1851

Have you ever wondered what role passion should play in the success of your franchise? Do you really need to know what you&rsquo;re selling in order to find success in the first place? And, maybe more importantly: do you really need to&nbsp;love&nbsp;what you&rsquo;re selling?

Maybe not. People certainly sell things they don&rsquo;t believe in every day.

But, being able to answer yes to all of those questions has sure paid off for Paul Pickett. For more than a quarter-century, Pickett has been a large part of the heart and soul behind the rapid expansion of&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.wbu.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=top-players-in-franchise-development-paul-pickett-2703452" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wild Birds Unlimited</a>. Now serving as the brand&rsquo;s chief development officer, Pickett recently spoke with 1851 Franchise about how he got the opportunity to sell his passion through franchising. And&mdash;spoiler alert&mdash;it&rsquo;s not the route you might think.

How did you get your start in franchising?

I graduated with a Masters degree in Ornithology (the study of birds) in 1988, and I moved to Indianapolis for love. Well, it&nbsp;didn&rsquo;t last. I had a job working at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in the anatomy department, so I decided to stay in Indianapolis. Looking back, I have no idea why. The job was horrific. I worked for an endocrinologist dissecting rat brains all day. It was terrible. I hated it. But, I&nbsp;didn&rsquo;t know what else to do, and I needed a job.

Then, one weekend, I took a fortuitous trip to the Indianapolis Flower and Patio Show, where I ran into Jim and Nancy Carpenter, the founders of <a href="https://wildbirdsunlimited.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=top-players-in-franchise-development-paul-pickett-2703452" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wild Birds Unlimited</a>. They had a booth there, so I chatted them up, and asked if I could work in their Indy store on the weekends. They agreed to give me an interview a short time later. So, I came to the store for the interview. But, they were too busy with customers to speak with me right away, so I just offered to help, and actually ended up working there during what was supposed to be my interview. And, I sold $150 in bird seed and feeders to a customer!

The relationship has grown from there, and here I am 27 years later.

How has Wild Birds Unlimited expanded its market share through franchising, and what role have you had in that process?

When I signed on with Wild Birds Unlimited in 1989, Jim and Nancy wanted me to work on their franchise expansion. They had 29 units at that time, after opening their first store in 1981, and they had begun franchising in 1983. But, they were so focused on supporting the existing franchisees that they needed to hire someone to help with both support and development. So, that was my mission. And, I was able to help them sign on six new franchisees in just the first few months.

Over the years, the way we go to market has shifted completely. But, I&rsquo;m proud that the DNA of our company hasn&rsquo;t shifted a bit since day one. The retail concept has gotten so much more refined since then. We have so much more data to rely on. In some ways, our desired qualified franchisee has changed, as we are looking for franchise store owners who are not only passionate about the hobby of bird feeding but also passionate about owning a very successful business. We can develop exclusive products and create private label products now that we couldn&rsquo;t do before. As a smaller retailer, you can be a lot more nimble to trends in the industry, and that&rsquo;s a strength of ours. But, our core has stayed the same. We&rsquo;re selling joy. We&rsquo;re selling experience and knowledge. We connect people to nature, and we are 100% committed to supporting our franchisees.

What role does that new breed of desired, qualified franchisee play in providing that joy to Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s customers?

A huge role. We have some franchisees that have been with us from day one. Not every one of them comes to us with the exact same love of birds that I had from day one, but they do all share one trait: they love people. They love spreading joy, even if they&rsquo;re not bird lovers or bird hobbyists from the start. That&rsquo;s something that we&rsquo;re using to continue growing our system.

Passion is a critical part of franchising success. This isn&rsquo;t a retail business where you can succeed by being absentee or hands-off. So, we&rsquo;re focused on continued growth of the system from a unit level economics perspective and making the business as easy to operate and profitable as possible. That means filling our development pipeline with stronger franchisee prospects, and also taking advantage of more online and digital resources for bird lovers.

