Wash ‘em. Feed ‘em. Spoil ‘em. Love ‘em

How Wag N’ Wash is giving pet owners more ways to cater to their four-legged friends

Interview by Michael J. Pallerino

When Geni, their aging family dog, needed more care and attention, Dan Remus and Jef Strauss had to make a decision.

Dan Remus and Jef Strauss’ story is one any pet owner can relate to. Working jobs that kept them from home more than 12 hours a day, they found themselves at a crossroads regarding the care of the family pet, Geni. The aging Dalmatian needed more time than they were able to give being away from home so much. The solution was simple, if not a bit complicated at first. How could they create a business where every day was “Bring Your Dog to Work Day?” As both Remus and Strauss had retail backgrounds, they started looking for ideas that would not only give them more time with Geni, but also give pet owners in similar situations options.

With dog bakeries a popular idea at the time, they initially settled on a biscuit bakery. That was in 1999 in Colorado Springs. Over time, the concept involved from Wag N’ Wash Healthy Pet Centers to Wag N’ Wash Natural Food & Bakery to Wag N’ Wash Natural Pet Food & Grooming, which includes do-it-yourself pet wash options, grooming, a wealth of natural pet foods, toys, pet beauty products, and more. Today, through Wag N’ Wash, the concept continues to grow, offering a way for entrepreneurs to not only help pets, but provide a service that cannot be found online—grooming and self-wash. And the self-wash services is not just for dogs, Wag N’ Wash customers also have been known to bring in cats, goats, miniature horses, pot-bellied pigs, and more. We sat down with franchisee Amy Putzler from O’Fallon, Missouri to get a feel for what’s to come for the St. Louis area’s newest Wag N’ Wash franchise.

The pet industry has had an explosion due to COVID. People are spending more time at home and working from home, so they were able to adopt animals into their families.

What’s the coolest thing customers can expect to see?

Our customers love the openness of the self-wash. It is designed so that your dog can be separated from other dogs, but our customers can still have conversations with each other. The tubs are raised so that the customers don’t have to bend over. We also have ramps for the dogs to walk into the tubs.

What will be the biggest surprise?

Our customers love to come in and see the bright and cheerful color scheme along with the some of the unique products we have.

What are the trends in our business sector?

Self-washes are a newer concept in our local area. We are seeing this as a very popular alternative to washing dogs at home.

Why did you pick the location for the construction of the new facility?

The City of O’Fallon is one of the fastest growing areas in our region. This area of O’Fallon has several established neighborhoods, but was lacking a full-service pet store that provided pet supplies, grooming, self-wash and bakery.

How does the overall design cater to what the area needs?

The south end of O’Fallon was in need of a one-stop shop for pet needs. Our store offers full-service grooming, self-wash, pet toys, treats, food and bakery items, including birthday cakes.

What are today’s customers looking for?

Our customers are looking for a locally owned one-stop shop that provides them quality items for their pets.

Give us a rundown of what you are seeing out there.

We are seeing that customers like having options. Having both self-wash and fullservice grooming gives the customers the options they are seeking.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

Our biggest issue with the construction was COVID. We saw prices of building materials skyrocket. Supplies that were limited and often difficult to find. We had to make minor design changes due to back-ups in the manufacturing of HVAC units, refrigeration units and freezers.

Talk about the continued importance of sustainability today. What are you doing?

We do have some products such as Open Farm that recycle their bags. We offer the recycling in the store for customers to drop off the empty bags.

What type of opportunities do you see moving ahead?

The pet industry has had an explosion due to COVID. People are spending more time at home and working from home, so they were able to adopt animals into their families. They want to provide quality foods and toys to their new family members.

We are starting to see that people are wanting to get out and shop local. People also are starting to get out to socialize more, and they love to bring their dogs with them.

Since COVID has changed how we live and work, I expect that we will continue to see this growth for many years.

What type of challenges have you seen?

Our challenges have primarily revolved around supply chain issues. We experienced this both in our build-out and with regular suppliers.

What changes do you expect to see heading into 2022?

We are starting to see that people are wanting to get out and shop local. During COVID, there was an explosion of delivery and on-line purchases. However, people also are starting to get out to socialize more, and they love to bring their dogs with them. CCR

One-on-One with... Franchisee Amy Putzler

Describe a typical day.

