Leading With Heart In The Pet Business

We talk with Joe Dent about building and leading at scale in the pet industry, from a chance start at Pet Valu to running Everything Pets at Loyalty Brands. The conversation digs into change, mentorship, franchising systems, and creating fanatical fans by serving teams first.

• early lessons from mentors who lead by example
• shifting from comfort to growth mode across 1,200 stores
• embracing change and using nerves as a compass
• finding mentors across domains and learning in the field
• leaving after 25 years and choosing culture over ego
• why Loyalty Brands’ ecosystem creates compounding opportunity
• the Everything Pets portfolio and service-first strategy
• what makes a successful franchisee and who should avoid it
• groomer-first culture that drives customer love
• personal pillars of health, service, relationships, and faith

Come join the fun. Check out loyaltybrands.com and the brands Zoomin Groomin, Salty Dog, Cooper Scoopers, and Hike Doggy

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Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Joe Dent And His Roots
• 3:40 Early Leadership Myths And Mentors
• 5:53 From Apparel To Pets By Chance
• 9:54 Growth Mode Over Comfort Mode
• 13:03 Change, Nerves, And Resilience
• 17:26 How To Find And Use Mentors
• 22:12 Leaving After 25 Years And What’s Next
• 26:43 Joining Loyalty Brands And Why Culture Matters
• 30:33 Inside The Everything Pets Portfolio
• 35:03 Who Thrives As A Franchisee
• 39:22 An Ecosystem Of Brands And Synergy
• 43:26 Creating Happy Franchisees And Fanatical Fans

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:00

Hey guys, I got a special guest here today. Today's guest is Joe Dent. He's the CEO with over 30 years in the pet industry, and he's currently the CEO of everything pets under loyalty brands. Joe has spent decades building, scaling, and leading in one of the most relationship-driven industries out there. In this conversation, we're going to unpack leadership, long-term thinking, and real decisions that are going to separate people who last from people who burn out. So I'm so excited to get started. Joe, you've spent over 30 years in the pet industry, and now you lead everything pets under loyalty brands. When you zoom out over your whole journey, what's one belief about leadership you were wrong about early on?

SPEAKER_02: 1:45

I think the biggest thing is how to lead. And you know, I I think coaching, mentoring, and you know, I was very fortunate that I worked with a lot of uh fantastic mentors over throughout my career. And uh the best ones and the ones that I learned the most from were those that led by example and were able to uh you know really create culture and create you know meaningful uh you know ways to work with you. You know, I still have the same relationships, you know, over those 30 years. Uh some of my best friends I've met in the industry and and continue to uh uh you know have those relationships. You know, so that's been uh you know something that is really, really key. It's how to stay focused, but you know, also be meaningful.

SPEAKER_00: 2:27

Yeah, absolutely. And being thoughtful, and it shows up and people appreciate that. So for you, where did this journey begin? Where did you get started in the pet industry? Was this on purpose? Like this accident, how did this all get started?

SPEAKER_02: 2:40

It was complete dumb luck. I've always been a pet lover. It started, my gosh, I was uh originally, you know, raised uh you know, grew up in uh a row home in Baltimore with uh my mom and grandmother who who rescued dogs. My grandmother in her row home, she had been widowed early and uh never remarried and had a love for uh for pets. So she you know would rescue dogs, and we grew up with Shepherds, uh labs, colleagues, and you know, I developed a uh a passion for for pets in general. That's incredible. You actually have making dogs coming through, like all these. She did literally, it's it's funny. This was pre- uh the world that we know today. So she was, I can still remember her making uh, you know, eggs and uh, you know, and bacon to mix in with their uh their kibble. Uh so that was uh you know, that was a lot of fun and and uh you know it developed a real passion for uh for pets. Uh as far as the industry, I was in the apparel industry um, you know, for several years. And uh uh when there was an opportunity, you know, I answered a blind ad, you know, honestly. And it was a Canadian company called Pet Value that were uh opening their fourth store in the U.S. and needed a uh a district manager. And I met with this uh this fantastic little lady who was the head of HR. Um she beat me up for about two weeks, and ultimately I came on board and uh you know that catapulted into a 25-year career with uh pet value and pet retail brands that ultimately we grew to uh to almost 1,200 locations and you know, well over a billion dollars in sales. So uh it was really exciting, and uh, I was very, very fortunate. You know, as you'll hear that over and over uh throughout my career. I have been fortunate that I've worked with some spectacular uh people.

SPEAKER_00: 4:32

Absolutely. That's incredible. And you just did a blind ad, like you just applied.

