1851

For Manuel and Anna Pe&ntilde;a&mdash;and their daughter Amanda&mdash;feeding and watching the birds in the backyard of their Dripping Springs, Texas home has always been a family activity. It&rsquo;s a hobby they all share a passion for, and it&rsquo;s something that they&rsquo;ve been doing together for as long as they can remember. So, when the thought of turning that hobby into a career popped up, they decided to jump at the chance.

The idea first came to them after a conversation with one of their neighbors who had noticed that they had better luck than her when it came to attracting birds to their backyard. The neighbor asked them what their secret was. The answer was a simple one: <a href="https://franchise.wbu.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=building-the-family-business-with-the-help-and-support-of-wild-birds-unlimited-2704879" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wild Birds Unlimited</a>. That conversation was one that they had become used to&mdash;people were constantly asking the Pe&ntilde;as how they were able to bring birds to their yard. That&rsquo;s when Manuel decided to look into opening up their own store.

Manuel&rsquo;s suggestion came at just the right time. While Manuel had been retired from his job as an Austin police officer for years, his wife, Anna, was just retiring from her job as a pharmacist. &nbsp;Their daughter, Amanda, was also looking for something new to dive into that allowed her to capitalize on her experience in marketing and communications. Recognizing that they possessed complementary skill sets, the Pena&rsquo;s saw the value in pursuing Wild Birds Unlimited as a family business.

&ldquo;Everything just sort of fell into place. We all bring something to unique to the table, and we thought that it would turn into a great blend of skills if we opened up a store together,&rdquo; said Amanda. &ldquo;Plus, we knew from day one that the Dripping Springs community would be excited about Wild Birds Unlimited opening up a location here. We&rsquo;re a really close-knit community that&rsquo;s tied together by our passion for nature and the outdoors.&rdquo;

The Pe&ntilde;as expectations were right&mdash;Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s new Dripping Springs location has been experiencing success and growth since it first opened up in the middle of September 2017. That&rsquo;s partially due to the fact that they&rsquo;re able to divide and conquer responsibilities that play on their individual strengths&mdash;while Amanda handles all communications initiatives, Anna handles the back end of the business and Manuel functions as the resident bird and product expert. However, the Pe&ntilde;as also credit their initial success with Wild Birds Unlimited to the brand&rsquo;s strong support system and simple business model.

&ldquo;Given that this is the first franchise and retail store that I&rsquo;ve ever owned, I can&rsquo;t compare it to anything else. But what I can say is that I can&rsquo;t imagine working with a brand that&rsquo;s more supportive than Wild Birds Unlimited. They go above and beyond to support us, and they&rsquo;ve been as helpful as we could have ever wanted them to be,&rdquo; said Manuel. &ldquo;From their franchise support center to the products that the customers receive, everything about this brand is top of the line. And what&rsquo;s continued to impress me throughout the entire experience is the fact that every other franchisee I&rsquo;ve talked to shares a level of excitement and passion surrounding the brand. Everyone involved with Wild Birds Unlimited is helpful, encouraging and willing to do whatever they can to set you up for success.&rdquo;

The Pe&ntilde;as are far from the only franchisees benefiting from the competitive advantages that Wild Birds Unlimited brings to the table&mdash;from its affordable initial investment that range of$125,978 to $199,172 to its franchise support center staff and ownership community, the brand&rsquo;s business ownership opportunity is designed to position its franchisees for success. That&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;d encourage anyone else with a passion for nature and the outdoors to consider becoming a Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee.

&ldquo;Deciding to open up a Wild Birds Unlimited franchise has been one of the best decisions we&rsquo;ve ever made. It&rsquo;s been an overwhelmingly positive experience so far, and we&rsquo;ve gotten to meet so many great people who we otherwise never would have crossed paths with. Plus, the fact that we get to do this together as a family is so special. Our customers can tell that we&rsquo;re having a great time, which then makes their experience even better,&rdquo; said Anna. &ldquo;Our passion for bird feeding and bird and nature watching in general has brought us together as a family for so many years. We&rsquo;re so grateful for the opportunity that we now have as franchisees to help others enhance or discover that passion themselves.&rdquo;

Building the Family Business with the Help and Support of Wild Birds Unlimited

1851 Franchise

Manuel and Anna Peña have teamed up with their daughter Amanda Peña Bustillos to bring the Wild Birds Unlimited brand to Dripping Springs, Texas.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

building-the-family-business-with-the-help-and-support-of-wild-birds-unlimited

TruBlue Home Service Ally

TruBlue Featured in USA Today as Key Player in Helping Seniors Age Safely at Home

trublue-featured-in-usa-today-as-key-player-in-helping-seniors-age-safely-at-home

Right at Home

Right at Home Marks 30 Years With Continued Franchise Growth

Right at Home Marks 30 Years With Continued Franchise Growth, Tech Advancements, and Strong System Engagement in First Half of 2025

right-at-home-franchise-growth-2025

KidStrong Franchising, LLC

Unlocking Superpowers: How KidStrong Is Building the Next Generation of Confident Kids — and Thriving Franchise Owners

kidstrong-franchise-confident-kids

Image of a kid growing up, developing with kidstrong, high fiving and smiling. 

How KidStrong has Become the Franchise Disrupting Child Development by Partnering with Purpose-Driven Franchise Owners 

kidstrong-franchise-opportunity-child-development

Picture of kids for franchise business Kidstrong which focuses on child development and fitness

KidStrong Is Pediatrician-Recommended for Raising Confident, Capable Kids and Families Can't Get Enough

kidstrong-child-development-program

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Image of Donald Trump pointing with red stripes in the background

August 1 Tariff Deadline Is Said to Have ‘No Extensions’: What This Could Mean for Franchises

august-1-tariff-deadline-franchise-impact

What June’s Jobs Report Means for the Franchise Industry

what-junes-jobs-report-means-for-the-franchise-industry

Drone Delivery Takes Flight in QSR: The Future of Franchise Operations?

drone-delivery-takes-flight-in-qsr-the-future-of-franchise-operations

Chick-fil-A Tops Customer Satisfaction Rankings for 11th Year as Challenger Brands Gain Ground

chick-fil-a-tops-customer-satisfaction-rankings-for-11th-year-as-challenger-brands-gain-ground

Technomic Releases Annual Ranking of the Top 15 Fast-Food Chains in the U.S.

technomic-releases-annual-ranking-of-the-top-15-fast-food-chains-in-the-us

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise

How Vishal Juneja Turned a Family Tradition Into a Paris Baguette Franchise Built on Heart and Community

paris-baguette-franchise-rockaway-new-jersey-vishal-junjea

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Ricki Oberoi and Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

Multi-Unit Wendy’s Operator Signs 12-Unit Deal With Layne’s Chicken Fingers

ricki-oberoi-laynes-chicken-fingers-growth

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photos of Danielle Rosemond & Usman Khan & TruBlue logo

Family Members of Local Physicians Bring TruBlue Franchise to North Central Nassau, Long Island: A Health Care-Inspired Approach to Aging in Place

family-brings-trublue-franchise-to-north-central-nassau

How This Franchise Consultant Turned a Love for Dogs Into a Business with Dog Training Elite

How This Franchise Consultant Turned a Lifelong Love for Dogs Into a Growing Business with Dog Training Elite

how-this-franchise-consultant-turned-a-lifelong-love-for-dogs-into-a-growing-business-with-dog-training-elite

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How To Create a Strong Incentive

how-to-build-strong-incentives-to-attract-prospective-franchisees

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores - Agg - 1851 Franchise

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores

hooters-franchise-model-company-owned-closures

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Kelsey McManemin — Vice President of Marketing, HTeaO

top-25-franchise-marketing-leaders-kelsey-mcmanemin-vice-president-of-marketing-hteao

Building the Family Business with the Help and Support of Wild Birds Unlimited

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS