As you consider your franchising opportunities, you’re likely to wonder how franchise owners spend their days. Explore a day in the life of a franchise owner at Aussie Pet Mobile and begin to see yourself in their shoes!
How Franchise Owners Spend Their Days
One of the questions we hear most often from prospective franchisees is whether or not they’ll have to provide grooming services. The short answer is no. Aussie Pet Mobile franchise owners work onthe business, not in the business, not grooming. Instead, your day-to-day will involve logistics like managing schedules and grooming routes, hiring and managing groomers, customer relations, oversight of van maintenance, and other tasks that will likely be familiar to those who have prior leadership experience.
What’s It Like to Run a Franchise?
San Diego-based Aussie Pet Mobile franchise owner Andrew Alves notes that his day as a franchise owner starts early. He is available when the groomers start preparing their vans for service, often around 7:00 or 7:30 AM. The vans are filled with fresh water and charged for the day. In general, each groomer services five dogs and cats per day, with as many as nine if the schedule includes pets with shorter hair.
Once the groomers are on their way, Andrew connects with his dispatcher and heads to his day job, keeping his phone on him in case of emergencies. He’ll hear from the dispatchers when each shift ends, first at 2 PM and again at 6 PM. After he’s finished up at his day job, he spends evenings on optimization for his Aussie Pet Mobile franchise, looking for ways to improve and grow. Every few days, he visits the lot where the vans are parked while not in use to restock product and make sure the vans are in top condition.
Challenges to Be Prepared For
Owning a business isn’t always easy. Andrew notes that one of his bigger hurdles is finding a spot for the vans to park overnight. Since the lot needs hookups to accommodate the vans’ water tanks and electric batteries, it can be hard to find the right space. If you are in a higher cost of living area like San Diego, maintaining these spaces can be costly. It’s important to keep potential expenses like this in mind so that you can budget efficiently.
Beyond that, Andrew says that it can be difficult to find good groomers, but luckily, the Aussie Pet Mobile home office assists franchise owners with finding experienced groomers—and getting them AKA S.A.F.E. certified. The home office also provides the latest tools and technology to effectively book appointments, upgrade grooming services, and easily collect groomer reviews on behalf of the franchisee.
Dealing with Difficult Pets or Customers
While Aussie Pet Mobile franchisees find that working with pets and their families is especially fulfilling, the risk of running into difficult clients is the same as it is in any other customer-facing business. To be proactive about this challenge, Andrew is intentional about the groomers he hires. His team meets the highest standards, most have a minimum of 10 years of grooming experience and have all successfully worked with difficult pets. When a pet parent presents a challenge, Andrew works closely with his team to resolve any issues and takes care to embody this culture by showing a willingness to go the extra mile, including cleaning the vans for his groomers and making personal calls to upset clients.
Aussie Pet Mobile’s Franchise Support
With Aussie Pet Mobile, you’re never alone. Franchise owners like Andrew benefit from resources that help them optimize their business growth, including:
- Continuing education opportunities
- Business coaching and guidance
- Booking and CRM software
- Marketing campaigns to keep appointment books
- Monthly webinars and an annual owner’s Convention
- Groomer hiring assistance
These are just a few of the ways we support our franchise owners.
A Uniquely Rewarding Profession
Like Andrew, Coachella Valley-based Aussie Pet Mobile franchise owner Tony Carilo has found success with our mobile pet grooming franchise. Tony brings his passion for pets to work with him each day. In addition to the pride he takes in caring for and supporting the health of pets, he credits his career change with giving him the flexibility to live life according to his values and priorities. Tony says:
“I’m 10 years in now, and I can run the business from my phone, because I put a good structure in place and a good team in place. It allows me to be and do those things that I wish I would have done 20 years ago. That didn’t happen in the first two years. It didn’t happen in five years. But once you get to that point, you develop a freedom that totally makes things different and allows me to do those things I want to do, along with running the company.”
To learn more about Tony’s journey with Aussie Pet Mobile, check out his full interview on Home Franchise Concepts’ The Heart of Franchising podcast.
Start Your Next Adventure with Aussie Pet Mobile
Learn for yourself what a day in the life of a franchise owner can look like when you become a part of the Aussie Pet Mobile franchise system. Inquire now to get started, and one of our franchise advisors will be in touch to start your franchise journey.