Jennifer Skomski, who owns a Central Bark franchise, discovered her true passion when she opened her doggy daycare in Broadview Heights, Ohio. Originally from Michigan, Jennifer and her husband, Steve, moved to Ohio 15 years ago for their corporate careers. Although initially unfamiliar with the area, they quickly fell in love with Ohio’s beautiful national parks. As loyal Central Bark customers for years, they were big fans of the brand’s approach to doggy daycare. Realizing a need for high-quality, science-based dog care in Northern Ohio, and longing for more work-life balance, they decided to leave their corporate jobs and open their own location. When they’re not busy running their business or cheering on their kids at sports events, you’ll likely find them exploring the scenic trails in Ohio’s stunning national parks.
In her own words, Jennifer shares her journey to Central Bark Doggy Daycare success.
What made you decide to look into purchasing a franchise?
As a new mom looking for more work-life balance, Steve and I began exploring the idea of business ownership. My husband loved his job, but it had him living out of hotels across the country at least three times per week. We knew that would be hard on our kids long term and decided to cash out our 401Ks and open our own business. We decided a franchise was the way to go because it already had systems in place and would significantly reduce the trial and error of opening an independent business. And name recognition helps you ramp up to profit much faster than going it alone.
When researching franchises, what criteria mattered to you most? How did your franchise meet that criteria?
The most important thing to us was a company aligning with our personal family values, followed by ROI and support from the franchise. Central Bark met all of those criteria. They have been like a family. Between the corporate team and the other franchisees, I have always felt I had someone to help if I had a question or needed support in some way.
Which of your prior skills and experiences do you use today when operating your business?
I was in corporate sales for 25 years, and it has really helped me teach my team how to develop relationships and consult with customers on items or services that will help them with their dogs.
During your research, did you use FBR’s website to compare franchise opportunities? What other resources did you use?
Yes! We used FBR’s website to research and compare franchise opportunities, and we went to different physical Central Bark locations to explore and analyze the customer experience.
When doing your research, which questions did you ask Central Bark franchise owners?
Are the systems in place truly supporting you to help you grow and scale your business? And what are your biggest pain points with owning this business?
Which questions did you ask the franchisor?
What are your strategic plans for the growth and development of the franchise and individual franchisees? How many locations have closed within your system?
What were your biggest challenges when you first started, and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge when I started was learning a completely new industry. I learned a ton during my training with the Central Bark franchise. Then, to continue overcoming the learning curve, I immersed myself in books and podcasts, trying to learn ‘all things dog!’
How does the Central Bark corporate team support and encourage your success?
The Central Bark franchise is extremely supportive of its franchisees. They continue to build systems and training for all locations. We also have a franchise business coach who meets with us monthly to help support our growth and any other needs we have. I have never once felt like I was going at my business alone.
What are you most proud of and why?
After owning the already-established business for less than two years, we have a strong team of 21 employees and we’ve grown our top-line sales by 28%.
What advice would you give to new or potential franchise buyers?
Pick a business you are passionate about. Your customers will feel the love you have for what you are doing. All businesses are hard at times, but your passion will keep you going and growing.
For more information on the Central Bark franchise opportunity, visit CentralBarkFranchising.com.
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