As pet parents become more engaged with their animals' health and wellness, the industry serving them is becoming more specialized, too. For entrepreneurs entering the pet space, that creates both an opportunity and a challenge. Trying to serve every type of pet owner with every possible product can make it difficult for a new business to establish what it actually does differently.

At Pet Wants, the answer is specialization.

“We don’t try to be all things to all pet customers,” said Kevin Dugan, vice president of marketing. “We only cater to cats and dogs, for starters, and we focus on pet wellness. You aren’t going to find anything in our stores that isn’t focused on pet wellness.”

That focus gives Pet Wants franchisees a defined niche in a massive industry. Rather than attempting to compete with big-box retailers on sheer selection, owners can build businesses around nutrition, wellness, education and personal relationships with the pet parents in their communities.