1851

Armed with experience in both the retail and health care industries, Lisa McGill might have been a stranger to the franchise industry, but she certainly understood the secret to successful business development.

So when she was asked to join the&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.wbu.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=for-wild-birds-unlimiteds-lisa-mcgill-success-starts-with-building-relationships-11364" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">Wild Birds Unlimited</a>&nbsp;team as the Manager of Franchise Development, her first question to Paul Pickett, the brand&rsquo;s Chief Development Officer, was this: &ldquo;Why hire someone with no franchise experience?&rdquo;

Pickett&rsquo;s answer would eventually chart the course for McGill&rsquo;s career with&nbsp;<a href="http://wildbirdsunlimited.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=for-wild-birds-unlimiteds-lisa-mcgill-success-starts-with-building-relationships-11364" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wild Birds Unlimited</a>.

&ldquo;Paul told me that he hired me for my talent and vision. He said, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t want to have to break all of the bad habits that I&rsquo;ve seen in franchise development professionals.&rsquo; That ultimately allowed me to think outside the box,&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;From the very beginning, he encouraged me to come up with more efficient ways to accomplish our franchise development needs, and oftentimes, that meant challenging industry standards and offering up new ideas.&rdquo;

During the 12 months after her hire, McGill absorbed as much information as possible about the franchise industry. Fortunately, she had the support of a tenured team to help her along the way. But it was ultimately Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s endearing culture that made the career transition a seamless one.

&ldquo;The learning curve was certainly steep. But I found that Wild Birds Unlimited matched my personal value system perfectly. This is a brand that&rsquo;s all about fostering relationships and promoting communication that is filled with integrity and transparency,&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;The brand has an overall belief that goodness should always be paid forward, and that we should all care for others. That helped me to fall in love with both the brand, and the franchise industry.&rdquo;

In the years ahead, McGill made it her goal to bring those values into the brand&rsquo;s franchise development process. She got started by first analyzing what prospective franchisees look for when assessing the right brand to invest in. And she should know&mdash;before coming to Wild Birds Unlimited, McGill first looked into becoming a franchisee herself.

&ldquo;When I joined Wild Birds Unlimited, my vision was built off the things that I looked for in a franchise. As a potential franchisee, I wanted full transparency. I wanted to know if existing franchisees were happy. And I wanted to know that a business I was evaluating had the potential to be a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship,&rdquo; McGill added. &ldquo;It is my goal to make sure that kind of information reaches every single prospect that comes to Wild Birds Unlimited. I believe I understand how candidates want to be treated. I keep my own experiences that in mind when working with Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s franchise development process.&rdquo;

That&rsquo;s where McGill&rsquo;s keen attention to relationships came into play. &nbsp;Through fostering meaningful, one-on-one relationships with candidates, existing franchisees and Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s corporate team, the brand&rsquo;s founding mission to enhance lives is plays out beautifully. And so far, it&rsquo;s clear McGill&rsquo;s dedication is paying off in a big way. Following the brand&rsquo;s best year in franchise development in over a decade, Wild Birds Unlimited kicked off 2017 with 14 new franchise agreements already in the works in the first quarter. In the years ahead, McGill&rsquo;s goal is to continue her focus on fostering relationships to fuel strategic growth with happy, committed franchisees.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&ldquo;I think Wild Birds Unlimited is unique in the passion and joy that both our owners and their customers experience on a daily basis. We really care that our franchisees are happy, and we work hard to develop processes and systems that support their continued satisfaction,&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;People want to be happy, simply put. And we want them to experience that with Wild Birds Unlimited. That&rsquo;s the real secret to longevity.&rdquo;

Lisa McGill | Building Success Through Relationships | 1851 Franchise

1851 Franchise

How Lisa McGill, Wild Birds Unlimited’s Manager of Franchise Development, fosters relationships with incoming candidates to drive growth in a meaningful way. 

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

For Wild Birds Unlimited’s Lisa McGill, Success Starts with Building Relationships

for-wild-birds-unlimiteds-lisa-mcgill-success-starts-with-building-relationships

The Growth Coach

Top 5 Reasons To Invest in The Growth Coach Franchise

top-5-reasons-to-invest-in-the-growth-coach-franchise

Caring Transitions

Planning Today for Peace Tomorrow: Caring Transitions on the Importance of Estate Planning

planning-today-for-peace-tomorrow-caring-transitions-on-the-importance-of-estate-planning

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen

Onigilly Franchise - Target Market - San Diego - 1851 Franchise

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen Franchise Sets Sights on San Diego Expansion

onigilly-franchise-san-diego-restaurant-expansion

ServiceMaster Restore

Liberty Restoration Group Renews Proud Partnership with Lindenwood University Athletics

liberty-restoration-group-renews-proud-partnership-with-lindenwood-university-athletics

Crust Pizza Co.

Crust Pizza Co. Provides Multiple Streams of Revenue in the Pizza Industry

crust-pizza-franchise-revenue-streams

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

Nearly 40% of Americans Are Eating Out Less as High Prices Redefine Dining Habits

nearly-40-of-americans-are-eating-out-less-as-high-prices-redefine-dining-habits

Authority Brands Enters Q4 with Record Momentum

Authority Brands Enters Q4 with Record Momentum, Surpassing 200 New Franchise Owners in the First 10 Months of 2025

authority-brands-enters-q4-with-record-momentum-surpassing-200-new-franchise-owners-in-the-first-10-months-of-2025

Franchises, work-life balance, millennials in franchising, millennials work-life balance

The Best Franchises for Millennials Wanting Work-Life Balance

best-franchises-millennials-work-life-balance

Photo of Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza franchisee Lily Wilford

Entrepreneur: This 18-Year-Old Saves Babysitting Money for College — Then Decided to Buy a Business Instead

18-year-old-franchise-owner-lily-wilford

Amazon outage, AWS outage, Amazon AWS logo

The Day the Cloud Stalled: How Amazon's Outage Impacted Franchise Economy

amazon-aws-outage-franchise-impact-travel-dining-failure

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image  of Happinest franchise collection and all their brands that work together. 

The Happinest Advantage: A Marketing Partner Invested in Your Bottom Line

happinest-franchise-marketing-strategy

Coffee & analytics image with photo of Nick Powills

Athletes And Franchising: Why the Connection Runs Deep

athletes-in-franchising

The Shift From Founder to Franchisor: Building a Team, Culture and System That Scale

the-shift-from-founder-to-franchisor-building-a-team-culture-and-system-that-scale

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

image of michael panos and michel panos, owners of mellow mushroom in Atlanta

The Panos Family’s Role in Preserving Mellow Mushroom’s Character — and Expanding in Atlanta

mellow-mushroom-franchise-panos-restaurant-group-metro-atlanta

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

Graphic with arm, holding graduation cap, coming out of stack of books

top-tutoring-test-prep-franchises

For Wild Birds Unlimited’s Lisa McGill, Success Starts with Building Relationships

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS