Skip to content

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

COVID & PET CARE

This past year was hard in so many ways! One bright spot was the pet industry. Since people had more time at home, many people opted to adopt a new pet. In fact, a record number of adoptions occurred in 2020. Now, in 2021, as those pet parents return to work in an office, and start traveling again, they are looking for pet care services. Our franchisees are experiencing tremendous growth, and service requests from new customers are happening daily. The pet industry has been uniquely insulated from the devastating effects of the pandemic that many other businesses suffered.

Our network definitely experienced a temporary down-turn in the need for pet care services during 2020. As the franchisor, we worked hard to support our franchisees by implementing a number of initiatives:

  • We kept our franchisees current  on the coronavirus spread and government actions, especially as they affected the pet industry and our services;
  • We developed informational content, guidelines and speaking points for franchisees to use in communicating with their customers;
  • We provided social media content for franchisees to post that explained how Snaggle Foot was responding to the coronavirus;
  • We developed a recommended pet care protocol for all Pet Care Specialists;
  • We sourced and provided free of charge special equipment including hand sanitizer, branded masks, Biothane® and slip leashes, and more;
  • We developed and provided a COVID-specific screening process for franchisees to implement with their staff;
  • We provided photo ID cards and “right to travel” certificates to ensure the ability of our Pet Care Specialists to travel during lockdown;
  • We suspended all royalty payments for a period of time;
  • We provided PPP loan details, applied for and received SBA approval for expedited financial assistance for our franchisees, and provided assistance in finding lending partners.

We worked hard to support our franchisees in any way we could. And the result is our entire network not only survived the pandemic, but is now prepared to thrive.

Well, yes and no.

Yes, because all our franchises survived the pandemic and are now ready to take advantage of all the goodness as our country emerges from this past year of WFH. Pet care remained an “essential” business in all states during COVID.

And no, because no business is truly pandemic-proof. Our franchisees certainly felt the effects of the coronavirus. But with the support of the Corporate Home Office and fellow franchisees, each one is still here today, and growing. The pet industry, in general, is considered recession-proof. We would say Snaggle Foot is pandemic-resistant.

Of course! After any significant event, the management team takes the time to analyze and break down what worked or went well, and what could have been done better. In this way, we learn and improve what we do and how we do it. This past year taught us many things – some we didn’t really want to know! But it has left us feeling stronger and more united than ever before. Are there things we would have done differently? Yes, but they are minor. Our strategy of supporting our franchisees, and doing the hard work of helping them stay in the game, is one we will do again and again and again. We love what we do. And we want our network to succeed. That is unchanged.

FINANCIAL

This is one of the first questions we receive. However, since there are so many variables that factor into answering this, we can’t answer this for you. One of the most significant variables when calculating “time to cash flow positive” is debt service. Some franchisees open with no debt, while others may take out loans. We encourage you to speak with our existing franchisees to learn more about their experience.

Our network varies widely in the total annual gross revenue they take in. Once you sign our FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document), we will share a range of financial information with you to give you a realistic sense of what you can expect. For now, just know that this is a viable, profitable business when you adhere to our Snaggle Foot® Way of doing business.

In addition to the franchise fee, there are other costs you’ll need to plan for. We’ve detailed these on the Investment page.

Snaggle Foot® royalties are an industry low of 5%. This fee covers a number of critical services. Please see the Investment page for details.

NET WORTH CALCULATOR

If you need help determining your net worth, use the calculator below to get a rough estimate. We do not save this information.

TERRITORY

After years of providing pet care services, we have identified one of the key factors of success to be population density, rather than size of territory. Therefore, once the FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document) is signed, we’ll work with you to identify the exact zip codes your territory will encompass. And we’ll run our proprietary market analysis, using a matrix of information including population density, to ensure you have plenty of room for growth.

Yes. We love multi-location franchisees! Owning more than one territory is a key factor in success. It’s a strategic move to block competitors, and it helps in gaining awareness for your business, leading to more business and growth.

Yes! We will never have more than one franchise cover a particular zip code. While we may have multiple franchisees in a market – provided it can support more than one franchise – you will have the exclusive rights to a particular group of zip codes.

You are also able to purchase additional territories or zip codes to expand your franchise.

We have never done that. If we have a territory available, the current franchisee is always invited acquire it before we solicit others.

MISCELLANEOUS

No. Although 100% of our franchisees do own pets, it is not required. However, we do require that you are capable of caring for pets the Snaggle Foot® Way, and we will provide the training you need to gain the skills and knowledge necessary.

You’ll receive the same training through Snaggle Foot Academy that your Pet Care Specialists will receive. And we want you to have some hands-on experience in caring for pets so you understand the process, challenges and rewards. This will better equip you to manage your staff. While each franchise owner is different, ideally you’ll spend most of your time managing, and less of your time actually in the field.

We’re so glad you asked! Snaggle Foot is quite different than any other pet care provider. We have a strong system, all Pet Care Specialists are background checked, drug tested, and trained in the Snaggle Foot Way. Each Snaggle Foot is owned and operated locally by a franchisee who is engaged in their local community. We provide the most professional pet care service in the country. In addition to all this, Snaggle Foot is privately owned, and 100% of our locations are franchisee-owned (that’s good for you – 100% of our resources benefit our franchisees!).

It typically takes 60 – 120 days to open a Snaggle Foot business. Each franchise is different; however, and you might need more, or less, time than this. We can get our franchisees up and running more quickly than other franchise concepts simply because we don’t require real estate or a heavy investment in machinery or equipment.

The short answer is yes. But. Remember you are the driver of this business. Your success will be a direct reflection of the time you devote to it. If your full-time job has flexibility, it’s possible to do both, at least initially. If you don’t have flexibility with your current job, this might not be the right fit for you.

STAFFING

Follow our recruiting guidelines for the best success. The recruitment section of our consumer website is one of the main tools you have for posting job openings. This section of the site details different categories of jobs, outlines job descriptions, and describes a career path. We’ll work with you to determine the best mix of employees and independent contractors.