Lessons From Franchise Executives: Jackie Bondanza of Hounds Town USA

When Jackie Bondanza discovered Hounds Town USA, the fast-growing doggie daycare brand, she was a book editor and journalist with no experience in the franchising world. But Bondanza loved the concept, and when she met Mike Gould, Hounds Town's founder, at her local location, she approached him about franchising the business. The rest is history, and Bondanza quickly became an indispensable part of the team. Now, as the brand's CEO, Bondanza has helped grow the brand to feature about two dozen locations across 10 states.

When it comes to the advice Bondanza would have for her younger self, she says she wishes she had dove deeper into the world of franchising when she first started out.

“If I could go back in time, I would learn much more about the business of franchising, while building my business model at the same time,” Bondanza said. “I spent so much time working on the brand at first, and I fell behind on the franchise side of things and had to play catch up and adapt the brand to franchising principles after the fact. As a franchisor, you are in two businesses — the business of the brand and the business of selling the brand. These are two very different things, and it is important to understand each in detail.”