Have you thought about franchising your pet care business, but don’t know where to start?

Do you have awesome operational systems but lack the marketing systems required to scale your business to more locations?

Are you worried that scaling will simply put more stress on your staffing systems and pressure on your profit margins?

Then you are in luck, because in this week’s show I’m talking to Steven Parker, the visionary co-founder and co-CEO of K9 Resorts, a super successful luxury pet care franchise.

Steven walks us through his entire business journey, from setting up a small local pet care business with his brother Jason when they were aged just 14 and 12, to now running an award-winning ‘premium’ franchise with over 160 locations nationwide.

You’ll discover the ingredients that go into K9 Resorts’ secret success sauce, which includes a passion for pets, obsessing over all business details, and providing a premium experience for clients and their dogs.

Tune in to learn about;

Humble Origins: How Steven and Jason’s journey began by setting up a dog walking and pet sitting side hustle when they were just teenagers.

Franchise Philosophy: Steven offers invaluable advice on maintaining standards, empowering staff, and ensuring every element of service meets the ‘luxury’ tag.

Scaling Secrets: How franchising nationwide forced Steven and Jason to work on the business and not in the business, and how private equity accelerated their growth.

Premium and Proud: Why K9 Resorts have chosen to position themselves at the top of the luxury ladder, as the Ritz Carlton of pet care facilities.

Fishing in Smaller Ponds: The advantages of targeting a niche affluent market, who are willing to pay for unparalleled service and peace of mind.

Soldiers Not Generals: What attributes and attitudes K9 Resorts look for to find perfect franchisees for K9 Resorts.

The Future of Franchising: Find out what’s on the horizon for K9 Resorts and how they plan to continue their legacy of excellence.

Huge thanks to Steven for sharing his inspiring story!

Enjoying this podcast? Then please subscribe and leave us a review.

Huge thanks to this week’s show sponsor Pet Resort Hospitality Group. PRHG are building a family of the highest quality Pet Boarding & Daycare brands in North America. If you want to know what the future of your business could look like if you ever want to sell, then reach out to PRHG by going to petresorts.love

You can subscribe to the Pet Boarding and Daycare Magazine by going to PetBoardingandDaycare.com

Barkleigh’s next big pet boarding expo is Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo West, in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 20-22, 2024. 

Pet Boarding and Daycare West is an exciting national conference for professionals in the pet boarding and daycare industry. It features a two-day trade show showcasing the best products and companies in the industry, top industry speakers sharing their expertise, and an awesome line up of educational seminars. To register for this event, or inquire about a trade show booth go to Petboardingexpowest.com

To find out more about Dominic Hodgson and his pet business consulting services go to petbusinessmarketing.com

Find out more about this week’s amazing guests below; 

Check out K9 Resorts locations and services by going to K9Resorts

Find out more about franchising opportunities by going to K9Franchise

Episode Time Stamps

00.51 – Coming up in this week’s show… 
02.50 – How Pet Resort Hospitality Group can help you sell your business
07.44 – The affluent attractive marketing strategy
09.08 – Meet Steven Parker of K9 Resorts
09.32 – Steven and Jason’s Pet Business Origin Story
11.24 – The franchising lightbulb moment
13.54 – How Disney and Ritz Carlton inspired K9 Resorts
15.44 – How the Parker brothers found their franchise superpower
26.24 – Why K9 resorts embraced a premium model
27.48 – Why superior staff training is the key to success
34.00 – Why Steven and his team still attend industry events
38.00 – How you can be different and better
39.00 – Coming up on next weeks show, an interview with Jeremy Cohen of Boston Dog Lawyers…