Pet Franchise Opportunities

Pet ownership in America, and even the world, only keeps growing, especially during and after the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders and lockdowns forced millions of people to look for companionship in the form of their pets, which only increased Americans' love for their animal family members.

For 2022, the American Pet Products Association Pet Owners Survey stated that 66% of US households, or around 86.9 million homes, had pets.

The entire pet care industry was worth around $225 billion a year in the U.S. back in 2018 and has grown to more than $147 billion by 2023, according to estimates from Edge by Ascential. Cat and dog owners alone spend approximately $300 a year on pet food.

And while there were some stories and reports of people abandoning their pets after life returned to normal, the trends didn’t stop because pet ownership continues to grow and spending diversifies. There are now dozens of ways that people spend their money on their pets, including insurance, daycares, clothing, and even event planning. Pet care franchises now have ample opportunities in the industry, which has matured and become highly competitive. Above all, it has become highly profitable and rewarding with a high likelihood for continued growth.

By 2019, Entrepreneur Magazine was already seeing more and more pet franchises appear on their top 500 franchises, and the category continues to grow.

Here are just some of the pet care franchise opportunities and areas available:

Pet training

A pet training franchise provides professional pet training services, including obedience training, puppy classes, behavior modification, and agility training. These are especially in demand now for both service dogs and therapy pets.

Pet Boarding

Pet boarding franchises offer accommodations and care for pets when their owners travel or cannot care for them temporarily. They brand themselves most of the time as pet hotels for stays of several days or just overnight boarding. Many offer to pick up the pets through a pet taxi service and even offer spa services!

Doggy Daycare

These provide a safe and supervised environment for dogs to socialize and play while their owners are away for the day.

Pet sitting and walking services

Franchises in this category provide pet sitting and dog walking services, where trained professionals care for pets in their owners' absence. A pet sitter and walker does go to the owner's home to do this and does not operate a location themselves, and might even provide some additional services like at-home grooming.

Grooming

These franchises offer professional grooming services for pets, including bathing, hair trimming, nail clipping, and other pet grooming needs.

Mobile pet grooming

Mobile grooming franchises operate pet grooming services in a specially equipped vehicle, bringing the convenience of grooming to the pet owner's doorstep.

Pet supply store

This category includes retail businesses that sell pet food, toys, accessories, grooming products, and other pet-related items. Although many focus on dogs, cats, and other small mammals, there are big opportunities for those who want to specialize in other animals, like providing aquarium supplies or bird-feeding and bird-watching supplies.

Veterinary Clinic

While not exclusively a franchise category, some franchises offer pet veterinary services, including medical care, vaccinations, and surgeries.

Pet Waste Removal

Believe it or not, the pet industry has expanded to include franchises offering cleaning services and removing pet waste from residential or commercial properties.

Some franchises can offer pet care services, like a photographer also specializing in pet photography or an event planner that includes pet events.

How to Start a Pet Franchise Business

You'll need money and time to start and set up a franchise. The benefit of a pet franchise over starting your own company is that you will obtain assistance and will not have to deal with the everyday problems that start-up business owners face, such as designing a business model, processes, and branding from the ground up. It helps to have some industry experience, but you only need a basic understanding. If you're just getting started and want the complete business setup, franchising can provide you with a viable solution to that goal.

Next is a list of things to consider before starting your own pet franchise:

Choose the services you'll offer

Before starting, you'll need to determine which services make the most sense for your company. Once you have determined that there is a demand for your business, you need to choose a franchise to invest in. Research different franchise business opportunities and compare the costs, support, and reputation of each one. A franchise consultant can put you in contact with successful franchisees that have a proven track record of success within the brand and can share their experiences of starting and dealing with the franchise owner.

Licensing, Registration, and Certification

Once you have chosen a brand, you will need to attend training to learn about the business model, operations, and marketing strategies they offer. You may also need to obtain certain licenses and certifications depending on the type of pet business you are starting. Some grooming salons require veterinary certifications or compliance with agricultural regulations before they can start.

Getting insurance to protect your business (and yourself)

Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to obtain liability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, or other types of insurance. The cost will depend on the type of coverage you need.

