Guide To Franchising Your Business: Q&A With Chris Raimo, Happy Cat Hotel & Spa

Happy Cat Hotel & Spa was founded by Chris Raimo and his wife, Meg, who noticed a gap in the market for specialized care for cats while operating their pet care business, Home Sweet Home Pet Care. They observed that many cats experienced stress and behavioral issues when left alone at home, leading them to explore better care solutions. Through research, they discovered that cats thrive in environments where they have plenty of stimulation, attention and affection. This realization sparked the idea of creating a luxurious, cat-exclusive facility that offers not just basic care, but a high-end experience with amenities like a spa and a boutique shop.

The first Happy Cat Hotel & Spa opened in 2014, offering a serene and quiet environment tailored to the unique needs of cats. The concept quickly gained traction as it provided a much-needed alternative to traditional kennels and catteries. The Raimos’ vision was to revolutionize pet care by delivering the best possible experience for cats and their owners. Their approach proved successful, leading to the growth of Happy Cat into a franchise. The brand has expanded to six locations across five states, attracting franchisees who share their passion for feline well-being.

To help demystify the process of franchising a business, 1851 Franchise spoke with Chris Raimo about his journey to franchising and advice for others looking to follow a similar path.

A transcript of Raimo’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?

Chris Raimo: My background isn’t the typical one. I’m a college dropout who got into the workforce and started building opportunities for myself. I spent a lot of time in restaurant and hotel management and eventually got into construction when I met my future wife, whose family was in that industry. I became a foreman, running projects, and later moved to Colorado to work with my brother building houses.

That’s when we got the entrepreneurial bug. We decided to return to Connecticut and start a business. There was nothing like what we envisioned out here — house call animal care. We launched that in 2007, and by 2014, it had grown into a significant business. Around that time, we started receiving a lot of feedback about the demand for a cat hotel, so we opened our flagship location in 2014. In 2020, we sold the original house call service and ventured into franchising with Happy Cat.

My previous experience really came into play when we started building the business. We knew we were meant for the small business world, not the corporate world. We managed every aspect of the project — hanging every door, laying every tile. That construction experience gave us a clear path to build these facilities.

The response was tremendous early on. We expanded about two and a half years after the grand opening and then opened a second unit about three years after that to meet demand. That’s when we seriously started looking into franchising. We read books, went to conferences, and listened to podcasts. We created the FDD [franchise disclosure document], built the infrastructure and officially launched in May 2020.

1851 Franchise: What’s one thing you wish you knew about the franchise process?

Raimo: How hard it is and how expensive it is. It’s almost impossible to estimate how difficult it is to build that runway before you start seeing returns. As entrepreneurs, we solve challenges every day, but this is entrepreneurship on steroids. It’s like starting your initial business but multiplied by ten. The investment can reach millions of dollars, and that’s hard to fully grasp when you’re just starting out. And the investment only grows every year.

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

Raimo: Find the right community in the franchising space. Like any industry, you have to use your sixth sense to sift through who’s genuinely there to support young franchisors and who’s just after your money. It’s important to make a clear distinction about how you want to grow. Do you want to put all your money in and shoot for the moon, prepping for a sale to private equity? If that’s your goal, that’s a different setup than growing a legacy family business you plan to hold onto for 30 years. You really need to know your end game and build a responsible path forward.

1851 Franchise: What made you pick the advisor that you picked?

Chris Raimo: We worked with an advisor, not a broker consultant. What drew me to them was my sense of people. I’m thankful I have the ability to judge character. It was this person’s authenticity and genuine desire to help a young franchisor that stood out. I met them at a franchise conference in New York, and it sparked a conversation. We’re still friends and colleagues to this day.

1851 Franchise: How has franchising been going?

Chris Raimo: Growth has been satisfactory for us. We’re growing at our own pace. Measured against industry standards, it might not be the quickest, but we’re okay with that. Our goal is to have the best franchises in the most successful situations possible, rather than just focusing on the number of units. I’d rather have 100 franchisees who are super happy than 500 who leave the system. We measure twice and cut once. Everyone involved knows that when we reach the end of this path, we’ll have a very strong brand.

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.