SPEAKER_02: 4:37

It was I I was you know scrambling. It was uh a long time ago and needed a job, and uh it was the one you know, I saw Pet and it really appealed to me.

SPEAKER_00: 4:46

And uh the only reason I say that is just because there's so many people out there that are just fear of rejection, fear of failure, and they don't even want to put the notebook.

SPEAKER_02: 4:54

This was this was pre this was pre-internet, you know, so it was go to the library, it was get newspapers, and it was send in your res mail your resume or fax it in. And uh yeah, so it was old school and uh it you know, fortunately it worked. I actually uh you know, the same same exact week I had a couple different opportunities that that came up and you know very uh lucky that I picked the right one. Absolutely. Absolutely that's that started in pet and it became just a uh you know a lot of fun and it's been you know a 30 uh year career so far.

SPEAKER_00: 5:30

So for for you, and just because I know like a lot of the audience is probably sitting there going like 25 years with the company, how did you feel and just continue to grow in that journey? Because I know sometimes people get very complacent if they're at the same like company for a long time or at the same job or same role. Like how do you think about that?

SPEAKER_02: 5:48

Through throughout my career, I've been fortunate that in a lot of places we've been in growth mode, and you can't be complacent if you're in growth mode. And uh, you know, part of the uh you know the the best thing about that was uh I got an opportunity to work with a couple of people, a you know, a CEO, uh in particular, a guy named Tom McNeely, who uh was uh the CEO uh at the time uh and was just a phenomenal mentor. And you know, his focus was try things, do what, you know, we're gonna grow. Um make mistakes, you're gonna make them, correct them, and uh move on. You know, if you uh if you don't make change, well, we're not gonna grow. So we we did, and I worked with uh again some some phenomenal people, including you know, everywhere from and it didn't matter what position, whether it was a uh a sales associate, a franchisee, or you know, someone in our corporate office, we were just very fortunate that everyone kind of bought into a vision of growth, and it worked out really, really well.

SPEAKER_00: 6:48

So it reframed what you thought about change.

SPEAKER_02: 6:50

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00: 6:52

I think uh Yeah, the conventional wisdom is that change is scary, change is bad, but the only constant in the world is change.

SPEAKER_02: 7:02

That that's correct. It's uh it is scary. I mean, every every day I'm you know 57 years old and you know, starting a new career with uh you know, with everything pets, and uh it is always scary. Uh, but that's the fun of it. You know, if you're not excited about it, you don't have those butterflies, you know, maybe it's not worth doing. You know, part of that that passion, you know. I mean, you know, I'm a big sports fan as well, and you know, I've done a lot of coaching and all. And it's you know, getting excited, everybody's nervous before big game. Yeah, you know, but if you're not, you know, usually something's wrong. And I think uh to that point, as far as the the growth, you know, uh, you know, John Hewitt will say, you know, the the 10 most important words, you know, in the English language, if it is to be, it's up, it is up to me. I think the the sixth, second most important is that's what we have always done. Yeah. And you know, you have to be able to embrace change and you've got to want to uh do things, you know. You can't be afraid to do try things new and to do things differently. And you're gonna fail. I mean, I've had you know as as many failures, if not more, you know, than success stories, and that's okay. You know, you pick yourself up and you keep going and uh and figure it out.

SPEAKER_00: 8:11

Absolutely. So for you, you mentioned that you had one of the CEOs as your mentor. Uh several.

SPEAKER_02: 8:16

I actually several. I have been blessed. I have really been blessed. Uh uh, you know, I say, you know, at that time, Tom McNeely and you know, a guy named Paul House, who was a legend, and and uh, you know, a gentleman named Aziz Giga, who was a three-dog bakery owner, and and now I am so fortunate to be able to work with you know really titans of yeah you know the franchise world, John Hewitt and uh and Bob Gappa. John Hewitt is you know not only the grandfather of tax, but you know, really a franchising, the only person I think in history to build two billion dollar franchise companies. So um, you know, I I am so fortunate that every day I get a chance to uh interact with uh John and uh and Bob. Um it's a learning experience, you know, and it's really exciting.

SPEAKER_00: 9:07

Absolutely. And when you were saying that you had mentors back in the day or even today, yeah. What is that like you are my mentor? Because there's probably people in the audience that are sitting there going, how does one find a mentor? What does a mentor look like?