Select the Appropriate Equipment

You may need to purchase equipment and supplies such as pet food, veterinary tools, grooming, cleaning, and other goods. The cost of these items will depend on the type and quality of the products you choose. Deciding to partner with a franchise minimizes the work you have to do in locating suppliers and distributors for all of these needs, and the franchisor will have a list of equipment suppliers ready.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Pet Business?

You'll need money and time to pay, start and run a pet business. While starting a business is an exciting operation, it is also costly. It’s critical to be reasonable when estimating startup costs for a company. Expenses such as retail space, legal fees, payroll, company credit cards, marketing, training, payroll costs, and other administrative expenses can add up quickly,

By franchising with a pet franchise business, you can lower some of these costs and only have to invest in an initial franchise fee, ongoing royalties, and extra investment for supplies and equipment.

A franchise consultant can help you work out the real cost of any pet franchise opportunity. More info on this here.

How to Grow a Pet Franchise Business

Growing a pet franchise business can be a challenging but rewarding process. Here are some tips to help you expand your franchise:

• Focus on Quality
• Establish Strong Relationships With Customers
• Monitor and Analyze Performance
• Explore New Products and Services

Overall, a pet franchise business requires a combination of trust and patience with pet owners and animals, strategy, effort, customer satisfaction, and persistence.

Pet Franchise Experience Requirements

Pet franchise candidates must be high-energy, goal-oriented, and capable of being proactive in searching for new ways to develop the franchise as a whole. They need to be an animal lover, no doubt and also have patience and respect for pet parents.

The franchisor will teach you everything there is to know about the appropriate pet services and products. What they teach during the extensive training program includes marketing assistance, materials, and sales. They only need candidates with a go-getter attitude and a positive mindset.

Special Requirements for a Pet Business

A pet business is a very rewarding endeavor, as it allows you to work with both people and the animals they love at the same time. But it’s hard work and a highly competitive market where some businesses offer multiple services, like veterinary care, grooming, walking, sitting, and even daycare at the same location. Nonetheless, this is why franchising is the best option for newcomers in the pet industry. It allows them to penetrate the market without worrying about branding, marketing, suppliers, and other aspects independent business owners deal with.

Certifications and Licenses in Some States for Pet Franchises

Some types of pet franchises that offer veterinary care will require regulatory certifications from local and state governments. And while they don’t require a government license to practice, both regular dog training and service dog training businesses benefit from being certified by a national dog training board. Grooming businesses might also have to deal with regulations regarding cleaning equipment and humane standards in they’re renting commercial space. Nonetheless, they are not as challenging to comply with as with human-based businesses, and a franchise consultant can help you determine if your choice of pet franchise business will need licensed medical professionals to be involved or what legal certifications to contemplate.

But that’s also the benefit of franchising, as the franchisor already deals with this and will help prepare potential franchisees and their employees for every regulatory hurdle they might encounter, which includes ongoing training and established operating procedures.

Pet Franchise Cost

The cost of a pet franchise can vary greatly depending on various factors, such as the type of franchise, the size of the business, the territory for the franchise location, and the franchise company's fees and requirements.

Financing

Franchises for the pet sector often demand an initial investment of $50,000 to $200,000 or more. Fortunately, because the franchise business model has been demonstrated to be effective, profitable, and sustainable, banks and moneylenders prefer it.

Without the assistance and backing of an established partner, an independent business can struggle to secure the favorable credit terms that franchisees typically enjoy. The fundamental reason for this is that independent businesses lack proof of their business model's viability, unlike franchisees, who can rely on a tested business plan.

Profit

Because you’re working with an established and proven business, buying into a pet franchise can increase your opportunity for revenue and profits. Pet franchises also offer lower startup costs compared to other industries.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that 1 in 5 businesses in the U.S. will fail in their first year of operation, but the survival rate is better for franchises. According to a FranNet Survey, the success rate for franchises is almost 92% after two years.

Conclusion: Why a Pet Franchise Is A Good Investment

As you can see, franchising and purchasing a reputable franchise has lots of advantages. The most important one is that a tested system will support you and provide you with resources. As a result, your firm will experience less danger and greater security, allowing you to concentrate on what really matters—growing your business and satisfying your candidates as well as yourself!