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Pet Planet

 Q & A with Pet Planet
Co-Founder and CEO Laura Leah English

More than 13 years ago, Laura Leah English and her mother, Joan Bauer, opened the doors of Pet Planet with a vision to be more than just a store selling pet food and toys – their mission was to promote and provide support for the overall health and wellness of domestic pets and their integration into the human world. Inspired by their own experiences and challenges with Reuben, the family Cocker Spaniel, the idea for Pet Planet came through their stark realization regarding how little support and resources were available to people as they make everyday decisions about the health and well-being of their pets. Spurred on by the overwhelming number of pets who are surrendered daily to Humane Societies or left as unwanted strays, this passionate mother-daughter team continued to build their business and eventually moved into franchising as a means of further growth.

Today Pet Planet consists of 27 franchise locations in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. MOMpreneur^® recently had the privilege of asking Co-Founder and CEO Laura Leah English about her franchising experiences with Pet Planet…

Q:  Why did you decide to franchise your initial shop, rather than owning each new store?

My mother and I started the company in 1996 with one store in Calgary. We spent the next ten years building the business corporately to 12 locations in Calgary and Edmonton, including our Resort and Day Spa in Calgary. It was in 2006 when we decided to use a franchise model as our primary growth strategy.

Franchising is one of the more successful ways of growing a business. Pet Planet’s success relies on a strong brand, a clear mission and a proven operating system. It also requires people to execute the system and core programs at store level every day. Franchisees have a vested interest in making a store successful and are more apt to adhere to the system and build customer loyalty by employing the very programs that make us successful. Franchisees with an uncompromising passion for our mission and concept will strengthen the system and allow for strong and sustained growth. While we have very good corporate staff, franchise operators typically perform better because they are vested, passionate and will work extremely hard to succeed.

Q:  Which operations does Pet Planet own?

As of February 1, Pet Planet corporately owns three retail stores plus the Pet Planet Resort and Day Spa. This has changed over the past couple of years as we have converted eight corporate stores to franchised locations.

Q:  How many franchised operations would you like?

We have no specific number in mind, but we do have targets and will manage our growth to ensure success. We ultimately want as many stores and Resorts as it takes to really be Canada’s voice for domestic animal health and welfare.  Our mandate is to educate on the issues that really matter, and we can only accomplish this with a strong brand and a profitable, growing business that can reach people right in their communities. For 2010, we are planning to add ten franchises across Canada.

Q:  Are you planning to expand into the U.S.?

U.S. expansion is an opportunity and will be investigated thoroughly when the time is right.

Q:  What’s the best thing about being a franchisor?

Meeting good people who want to make a difference for domestic pets while building a business for themselves and their families…then watching them succeed! I appreciate those franchisees who carry a positive attitude and outlook and who are really commited to contributing effectively to the original mission of the company. Also, seeing our corporate team succeed and push through the challenges that come with being a part of a rapidly growing business is rewarding. 

Q:  What’s the worst thing about being a franchisor?

A couple of things. First, realizing that not everyone has the same positive attitude, business experience, work ethic and goals. We have a good selection process and have been fortunate that our franchisees are generally positive people who are truly doing this for the right reason, so that hasn’t been a big issue for us. However, you think that all people have good intentions and then are sometimes disappointed.

Second is the financial and time investment required to establish a successful franchise system, which includes an enhanced support infrastructure and communication systems.

Q:  What convinced you that you could successfully franchise your business?

There wasn’t any one thing. We knew we had developed something that was highly suitable for franchising. We had also spent many years developing a head office leadership team who were committed to our business and mission. We wanted to see all of our hard work, passion and investment become something bigger – and more national – than we felt a corporate structure could provide. 

Q:  What advice would you give to Mompreneurs who are considering becoming franchisees?

I believe the most important thing is to find something that you are passionate about. Being a franchise operator is the same as starting any business – long hours, stress, competing priorities between work and family. Franchising provides a strong operating system, greater buying power and an established brand that mitigates the risk involved in start-up businesses; however, you will still work long hours and you will be tired, so finding something that you love is a necessity and will get you through the challenging times. You need to be able to go home at the end of a long day and feel like you made a difference. You also need tremendous support from your family.

Q:  What advice would you give to Mompreneurs who are considering franchising their business? 