We start the day by checking in our grooming clients. Each groomer can groom 8-10 dogs and/or cats per day depending on the size of the dog. Most of our dogs and cats come in during the morning hours, so we have a heavy flow of traffic in the store during the morning hours for drop offs.

Our self-wash is open all day for walk-ins, so we have customers come and go at various hours for that service. We also are busy baking fresh treats for our customers during the mid-day hours.

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list?

Adding additional shelving and products. We went off of the architect’s suggestions for the amount of shelving we could fit in the space. We quickly realize that we can add additional shelving and products.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

The best part of the day is always getting kisses from the dogs that visit us. Even on a stressful day, it just makes it all better. It also is very rewarding to see the looks on our clients faces when they pick their dogs/cats up from grooming. Everyone is always excited to see how wonderful their baby looks when they are all cleaned and fluffed up.

What was the best advice you ever received?

Don’t worry about the small stuff. There is always something to stress over.

What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?

Not long after we opened, we had a customer who was a single mom bring her dog in for a self-wash. She had heard from a neighbor that she could get a free selfwash if she signed up for our VIP program.

During her visit, she asked us to trim her dog’s nails. The dog is elderly and has an aversion to going to the groomer. Thus, his coat was in really poor shape. We worked with the client to get her dog de-matted. When the visit was over, she made grooming appointments for both of her dogs.

She told me that this was the first time she didn’t feel judged for the condition her dog was in. She is now a regular customer, and her dogs are looking fabulous.

Window Film Depot Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary

Window Film Depot (WFD) recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in the window film industry! FutureVu Brands’ (FVB) President Jeff Franson and WFD’s President Krissy Mosby reflect on their respective companies’ journeys, entrepreneurship, and their experience in the window film industry.

Franson, raised in a successful entrepreneurial family, had a passion for running his own business. He drew from his experiences and determined the life of an entrepreneur offered excitement, freedom, and innovation. “An opportunity presented itself in Atlanta, and I took it. I started to work with my brother in a home services business. Ultimately, we ran across a really cool product: window film; people loved it, and they didn’t know where to buy it.” Franson embraced this gap in the market to build a successful brand.

Garnering immediate success, WFD enabled Franson to turn his passion into profit at the perfect time. The ability to recruit talented individuals was one of the brand’s first major wins. As sales grew, so did the need for more staff. Krissy Mosby, who joined as an intern, initially planned to work in medicine before joining WFD.” I started working answering phones, stuffing envelopes, doing mailers, stuff like that… (By the time) I graduated, I was doing sales, and even managing one of the small accounts we had.”

Franson believed a young, determined team would leverage new technology to help outpace its competitors, marking a foundational growth period for the company. “We were young in an older man’s business, quite frankly,” Jeff remembers, “The internet, early on, was the biggest accelerator of our growth. We employed tools more rapidly than our counterparts.”

When housing crashed, WFD pivoted from residential to commercial business, breeding expansion. Mosby reminisces firsthand how fluctuating markets impacted WFD’s business model, “Back when I joined, our company was very local to Atlanta. We were over 95% residential and started to see a need for a national presence. Fast forward, we’re now over 90% commercial and one of the largest 3M dealers in the country, servicing national accounts.”

Rapid growth led WFD to be recognized as the US’s #1 3M Window Film Dealer. Franson didn’t expect this kind of recognition, but it was a byproduct of WFD’s commitment to its customers. When customer needs shifted, he built sister brands to fulfill demands. “We didn’t see what we thought the market needed, partnered with glazing engineers, and invented retrofit security shields we brand as DefenseLite,” Franson explains. “From there, Impact Security branched off” and became a subsidiary.

From humble beginnings to industry leaders, WFD is a successful business model others seek to replicate. With the launch and acquisition of new businesses including Impact Security and CoolVu, , Franson created FutureVu Brands as a parent (FVB), while WFD continues to operate independently with Mosby as its President.

The past 30 years have proved how innovation continues to overcome adversity, exemplify outstanding leadership, and drive success in the industry. Here’s to another 30 successful years for Window Film Depot! Click here to view full interview.

Jeff Franson Krissy Mosby