Speaker 1  00:04

Dean, welcome to the latest edition of the heart of franchising, where we take you behind the brand to bring you the people, stories and heart behind franchise success. This podcast is brought to you by home franchise concepts, one of the largest home services, franchise systems, which inspires franchise owners to achieve financial independence while transforming lives, homes and the communities they serve. I'm Marcy kleinsasser, your podcast host today's guest is a former client relations and marketing manager with more than 10 years of experience in relationship management, client engagement, event planning, public relations, advertising and marketing for global corporations. She opened her business in 2018 combining her background in sales, marketing, financial services and artificial intelligence with her shared love for animals at home, her family is kept on her on their toes, rather by Evie. She'll correct me if I mispronounce that their mischievous sheep, a doodle who always finds a way to get messy, and luckily, a grooming van is never far away. Originally from New Jersey, they moved to North Carolina in 1996 for a job opportunity, settling in Davidson in 2002 with their two children. When not working, you can find her camping, hiking or enjoying the whitewater Center's dog park with Evie, please join me in welcoming Julia Krauss, owner of Aussie pet mobile in North Carolina, North Charlotte rather Lake Norman, please join me in welcoming Julia Krause, owner of Aussie pet mobile of North Charlotte Lake Norman. Great to see you, Julia.

 

Speaker 2  01:38

Thank you. Thanks for having me Awesome. Well, tell us

 

Speaker 1  01:41

a little bit about your journey, Julie, as I shared in the opening of finding Aussie Pat mobile as a franchise opportunity. And what was that moment, that instance, that encouraged you to choose this franchise

 

Speaker 2  01:55

Sure thing. So I was working in the financial services field, supporting four advisors and helping them with their marketing and advertising. And while the job was great, the hours very predictable, great benefits, three weeks vacation, I was feeling unfulfilled and quite honestly, bored, and I really wanted to have a career where I felt well, satisfied and fulfilled, I guess so that prompted me to look for another job, and in The process, I partnered with a career coach, and we started to talk about the possibility of me starting a business. So then she introduced me to an entrepreneur coach that really worked with my husband, Paul and myself to just learn more about us, our family and what might work well within our dynamic. And she introduced me to about four or five franchises, and Ossie mobile immediately floated to the top of our list for a number of reasons. One, we're huge pet lovers. And then two, I like the idea of the repetitiveness that's required with grooming. So unlike humans that you know, maybe we can go six months without getting our hair cut. Pets really do need to be on a very tight four to six week schedule to really maintain their health and their coat. So that's what attracted me to this particular franchise, awesome.

 

Speaker 1  04:05

Okay, so she introduced you to pet, pet mobile and the recurring healthness, if you will. Of Yeah, health and wellness, I'd say wellness for for pets, but also talk to me a little bit about how that translates into the business opportunity, because certainly, as you said, pets are coming back to you, pet parents are coming back to your business. Julia, so talk to me about how you helped, how that helped you kind of build your business so you join Aussie pet mobile, but that recurring revenue piece, obviously was a big attraction. How has that helped you build your business with that recurring revenue opportunity?

 

Speaker 2  04:46

Absolutely, I believe that was a turning point in the business is encouraging clients to get on a recurring schedule. Almost like to call it a you. A kind of a wellness schedule, so that I've got an idea of what type of revenue is coming in monthly. I'm not having to really fight for those appointments. It makes life easier for our scheduling team and for our clients, for a number of reasons. For the clients, one huge benefit is they can schedule with their preferred groomer, and that makes grooming much more comfortable for the pet, the pet parent, and, of course, the groomer, because as the weeks and the months go by through the grooming schedule, they just build an incredible rapport. Pets are so much more comfortable when they are familiar with their groomer, and I'd say the same is very true for the pet parent. There's that just trust and and relationship that goes hand in hand with that recurring schedule. And then, you know, for our scheduling team, and I really call them an operations team, because they handle so much more than just scheduling appointments. It makes it much easier, because they've got these recurring appointments on the schedule, and they can really focus on taking care of these clients, getting to know these clients as well, and then taking the time that they save by having these recurring schedules already built out to talk with potential new clients and really share with them the benefits of mobile grooming and the benefits of having their grooming done by us, exactly.

 

Speaker 1  07:07

So you mentioned mobile grooming. Let's kind of take take it back to the point of beginning Aussie pet mobile. If someone has not heard of Aussie pet mobile and is not familiar with what that means, give us just kind of a brief snapshot. If you're meeting someone at a networking event, tell our listeners who is of Aussie pet mobile, and what is the benefit of this brand, and how have you evolved in your in your market, in North Charlotte, like Lake Norman and and I have a few more follow up questions on that, but let's start with that Ozzy pet mobile, terrific. What do you do?

