Top Franchise Development Executives of 2024: Paul Pickett, Chief Development Officer, Wild Birds Unlimited

Paul Pickett, chief development officer and executive vice president of franchising for Wild Birds Unlimited*, did not intend to go into the franchise industry. After earning a master’s degree in ornithology, Pickett found himself at a trade show of sorts where he met Nancy and Jim Carpenter, the founders of the brand. 

Though he got into the franchise business accidentally, Pickett has spent the past three decades dedicating his efforts to the development of the unique brand that caters to backyard bird enthusiasts through steady, healthy growth.

1851 Franchise spoke with Pickett to learn more about his story, as well as to learn about some common mistakes he sees franchisors making in today’s industry.

A transcript of Pickett’s interview with 1851 has been provided below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity and style.

1851: Tell us about your brand.

Paul Pickett: Wild Birds Unlimited has been around since 1981, and we started franchising in 1983. We are the largest and only retail franchise that caters to backyard bird enthusiasts. We currently have 365 stores across the U.S. and Canada.

1851: How did you get into franchising? 

Pickett: I got into franchising 35 years ago. My background is in ornithology — I even have a master’s degree in it. I moved to Indianapolis and randomly met the founders of Wild Birds Unlimited, Jim and Nancy Carpenter, at a flower and patio show. We hit it off, and two weeks later, I started working on the franchise side of the business. At that time, they had 29 stores and needed help to support and grow the system, so I joined the team. Now, we’ve grown to 365 stores plus more on their way to being open, and we have 52 people at the Franchise Support Center supporting all those stores.

1851: When you started, were you in a development role?

Pickett: When I started, I did a little bit of everything because we were such a small team — handling operations, marketing, awarding franchises, real estate and more. Shortly after joining, Jim and Nancy went on vacation, and I ended up bringing in five or six new potential franchisees. Over time, as the company grew, I leaned more toward development. Now, I serve as the chief development officer and executive vice president of franchise development, overseeing both development and operational support, including legal and real estate.

1851: Are there any keys to consistent franchise growth? 

Pickett: Ensuring that the operational support team provides more than what the development team promises is essential. Validation and Item 19 are critical. If you're awarding franchises to the wrong people or growing faster than your team can support, it can hurt long-term growth. We use tools like Franchise Business Review to track satisfaction and ensure we meet franchisees' needs consistently, which helps us rank highly in franchisee satisfaction.

1851: What are the biggest hurdles to successful franchise growth right now? 

Pickett: The obvious hurdles are interest rates and financial challenges. It’s important to ensure franchisees aren’t over-leveraged. For us, another challenge is white space — we’ve already penetrated many markets, but we still have room for growth. We focus on helping existing franchisees expand into multiple units. Other short-term hurdles include election years, which can slow decisions, but I’ve been through enough cycles to know that you need to stay focused on long-term success.

1851: Are there any common mistakes you see franchisors making when trying to grow? 

Pickett: One mistake is awarding multi-unit deals without ensuring the franchisee is a strong operator. We don’t award multiple units until we’re confident that the franchisee is running their first store well. We aim to keep the number of awarded but not open stores low. Right now, we have 13 or 14 sold-but-not-opened stores, and we work to get them opened as quickly as possible.

1851: What is your number one goal at the moment?

Pickett: Our goal is to continue expanding and dominating the backyard bird-feeding industry. When people think of bird feeding, we want them to think of Wild Birds Unlimited, known for our quality experience, products and education.

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