Hounds Town USA is Growing and Growing and Growing!

Hounds Town USA continues to be one of the best and fastest-growing franchise brands out there. It’s just more territories, new locations, and new owners, which seems to be month after month. And this year, 2022, might have been our biggest and best yet.

This year we welcomed 24 new dog daycare franchise owners to our growing family, and we’re going to get to know five of them a little later, but we digress.

We also had the distinct honor of opening our 100th location in Dallas, Texas, and added a whole lot of hardware to the mantle piece. Here are just a few of the awards we added to our doggy daycare franchise portfolio:

But enough about us, let’s learn about some of our wonderful new Hounds Town USA dog daycare franchise owners!

Chris LaBianco & Caitlin Jackson – Volusia County, Florida

New Hounds Town USA Franchise Owners Chris LaBianco and Caitlin Jackson will open their all-new doggy daycare location in Volusia County, Florida, later this year. We look forward to seeing how they can take on the pet care franchise world!

Like many Hounds Town USA Franchise Owners, this pair comes from very different professional backgrounds. The two met while working at a large engineering company. Chris was a mechanical engineer, and Caitlin was working in the creative writing field.

Chris LaBianco and Caitlin Jackson - Hounds Town USA Franchise Owners

When Chris graduated with his degree and became a field engineer, he worked at various power plants around the globe for over twelve years. Similarly, Caitlin worked in the technical writing field for several years while pursuing her passion for creative writing. She went on to publish several different poetry collections.

Their Path to Hounds Town USA

So, how in the world does a field engineer and a poetry author decide to invest in a doggy daycare franchise?

“I had been interested in owning my  own business for a long time, and one day when I was looking into franchise opportunities, I found Hounds Town,” said Chris in a recent interview. “Caitlin has always been passionate about dogs, so I knew it would appeal to her too.”

Outside of their shared hobbies of sailing, fishing, and swimming, the pair adored their pet dog, Loki. The couple are major dog lovers– so when an opportunity to enter the business world and work with dogs came up, it was an easy and intuitive decision to get involved.

For Caitlin, pet care came naturally. “I worked at a dog resort way back when I was in college,” said Caitlin, “And it was by far my favorite job I’ve ever had. I barely dared to dream I would one day have my own doggie daycare.”

Chris loves dogs just as much but was also drawn to the franchise’s more practical aspects. He realized it would be a sound business to invest in.”

Even though this is an industry with a lot of competition because of the amount of dog daycare and pet grooming businesses, our franchise’s unique business model is what gave them confidence.

“[Hounds Town USA’s policy of] no breed restrictions is something we’re both very passionate about, that drew us in right away,” said Chris, “Caitlin loves that the focus of the business is on the dogs and making them happy, I like the ‘no frills approach that keeps business overhead expenses minimal. We both loved that the initial financial investment was affordable compared to similar franchises.”

A Paw-fect Match

It was just the low financial investment fee and a near flawless franchise business model that drew these two to invest. It was also our unique team of corporate professionals, including Founder Mike Gould and CEO Jackie Bondanza.

“We loved how approachable everyone was!” said Caitlin, “But really, we loved how comfortable they seemed to be with each other and how happy they were to be a part of Hounds Town. Everyone seemed so excited about the business! The fact that everyone we met was genuinely proud and passionate about what they do really sold us on the franchise. I liked seeing the dogs [during our Approval Day] and how happy and calm they all seemed. Chris liked that he had plenty of time to think and ask any questions he had. We both enjoyed meeting everyone in person or via video!”

Taking Their Career Off Leash

Trading a traditional corporate gig for something they could make their own was a no-brainer.

“We both met and worked in a big corporation for a large chunk of our lives,” said Chris, “Sitting in a gray cube does not suit us! We wanted to own our own business and generate income doing something we are both passionate about and believe will positively contribute to our local community.”

Welcome to the Hounds Town USA Family!

So what do Caitlin and Chris think of the experience thus far?

