--- title: "Wild Birds Unlimited Turns Love of Nature into Thriving Business Opportunity" url: https://burnaze.com/article/e96592ee-08c2-4068-8f00-2b788c000d76 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/wild-birds-unlimited-turns-love-of-nature-into-thriving-business-opportunity-3571 category: "Retail" industry: "Retail" published: 2016-02-10T19:14:24.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T04:15:36.623Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/4e94f37e8fc289146ef0ab205d7196833501160318114413.png --- # Wild Birds Unlimited Turns Love of Nature into Thriving Business Opportunity **TL;DR:** Wild Birds Unlimited, founded by Jim Carpenter in 1981, is the nation's largest franchise system of bird feeding stores. The brand has nearly 300 franchise stores across the United States and Canada, offering high-quality bird feeding products and expert advice. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-02-10. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/wild-birds-unlimited-turns-love-of-nature-into-thriving-business-opportunity-3571).* ## Story If you’re in the market for a finch feeder or a squirrel baffle, there’s a good chance you know about Jim Carpenter’s work, even if you don’t know his name. He is the man—and the vision—behind the nation’s largest franchise system of bird feeding stores, Wild Birds Unlimited, and since 1981 he’s made his passion for nature a thriving business. The impetus behind Wild Birds Unlimited was sparked by a simple idea. For years, feeding wild birds in his very own backyard had been one of Carpenter’s greatest passions. He also loved the idea of controlling his own destiny by becoming a business owner. So, with a big dream and a small inheritance, Carpenter took the leap. He quickly found a little storefront for rent in Indianapolis, and at 28 years old, Carpenter was soon the new owner of his very first Wild Birds Unlimited store. Carpenter admits that things were slow at first—back then, bird feeding was a lesser-known hobby, and most stores had poor-quality feed sitting on their shelves. But Wild Birds Unlimited was different, and people soon realized that Carpenter was truly passionate about his business and would never settle for anything less than the best. By offering the finest bird feeding products and some of the greatest customer service available in the industry, Carpenter’s business took off. Two years later, when visiting the store, the nephew of an employee was so enamored by the smile on Carpenter’s face that he realized he wanted to get into the business, too, just so he could experience that same kind of joy. And just like that, the Wild Birds Unlimited franchise system was born. “Bird feeding was always very important to me, and I realized how important it is to others, too. I wanted to enhance my customers’ lives by providing them the best way to enjoy their backyard bird feeding hobby. I truly felt this opportunity,” Carpenter said. For nearly 35 years, that sentiment has not changed. Today, with nearly 300 franchise stores across the United States and Canada, Wild Birds Unlimited is the largest chain of stores specializing in backyard bird feeding and bird watching supplies. In the years to come, with the help of their growing system of franchisees, the brand aims to ultimately become the top household name for the best bird feeding products in town—and for good reason. Today, 52.8 million people participate in bird feeding in their own backyards, spending $5 billion on bird seed in a single year alone. Geared toward the backyard hobbyist, Wild Birds Unlimited is proud to boast sound, tested products—bird houses, bird feeders, bird baths and more—as well as top-quality bird seed designed for regional species. The brand offers more than 650 proprietary and private-label products that people can’t find anywhere else—because they’re made exclusively for Wild Birds Unlimited. But their services don’t stop at retail—Wild Birds also strives to bring people and nature together through learning, all with the help of their consultation services and community partnerships in bird and wildlife education. So far, that dedication to quality and customer service is paying off in a big way, and people are noticing. In 2016, the brand was ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as the No. 1 franchise in the pet category. But no matter the scale, Carpenter has always had a vision of what it takes to be successful: knowledgeable and passionate franchisees. He believes that being in the hobby business is different than any other business—it requires a true passion for nature and a true passion for helping people, and without that, it’s hard to prosper. “Wild Birds Unlimited is a great concept for prospective franchisees who want to tap into their love of birds and nature and turn that love into a business enterprise,” Carpenter said. “But ultimately, this business provides our team of franchisees the opportunity to enhance the lives of their individual communities by giving them the highest quality products and expert local advice on how to enjoy nature in their own backyards. We’re in this business for our customers.” ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Retail (sector) - Entrepreneur (publication) - Wild Birds Unlimited (company) - franchise system (topic) - retail business (topic) - bird feeding stores (topic) - nature hobby (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/wild-birds-unlimited-turns-love-of-nature-into-thriving-business-opportunity-3571). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/e96592ee-08c2-4068-8f00-2b788c000d76).