FROM CORPORATE EXECUTIVE TO SATISFIED FRANCHISEE

Bay Area, California -- After a successful eighteen years in Corporate America, it was time to take a different career path and do something for herself. Kerri Evans had worked as both a buyer for major corporations and most recently as a high-tech recruiter and senior staffing manager. Her career was stable and strong, but Kerri was ready for a change.

“My career had been great. I really enjoyed the corporate world and I learned a lot but I wanted to build equity in myself and have some autonomy in my career,” explained Evans. Looking back, she realized she enjoyed her jobs most during their growth stages. Evans continued, “I’m just not a ‘go to meetings, work eight hours, and leave’ kind of a person. I love challenges…”

She searched for businesses to buy, but didn’t have any idea of what she wanted or how to go about effectively searching for the right business. She said, “I had spotted some businesses that looked promising but thankfully, I have a wonderful accountant who really looked out for me and after analyzing the businesses, he told me I could do better.”

Evans searched and learned a little about franchises. “I knew the marketing and branding aspects of building a business could be so time-consuming, and I didn’t want to wait a year or more to start enjoying my business. Franchises have the distinct advantage of coming as a complete package. Everything is tested and proven for you. I thought this would be a great starting point into owning my first business,” said Evans.

Evans used an online search engine to do some of her research. She found listings for franchise consultants and amongst her choices was FranchiseBuyer, a national network of the industry’s most seasoned franchise experts and brokers who offer free franchise consulting services to qualified individuals (www.franchisebuyer.com). Evans clicked on the FranchiseBuyer link and she was impressed with the site from the beginning. “I read about the company and their pre-qualification system. As a recruiter, myself, I knew what to look for and their system impressed me, so I filled out the pre-qual form. I quickly received a call from a consultant named Bill Bradley and we connected immediately,” she recalled.

“I didn’t understand franchising – where to start, how to search. I was working full-time and didn’t have the time to do the research on my own. After one phone conversation, Bill understood a lot about me and preferences, and knew which businesses would be right and which would be wrong for me. I had some businesses in mind when we first met, and he told me right away that they were not businesses with the right customers for me. I feel so lucky to have hooked up with Bill and FranchiseBuyer. He was just terrific throughout the whole process,” stated Evans.

Bill’s experience and knowledge allowed him to quickly narrow down Kerri’s choices from thousands of opportunities in hundreds of industries to a handful, making her decision much less confusing. Evans recalls, “Bill suggested Aussie Pet Mobile. The company was new, innovative, and immediately caught my attention. If the numbers worked, this was the right business for me.”

“This was a significant investment of about a quarter million dollars and I wanted to make sure it was a strong investment. Bill really did the opposite of pressuring me: He encouraged me to do my research and due diligence. I researched the market and called local grooming shops. My accountant also went above and beyond what he had to do to help me research the opportunity. I gave him the UFOC and models that I had compiled and he carefully went through the numbers for me,” said Evans. “The key factors I looked for when choosing a business were; is this business a long-term investment that will be profitable, and do I respect the franchisees and the franchisor? I called current franchisees and worked directly with Ian Moses, the company’s CEO and founder, during my due diligence process. I also did a lot of market research before Discovery Day. My expectations were far exceeded at Discovery Day when I met Ian, and learned of his vision. I was able to sign the franchise contract that day.”

Aussie Pet Mobile comes to clients’ homes and from the safety and comfort of their proprietary grooming trailers, dogs and cats are groomed, pampered, and cared for while the pet is able to look out the trailer’s windows at their home and a familiar environment. This reduces the pet’s anxiety and stress, while being convenient for pet owners.

“I’ve estimated that when I am running with 6 trailers in the near future, I will be able to serve 1.9% of my territory’s dog population. I know I can easily get to 12 trailers in the near future. Recently, I moved into office space with a warehouse, so business has been great. I’m thrilled with the way my business is growing,” said Evans.

“People love using our service! My customers tell me that my groomers are always on time, and that we provide a great service. Some pets get so stressed out. Not with Aussie Pet Mobile! The pets just love our groomers, and they can see their home and yard from the trailer so they’re comfortable. My groomers are really the key to my success, and I do feel successful: I’ve doubled the calls I’ve received from customers since I started my business. I’m so glad I connected with Bill Bradley and FranchiseBuyer. I highly recommend buying a franchise and using FranchiseBuyer’s services to others who want to take control of their career and future,” concludes Evans.