Fetching for New Opportunities

RALLE KARADJOV Pet care is an industry of compassion, and Sue Cashin and Becky Hansen of Fetch! Petcare in McHenry County, Illinois have plenty of it. Sue has many animals of her own and spends a lot of her free time volunteering at shelters, but she never thought she would own a business that was pet focused. With a background in marketing and sales, Cashin spent most of her professional career at Motorola organizing product launches and supporting new product campaigns. After learning about the brand through a friend, Cashin was hooked on the idea of working out of her home alongside her furry companions. Cashin started the business in 2009 and now has 12 contracted pet sitters. Becky, originally from Carrington, ND, grew up on a farm in McHenry with pigs, horses, cows, chicken, and border collies to herd the animals. Hansen learned how to train the collies at a young age, and as part of the herding group, they are rather difficult to train. Hansen learned how to read the animals and lead them in obedience training. Hansen is well-versed in dog body language and dog behavior. Her deep knowledge of dog behavior led her to enter her own dogs into agility competitions. Her dogs are titled and ribboned in agility and obedience, and some of her dogs are used by the medical field for patient therapy.  Hansen continues to train dogs and provides the utmost professional and knowledgeable service. How did you learn about the brand? Sue: I learned about Fetch! through a close friend. I purchased the franchise with hopes of providing a successful future for myself and my family. Becky: I saw there was an opening at the McHenry location and I applied online; Susan hired me the next day. I couldn’t believe the timing and the opportunity I was given. Why did you choose an opportunity with Fetch!? Sue: After doing research about the actual business, I was very impressed with the business model, in addition to having already been around for nine years. The company was moving upward and I wanted to be part of it. I never thought I’d own my own business, let alone a franchise. I truly believe things happen for a reason and I’m now living a lifelong dream. What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now? Sue:  Being in a remote area such as McHenry County is tough. Staffing has been an issue since this is mainly a supplementary income for my contractors. All of our contractors undergo extensive background checks, have previous pet care experience and must be extremely responsible.  There have been moments where I’m doing a lot of the work, working on weekends, holidays, late nights, early mornings but at the end of the day, I would never trade this job for anything. Building trust and relationships is also something that takes time and presents a challenge. People trust us to go into their homes and that relationship takes time to build. `