Guide To Franchising Your Business: Q&A With Ben Eberdt, GoDog

Transforming a successful independent business into a thriving franchise system requires careful planning, strategic thinking and a deep understanding of the differentiators offered to both franchisees and the end-user. While it’s a powerful way to grow a brand, the choice to begin franchising is not one to take lightly, and entrepreneurs should ensure they understand the ins and outs before beginning the process.

To help demystify the process, 1851 Franchise spoke with Ben Eberdt, co-founder, president and chief marketing officer of GoDog about his journey to franchising and his advice for others looking to follow a similar path.

A transcript of Eberdt’s interview with 1851 has been provided below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style.

1851 Franchise: Why did you decide to franchise your business?

Ben Eberdt: Franchising became an obvious choice to grow our brand for many reasons. First, we built an incredible unit model that always attracted investment interest from our friends, family, and network — our immediate network recognized the ever-growing pet industry, the beauty of investing in a legacy business and the rewarding nature of owning a local business serving dogs! We simply had a much greater appetite from interested investors than we could ever provide the opportunity for within our own portfolio. Once we then connected with our experienced partners (Level 5 Capital Partners), the path to franchising became very exciting and the decision was made. This was the best, most efficient way to help first and foremost more dogs, but also dog lovers and passionate business lovers alike. 

1851: Did you work with franchise consultants? Why or why not?

Eberdt: No. GoDog organically came into franchising as Level 5 Capital Partners was actively looking for an innovative concept in the pet care space. Once we were connected, it felt like an ideal partnership and they have led the way to launching our franchising platform.

1851: What advice would you give to someone thinking about franchising their business?

Eberdt: I would start by reciting advice I learned from others when we first got into franchising: Building and refining a solid unit model is the key to establishing our foundation versus pursuing speed to growth. 

We’re not necessarily focusing on speed, but rather quality and legacy. GoDog locations are built for generations of fruitful returns, and harnessing this while maximizing the future potential of each unit is our key priority. We believe that, if we take the time to be deliberate about every aspect of our business, organic franchise growth will follow because the strength of our model and the GoDog brand will simply be undeniable. This also allows us to be discerning about protecting the brand we’ve built and to weigh key decisions along the way to preserve what makes GoDog so awesome. 

1851: What was one thing you wish you knew about the franchise process?

Eberdt: I wish I knew what a vibrant community of entrepreneurs made up this sector! There are such smart and inspiring people at every turn. Had I known this earlier, we likely would have pursued franchising opportunities earlier. The learning process has been very rewarding, and we feel like we’re just getting started.

Growing and selling franchises is difficult. No great franchise did it alone. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.