Why This Pet Wants Franchisee Continues to Grow with the Brand

Pet Wants, the only national provider of pet food freshly delivered to customers, is quickly establishing itself as one of the most exciting franchise opportunities in the fast-growing pet food segment. With 47 new franchise locations sold last year alone, Pet Wants is catching the attention of business-savvy entrepreneurs and animal lovers looking to leverage a proven model and robust support infrastructure to achieve their dreams of business ownership. Trey Cahill, a Pet Wants franchisee in Cookeville, Tennessee, is one example of an owner who recently signed on with the brand.

Cahill’s career has always been in software development, and his wife Taylor worked at the Upper Cumberland Development District before becoming a stay-at-home mom. When they lived in Charlotte, Taylor worked for a dog training company, which is when she first learned about Pet Wants. The couple has a daughter, Harper, as well as two Goldendoodles — Memphis and Roan.

“We came to Cookeville in 2018, and we were looking for better treats and food for our dogs,” said Cahill. “We weren’t very happy about the options we had around that time. That is when we started looking into the Pet Wants franchise opportunity.”

Cahill reached out to the Pet Wants team and dug deeper into the business model. “It was the products that first brought us to the business — they’ve done a lot of work vetting the places to get good, natural, holistic products and quality dog biscuits — and we already knew there wasn’t much competition in our area,” he said. “It was clear the franchise offered a lot of support and would help you ramp up the business, whether it be creating the website, the sales system or social media. That is the beauty of a franchise.”

Pet Wants prides itself on pet food made with fresh, natural ingredients enhanced with vitamins and minerals and free of potentially harmful fillers, bad ingredient choices and animal byproducts that make other pet foods bad for four-legged friends. When it comes to the simplicity of the operations, Pet Wants exclusive premium fresh pet foods are manufactured in the brand’s U.S. facility and shipped in small batches directly to Pet Wants franchises. This means franchisees like Cahill can enjoy exclusivity when it comes to customer demand in the growing pet food industry. The Pet Wants marketing team also continues to find ways to increase brand recognition through national and regional advertising campaigns.

The Cahill couple officially opened their Pet Wants location at the start of 2022. “We are seeing growth already and a lot of excitement about the concept,” he said. “People around the area were really looking for something like this, and they are excited to have someone local to go to and talk about their pet food and nutritional information. Brand recognition is definitely growing.” 

But Cahill says the most rewarding part of the business so far has been the ability to be a resource in his community. “We can guide people to the best foods, show them how to help with certain issues,” he said. “Being able to answer those questions has always been a goal of ours, and it really makes you feel good to help someone take care of their pets. For example, we recently were able to direct someone to a shelter program to help them afford to feed their dogs. We are excited to continue offering that service to our community.”

Pet Wants franchisees have access to a training and development curriculum that provides the tools to become an expert in pet nutrition so they can offer more than just great products. The team’s expert knowledge will help franchisees establish credibility when they talk to prospective customers about their pets’ needs. 

Looking ahead, Cahill says he hopes to one day have a physical location and is currently focused on establishing Pet Wants as the go-to name for pet food in the Cookeville area.

Now, with plans to have over 200 units open by 2024 and a goal of signing 60 new locations in 2022, Pet Wants is seeking qualified, passionate franchisees like Cahill in markets across the U.S., starting with Texas, Florida, Utah, California and the Pacific Northwest.

“This is an opportunity that is primed to succeed anywhere we take it,” said vice president of operations, Paul Kamm. “That has been proven time and again with each new franchise launch, and moreover, by the demand we are seeing in markets where we haven’t even set up shop yet. The model has been perfected. Now, it’s just a matter of finding talented partners who share our passion for pet health to introduce Pet Wants to their communities.”

The total investment estimate to begin operations on a new Pet Wants franchise ranges from $42,500 to $202,000 including a $42,500 franchise fee that can be earned back through the brand’s Winner’s Circle program. For more information, visit: https://petwantsfranchise.com/