How a Love for a Brand Can Spur a Passionate Franchisee

Jan Hatch didn’t know she wanted to be a franchisee. She didn’t set out to review a plethora of brands by searching through portals and researching different investment levels. What she did know, however, was that she loved Wild Birds Unlimited*.

Having a strong familiarity with the brand, and having grown up in Carmel, Indiana, Wild Birds Unlimited’s headquarters, she already had a strong knowledge and love for the product. That was all she needed to inspire her to invest.

“I really didn’t walk into franchising with any perceptions. I worked backwards,” she said. “I knew I liked Wild Birds Unlimited, I knew I liked the brand, and I knew I liked the product.”

Hatch then learned it was a franchise. She initially thought about working for the franchisor, but when she did her homework, she decided that she wanted to be a store owner instead.

“I didn’t set out to get into the franchise industry,” she said. “What I knew for certain was that I liked Wild Birds Unlimited, and that I wanted to figure out a way to be a part of it.”

But just because Hatch didn’t set out to become a franchisee it doesn’t mean that all the benefits of franchising have been taken for granted or overlooked.

“I appreciate and value the help and the structure that the corporate team provides,” she said. “I think sometimes people struggle with entrepreneurship versus franchising. I appreciate the legwork that’s already been done, and I appreciate the structure that has been put into place. I appreciate the formula they give me to find my own success. At the end of the day, I have the autonomy to do what I want, but I think that I wouldn’t do as well without the structure. I can pick and choose what I want to do, and it opened my eyes to take different initiatives in a direction that I feel comfortable with.”

She notes her one-year anniversary as an amazing milestone. And then her second year anniversary was an even bigger celebration.

“We had so much more success in year two. We set and exceeded goals, so that was very rewarding. I’ve also loved the process of becoming a part of the community,” Hatch said. “In that first year, I had to prove to people that they could trust me and I’d be there for the long haul. Going into year two, people really believed it. And going into year three, people figured out that I’m staying here for good. I have more that 2,000 customers and I feel like I know 80 percent of them on a personal level. I yell ‘hi’ to them when I hear their voice without even turning around.”

Another exciting and special part of being successful is that Hatch is now at the point where people come to her location in search of donations for their fundraising events, and she’s able to support them. She comments that she loves helping people in the community and is happy that her business is at a place where giving back is possible.

But being an important anchor in her community isn’t the only benefit that’s come with franchising. Hatch also recognizes that being established allows her to have a reliable routine.

“There are certain days that I order, certain days that I receive and certain days that I work on local marketing, and I try to write my team’s schedule so that it is pretty much set,” Hatch said. “My goal is to continue to establish these set routines to help me be successful.”