How to Start Your Own Pet Franchise

When considering making a career change, there’s nothing quite so appealing as working with animals. Better yet, the UK’s pet sector has been growing exponentially in recent years - a trend that seems only set to continue. With business booming, there’s never been a better time to start your own pet franchise. In this article, we’ll explain just how to go about doing that and what investment opportunities are available currently.

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Following periods of extensive lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many households decided to add a furry friend or two to their family. So if you’ve been seriously considering becoming your own boss and investing in a pet franchise, congratulations - you could hardly have picked a better time.

According to Statista, an unbelievable one third of all UK households now own at least one dog - so it’s unsurprising the UK has a reputation as a nation of dog lovers. But whether you’re looking to make a career change with a dog training franchise or something similar, there’s sure to be an opportunity for you within this bustling industry.

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>> Read more:

• Start A Pet Franchise
• Top 8 Pet Franchises in the UK
• Pet franchises for animal lovers
• 10 steps to open a pet business
• Pet Store Franchises in the UK - What is There?
• The Top 5 Pet Business Trends in 2020

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What does a pet franchise do?

There’s actually a wide range of things that franchises that fall under the pet franchise umbrella might do. The one thing these franchises have in common is that they will all in some way offer services that benefit pet owners and their pets. Pet franchises are a thriving and vital sector of the UK’s economy.

Whether you end up running a pet food franchise, a dog training or daycare franchise - or something else - there are a few things you can expect to find yourself doing. As a franchisee in the pet sector, you might be:

• Liaising with pet owners and their pets
• Running and maintaining high-quality services that are reliable
• Recruiting and hiring the right kind of staff to assist you with the day-to-day running of your business
• Obtaining qualifications in pet care and/or working with animals
• Marketing your business and maintaining its social media accounts
• Building and maintaining a website for your business
• Staying on top of trends and shift within the pet sector

Why consider running a pet franchise?

Though many people would consider running a pet franchise simply for the undeniable joy that working with animals can bring - and this is certainly one of the big draw factors - there are actually many other reasons why making a career change with a pet franchise is an attractive move.

There’s the age old franchising advantage of being your own boss and running your own business - all with the training and support from your chosen franchisor. Many franchises in the dog grooming and dog day care sub sectors are also seeing record demand and growth following a huge increase in people buying dogs and puppies during lockdown. So you’re sure to be busy and your financial future will be secure.

Running a pet franchise will also be a very personally rewarding and satisfying career. You’ll be supporting both pets and their owners through the services you provide, and will reap the rewards of seeing satisfied customers thank you for your excellent service (and perhaps recommend you to their fellow pet owners, increasing your reach).

How to start a pet franchise

1. Assess what skills and qualifications you need

Working with animals often requires you to have certain qualifications and skills. The great thing about starting a pet franchise is that a lot of franchises will offer you the training to obtain these skills and qualifications in return for your investment. If this is something that’s important to you, it pays to check if the franchise you’re interested in does indeed include it in their offering.

Some previous experience - whether as a dog daycare specialist or dog groomer or something else entirely - will stand you in good stead for success in the pet sector. If this is an area you feel you might be lacking in and you're serious about owning a pet franchise, getting some experience now will put you one step ahead of the competition.

2. Do your research on which pet franchise is the right fit for you

There are a lot of different franchises out there and, especially in an industry as broad and thriving as the pet sector, there’s lots of different avenues to go down. You want to find the one that’s just the right fit for you. In order to do that, you should consider completing a comprehensive due diligence checklist on any franchise that is of interest to you.

This is a vital step to ensure franchising success - you shouldn't be parting with any money and investing in a franchise until you’ve thoroughly researched it. Make sure you’ve analysed things about your chosen franchise such as:

• The overall size of the business
• How experienced in their field the franchisor is
• The strength of the brand in comparison to others
• What training programmes you’ll get in return for your investment
• What ongoing support your franchisor will offer you once your business is up and running
• What niche this franchise occupies that makes it stand out from others

3. Consider what your investment will cost

Just as there are many different opportunities out there within the pet franchise sector, there’s also a wide variety of costs needed to invest in these different franchises. Make sure that you can comfortably afford the fees your franchise will require you to part ways with. The best way to ensure you’re getting the best deal for you is to compare all the different opportunities out there and their accompanying costs.

For example, in order to become a PetStay franchisee, you need to make a minimum initial investment of £9,995. In order to become a Dogknows franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £7,500, with a total investment cost of £15,000. And in order to become a Husse franchisee, you’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £7,900, with franchise fees of £150.

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>> Read more:

• Franchising 101: The Official Franchise Start Up Checklist (Part 1)
• Franchising 101: The Official Franchise Start Up Checklist (Part 2)
• New Year, New Career: No Better Time Than Now to Start a Franchise Today
• Franchising 101: 8 Signs You're Ready to Start a Franchise
• Starting a New Business Doesn't Always Lead to Immediate Success: Here Are 5 Ways to Change That
• It's Never Too Late to Start a New Business

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Become a successful franchisee with a pet franchise today

This article should have given you a thorough grounding in just how exciting and varied the pet franchising sector is - hopefully, you can’t wait to get started. Studying articles on topics such as tips for running a dog training franchise and tips for running a dog daycare franchise will also help set you on the path towards pet franchising success.