Larkin Combs was ever a difficult worker. During his puerility summers, while his friends went to the Jersey Shore, he worked connected his grandparents' workplace successful Georgia. "Ten hours a day, from erstwhile I was 7 until my teenage years," he says.
He yet spent 25 years arsenic a constabulary serviceman successful Union County, New Jersey. That's really he met Jason and Steven Parker, founders of K9 Resorts — a canine boarding and daycare franchise that was founded successful 2005, now has 40 units and 130 successful the works, and often runs community initiatives for illustration donating Kevlar vests to section constabulary departments.
When Combs retired successful 2019 and prepared to move to Apex, North Carolina, to beryllium adjacent his aged mother, the Parkers asked if he wanted to unfastened a franchise there. Combs said yes, and he turned his business into the brand's highest-grossing franchise location — pinch astir $3 cardinal successful gross successful 2024, and 2 much locations connected the way.
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So really did a erstwhile bull extremity up arsenic the apical franchisee of a pet attraction franchise? He followed these 3 strategies:
1. The subordinate stops pinch you.
Do immoderate it takes to succeed, because the work is connected you. "For 4 years straight, I didn't miss a day," Combs says. "And during COVID, I was answering the phone; I was moving astir pinch a sponge, cleaning. It was rough."
2. Go a measurement above.
As the aged saying goes: Treat group the measurement you want to beryllium treated. "But there's a measurement supra that — dainty them really they want to beryllium treated," Combs says. "Not each customer wants to beryllium treated the same. Recognizing that gives you a higher level of service."
3. Invest successful employees.
Having patience and empathy tin spell a agelong way, and trim turnover. For example, 1 of Combs' labor made immoderate mistakes, but Combs understood it was because of a mental health challenge. "I've worked pinch them for 3 years, and they're now a supervisor. They tin grow."
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Success extremity from the franchisor:
What's the concealed to Larkin Combs' success? According to K9 Resorts co-CEO Jason Parker, franchising requires "all-in" semipermanent dedication much than manufacture background. "Larkin reminds maine a batch of myself and my relative erstwhile we were starting out: For a bully 5 aliases six years, we worked 7 days a week," Parker says. "No customers could locomotion into our location and not spot america astatine the beforehand desk. And that's the aforesaid point pinch Larkin. He's committed, the customers cognize and for illustration him, and they cognize he's there."