Running a pet business as a pet lover can be incredibly rewarding, not least being the huge market that exists for servicing the demand in every area of pet sales and service. And, once you have your business up and running and a raving success the next step – expansion – is a very attractive proposition.
But beware – there are some unexpected challenges and downsides that often catch people off guard in a business like this, especially if you are thinking of expanding through franchising and are looking for franchisees (people with unexpected emotions) to duplicate what you do to bring in the extra revenue.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the issues I have experienced with pet businesses over the years…
This is not to say that it can’t be done – it can and very successfully – think of 80 store trailblazer Pet’s Paradise a few decades back, and today’s Blue Wheelers and Bark Busters. But there are some traps to be aware of before you begin.
1. Emotional Attraction
You will attract many prospective franchisees when you start to recruit. People who love animals and want to be involved in a business looking after them – pet sales, day or holiday care of different kinds, grooming, training and walking – the list is long.
The thing is those most attracted to looking after pets in one way or another are very often empaths, keyed into animal feelings. People who will find it hard to separate business from emotion, probably wanting to help every animal or give discounts to every struggling pet owner, which can cripple the bottom line. For this group, dealing with loss or neglect, seeing neglected, ill, or dying animals can take a big emotional toll.
2. It’s Not All Cuddles and Playtime
This group probably won’t want to continually deal with all the messy work – think poop, pee, vomit, shedding—daily.
And they’ll probably won’t have realised dealing with animals all the time can be physically demanding. There’ll possibly be long hours, lifting heavy animals, and being on their feet most of the day, not to mention the risk of injury, bites, scratches, or even more serious injuries from unpredictable animals.
3. Not Knowing People, Not Pets, Are the Real Challenge
What they probably won’t realise is it will be the people they need to deal with who will need to be their real focus and work and give them the most problems. Some owners can be demanding, unrealistic, or misinformed. Or they can be very emotional and project their stress or grief onto pet care staff, especially if something goes wrong. This is a very challenging situation for an empath; feeling for the pets involved as well as for their distraught owners.
4. Business Realities
At the end of the day, franchisees need to be business owners, putting the business first and so many new franchisees find this so very difficult and don’t have the necessary business skills. Many businesses in this category must deal with tight margins with high overheads (rent, supplies, insurance) and relatively low profit margins. Although some (dog walking) obviously fall at the other end of the spectrum.
Many also need to understand and deal with local council laws, permits, health and safety regulations, and liability risks. Kennels, daycare outlets are not generally permitted in urban areas and can’t be run from or close to most homes. Noise can become an issue. It is difficult to find premises suited to businesses like these.
And the pet care industry is growing fast, which means more competition and pressure to stand out. Franchisees need to always look great and professional and add a good marketing face to the business work they do. Something most empaths attracted to something like dog training have difficulty embracing.
5. Staffing Challenges
So, even if you do find a treasure trove of suitable franchisees it is very likely they will find it hard to find the right team. As I discuss, not everyone who “loves animals” is reliable, trained, or customer friendly.
Just as you will find when training your new franchisees, they will find training staff takes time you’ll often have to invest in training people from scratch, especially in handling animals safely and kindly. And in handling customers in every tricky situation we can think of.
6. Surprise guilt trip
Your franchisees will find balancing profit and animal care with making business decisions like pricing or refusing service can feel like “selling out” or being unkind.
Having to make hard decisions such as putting animals down can be a serious challenge.
Saying no to some customers who really need help, say refusing care for dangerous or aggressive animals, or firing a customer who won’t pay or who has unrealistic expectations, can feel wrong even when it’s necessary.
7. Burnout is Real
So, at the end of the day, the pet care industry is difficult.
You need people who will care for both the pets and their customers, and you need to know that at the end of the day many face passion fatigue – losing the joy that made them love the job in the first place.
This fatigue is only added to by the non-stop nature of the job. Animals don’t know holidays, and many pet businesses require weekend or emergency availability.
And the tricky business environment franchisees will have to embrace, probably for the first time will not be the easiest thing to take on.
Your franchisor responsibilities
So, before you decide to expand using company employed managers or franchisees, think carefully about the fact that you are going to have to not just look after pets in the future. As Tom Potter famously said when he was growing Eagle Boys Pizza, you will be transitioning from the pet business to the people business – moving your focus to the people who are going to do your pet care tasks now.
- Selecting the right people who will care for the animals but also who have the guts to run the business successfully and embrace the difficulties involved
- Training everyone so they know your values and how to look after the pets, their business, their customers.
- Making sure every outlet is legal and suitable for purpose
- Providing support to your team so they can get the job done without exhaustion and with pride
It’s definitely not easy, but those who have succeeded will tell you the pet industry can be the most rewarding business sector both in terms of financial return and, if done with the right pet and people care ethics, personal satisfaction.
Brian Keen has been involved in the franchise industry for more than 30 years and Prue has been involved with systems and business for as long. Together they founded Franchise Simply, Systems2Grow and Microloan Foundation Australia. Brian’s on-the-ground business experience as a multi-unit franchisee, franchisor and consultant helping many of the big names create their own franchise systems and growth over the years combined with Prue’s structured approach has been fed into Franchise Simply, helping today’s SMEs and Franchisors grow their business by franchising.