SPEAKER_02: 9:21

It's really not. And and I'll I'll I'll tell you that the truth is that I look for ways to learn every single day. And good or bad. You know, I uh as I said, uh I've been blessed throughout my career uh that I've had some great people to follow. And uh, but that said, I I've learned as much, you know, from franchisees and you know, managers getting out in the field and talking to people and just learning what they do. You know, tell me how you groom a dog, tell me how you, you know, like what are your customers doing? And um, every day is an opportunity to learn. You know, we're really fortunate at everything pet that we've got a uh, I'll call them younger because I'm the old guy now, uh, but we've got a younger, you know, group of brand leaders and you know, while I am uh helping to mentor them, they don't realize that every day they're teaching me something, you know, and uh it's it's exciting.

SPEAKER_00: 10:12

So for a lot of people that are in their 50s, 60s, 70s, they think they're on the latter half and they think that they're always trying to mentor others. How do you have that mindset of learning? Because I see a lot, the most successful people always have that and they never give that up. They always learn from everybody around them. So, where did that kind of develop for you?

SPEAKER_02: 10:34

Uh, I well, I've always had that. It came actually through sports. It was uh uh watching um the best coaches, you know, had a knack for you know again, he bringing the most out of people. And I listened, I watched, and I saw how you know they would uh interact with people differently to get the most out of them and just watch what they did. And throughout my career, that's what I did, whether it didn't matter what field they were in or what they were doing, whether it was human resources, marketing, uh, you know, or finance, you know, I just paid attention and tried to look at you know what they do a little bit differently than everyone else. And I think if we, you know, I try every day to see, you know, to know a little bit, you know, more about something. And the more I can uh learn, you know, the more it expands my my knowledge and then I can share it. So that's really that's kind of the focus is never stop learning. I think uh, you know, I I hope to uh you know continue that you know uh until I'm not here. You know, I think it's important to constantly be learning.

SPEAKER_00: 11:32

Yeah, no, I absolutely I mean I have a coaching group, and one of the things we talked about was this idea of like being a river, like basically being a stream. So you got one hand up where they're like giving you the insight, and then you got one hand down where you're helping people up. So it's this idea of how do you have that full stream of mentoring, yes, but being mentored and being open to that. And one of the things I think about mentorship is it's not always so much, hey, this person's my absolute mentor. It's like, hey, we have a couple different areas of life, right? So like this one might be my gym mentor. Like, I'm not gonna have my rabbi be my business mentor. Like it's just you know what I mean, you gotta find the right person for the right place.

SPEAKER_02: 12:08

Yeah, yeah, that's absolutely right. And and you look at, you know, who is and and not uh in the literal sense of you're you are my mentor, but you know, who do you look at and who do you admire in in each of those phases? So whether it's you know from a you know spiritual standpoint, whether it's a business standpoint, you know, it's a family standpoint, you know, and I and I always look at you know, who do I think you know models and I try to model you know my behavior after that, saying, okay, that worked for them. Let me see what they're doing.

SPEAKER_00: 12:37

Absolutely, absolutely. So for you, Joe, you you're at this company for 25 years. What ends up happening that you end up transitioning? Not not like what was the actual activity, but it was just more along the lines of like if most people are at a company for 25 years, they're like, dude, I am staying here forever, or I am retiring. I'm done. Like, for you to like do a different, like that's incredible.

SPEAKER_02: 13:00

Well, yeah, no, listen, I want to be clear. The reality is that, you know, like uh, you know, we were or a company that was owned by a larger group, and ultimately, you know, there was a you know a change, and they made some changes to uh C C suite, and you know, things happen. And of course, you know, that's again everything you you take as a learning experience, and you know, you you move on. So it was hey, go find something, you know, that uh that you're passionate about. And I was fortunate that that I did. I was able to stay in the pet space. And uh, you know, even now, you know, last year I got a call. Well, this time last year, actually, it was uh funny that we're uh we're talking today on on Christmas Eve because it was uh it was this time last year. Uh I met with with John Hugh at the beginning of December last year, and John said, Hey, why don't you come meet our team? So I went down, you know, I got a chance to meet people. But you know, the the last call I had before I really knew I wanted to join loyalty brands was with Bob Gappa on Christmas Eve. And I thought it was going to be a 30-minute call. I think we were on the phone for an hour and a half, and I I walked away with I really want to work here and uh you know, I want to be part of this. And uh it was exciting to one see what John was building and knowing what he had built at Jackson Hewitt at Liberty, you know, but to uh to really what resonated was you know that he called it loyalty brands when I asked him. He said, I want you to meet our team. And I met people that had been around for uh you know 20 to 35 years in some cases, uh at multiple companies. And that really, really resonated with me. Uh you know, if if nothing else, if you you had to you know pick a word loyal loyal is you know one that you know I I think very highly of. Uh and that really resonated. And then meeting, you know, John and you know, getting to know John Moore and Bob Moore, and you know, it was such a a you know great vision. And uh, you know, as as luck would have it, you know, John asked me to join the uh the team on a consulting basis. And uh, funny story, actually, you know, I'm a pet guy. Everybody knows I've kind of you know I've been in pet forever. And John says, Hey, I want you to go work on our ledgers business, which is uh small business bookkeeping.

