America.  Of the 68% of U.S. households that own a pet, 35% are Millennials. Combined, the two demographics add up to 67% of the 84.6 million households that own a pet.

The third reason needs no explanation. Dogs are cute—plain and simple. Don’t believe it? Scroll through the themes of this summer’s Hollywood hits coming to theaters to see all the pet-related movie premieres.

How Do Women Fit into All of this?

Right at the center.

Two women who have found a successful haven in Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique family are Beth McElroy and Valayia Smith. Both women have become huge leaders in their community by pursuing business ideas for women and from women.

Beth owns her shop in Monroe, New York.

“It’s outside of anything I’ve ever seen in pet grooming salon. I had my own pet grooming salon for 33 years,” McElroy tells us. “Splash and Dash franchise is the only one that has embraced the grooming industry. It’s a big step but my experience has been the most exciting move I’ve made.”

Beth joined on early in Splash and Dash franchise and has been attaining been streamlining her goals since.

Valayia, on the other hand, is new to the franchise but is already making huge splashes at her shop in Alamo Heights, Texas. “I Just knew I needed change. I just wasn’t cut out for corporate America. I had to find something where I could still make the income I made as a consultant, but I could come home every day.” Smith said. “I started looking for opportunities and I found Splash and Dash. I loved what I found. Nothing exists like this is in San Antonio.”

Valayia has been setting company records in sales as a leader in an already leading franchise in the grooming industry.

Don’t let your dreams pass you by! Explore franchise opportunities now.

 

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