Introducing Our New COO, Industry Veteran Rob Flanagan!
The newest addition to the Hounds Town USA family is here, but he isn’t a Franchise Owner opening a new location– He’s Rob Flanagan, our new Chief Operating Officer at Hounds Town USA!
Rob has quite a bit of experience in the franchising world. He’s gained several decades of experience helping new brands become massive global franchises through his development of positive relationships between Franchise Owners and the brands themselves. At Hounds Town USA, this is something we take very seriously.
The Hounds Town Pet Franchise Difference
Far too many franchises today, particularly in the pet industry, don’t invest enough time and care into helping their new Franchise Owners get a leg up on the competition and launch successfully. We believe this is extremely important, especially for new business owners that have never experienced entrepreneurship before. When our Franchise Owners are successful, everyone at Hounds Town is successful.
Rob’s Road to Hounds Town
“I’ve been in franchising for twenty years, mostly working with emerging, founder-led franchise brands,” said Rob in a recent interview with 1851 Franchise about his new position at Hounds Town USA. “I worked with Jackie Bondanza [the current CEO of Hounds Town USA] for a few years as a consultant, helping answer questions and providing general guidance. The Hounds Town USA brand is growing incredibly fast, so Jackie reached out to me about coming on board, and the rest is history.”
It’s history indeed, but Rob’s journey with Hounds Town is just beginning. We believe that Rob’s relationship with Jackie, as well as Hounds Town USA Founder Mike Gould, has made the biggest difference in his projected success with the company. With a solid knowledge of the Founders’ mission for the franchise and plenty of experience working with the corporate team and Franchise Owners alike, Rob placed himself in a unique position in which he was able to resonate with Hounds Town’s culture. With his franchise experience as well, Rob was clearly the ideal choice for COO, and now he has the opportunity to help Franchise Owners with their support needs.
“My relationship with the founder is a huge asset,” said Rob, “Not only do I better understand what their vision is, but I also understand how that vision fits within the growing franchise business. For a founder, franchising is a growth strategy. Identifying what the core characteristics of a brand are is essential because although many things will evolve, the heart of a business should never change. So, the fact that I have that background experience with Hounds Town means I can better protect that and continue to grow the brand effectively.”
A Recipe for Doggie Daycare Franchise Success
In the interview, Rob went on to note that he is particularly excited about working with the core unit economics of the Hounds Town USA brand, as he believes the foundation is particularly strong.
“To be partnered with a brand that has this foundation in place is really exciting for me,” said Rob, “It frees me up to focus on other things like improving our systems, generating and maintaining relationships with franchisees, and increasing profitability.”
Far too often with new and emerging franchise brands, corporate teams are tasked with building systems from scratch. Hounds Town USA doesn’t need any additional “fixing”– the franchise itself already has very solid marketing and operations systems in place with great success.
Nothing is ever completely butterflies and sunshine, and Rob took the time to note some challenges he expected to face– though none of those challenges were specific to the Hounds Town brand. Specifically, there are many challenges that span the entire economy and pet sectors, such as issues with real estate, post-pandemic supply chains, and construction timelines that are currently creating obstacles for many franchises– not just Hounds Town.
“We’re already making adjustments to get around these things such as approaching real estate brokers and construction firms to expedite processes as much as possible,” Rob noted, “It’s an executive’s job to read the tea leaves, so I need to anticipate these challenges early and clear the path for Hounds Town to tackle them effectively.”
The Sky’s the Limit!
Challenges notwithstanding, Rob believes “the sky’s the limit” when it comes to becoming a successful Hounds Town Franchise Owner.
“Hounds Town has a much stronger return on investment than our competitors, which gives us a tremendous advantage when it comes to franchise development,” said Rob, optimistically, “There are a lot of factors we’ll be watching over the next 12 months, such as changes to the supply chain and an overall increase in demand in daycare needs, that will help raise the average check and help franchisees increase their ROI even more.”
Rob is not only a franchise industry veteran, but he’s also an expert in the pet care industry. Having someone with Rob’s level of experience on the Hounds Town USA corporate team will directly benefit our many Franchise Owners by offering his expert insights and helping to direct them in a way that increases their chances of success in their market. We’re excited to see what Rob will bring to the table as Hounds Town USA’s new COO!
At Hounds Town USA, our mission has always been to provide dog grooming and doggie daycare franchise services to local communities that are focused on letting dogs be dogs. At Hounds Town USA, we don’t see a need for tons of unnecessary frills and add-ons. We believe this simple business model is what makes Hounds Town so successful. If you’re interested in what Hounds Town USA is capable of providing, we want to extend an opportunity to become part of the family! Our Franchise Owners enjoy tons of corporate team support and minimal initial investments. Get in touch with our team to learn more about what starting your own business with Hounds Town USA could be like!