Franching your business is a big step and it is necessary to be entirely prepared. You need to have an uncompromising operating system, a leadership team ready for the challenges and you MUST be well capitalized.

It is also important to be absolutely convicted about your business identity, your success criteria, your operating system and your brand. People will inevitably challenge you and to be successful you cannot compromise on your standards. You must be prepared to enforce the rules of operating and you must have a system that will do that – otherwise people will go off in other directions, which can seriously damage your brand and your business. Operating manuals, policies and procedures, franchise documents, communication systems and key personnel to support your franchise system all need to be in place long before your first few franchisees are in place. Many franchisor’s make the mistake of franchising their business prematurely, before they have had the experience of being successful; having enough time under your belt to have worked through all operational issues is essential. And hold on for an interesting ride because operating a franchise company is far different than operating corporately!

Q:  What are your sales compared to industry averages for this category?

Pet Planet sales are considerably higher than industry averages. Our stores are specifically designed to be community-centred, to have lower overheads and to support strong volumes.

Q:  What organizations do you belong to professionally?

Between work and family, I am not able to commit additional time to other initiatives. I am involved in other businesses including having founded the Kali’s Wish Cancer Foundation. I fight with competing priorities with all of those obligations and often feel like I cannot give to these organizations the level of commitment I expect, so expanding my involvement is not right for me at this time.

Q:  What organizations do you belong to personally?

Having a 2 ½ year old boy, a husband and a wonderful Golden Retriever – that  is where I spend my personal time.

Q:  You started this company with your Mother. What has that been like?

My mother is my business partner and my friend. She is an intelligent woman who has taught me the value of tenacity and hard work. We have the same vision for the direction of the company, and her support and partnership through the past 13 ½ years has often kept me going. Start-up businesses are hard. Pushing through the tough times requires commitment and positive attitudes. I can’t imagine trying to do this without her.

Q:  How do you balance your business and your family – particularly children?

My husband and I were blessed with a baby boy just 2 ½ years ago. I am an older mother, and having spent many years establishing my career and our business, felt quite prepared for his arrival in our lives. There are some days that business just has to take a back seat to the priorities of my family. I love what I do and continue to have lofty aspirations for Pet Planet. We have developed a team of people who are the best in the business, which has allowed us to continue to grow, evolve our franchise concept and to be an above-average franchisor. This team contributes to my ability to balance business and family. Of course, we were also so fortunate to have found a wonderful nanny who makes it easy for us to continue to pursue professional goals knowing our son is being loved and cared for during the hours we are at work.

Q:  What do you do to stay fit?

Mostly, I try to run a few times a week. We also walk and I have great intentions with other initiatives but find lately that running, plus keeping up with my son and dog, keeps me busy.

Q:  Will your son take over your business?      

That will be entirely up to him. We want him to be healthy and happy and we hope that the example we set for him will establish the foundation for him to be able to do what he loves. Our only expectation will be that whatever he chooses to do, he commits himself to it 100% and is always honest, respectful and true to himself, his family and his friends.

Q:  What advice could you give to Mompreneurs in terms  of balancing business and family?

Be prepared and plan. Determine your priorities. Find good people, respect them, give them direction and responsibility, and treat them well. Give your children the time and attention they deserve to become confident adults with a healthy respect for hard work. And when your family needs you, drop everything and make it happen. At the end of the day, nothing matters more than those you love.

For more information about Pet Planet and franchising opportunities, visit
www.petplanet.ca.

Pull Quotes:

Franchisees with an uncompromising passion for our mission and concept will strengthen the system and allow for strong and sustained growth.

It is important to be absolutely convicted about your business identity, your success criteria, your operating system, and your brand. People will inevitably challenge you and to be successful you cannot compromise on your standards.

Laura Leah’s ‘Must Read’ Picks for Mompreneurs 

Pour Your Heart Into It –
How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz 

Good to Great – Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t 
by Jim Collins

E-Myth by Michael Gerber 
(check out The Bookshelf
on p. 19 for another Michael Gerber pick!)

Favourite Quotes

 “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the past…we cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”  
— Charles Swindoll

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” — Gandhi

Photocaption:

Co-Founders Laura Leah English and her mother Joan Bauer opened the first Pet Planet in Calgary in 1996. Today, there are 27 Pet Planet locations.

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