From Dog Lover to Business Owners: A Franchisee’s Entrepreneurial Journey

If you’ve ever wondered what franchise ownership with Hike Doggie is like, well wonder no more! In this edition of our weekly Hike Doggie Blog, we’re going to introduce you to one of the current franchisees in our system – Barrett Marcum.

Barrett became a franchisee in April of this year, and currently manages the territory covering the southern portion of the Denver metro area. Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., Barrett has been a lifelong animal lover – an extremely important quality we look for here at Hike Doggie. As you read through his story, you’ll realize that franchise ownership with Hike Doggie was a match made in heaven – for both of us! It’s an inspiring story, designed to help you imagine what your own life might be like as one of the highly valued franchisees in our network.

Meet Barrett Marcum

From the youngest of ages, Barrett always had a passion for animals – despite misspelling “Zoologist” on a career card during a “What do you want to be when you grow up?” exercise. He majored in Biological Science at the University of Tennessee, subsequently embarking upon a 13-year career in veterinary medicine by starting at the very bottom of the career ladder – cleaning kennels and prepping surgical equipment. He eventually worked his way up the chain of command until he was managing 20+ animal hospitals across Colorado. But that’s not all. His love for animals led him to jobs at Knoxville Zoological Gardens, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the Grizzly and Wolf Center at Yellowstone National Park. It’s safe to say that when it comes to animal care, Barrett is overly qualified! But it gets even better. His wife, Abby, is a veterinarian and they have two lovely children, two dogs – Moose (a Beagle mix) and Razzy (an Aussiedoodle) – and a cat named Floki, a Siamese Mitted Ragdoll breed. One other important detail to know about Barrett – he has a tremendous love for the outdoors, especially the mountains.

Why He Chose Hike Doggie

Barrett was definitely cut out to be a franchise owner in our system, having always wanted to own a business of his own. It’s important to know who you really are and what you really want, character traits that helped propel Barrett into the arms of Hike Doggie. “I love the challenge of creating and developing something,” he says. “I wanted to take what I’d learned from my previous career and help a small local company like Hike Doggie reach its full potential.” He first heard of Hike Doggie from one of his clients, then had a chance encounter with one of our current dog hikers while trekking up in the mountains. These interactions left him with the impression that the universe was telling him he’d found his next calling…

An Entrepreneurial Life Begins

After signing on with Hike Doggie back in April, Barrett has kept his nose to the proverbial grindstone, working long hours to get his franchise up to speed. And it’s paid off. He diligently studied our operations manual and business model to learn the ropes. Barrett has been getting his Big Blue Hike Doggie Bus kitted out for adventure, as well as networking at local events as much as possible to raise brand awareness for our dog hiking services. Lastly, he’s spent hours on end researching the perfect trails for exploring and adventuring. He credits his diligent effort for the results that are now beginning to arrive, as more and more doggie clients are signing up and signing on. “The excitement I feel for starting my Hike Doggie business is through the roof,” he says. “The idea and creation of this amazing business model will get any animal or outdoor lover bubbling with anticipation. We still have a ways to go, but it has been an exciting process every step of the way!” As for his long-term future, Barrett is as ambitious as they come. His plan is to grow his Denver South location as much as possible, then grow into a multi-bus operation to expand into new territories across Colorado. And we at Hike Doggie will be right by his side, providing all of the training and support necessary to see his entrepreneurial dreams come true.

And we can do the same for you.

Take a quick look at a few of the characteristics of the ideal Hike Doggie owner:

• Dog OBSESSED
• Enjoy the great outdoors
• Possess a magnetic personality
• Fun to be around
• Empathetic and trustworthy
• A relationship builder
• A problem solver
• Calm under pressure
• A natural leader

If you’re interested in becoming a Hike Doggie franchise owner, don’t hesitate to introduce yourself and we’ll set up a discovery call to find out everything we can about your business ownership goals and dreams. Together, we can turn your entrepreneurial dreams into a reality!