 

07:43

So, believe it or not, when I first started the business in 2018 I did have a dog.

 

Speaker 2  07:53

I didn't even know that mobile grooming existed, and so I thought it was just a really brilliant idea. So when I explain what I do to friends and kind of people that I meet out there in the world, I really speak to the less stressful environment for their pet grooming because of the sounds and you know, being touched and having nails trimmed tends to be stressful, really, in any environment, but in a mobile grooming environment, I believe it's less stressful because it's one on one. The groomer is there with a pet, parents for a baby, and there's no other dogs barking in the distance. There are no other people walking around. It's quieter, more serene. I feel in my heart of hearts, that the pet knows that they are very close to home. It's comfortable for them because they're groomed straight through. They don't have to be at the salon all day, which is sometimes typical of a brick and mortar grooming salon. I also love to tell people I meet that it's so convenient. You know, with people working from home, a lot, it's great to have this one task on their to do list knocked out while they're still upstairs. You know, juggling meetings, knowing that their pet is right downstairs, getting that one on one attention. So definitely the convenience not having to deal with, you know, the traffic and the thought of maybe leaving their pet somewhere all day is very. Comforting for for our families,

 

Speaker 1  10:03

yes, well, thank you for sharing that. That's That's amazing. How many mobile pet grooming vans Do you now have Julia?

 

Speaker 2  10:12

So I have eight vans that's amazing, yes, and they each have their own personalities. What do you mean by that? Well, so of course, I've been in business since 2018 so Aussie pet mobile has done a great job evolving their van designs, right? So my first vans are very simple and basic. And I love them because they are simple and basic, and I can do a lot of the repairs myself. But as these vans evolve, they've worked on installing really fantastic lithium batteries and some things that make the salon more ergonomic for the groomers. So I'd say that each one has their own personality, because even my older bands can, you know, stand side by side with the new vans, and they work just as well.

 

Speaker 1  11:24

There you go. Well, as you said that, as the vans have evolved, tell me how your role as an owner since 2018 has evolved, as how you run the business, or how the business has evolved.

 

Speaker 2  11:39

Well, back to the days where I just had the one van, you know, I really have to say I did it all. You know, I scheduled i i did appointment reminders. There were things I would fix on the vans. I would take them to the mechanic. I even learned how to groom, which I think helps tremendously, because I know what my groomers encounter out on the road. I know got to know a lot of my clients and the territory, so I knew what the needs of the community were. But as the you know, the business grows, my time is not well spent, obviously, in the van. Now that the business is is bigger, I'm able to hire more support in the office, and that's why I call them my operations team. So I've got a fleet manager, I've got an office manager, I have two full time schedulers during the week, a weekend scheduler, and I guess my next evolution would be hiring an assistant manager that I can quote, unquote, groom to become a general manager. So that, you know, as my husband and I move to our next chapter, which some call retirement, I can't imagine us fully retiring, but you know, my my ultimate goal is to continue to have the business continue to participate in the business, but certainly not at the level I'm I'm doing now, to be able to put that trust in with a general manager. And then, of course, you know, use the income that comes out of the business as extra retirement income.

 

Speaker 1  13:52

Yeah, that's amazing. I love that. Well, thanks for sharing your team makeup, and I love that you said that you were grooming your next Assistant Manager your next absolutely no pun intended, so good segue into the groomers in your business, talk to our listeners, or anyone that may be considering an Aussie pet mobile about how you do motive, motive, bring on, reach, hire And then retain and motivate groomers. That part of your business, obviously, is kind of the lifeblood of this brand and certainly your business. How does that whole part of your business operate? And how do you keep that humming along in your business?

 

