The Great Franchisee: Colby Wilcock, Dog Training Elite, Utah

Around ten years ago, Colby Wilcock, along with his partners Amber and Roy Christiansen, started a franchise marketing agency. In the years since, they’ve kept an eye on franchise opportunities they felt were particularly well-suited to their own goals and interests. This year, they took the leap, becoming first-time franchisees with Dog Training Elite*, one of the country’s leading obedience and specialized training brands.

We spoke to Wilcock to learn more about his journey from franchise marketing expert to franchisee and why Dog Training Elite stood out from the pack.

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Colby Wilcock: Before franchising, my partners and I built a marketing agency that would eventually focus its primary efforts on supporting franchise owners who recently purchased a territory and needed strong local marketing support. Prior to this effort, I had worked in a handful of internet marketing and digital service providers. As someone who’s always had an affinity for technology, I started my first internet company when I was 16 to build, repair, and service computers and the various hardware needed to operate them. Living in Utah my entire life, I’ve always had a love for the outdoors and in high school, I moved to St. George where I met my wonderful wife and companion Maggie and became even more involved in the technology world.  Shortly after moving back up to northern Utah, I met Roy and Amber Christiansen at a company building social learning networks. Upon finishing my education I teamed up with them and we created our digital service agency. Although we’ve been through our own variety of challenges, we’ve been able to create a successful and enjoyable life from it’s efforts. 

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising and what was your perception of franchising before becoming a franchise owner?

Wilcock: Prior to owning franchise locations of our own, we spent every day working with individual franchisee’s, learning from the challenges they face, supporting and coaching them on how to improve their business and gaining insight as to how franchise owners succeed. We’ve always been fascinated with franchises, the support they can provide, and the way they can be like a family that grows together and helps one another succeed.  We have always loved franchising and felt that becoming a franchise owner would be a natural progression in our better understanding of how to support them. When we met Dog Training Elite, we could see that their model was clearly thought out, their support was on point and their corporate team had the interest of their franchisee’s success as their top priority.

1851: How did you decide you wanted to be a franchisee?

Wilcock: When we were looking at ways we could diversify our efforts while continuing to build the relationship we have with our brands we felt that franchising was a natural progression. We loved the idea that it was a proven model and concept and being a bit bias or having the “inside understanding” we felt we could tell fairly quickly whether or not the opportunity was good for us or not.

1851: How did you perform your research?

Wilcock: We looked first at the data of our own clients, examining the volume of leads and the cost associated with generating those leads for locations around the country. We also looked at upfront costs and whether it was a physical facility or not.  Because our search began last year, we could also see the natural effects the pandemic had on different brands. Those that had a brick-and-mortar type of business vs those without were a big indicator, as well as the love people have for their animals made Dog Training Elite a top candidate for us.

1851: Why did you pick Dog Training Elite? What excited you most about the potential?

Wilcock: We chose Dog Training Elite because all of our research gave their franchise the highest marks, and we also saw it as one of the few brands that didn’t struggle when it came to the effects of the pandemic and being forced to shut down for a time. When people are locked up at home for whatever reason and their furry companion becomes their closest friend, they want someone who they can enjoy being around. No one likes an annoying roommate. Additionally, the pandemic raised the volume of animal adoptions considerably and when adoptions are high, training will follow. 

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Wilcock: Our hope is to help every dog lover and human owner in southern Utah have a harmonious living experience. We look forward to being the instrument in making dog ownership a dream for everyone involved.  Whether it be a custom service to help someone in their home, basic obedience, or helping them with a temperament struggle. We hope to see a number of Dog Training Elite trainers in the area in the coming months and years.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Wilcock: It is important to ask the corporate team what they have in place for marketing. If you don’t have leads or a good way to generate customers, it’s going to be really difficult to get off the ground. 

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Wilcock: My partners and I love spending time outdoors with our families. As a result, we feel like St. George was a natural fit and a place we can build a successful business.

ABOUT DOG TRAINING ELITE

With more than four decades of experience in dog training, Dog Training Elite is one of the country’s leading obedience and specialized training franchises. Offering a comprehensive suite of customizable training programs, Dog Training Elite works with dogs and owners to meet any and all training needs, including therapy dog training and advanced service dog training for PTSD support, psychiatric support, mobility support, autism support, diabetic alert training, personal protection training and an array of other services. In addition to the wide breadth of services offered, Dog Training Elite differentiates itself from competitors through a uniquely human-focused approach to dog training, which focuses on helping owners and their families learn to effectively and consistently support their dog’s training needs. To learn more about franchising with Dog Training Elite, visit https://dogtrainingelite.com/franchise.