MaidPro Franchisees Build New Family Legacy with Pet Wants

Preston and Kassitty Knight are adding Pet Wants, the franchise committed to providing fresh, high-quality pet nutrition with over 140 units, to their franchise portfolio. The couple, who are also franchisees of MaidPro, saw Pet Wants as a great business opportunity to get the whole family involved and build a legacy. 

With the help of their two children, Garrett and Brooklyn, the Knights are bringing the franchise to Layton, Utah. Pet Wants allows the family to capitalize on their passion for animals, including their own pets, while being able to market the recurring delivery model to their current customer base in the area. 

1851 Franchise spoke with Preston and Kassitty to learn more about their background, their journey to the Pet Wants brand and their plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Kassitty: We actually own another franchise as well, MaidPro, and my husband is an attorney. We are doing Pet Wants with the kids, so it will be our family business. We have dogs of our own and we wanted to make sure that our dogs were getting the best nutrition. So, we looked into various businesses that had to do with pets. 

Preston: I was in the U.S. Air Force for six years, and Kassitty was a stay-at-home mom for that time. Coming out of that, we started our entrepreneurial journey with our other brand. We discovered Pet Wants very early, but we didn’t have the bandwidth to do both. Now, our kids are shareholders in the company, as well, and working day to day, and building that family legacy. Our son Garrett is 17 and our daughter Brooklyn is 16. They are excited to be doing the day-to-day stuff, while Kassitty is the general manager. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Kassitty: We’ve always wanted to be entrepreneurs, and we have had real estate investments. My husband is a veteran, as well. We wanted to own a business, so we looked into various franchises, and we’ve now owned our other franchise for six years.  

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Preston: It was a dual draw for us. We absolutely love our family pets. It is one of those things where there is a passion there for the animals. That is first and foremost. Then, on the business side, we were really drawn to the recurring delivery model. It is really built around convenience, delivering high quality products and taking care of the owner by making their life easier. We want this to be a family legacy investment. We were also looking for cross market availability — it is the same customer base we are going after. We can market to them for Pet Wants. 

Kassitty: Pet Wants makes it very easy to add an additional concept to your existing portfolio. They are very supportive throughout the whole process. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Preston: Our plan is to grow and add additional territories so that our kids can really take that and run with it.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Preston: This is a veteran owned business where an ex-military family is coming together to open it. Kassitty is a majority owner of this business — stay-at-home mom to empire builder.  
 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Preston: It is important to find a system with a proven track record. There are a lot of franchises out there that are just getting started, and they have no idea what they are doing yet. They don't know how to support you or a whole lot of things. If you are looking for a franchise, you want a system you can step into and run. Find something you will enjoy going to everyday — you have to like the job. 

Kassitty: Everyone thinks being the business owner is the dream, but it is really difficult. You can’t just do it for the money, you have to have that passion for it because it will be a job. 

ABOUT PET WANTS:

Pet Wants is a pet health and wellness company that strives to improve the nutrition, health, vitality, and well-being of pets. Founded in 2010, the brand’s specially crafted, private-label pet food formulas are made in small batches with fresh, natural ingredients complete with vitamins and minerals for a complete and balanced diet in every bowl, all made in the USA. Pet Wants has set a new standard in what you should expect in your pet food through their 140+ locations across the United States. To learn more about Pet Wants, visit https://www.petwants.com/ or follow Pet Wants on LinkedIn, @petwantsusa on Facebook, @petwants on Twitter and Instagram.