Wild Birds Unlimited University Teaches Both New and Existing Franchisees Best Practices

As many kids head back to the classroom to kick off the new schoolyear, there’s one group of students that have already graduated—the latest class of Wild Birds Unlimited University.

Every year, Wild Birds Unlimited’s growing system of franchisees, managers and employees have the chance to come together to sharpen their skills, share unique expertise and learn more about what makes the brand tick. Also known as New Owner Training, the week-long program’s goal is to provide interactive training to help store owners and their employees learn more about the best practices for running their store. In August, Wild Birds Unlimited celebrated the graduation of one of the largest classes in recent years—there were 25 attendees from 14 stores in attendance.

These attendees also represented a wide variety of franchise store owners; six new franchisees, seven existing franchisees and one transfer store owner. And according to Paul Pickett, the Chief Development Officer of Wild Birds Unlimited, having such a diverse group of people come together to learn more from one another about the brand is what makes the Wild Birds Unlimited program truly unique.

“This variety in a class is a real asset to attendees, giving them a wealth of knowledge and perspective on being a small business owner,” Pickett said. “From the franchisor perspective, it’s gratifying to see new, existing and transfer store owners engaging with each other and appreciating the value each individual brings to the class for the benefit of the company as a whole. Having existing store owners attend the University shows a commitment to making their store the best it can be. And having new store owners attend shows a willingness to learn.”

Ben Roush, who is a Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was one of the store owners to attend the University, along with his manager, Jonas Thor.

“As a Wild Birds Unlimited owner for 32 years and having never attended any formal training (it wasn’t available back then), I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned about the best practices for running my store. Attending Wild Birds Unlimited University was a great experience that I would recommend any existing franchisee to attend if they need some fresh inspiration and ideas on how to become a better leader and enterprise manager,” Roush said. “I chose to attend the training with my new general manager.

Even though I had put him through my own extensive training, I wanted to make sure that he understood all the best practices for running our store efficiently and effectively. We both learned so much during our week of training.”

Ellen and Stacy Davis, who are also Wild Birds Unlimited store owners in Franklin, Massachusetts, attended the training this August for the second time; this time with their new manager, Haley Perry. Participating in the workshops helped reenergize the two business partners and their manager, giving them a fresh outlook on how to run their Wild Birds Unlimited location and putting all of them in a better position to accomplish great things together.

“Confirming that I am implementing the basics and learning many new ideas to implement was wonderful. Things change all the time in the business world, and returning to Wild Bird Unlimited University was like having a refresher course,” Ellen said. “The University also gives an existing franchise store owner extra, one-on-one time with their business coach to drill down into some of my own store’s personal opportunities.

This opportunity to learn more about the business was above and beyond any other kind of training I’ve ever received, and it arms you with the information you need for your business to thrive.”

It is easy for the franchisees to become overwhelmed during Wild Birds Unlimited University, according to Casey Giselbach, Training and HR Manager for Wild Birds Unlimited. But with the support of seasoned franchisees, Giselbach believes the New Owners Training offers an unparalleled—an invaluable—level of support.

“Having existing owners in the class sharing their experiences adds another layer to the training that we can’t replicate without having them in the room. The experience sharing creates a desire and confidence that the franchisee will succeed and in turn creates enthusiasm for our program,” Giselbach said.