Love pets? Looking to ditch employment and be your own boss? Surely those reasons are enough to encourage you to buy a franchise already, but if not, we’ve got 10 reasons for you. If you don’t already know what franchising is, it enables you to run your own business but rather than taking the risks of starting up alone, you’ll be trading under the proven system of an established business. You’ll be trading under their brand name as a franchisee and following in the franchisor’s footsteps to reproduce their business model, whilst enjoying business ownership. In this article we’ll cover 10 top reasons to invest in a pet franchise, for a happier, healthier career.
If you love animals and wish to be your own boss, then pet franchises are a fantastic option. Let’s take a look at the reasons to invest in a pet franchise.
1. Safer Route to Business Ownership
There’s a good chance that at some point in your career, you’ll probably get sick of being in employment altogether. Maybe not just your current role, but you might feel about giving up working for someone else entirely. But if you’re not already aware of what franchising is, the only option you may feel that is immediately available to you is starting up a business from scratch. Pet businesses may seem like quite an easy business to start up. Maybe you’ve got a van and can take client’s dogs for walks, or you have a house with plenty of space to do pet sitting. But although that sounds easy, you still need to establish a brand, spend on marketing (that may or may not be effective) in an area where countless other people have already established their own pet business. Just remember that every business will have some form of competition, be it a pet business, restaurant or cleaning services provider.
The first benefit of owning a pet franchise is you’ll be part of a proven business. The marketing – it works. The brand – it works. The franchisor will have tried and tested the business through a pilot operation and countless other franchisees will have already followed in their footsteps. Investing in a franchise means you’ll be owning a business while bypassing many of the risks associated with starting up alone.
2. Brand Recognition
If you understand the concept of franchising, you’ll know that a franchise network enables powerful resonation of the brand and its trademarks. Just think of any popular highstreet chain and compare it to an individual solo business. The highstreet chain, most likely a franchise, benefits from brand recognition.
As a franchise network grows, so does its reputation. The more franchisees a franchise network builds up, the wider the brand recognition. This reputation can have a positive effect on the whole network. One of the main reasons to buy a pet franchise is you’ll be benefitting from this already-existent brand awareness. There are some widely recognised pet food franchises out there like Husse and Trophy Pet Foods. Over the years, pet businesses establish themselves positive reviews from the public and this is incredibly powerful in today’s society. Many people use the internet to look for businesses now, lesser than word of mouth. If a business has a strong reputation, clients are more likely to choose it. And the combined reputation of the franchise network will have a positive effect on new franchisees. When you invest in a pet franchise, that brand recognition is there waiting for you. You haven’t got to spend years establishing yourself.
3. Everything You Need – Provided
When you take in to consideration all of the costs you’d think you’d need to start up a business alone; your trademarks, your equipment, your van signwriting, leaflets, local paper inclusion and the rest of it – you get all of that included as part of the franchise investment. Most of what you will need will be included, but in addition to equipment you’ve also got your business operations manual and a proven system. Let’s not forget that the expenses you will form when starting up a business making mistakes. Mistakes can be costly when starting a business, but most of these are eradicated with franchising.
When franchisors list pet franchises for sale, they will likely include vehicle signwriting, marketing for your area and even a van (or at least put you in touch with an approved vehicle lender/dealer).
4. Training and Support
Carrying on from point three, full training and support also forms part of the franchise investment. That might be dog handling or washing – anything related to the pet business for sale. In addition, many franchisors boast you not needing any past business experience. This is because they’ll also supply training in accountancy, staff recruitment etc. Be sure to check with the franchisor to find exactly what they offer.
An ongoing monthly fee will often cover ongoing support and marketing.
5. A Booming Market
According to PDSA, 52% of the UK adult population own a pet, and going by average UK population of 62 million, that’s a whopping 32 million pets in the UK! 27% of adults own a dog and on that same basis, that’s around 16 million dogs. Cats follows closely behind with 24% (14 million). With such a huge number of pets, it just goes to show that not only is the UK pet sector booming, it goes to show that wherever you set up a pet franchise in the country, there will be significant demand.
There are many reasons why people might look for someone to care for their pets, for example if a family goes abroad and they need to leave their pets behind. Or if they’re struggling to spend enough time with them due to work. From pet sitting franchises to dog grooming, cat sitting and so much more, there are a fantastic number of different franchises, for a fantastic market. It’s the perfect opportunity.
6. Flexible Working Hours
One of the top reasons to buy a pet franchise (and pretty much any other franchise) is working flexibility. Pet franchises are a fantastic example of being a perfect lifestyle franchise. Depending on the nature of the business, dog wash and grooming franchises may allow franchisees to book clients that fit in with the franchisees own personal requirements. Dog walks can be run on your own schedule. Being your own boss in many cases can enable you to build your working schedule, and book clients in, to your own requirements. So long as you don’t let your clients down and harm the business reputation, pet franchises are a dream job for many.
7. Low Cost Franchise Opportunities
When you compare pet franchises to some other types of franchises, it can become clear just how affordable pet franchises can be. Generally, you’ll either be operating at home (or someone else’s home), or via a van. With either of these, overheads are considerably low. Your main overheads will be utility costs (water for washes, heating, electricity for grooming, petrol/diesel for van based businesses). Unlike some franchises where you employ staff, require office space, sell products, pet franchises are one of the most affordable franchises. You shouldn’t expect to pay more than £20,000 for a pet franchise. Many can be bought for under £10K. Check out what each franchise package offers.
8. A Business You’ll Love
If you love pets, then a pet franchise is a no-brainer. Having a job in employment working with pets isn’t the same. Whilst you ensure you stay within the franchise agreement and operations manual, pet franchises offer considerably more flexibility than employment. Don’t forget the prospect of unlimited earning potential. With a franchise, nobody is stopping you from taking on more work. Maybe you and a partner can buy neighbouring territories and double/triple your client base – being your own boss unlocks many rewards.
If you own a pet yourself, your pet will love the franchise too! Regular daily walks, being around other dogs, its a dream for them too! It’s not just limited to dogs though. Cats and other animals enjoy play time too. What’s more, repeat visits to clients helps you form customer relationships and you’ll love what you do and enjoy every day.
9. Increased Buying Power
As part of a franchise brand, your franchisor will have agreements in place with partners to supply you with discounted and affordable stock ongoing. If you’re investing in a franchise which requires you to distribute, hold or use stock such as pet foods, cleaning products and equipment, buying these can be considerably more affordable than buying them yourself.
10. A Healthier You!
If you love what you do, you’ll be less stressful and this can be beneficial for your health. It goes without saying that owning a dog walking franchise will involve plenty of healthy exercise for you and the animals too!
Discover your ideal pet franchise with Franchise Planet.
