How to Succeed as a Multi-Unit Franchisee: José Morillo, Camp Bow Wow

José Morillo, the multi-unit Camp Bow Wow franchise owner in Texas, worked as the CEO of several hospitals in Florida before embarking on his franchising journey. When he decided it was time to leave corporate America and open his own business, he discovered the Camp Bow Wow concept and quickly fell in love. In 2015, he opened his first location in Katy, followed by one in Kemah in 2018 and another in Cypress in 2020. 

For franchisees wanting to grow their portfolio like Morillo, he says there are a few things to keep in mind.

“By the mere virtue of being a franchise, you can count on the fact that you will have the same operations at all your facilities,” he said. “Still, the key is thinking of ways to take advantage of the fact that you now have a bigger, established network to streamline those operations. Can you use the same employees at multiple locations? Or could you maybe promote a previous employee for a new role? The idea is to save money from an expense standpoint, and not operate like each location is independently owned.” 

If a franchisor is looking for a multi-unit franchisee like Morillo, he says they need to treat the franchise concept as an investment opportunity, not as a job offer.

“Some people may want to be the owner-operator of their own location, but for somebody like me, I want to be able to bring in a manager and focus more on oversight,” he said. “Many multi-unit prospects are likely looking at the business as an investment, rather than looking for an opportunity to find another day-to-day job.”

Watch the full interview above, or click here to watch it on YouTube.