What&rsquo;s next for Wild Birds Unlimited&nbsp;and for you?&nbsp;&nbsp;

As CDO of the company, I have a responsibility to be a great leader. And, I take that very seriously. I know how lucky I am to be able to combine my true passion with business success. So, I don&rsquo;t foresee any significant changes in my role in Wild Birds Unlimited in the near future. If I have anything to say about it, I&rsquo;ll retire here. In the meantime, I&rsquo;m excited to watch my team grow and to help individual franchisees thrive.

We&rsquo;re just scratching the surface. Think of all of the communities where we don&rsquo;t have a presence. Think of the opportunities for expansion. That&rsquo;s what excites me. After 27 years of being on the receiving end of advice and mentoring, I&rsquo;m in a position where I can provide some wisdom back to other franchisors who are just starting to grow. That&rsquo;s really rewarding for me.

So, my goal for the future is clear: focus on the brand&rsquo;s growth and focus on the mission. Combine your values with your mission and you&rsquo;ll never waver from success.&nbsp;

Paul Pickett, Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise

Paul Pickett | Top Players in Franchise Development | 1851 Franchise

1851 Franchise

Wild Birds Unlimited’s Chief Development Officer, Paul Pickett, explains how he got the opportunity to sell his passion through franchising. 

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

Top Players in Franchise Development: Paul Pickett

top-players-in-franchise-development-paul-pickett

Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers - Midyear Press Release 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Comfort Keepers® Hits Mid-Year Stride With Strong Franchise Growth and Rising Demand for In-Home Care

comfort-keepers-franchise-midyear-momentum-2025

petbar

petbar - Garrett Dewan - Why I'm Investing - 1851 Franchise

Why Garrett Dewan Is Choosing To Reinvest in petbar

petbar-franchise-austin-garrett-dewan-multi-unit

Paris Baguette

NJBIZ: Paris Baguette Ramps Up Expansion With New Franchises, Facility and 2030 Growth Target

njbiz-paris-baguette-ramps-up-expansion-with-new-franchises-facility-and-2030-growth-target

Busy Bee Jumpers

Top 10 Reasons To Buy a Busy Bee Jumpers Franchise in 2025

top-10-reasons-to-buy-a-busy-bee-jumpers-franchise-in-2025

Home Halo

home-halo-former-athletes-frachisees-image

Why Former College Athletes Can Make Winning Home Halo Franchise Owners

former-college-athletes-home-halo-franchise

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

Wendy's CEO Kirk Tanner Steps Down - Breaking News - 1851 Franchise

Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner Steps Down Amid Challenges, Leaving Franchisees Facing Uncertainty

wendys-ceo-transition-kirk-tanner-franchisee-uncertainty

"Come in, We're OPEN" sign against abstract background

Small Business Optimism Dips, Raising Concerns for Franchise Owners

small-business-optimism-dips-raising-concerns-for-franchise-owners

Photo of Roof Scientist truck and trailer

Roof Scientist Expands Into Northern Indianapolis as Entrepreneur Dale Speckman Launches New Business in Fishers

roof-scientist-expands-into-northern-indianapolis

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

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

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

How Franchise Brands Can Prepare for the Rise of AI-Driven Advertising

how-franchise-brands-can-prepare-for-the-rise-of-ai-driven-advertising

Coffee & Analytics graphic with photo of Nick Powills

Franchise Growth Is Messy. Lead Gen Is Uncomfortable. Let’s Fix It.

franchise-lead-generation-insights

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

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

Kansas Couple Revitalizes Local Childcare With Children’s Lighthouse

From Corporate Careers to Community Roots: Kansas Couple Revitalizes Local Childcare With Children’s Lighthouse

kansas-couple-opens-childrens-lighthouse-gardner-olathe

From Prescriptions to Pastries: Kari Khandelwal Creates a Comforting Community Bakery 

From Prescriptions to Pastries: Kari Khandelwal Creates a Comforting Community Bakery in Overland Park, Kansas

paris-baguette-franchise-overland-park-khandelwal

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

Top Players in Franchise Development: Paul Pickett

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS