Two decades ago, Heidi Ganahl was going on a trip and didn’t know what to do with her dogs. Little did she know that problem was going to lead her to become the founder of Camp Bow Wow, a business that receives 4.7 million annual dog visits across its 180 franchise units currently in operation.
Camp Bow Wow — A Franchise that Puts Dogs’ Needs First
At the time of her trip, Heidi didn’t feel like kennels provided the level of care and comfort she wanted for her pups, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
In 2000, Heidi opened the first Camp in Colorado. Emphasizing physical and mental health, socialization, and safety, Camp Bow Wow became an immediate success.
In 2003, Heidi realized it was time to expand and opened Camp Bow Wow for franchise opportunities.
The Future of Camp Bow Wow
Todd Haavind, Vice President of Franchise Sales, reports that last year, the company had record sales with 32 new units sold. “In the pipeline, we have another 60,” he adds. “We have 10 open corporate locations that we use for training. At our flagship store in Westminster, we do a lot of testing, we roll out new strategies and processes, and we even have boarding for our own employees at that location.”
And while Todd admits that some franchises had to temporarily close this past year due to COVID-19, they’re all up and running now! And most importantly, customers came back “the moment our doors opened again,” said Todd.
Camp Bow Wow may be celebrating 20 years of business, but our values have never wavered. As Todd puts it, “we’ve been doing it the longest, so we feel like our operations, our layout, and our design are second to none.”
Looking to Join the Camp Bow Wow Family?
When it comes to potential franchise owners, we’re always looking for people who have different strengths that will add to our model.
“We want to find someone with the capital, who’s also able to qualify for financing if they need it. It’s great if they have marketing or business experience, but they don’t have to have animal business experience,” said Todd.
“Through the interview process, we get a real good feel on who’s passionate about dogs. Most of our owners are in their second career. They’ve been in business, or they’re retired, or close to retirement, and this is really what they want to do. This is their passion. We definitely want a cultural fit; we’ve turned down folks that came in and said they wanted to buy ten units, out of the gate. They loved the economics, but they just weren’t ‘dog people.’ And that’s not what we’re looking for. And when they finally come to our Westminster Discovery Day, that’s when we really can find out if there’s a good fit.”
To receive your complimentary executive summary and learn more about franchise opportunities, fill out the form below or call us at (870) 600-2713. We’re looking forward to having you join the Camp Bow Wow family.