This Corporate Refugee Left the Nine-to-Five Grind to Run a Doggie Daycare
Lauren Piacentini, the newest franchise owner at Hounds Town USA, is currently setting up shop in West Chester, N.Y. Piacentini started out in the legal sector as an attorney for 12 years before making the decision to launch her own Hounds Town USA business. This type of career switch is common for those who launch their own Hounds Town franchise. The brand offers a significant amount of support that makes starting a new business much more efficient and simple for career-switchers with no business experience.
“My long-time friend from law school recently became a Hounds Town USA owner on Long Island,” Piacentini said. “He told me about his new career, and we discussed opening a store together. Piacentini went on to note that she had worked in a corporate environment for so long that she realized her real dream was to work for herself rather than a corporation.
Discovery Day at Hounds Town
Every potential franchise owner who is considering working with Hounds Town USA will experience Discovery Day. These events provide potential franchise owners with the opportunity to get a feel for what an actual Hounds Town facility is like. At Piacentini’s Discovery Day, she noted that she had nothing but good things to say about the experience.
“I thought everyone was very nice and professional,” Piacentini said. “I have been very impressed with the support and professionalism of the Hounds Town team. My Discovery Day was a good opportunity to meet the team and learn about Hounds Town. I also appreciated the opportunity to speak with current Hounds Town franchise owners and see how they run their stores.”
Piacentini said that she didn’t experience any particular “a-ha” moment when she knew that Hounds Town was the right franchise for herself and her business partner. Rather, her Discovery Day gave her the opportunity to really see how the executive team and other franchise owners operate. In the end, she was very interested in what she saw. “I was just impressed with the Hounds Town team and their knowledge and support,” said Piacentini.
A Franchise for Animal Lovers
Piacentini enjoys snowboarding, hiking, traveling, and bike riding. “My interests include nature, wildlife, birds, and food,” said Piacentini. “I try to spend my weekends doing something outdoors, whether it’s in Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, the botanical garden, or a bird sanctuary.”
It’s clear that Piacentini’s love of nature and animals is a major factor in her choice to become a doggie daycare franchise owner. In fact, Piacentini noted that being around dogs was one of the reasons she wanted to work with Hounds Town USA initially.
“I enjoy being around dogs and I appreciate the structure and guidance provided by Hounds Town USA to facilitate opening and running our store,” said Piacentini. “As someone without any prior doggie daycare experience, I trust that Hounds Town will provide us with the training and the tools to be successful.”
The Hounds Town USA Opportunity
The Hounds Town USA corporate team understands how vital it is to offer support, training, and tools to new doggie daycare franchise owners. This is especially important for franchise owners like Piacentini who are coming into the pet care industry from a completely different career and may not have much in the way of experience in the business world. As Piacentini noted, Hounds Town USA “focuses on the dogs and is cost-effective.” They believe that franchise ownership is a fantastic alternative to starting a business from scratch, especially when it comes to being a first-time business owner.
When asked what she believed would lead to her business partner and her success, as well as what advice she would give to a potential franchise owner, Piacentini’s answer was quite simple: “[We’ll be successful because] my business partner and myself are smart, hard-working, and good at networking. We are still in the very beginning stage and currently looking for real estate, so my only advice to potential franchise owners would be to communicate with the Hounds Town team and ask questions.”
For more information, visit the Hounds Town USA website.