After humble beginnings in 1993 as a small van based dog washing operation in Perth, Western Australia, it became obvious that there was a pent up demand for a quality, professional service. By the end of 1993, the business had outgrown the founders and the contractors they had to employ. The decision was made to franchise the business.
With the help of a franchise development company, the business grew to 16 operators in the first year. Stunned by the success, the growth had to be slowed down while the system was bedded in and more advertising programs were quickly put in place.
By August 2001, DoggyWash had grown to 37 operators. 1997 saw the establishment of the first two interstate franchisees. These operators were based in Melbourne and Townsville and with their outstanding success have proved to the owners that the system was transportable anywhere in Australia. Victoria, NSW and Queensland now have several franchisees with SA now represented too and the demand for more is insatiable. NSW now has a Master Franchisee. Our focus now is recruiting more Regional Master Franchisees to assist with the rapid growth.
Real Opportunities abound for genuine dog lovers. In particular, there are still some exciting Master Franchisee opportunities available in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.
Success principles
The success of DoggyWash is largely based on the friendly, professional image it portrays.
From the very early days of hydro bathing (the first hydro bath operation in Australia was based in Cairns in 1988) the industry suffered from an image problem. Many people saw it as an opportunity to throw a bath on the back of a ute and “slip over a few dogs” to earn a few extra bucks. There were no regulations or controls.
DoggyWash set out to change all that. The first change was the implementation of professional looking vehicles. A graphic artist was employed to develop a memorable logo and a sign-writer developed the eye-catching vehicle graphics. Uniforms and professional stationary was provided.
Advertisements were placed in the Yellow Pages and on TV and radio. The company blossomed. The old habit of using the same water for more than one dog was abandoned and chemical based "sheep dip" type rinses were replaced with environmentally friendly natural and synthetic rinses.
To this day, Flea-Stoppers DoggyWash continues to work hard to help clean up the industry. It has commenced the implementation of a code of practice with the RSPCA. From here, it is simply a matter of education for customers to realise that there is a difference.
DoggyWash inspires pride and is flourishing. The business Franchise system is constantly being updated, providing first class support to our Franchisees. We are a team and our Franchisees have input into the direction of the business. We are working together to keep Flea-Stoppers DoggyWash at the cutting edge of the pet care industry.
4-Oct-2006