Wild Birds Unlimited

WBU has an extensive list of pre-qualified and approved suppliers, but Pickett states that franchisees are encouraged to source local, niche products to complement popular items. “Tina and Dean have amazing business acumen,” Pickett says. “They came to the table with a lot of experience and education. They know what parameters to analyse with and how to assess whether a product line will be a good match within our assortment. It’s silly, but bird bath heaters are part of our range of winter merchandise. Those won’t be in high demand down in Phoenix or Tucson where you just don’t get freezing temperatures. If you’re in Seattle, you’re not going to sell garden flags that have cardinals on them, because you don’t have any cardinals. So, you need to find great franchisees, like Tina and Dean, who can interpret brand consistency and provide more localisation to the brand’s identity. You need that sensible flexibility from market to market. It’s our job in franchise development to make sure that we recruit really, really smart people to represent our brand in every community.” To help franchisees fund these ambitions, WBU has teamed up with Guidant Financial, a small-business financing firm out of Bellevue, Washington. “Our relationship with Guidant is very long and tenured – it’s been over a decade of us working together,” Pickett explains. “They’ve provided an incredible opportunity for us to be able to offer a resource and a strong strategic partner, one who we know is going to take care of our franchisees and guide them through that process of maneuvering through SBA loans.” Coincidentally, the Seiferts are in the midst of opening two more locations in the Denver area. A lot of their time and energy has been devoted to running the existing store while ramping up to hire new staff, establish the leases, and build out the new sites. “It’s going to keep us busy for the next year, year and a half, for sure,” Dean says. “For me, it’s about setting clear dimensions and