January 2022

How to Open a Pet Franchise: A Business Investment You’d Be Barking Mad Not to Make

Animals bring such joy to our lives that it’s no wonder we think of them not as pets, but as family members. Pet wellness is at the heart of the Pet Evolution philosophy, It informs everything we do, including how to open a pet franchise.

We wanted to create a retail and service experience for pet owners where they could learn everything they can about how to give their pets a good life. That means every franchise is staffed by animal lovers with the training necessary to help pet owners choose the healthiest foods and most engaging toys for their pets. Our customers bring their pet care concerns to us, and we love helping them find solutions that can improve the quality of their pets’ lives.

What are the Steps on How to Open a Pet Franchise?

With pet wellness at the heart of our business model, we have carefully vetted every product we offer at Pet Evolution. We want only the best for our customers and their pets, and that begins with only offering the healthiest choices in pet food, enriching toys, and top-notch certified grooming services.

But we don’t stop there. We teach our franchise owners how to open a pet franchise that can have everything they need to give their customers’ pets their healthiest life.

Step 1. Training

We begin with a 5-day training course at our headquarters in Woodbury, MN. This includes instruction in the classroom and on-site at our Pet Evolution flagship location.

Our franchise owners learn all about the foods and products we sell and what makes them unique. We give our owners an in-depth look at scientifically-backed pet product information so they have the foundational knowledge necessary to help customers with almost any pet nutrition question.

Building a brand pet owners can trust is based on honesty, integrity, humor, and friendship. Our customers have learned they can rely on our extensive pet product research to find solutions to their pet conundrums.

We teach our teams how to get to the heart of customers’ needs to provide the best information they can. The trust that builds with our customer base is invaluable. Learn More

Step 2. Location Selection

When our owners are learning how to open a dog franchise, the store site they select can be very important. We help our franchise owners as they select a site that fits with our ideal location specifications. We have a unique floor plan that requires a smaller footprint. This is purposeful so we can maintain an intimate shopping experience for Pet Evolution customers.

The smaller footprint can still provide sufficient space for our selected vendors’ products, but it helps to keep the costs low for the pet franchise owners.

When a customer asks a question about a specific product, our highly-trained staff can walk them to the appropriate aisle quickly. Learn more!. This interaction opens the door for more interaction between our customers and staff. It’s how we make sure our customers feel welcome and heard.

Step 3. On-Site Assistance

During the onboarding process, we continue to help our franchise owners learn how to open a pet franchise on-site before their big grand opening. This can foster a relationship between our development team and franchise owners and help to build familiarity with the store and its products.

At Pet Evolution, we work to teach our franchise owners everything they need to run their business, rather than trying to run their business for them.

Onsite assistance is a chance for dog franchise owners and their staff to gain hands-on experience with the products in their Pet Evolution location. We also use this time to introduce our best-of-breed technology tools that pet supplies franchise owners can use for inventory tracking, POS systems, accounting, scheduling, payroll, and security.

Step 4. Marketing

Part of our look at how to open a pet franchise includes understanding the Pet Evolution marketing strategies. We’ve developed tried-and-tested marketing processes that help get the word out about our dog franchise opportunities, our stores, our products, and our services. We also assist our franchise owners in identifying methods of becoming actively involved with their local communities and the pet families who live there.

Bringing value to the community is more than a marketing ploy. It can build relationships and help foster trust with customers. When guests see how much our owners love animals, it can build a connection with our store and those who work there.

Step 5. Continued Support Beyond Opening Day

We don’t just support our pet supplies franchise owners with details on how to open a pet franchise. We maintain communication and provide assistance with day-to-day operations beyond the grand opening, to help answer any questions and give each location the opportunity to grow.

Pet Evolution also provides our confidential operations manual to help our franchise owners with any questions that may come up during the normal course of business.

During our periodic support visits, we keep franchise owners and their staff up-to-date on the latest product and safety information. It’s how we continue to evolve in the pet wellness market, so our customers know they have the latest information for their pets’ well-being.

Now I Know How to Open a Pet Franchise, How Much Does a Pet Franchise for Sale Cost?

As with any business venture, it’s good to know how much the initial investment will be in order to get started.

A Pet Evolution franchise begins with a $49,000 franchise fee. The total initial investment, including the franchise fee, for a single unit, ranges from $424,500 to $598,550. This typically provides enough capital to bring the store to life and into the daily operations that will sustain it for the future.

After your Pet Evolution dog store franchise is fully operating, there is a 7% royalty fee on total gross sales as well as a $500/month technology fee. These fees help fund Pet Evolution’s continued development of supply and product channels, training programs, and system upgrades. We also require each location to spend a minimum of 3% of gross sales on local marketing strategies.

Our franchise structure is how we know we’re keeping pet wellness at the forefront of our philosophy.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how to open a pet franchise with Pet Evolution, contact us today.