Empty Nesters Find Perfect Next Chapter with Pet Wants Franchise in Miamisburg, Ohio

Gene and Jody Grant, former corporate professionals, have found a new passion in franchising with Pet Wants, the pet health and wellness franchise, in the suburbs of Miamisburg, Ohio.

With their youngest child soon to leave the nest, Gene, with a background in the food, beverage and flavor industry, and Jody, who had left the corporate world to raise their five children, were now looking for a new venture they could embark on together. Their journey to Pet Wants began with a recommendation from friends. 

“We originally were thinking of just ordering the food for ourselves, but then it clicked, and we thought, ‘This could be the business we do together.’ We did our research and found it checked all the boxes,” said Gene. “We went with the franchise business model because with the economy and inflation the way it is today, to start a small business without support can be very challenging. I’ve seen it in my corporate experience. And not all franchises take the right approach. From the very beginning, I felt like Pet Wants really had a lot of things going in the right direction. We have not been disappointed.”

The Grants officially launched Pet Wants of Miamisburg-Franklin in May and are excited to continue participating in community events and building relationships with local pet owners. 

“We are booking events, getting to know the community and networking,” said Gene. “As of this past weekend, the mayor of Miamisburg’s pets are enjoying Pet Wants dog food! We’ve already made a lot of great connections, we’ve had a lot of fun and we are excited for the future.”

1851 Franchise spoke with the Grants to learn more about their story, their journey to franchising 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?

Gene Grant: I was in the corporate world for years and left my last organization in September of last year. I was looking for other opportunities, but I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit so wanted to go in that direction. My wife Jody and I started talking and we were thinking of what we could do together. I come from the food, beverage and flavor industry.

Jody Grant: We raised five children before this, and now that they are almost all out of the house, we wanted to downsize. Investing in our own business felt like the perfect progression. 

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?

Jody: At this point, why recreate the wheel? I really liked everything that Pet Wants was. It was a natural fit. This company was in line with everything we wanted.

Gene: From a support standpoint, we felt comfortable from the very beginning. We went with the franchise business model because with the economy and inflation the way it is today, to start a small business without support can be very challenging. I’ve seen it in my corporate experience. And not all franchises take the right approach. From the very beginning, I felt like Pet Wants really had a lot of things going in the right direction. We have not been disappointed.

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

Gene: Some friends of ours first recommended we check out Pet Wants — we have pets and have always been very passionate about them. We originally were thinking of just ordering the food for ourselves, but then it clicked, and we thought, “This could be the business we do together.”

We did our research and found it checked all the boxes. It really made sense from a business model standpoint, because better nutrition works for pets and people! It was also positive that it is based in Cincinnati where we are from. It would enable us to pour into our community, which is something we were always passionate about and looking for more of that at this point in our lives. 

The product — small batch, nutrition-dense food — really appealed to us as well. It's always fresh. Starting out mobile and moving to retail was also attractive. 

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

Gene: We launched on May 1st. We are looking at fall events, winter events, traditional and non-traditional events. We are booking events, getting to know the community and networking. As of this past weekend, the mayor of Miamisburg’s pets are enjoying Pet Wants dog food!  We’ve already made a lot of great connections, we’ve had a lot of fun and we are excited for the future.

Jody: This area has a great downtown vibe and we are excited to be part of that community and make Miamisburg an even better place for pet owners.

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

Gene: We don’t view this as a transaction business; it's a relationship business. Part of the challenge with the retail world and franchises in general is that consumers don’t want to build relationships and then find that their local store closes. So we want to focus on being there for our clients for a long, long time. We are here to stay and serve the community as their trusted resource for pet food and pet products.

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

Jody: You can do a lot more than you think you can. It's a lot — you come out of training and all of a sudden you have a business. It can feel kind of crazy at first. But now it all feels a lot more manageable. It might be really hard at first, but you can do more than you think you can.

Gene: You have to remember that you are a business owner — you are an entrepreneur; that is different from most roles. You have to make things happen for yourself, but that doesn’t mean you are completely alone. There is no department you can go to like in the corporate world, but you do have the support of the franchisor. Use the resources from the franchise. They have a lot more experience than you do. Stick to the model.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, visit: https://1851franchise.com/petwants.

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.