Lessons From Franchise Executives: Bill Dowd of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Bill Dowd is the founder, president and CEO of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, the Canadian-based wildlife control franchise. Dowd established Skedaddle in 1989, recognizing the need for professional urban wildlife control focused on humane removal methods. Skedaddle has since grown to feature 36 units, with locations across Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec and the northern U.S. Prior to franchising, Dowd played hockey for the Ottawa 67’s and was drafted by the then-Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders.

When it comes to advising business owners who are considering franchising their brand, Dowd says the most important thing is understanding that it takes a lot of work.

“It takes a lot of money and capital to get franchising started, not to mention the legal work required to register a brand in every state and prepare an FDD,” Dowd said. “Prospective franchisors need to know that they will need to put in a lot of work, time and money if they want to successfully franchise a brand. Once the procedures, methodologies, systems and people are in place, they will be able to ramp up and scale their business across the country.”