Speaker 2  14:35

Absolutely so. Again, when I first started the business, I thought that grooming was easy peasy, easy to learn, but very quickly come to the realization that grooming is a skilled trade, kind of like your I. De HVAC technicians and plumbers. It's most definitely not something you can walk off the street and do right? It typically takes a groomer, easily two years of hands on grooming to perfect their skills. That's not to say somebody with just a few months experience can't do a great job, but with any skilled trade or career, because this is a career, a profession, it's not any old job. You know, they really take pride in their work, and, you know, use their hands on experience to really hone their skills for sure. So groomers, you know, it is, I wouldn't say, difficult, but you have to go into your hiring knowing that you're bringing on a skilled professional, right? And those skilled professionals want a great work environment, and I think they know that I've been in the grooming van, I know what they experience out in the field, so I believe that does offer me a level of respect, not to say that if you don't have grooming experience, you wouldn't be able to build that respect, but I do have empathy for my team, and they do appreciate that, because I know that grooming can be, while very fulfilling as a career, it can be a physically demanding career, so the way I keep groomers motivated is like any professional out there, they're motivated by money, but they're also motivated by feeling fulfilled and satisfied. So that, again, kind of goes back to these recurring schedules because they fulfill. Feel fulfilled and satisfied because they're seeing their same clients regularly and building those relationships with their four and two legged clients. The recurring schedules make it easier for my operations team to streamline their schedules, meaning that they can groom more dogs and drive less, which, of course, drives their income. I also have a team of Van cleaners that greet the groomers at the end of their day, and that has been, I think a huge benefit for them, and a great way for me to retain is talent, because, of course, kind of being it out there and putting it in 10 hour day grooming, knowing that you don't have to clean your van at the end of the day is terrific, right? They really, really enjoy that.

 

Speaker 1  18:20

Yeah, that's awesome. I love that. Thanks for sharing. What are some of the support or tools that you take advantage of from the Aussie pet mobile team, Julia, that have had a really good impact or positive impact on your business?

 

Speaker 2  18:35

Well, I think, you know, Aussie pet mobile is partnered with the AKC and we, our groomers, have participated in the training that Aussie has organized through this partnership

 

Speaker 2  18:56

with Aussie pet mobile. You know, we meet as a Franchise Group monthly, and so I have, you know, gotten on to the same schedule, and I meet with my team monthly. We do it in the evening with the zoom, and always start with an icebreaker and then have a 45 minute to 60 minute meeting to really keep them up to speed on what's happening, not only with our particular franchise, but with the franchise community nationwide, and with all the different inroads that Aussie pet mobile is doing with the brand. So I think that's important to not only keep them up to date on what's happening, kind of like with their franchise, but also know that they're part of this bigger group that knows that this business is important. They're investing in the business. Is they see the jobs that groomers do as really the foundation of of this particular home service business.

 

Speaker 3  20:12

Yeah, that's great. I love that. And tell me some of the

 

Speaker 1  20:18

indicators in your business or KPIs that you watch on a regular basis that so that you know that you have a healthy business. What's important to you there in terms of business metrics?

 

Speaker 2  20:30

Yes, so we keep an eye on their their daily revenue, and that's something that the groomers keep an eye on, my operations team keeps an eye on. And of course I do because, you know, it's a group, group effort. You know, this business is, you know, I I liken it to a three legged stool, and that's why we have to have the groomers, the operations team and myself participating all in because if one leg is missing, that stool topples over and, you know, falls down. So the groomers keep an eye on their schedule. They might say, hey, you know Mrs. Jones lives by Mr. McIntyre, but they're at opposite ends of my schedule. Why don't we move them closer together? I might be able to fit another group in, and then, you know, the operations team looks at streamlining. So that's one KPI. We keep it keep an eye on one other thing is, is reading the reviews that our clients provide and responding to them, and whether the review is good or or if it's constructive criticism, that's something we absolutely Keep an eye on. I check to see that our communication is keeping up with the the demand of the customers. You know, we probably do most of our communication with clients, with texting. And I think you know, we easily can have 500 texts a day and phone calls and emails and making sure that we haven't missed anyone. That's also a something we keep an eye on closely in this day and age, people are used to having their their inquiries, their phone calls, their texts being responded to immediately. So that's why, you know, we are kind of manned seven days a week so that we can make sure that our customers know that we're there for them.

 

Speaker 1  23:02

Yeah, that's awesome. Thanks for sharing that. That's great. Um, Julie, tell me about the work you're doing with Lake Norman humane. I love hearing what

 

Speaker 2  23:11

our franchise awesome. And I'll tell you the the most awesome reason is they invited us in. Initially, they had a Great Pyrenees that needed to be groomed, and so we groomed him a couple of times. And sec, I believe, second or third time that we came to groom him, they said, Oh, do you have time to groom a mini doodle? And I said, Well, let me go take a look at her. And I took one look at her, and I knew in my heart she was coming home with me. So now our dog, Evie, has a little sister, and that's, you know, a direct result of kind of being out there in the community. So we groom for them, you know, regularly, and I love being part of that. They are an amazing organization. You know, we were just out there a couple of weeks ago, a local breeder, I guess, was not taking good care of their their pets. So 90 of them were relocated to rescues around the area, and like Mormon, got a handful of them, and then they invited us in to groom these little pups. And nothing was more fulfilling than pampering these little babies and having them look their best, knowing that it would maybe shorten the amount of time they were at the rescue and improve the likelihood that they would get adopted quickly. Because, you know, of course, there. Were cute when they got in the van, but they were even cuter after the groom. That's awesome. It's very hard to resist, very hard to resist.

