Starting a business comes with a long list of questions. How do you attract your first customers? Which products should you carry? How do you market locally? What happens when it is time to open a storefront? And who do you turn to when something isn't working?

Pet Wants franchisees don't have to answer those questions entirely on their own. The pet food and wellness franchise has built a comprehensive support system designed to guide franchisees from the moment they sign their franchise agreement through their mobile launch, retail development and ongoing growth. With ongoing training, one-on-one coaching, marketing resources, technology, and a network of fellow owners, Pet Wants provides a framework franchisees can follow as they build a locally rooted business.

“New owners start their journey, once the agreement is signed, at the onboarding process,” said Jessica Riedy, vice president of operations at Pet Wants. “They work one-on-one with an onboarding coach, going through all the steps to ensure their business is set up properly.”

Support Starts Before the First Sale

Pet Wants' support system begins with onboarding and education. New owners receive eight hours of virtual training specifically focused on nutrition and pet food before attending a full week of training at Pet Wants headquarters. There, franchisees receive hands-on instruction covering the different areas they will need to understand as operators, including merchandising, sales, marketing and mobile events.

“Then they come to Pet Wants HQ for our training week — a full week, onsite, during which they are immersed in the training they need to succeed,” Riedy said. “All of our coaches and some of our vendor partners are on hand to help them get started.”

That training matters because Pet Wants does not require franchisees to enter the system with previous pet industry experience. Owners can instead learn the brand's products, nutritional philosophy, systems and operating model as they prepare to launch.

For franchisee Kariann Harker, who came to Pet Wants after working in health care administration, that established infrastructure was a major reason she and her husband chose franchising in the first place.

“We were looking at another franchise after deciding that that was the way to go — one because of the support and two because we didn’t want to start from scratch,” Harker said. “But we found Pet Wants and it really checked all the boxes.”

A Mobile Launch Creates a Training Ground for New Owners

One of the most important components of the Pet Wants model is that franchisees can begin building their business before opening a traditional retail location.

Following training, new owners are expected to launch their mobile operation and begin attending local farmers' markets, pet events and community gatherings. “Our new franchisees are expected to launch a month after training,” Riedy said. “We focus on our owners setting up their mobile store at 10 events a month — local farmers' markets, pet events and other community-centered events. They begin building a customer base well before opening their brick-and-mortar location.”

That approach gives owners a practical environment in which to apply what they learned during training.

Franchisee Pam Brascetta, who operates Pet Wants in New Jersey, said the mobile stage helped her learn nuances that are difficult to understand until an owner is actually interacting with customers.

“You’re doing a lot of mobile retail events, and you’re learning every single day,” Brascetta said. “You have to figure out what events are worth it, how you want to present yourself and where your time is best spent. You’re constantly making judgment calls.”

Importantly, owners still have the Pet Wants system behind them as they make those decisions. “I loved that I could communicate and ask questions when I needed to,” Brascetta said. “The quality, the branding, the passion of the Brand Team at Pet Wants HQ and the high standards really stood out to me.”

One-on-One Coaching Continues After Training

Pet Wants' franchise support does not end once an owner leaves headquarters. Franchisees receive ongoing communication, check-ins and monthly training while working individually with a franchise business coach. Owners can also lean on the brand's marketing and operations teams as new questions arise.

“There is ongoing communication, check-ins, and monthly training,” Riedy said. “They work closely with a franchise business coach on a one-on-one basis. In addition to the support from their franchise business coach, franchisees have the support of our top-tier marketing and operations team, who are ready to help franchisees as they navigate every aspect of their business.”

That continued education can become especially valuable in pet nutrition, where franchisees are not simply ringing up products. They are often having conversations with pet parents about nutrition, sensitivities, preferences and overall wellness.

“The Pet Wants Brand Team enables you to learn as much as you want,” Brascetta said. “You gain so much knowledge, and that helps you feel confident when you’re helping pet parents find solutions.”

Pet Wants Helps Owners Make the Move Into Retail

As owners build their mobile businesses, another part of the Pet Wants support system comes into play: retail development. “We have a dedicated retail manager who walks them through that process — helping them find the right space, the buildout, fixtures, ordering inventory, merchandising, etc.,” Riedy said. “And once they open their store, they can continue attending events to get their name out in the community.”

That creates continuity between the mobile and brick-and-mortar stages. The storefront does not replace the local relationships owners have been building. Instead, it gives them another way to serve the customer base they have already begun developing.

Harker experienced that advantage while building her Colorado Springs business and working toward a physical location. “Starting mobile allows us to really build our clientele, and we aren’t just sitting and waiting around while the storefront is being found,” she said.

Technology and Marketing Tools Support the Day-to-Day Business

Behind the customer-facing side of the operation, Pet Wants also provides franchisees with technology designed to help manage and market the business. “Each location gets access to their own dedicated e-commerce website,” Riedy said. “This is in addition to email and SMS marketing tools, as well as their point-of-sale system, which has handheld devices for the events.”

These resources give franchisees multiple ways to maintain customer relationships beyond an individual transaction. Owners can communicate with customers, market special offers and support e-commerce while continuing to build the face-to-face relationships that are central to the Pet Wants model.

Franchisees Have a Network Beyond the Corporate Team

The Pet Wants support system also extends beyond formal training and corporate resources.

Because franchisees are operating in their own local markets, owners can exchange ideas and experiences with other franchisees without necessarily viewing one another as direct competitors. For Harker, those relationships have become another valuable resource while navigating business ownership for the first time.

“I can’t say enough about the support we’ve gotten from the Pet Wants team, and the other franchisees as well,” she said. “We are always in touch with other franchisees — we aren’t in competition.”

That franchisee network can offer another perspective when owners face challenges others in the system may have already faced.

A System Designed to Support Owners as They Grow

Pet Wants' support infrastructure does not eliminate the work required to own a business. Franchisees still need to build local relationships, attend events, learn their customers, manage inventory, develop a team and execute the model.

The franchise system provides a framework for doing that work.

From onboarding coaches and training to business coaching, marketing, technology, retail development and fellow franchisees, owners have resources available at different stages of the journey. That allows someone without previous pet industry experience to enter the business with an established model and continue developing their skills as the operation grows.

“Our goal is to help franchisees hit the ground running and stay on a growth trajectory,” Riedy said. “With the right tools and consistent support, they’re able to do just that.”

For prospective owners, that combination of independence and support is ultimately one of the fundamental benefits of choosing a franchise instead of starting a pet business entirely from scratch.

Ready to build a business rooted in purpose, passion and pet health and wellness? Visit https://1851franchise.com/petwants to learn more about franchising with Pet Wants.