After 3 Decades in Corporate Management Roles, This Couple’s Career is Going to the Dog Daycare!

Kurt and Jen Fehrenbach are the newest Franchise Owners to invest in Hounds Town USA and bring top-quality doggy daycare services to New Orleans, LA! We’re proud to have Kurt and Jen on the team as the first doggy daycare Franchise Owners to launch a Hounds Town USA location in the city of New Orleans.

Kurt and Jen’s story is not so different from other Franchise Owners that decided to take the plunge and launch their own doggy daycare franchise location. Many Franchise Owners of Hounds Town USA locations originally started out with careers in the corporate world, with little in the way of entrepreneurship or animal-based care experience. The flexibility of owning a Franchise provides the kind of freedom that many career-switchers are looking for, regardless of their background and level of experience. This was the case for Kurt and Jen, who both worked project management and account management for over thirty years before making the switch to business owners once they realized that their respective industries did not have the kind of future security they needed.

“I spent thirty-seven years in the electronics industry,” Kurt told us in a recent interview, “I started as an electronics technician and worked my way up to a Project Manager, Supervisor, Service Manager, Operations Manager and landed as a Director of Electronic Security for a security company. Jennifer worked in her family’s warehouse business as an Account Manager and Customer Service Representative for thirty years.”

Looking for something different, Kurt and Jen began looking into starting their own business together. Franchising seemed the best possible course of action, as franchises tend to be easier and more lucrative to run with little business experience. Additionally, running a franchise involves little in the way of initial investments and overall risk. During their search, the pair learned about Hounds Town USA and were immediately interested in the business model and overall mission of the franchise.

“We were looking to start a business we could do together and while researching startups and franchises, we landed on Hounds Town,” Jen told us during the interview.

Kurt and Jen decided to explore more about Hounds Town USA as their potential franchise of choice for a number of reasons. The pair noted that they both share a passion for dogs and that they have always wanted to work together as a husband and wife team. Moreover, Kurt and Jen wanted an opportunity to work with pet adoption programs. Hounds Town USA also runs Hounds Town Charities, a nonprofit endeavor that focuses on rehabilitating and training abandoned or unwanted animals. The opportunity to work with Hounds Town USA provided access to the kind of charity work that Kurt and Jen were interested in.

Another reason that Kurt and Jen decided to work with Hounds Town USA comes down to the business model established by Founder Mike Gould. With a background that involved helping the New York City Police Department launch their first Canine Unit initiative, Mike has applied forty years of experience in canine management to Hounds Town USA’s proven business model. In addition to applied experience in working with dogs, Hounds Town also boasts a unique business model that focuses on simplicity.

“What we liked the best about the Hounds Town business model is the simplicity, says Kurt, “If the road map is followed, the opportunity to build a rapport with our clients [becomes a reality.] We found Mike and [Hounds Town CEO] Jackie [Bondanza] very engaging and informative, and they preach a very positive culture throughout the organization. They [also] don’t breed discriminate and pet grouping is much better.”

That, ultimately, is the mission of Hounds Town USA. We believe that focusing on supporting our Franchise Owners is the most dependable way to ensure their Franchise locations are as successful as possible. That’s why Hounds Town offers a Discovery Day to new and potential Franchise Owners. During one’s Discovery Day, future entrepreneurs can explore a Hounds Town facility and learn the ins and outs of running a doggie daycare in a hands-on way.

“We were able to ask many questions and enjoyed meeting with existing Franchise Owners,” said Jen.

The pair’s Discovery Day also opened their eyes to the financial and charitable opportunities that they were looking for. On discussing their “a-ha!” moment that led them to make the decision to join the Hounds Town USA family, the pair noted that their decision-making moment came from learning about “the financials, working with dogs, and the opportunity for charities” that Hounds Town offered.

Taking on entrepreneurship is no simple feat, but Kurt and Jen Fehrenbach decided to make the big shift from the corporate world for a number of reasons. Namely, the pair recognized that many corporate positions and enterprises are not as stable as one would think.

“After being through two previous acquisitions and downsizing, we believe we can control our future better [as entrepreneurs],” said Kurt.

It was certainly a good choice to go with Hounds Town, as our business model is heavily focused on providing new entrepreneurs and Franchise Owners with everything they need to pull in revenue from the start, as well as very low initial investment costs. When asked what the pair thinks will lead them to success as entrepreneurs, they noted that, “we both have excellent customer service skills and proven business acumen.” Even without business experience, Hounds Town Franchise Owners with almost any background can bring something to the table that will push them towards success. All it takes is a little help from the Hounds Town corporate team, who Kurt and Jen had nothing but good things to say about.

“The availability, support, and positive attitude are infectious,” said Jen.

When asked what the pair were looking forward to when it comes to owning their own Hounds Town USA franchise, Kurt and Jen said that they were excited about doing something that would lead to personal and professional success. Just as well, the pair noted that they wanted to do something that gave back to the community, which is why they wanted to do whatever they could to get involved with Hounds Town Charities.

Like many Hounds Town USA Franchise Owners, Kurt and Jen have personal experience in owning dogs. The pair have two dogs and a cat with diabetes, which they say, “are a constant in our lives and they make us better for it.” Outside of being Hounds Town USA entrepreneurs, Kurt and Jen have their own hobbies and spend much of their time with their family and dogs. Kurt enjoys playing music and is also a motorcycle enthusiast. Jennifer enjoys reading books.

We can’t wait to see the kind of success Kurt and Jen find in the doggie daycare industry!

Are you thinking about running your own franchise? Hounds Town USA is a doggy daycare franchise that focuses on the classic practice of letting dogs simply be dogs. Our franchise is not interested in forcing unnecessary bells and whistles on our customers. Rather, our goal is to help Franchise Owners build the kind of doggie daycare businesses that consumers can trust, thus enriching local communities for the better. If you want to learn more about how you can become a Hounds Town USA Franchise Owner, check out our website today for more information!

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