 

25:10

So what's evie's sister's name?

 

Speaker 2  25:14

So her name is Layla. Layla, and she's a little Spitfire. So she and EV get along beautifully. We were concerned about bringing a second dog into the home, but it's really it's been such a blessing. So that's definitely a benefit of the job, is having this new family member as a result.

 

Speaker 1  25:36

Very good. Well, your community benefits as well. And thank you for everything you're doing with the lake Norwood humane? I love that. A few more questions here, and we'll wrap it up for anyone that might be looking to get into Aussie pet mobile. What do you think is, number one, a question they should definitely be asking. And number two, some characteristics that you think that they should possess that will be critical for them to be a successful franchise owner. So questions they should ask and characteristics should be successful.

 

Speaker 2  26:10

So the questions to ask, think it's important to talk with current franchise owners as they're doing their validation calls. You know, what does their life look like? You know, can they envision mirroring that lifestyle? And you know, the pace of this job and franchise owners, from one franchise owner to another franchise owner do things very differently. So it's important to talk with a lot of different franchise owners and hear about, you know, maybe some missteps they made early on, how they learned from them. You know, what type of temperament do you need to really be successful in this job? And you know what they can expect financially, as much as we, we love doing this job, you know, at the end of the day, we need to eat like everybody else out there, so what they can expect financially. And then I think the traits that a potential franchise owner would need to be successful in this type of business is, you know, I talk about temperament, just being even keeled, my motto, and I think my team would say that this is the motto that I use, and we should have t shirts made up, is that it'll all work out. That's my motto with this particular business, no day is ever alike. There are hiccups, there are fires to be put out, but if you keep a level head and you have you know your plan, A, B and C already in place, like your standard operating procedures already in place. Then then I think it's it's easier to overcome those obstacles. So definitely, having that type of temperament being resourceful is definitely something you need in this particular business, because just like groomers in the van, they encounter dogs that are super duper easy to groom and dogs that are a little bit more difficult to groom, and they have to use, maybe different ways of holding the dog, different ways of talking to the dog. You know, do they maybe start with a warm bath first, to to kind of build that more and that comfort before they go on to maybe some of the more difficult things that dogs don't particularly care for, like cutting nails. And that's something that as an owner, you have to keep in mind, too. Hey, if you're trying to do things one way and it's not working out, well, let me think of some other ways that I can get this job done, and it's important to keep an open mind and really dive into that resourcefulness and kind of your street smarts for sure.

 

Speaker 1  29:59

Yeah. Those are great characteristics for sure. Thank you for sharing that. Julia, Julia, what's next for you and your business?

 

Speaker 2  30:07

Well, I, I believe, building out the team so that everyone is comfortable with their work, the demands of their work. I want every aspect of the business to have a framework, these standard operating procedures. I want to have the right people in place in all the different positions, so that this, this business, runs as a well oiled machine, so that I can step away a little bit and, you know, enjoy the fruits of my labor Absolutely.

 

Speaker 1  30:56

I love that. Alright. Final question to wrap up the podcast today, Julia, what's at the heart of franchising for you?

 

Speaker 2  31:09

It's just the joy I feel knowing that I've created something from nothing, really, I mean as much as I'm so thankful that I've had the support from the home office. You know, when that van, that very first van, was delivered, it's almost like someone handing you your first newborn infant in the hospital. And, you know, I've grown with this business, just like I've grown parenting my own children. And I think that's at the heart of it, that you really get to build something you can be really proud of and just watching that growth, and watching you know your hard work and dedication provide jobs for people in your community, the business how it serves the community, and of course, at the end of the day, how it how it fills my heart as a business owner.

 

Speaker 1  32:31

I love that. Well, thank you so much for sharing that, and I love your motto. And just remember all of our listeners, it will all work out, and I'm going to work out. It will all work out. And I'm going to get a t shirt made with that that's that's with that motto on it, and we'll have to give that out to everyone at convention. I don't know if I can promise that, but I do love that. That's right again. Thank you. Thank you for being here, Julia, and thank you to our listeners. I hope you've learned a thing or two about the heart of franchising with Aussie pet mobile. To learn more about Aussie pet mobile, or any of our home franchise concepts, Family of Brands, please visit home franchise concepts.com. I hope you listen next time when we talk to another guest and get to the heart of franchise success. See you next time on the heart of franchising you.