“It really feels like a family who puts the animals first,” said Caitlin, “While making money is always a priority for businesses, it feels like Hounds Town also prioritizes their people and their clients in a way that feels very special and entirely different from the corporate culture we are used to. The best part of the experience with the corporate team was being able to talk to and develop real relationships with members of the Hounds Town Pet Franchise team. Even when we were still exploring the idea of starting a franchise, everyone was welcoming and eager to help us with whatever we needed.”

We can’t wait to see how Chris and Caitlin take their Daytona Beach-area doggy daycare franchise location to the next level!

Franchise Industry Insiders Take the Leap

Join us in a tail-wagging welcome to our newest additions to the Hounds Town USA family, Craig, and Tina Taylor! The Taylors plan on opening their Hounds Town dog daycare franchise location in St. Louis, Missouri, later this year. Like many of our Franchise Owners, the couple is em-BARK-ing on their Hounds Town journey without any previous experience in the pet industry; however, their unique expertise in the franchise industry is what led them to us in the first place!

As a franchise consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a leading resource for entrepreneurs looking to invest in the right franchise business opportunity, Craig Taylor has worked extensively with our franchise development partners at Raintree for the past couple of years and became interested in a few of the Denver-based franchise growth agency’s pet-centric partner brands before finding their PAW-fect match with Hounds Town USA.

Hounds Town University - Hounds Town USA Franchise

“Ultimately, we felt Hounds Town was the best fit for my wife and I [sic],” said Craig during a recent interview. “We relocated to St. Louis because my original area was taken.”

The Taylors made a massive commitment to Hounds Town USA, and we’re not talking about the financial commitment. But uprooting their family to start a business in a new town isn’t something a lot of people are prepared to do. They were.

Building a New Future for Their Family

With diverse backgrounds in engineering, manufacturing, law, and marketing under their belts, the Taylors have been working as franchise consultants for about two years with Business Alliance, Inc. Helping entrepreneurs connect with their ideal franchise business opportunities each day led them to see the potential of investing in a proven franchise concept themselves. Particularly in the surging pet care industry. But what was it about Hounds Town USA dog daycare that made this couple decide to make the leap from franchise consultants to franchise investors?

“We wanted an investment in the pet care industry,” said Tina during our interview, “Hounds Town USA has a simple business model with great potential. From what we’ve seen, it’s a great company to be part of with great support.”

Offering top-notch support is a significant focus of the Hounds Town doggy daycare franchise. Many similar franchise concepts in the pet care industry don’t provide as much startup support for Franchise Owners. At Hounds Town USA, our corporate team is dedicated to helping our Franchise Owners every step – from in-depth training and pre-launch planning to ongoing technical and business support. We believe that taking a hands-on approach to Franchise Owner training ensures that our partners successfully launch their businesses and stay stable throughout the first several years. Our team also understands that many of our potential dog daycare Franchise Owners are individuals who are making career changes and may not have a lot in the way of business experience. Luckily, the Hounds Town corporate team is always there to help. However, this was one reason why the Taylors opted to work with Hounds Town.

“Hounds Town USA was affordable with a strong potential return on investment (ROI), a simple business model, and had great corporate support,” said Craig. “We looked at another franchise in the pet care sector called Pet Supplies Plus before we found Hounds Town. We loved it, but it was too expensive. Hounds Town USA doesn’t have inventory and requires half the number of employees.”

Proof of a Solid Pet Care Concept

So what was the turning point during the Discovery Process that made Craig and Tina want to commit to the dog daycare franchise opportunity fully? According to the Taylors, it was when Hounds Town USA Development Director Rob Taylor (no relation) purchased his own three-pack of Denver, Colorado, franchise territories – making for solid validation for the franchise brand.

“Rob is a saint!” Tina gushed, “He’s awesome! Excellent to work with, communicates well, supportive, helpful, responsive, and patient. I mean, we relocated for Hounds Town USA, and Rob understood this.”

When we asked the Taylors what they hoped the future would hold for them as business owners, they noted that just getting the doggie daycare franchise in St. Louis open was their primary focus.

“We can’t wait to have the lifestyle that goes with it,” said Craig.

If you’re ready to leave the 9-to-5 grind behind for a meaningful career doing something that truly belongs to you, PAW-portunity is knocking! Visit our franchise website to learn more.