SPEAKER_00: 15:18

Um okay, so I just I just want to I just want to preface for the audience because not everyone might know all about loyalty brands and everything going on there. So you're 56 at this time, you're you're looking for a job for basically like the first time in forever, and you find this opportunity, and they go, and you're the pet guy, and they go, No, let's go into the accounting space, and you're like, Okay, like because for me, a lot of like I I do a lot of coaching, I speak to a lot of people, and a lot of them, a big challenge for them is this like ego that they carry of like, I'm this successful, I'm this guy. So, how do you go into these situations and not have this or you know what I'm talking about? You know where people struggle with it.

SPEAKER_02: 16:05

Yeah, I and I I first of all, you know, I I'm not a big fan of of egos, you know, confident is great, yeah, you know, but there's a fine line. And uh, you know, those that you know typically have the biggest egos and you usually produce the least. And and uh, you know, that's not always the case, you know, but a lot of times. Uh you know, so really what that wasn't, you know, and I've learned this, uh, you know, John, you know, Hewitt is is you know the consummate chess player, actually, he's a world-ranked chess player. Oh, really? I didn't even know that. He is, it's pretty crazy. Like uh, I think a world-class chess player and bridge player, which is really fun, really funny. Um, but it's you know, he he constantly looks at how to move you know people around to make the most sense, and you know, there's always a long-term vision. Yeah, and then it was, you know, hey, I guess see how you work with people. And I had the good fortune to work with uh uh Tyler Wynn, who I think you've had on your podcast, uh that that heads up our ledgers group, and uh it was a lot of fun, it was a great experience to spend uh a few months really working with you know with him, uh, you know, building out the infrastructure and kind of seeing how we can help to grow. And you know, I will tell you it's one of the fastest growing companies uh in franchising right now.

SPEAKER_00: 17:25

And what was it, what was your thought process during this during this time? Because I mean, you've just been there, you've done that. So it's like, how do you think about that? Just because like I said, there's so many people that struggle with this re-identification, you know what I mean? Or do you just never really yeah?

SPEAKER_02: 17:42

I've I've never really, you know, worried about you know, reinventing, you know. I I started with the poor kid in Baltimore, so I kind of go, hey, you know, like whatever happens is uh is is upside. And uh, you know, I've been really fortunate. So, you know, I'm I'm pretty blessed there.

SPEAKER_00: 18:01

Um I want to I want to share that for the audience that Joe here, who's had like all of this success, done all these amazing things, that he sits there and has not low expectations of himself, but he just goes, This is where I started from. Everything's a bonus. Like the fact that I'm still going and I'm still doing this is a bonus. And because there's so many of us that have this high expectation of I need to make this much money or I'm a worthless piece of like, you know what I mean? And it's like, no, yeah, that's not the dynamic at all.

SPEAKER_02: 18:30

Don't don't get me wrong, you know, I've got you know very, very high goals, and uh, I've been been fortunate that you know I I've done well, but you know, I've got a great family and uh you know I've been blessed, you know. So as far as that, I'm I'm in good shape. And uh, you know, with with loyalty brands, the first, you know, that that gig was actually a consulting gig where John said, Hey, come, you know, see if uh if there's a good fit. And uh it was. And it was terrific that uh, you know, in May, you know, John said, Hey, I want you to head up, you know, everything pet. Oh wow. Which was terrific. Uh, because obviously, you know, I you know, when we first chatted, you know, that was the the the main focus of our conversations was around pet. So um what a fantastic opportunity, and uh I am uh as excited.

SPEAKER_00: 19:18

So so what is the difference there? Because people might not know. Loyalty brands holds eight different brands, I think it is. Nine. We have nine different nine.

SPEAKER_02: 19:26

Uh today we have nine. We're always actively looking for incredible opportunities and uh you know ways to uh improve lives. You know, that is loyalty's motto, and that was also something that really resonated. Having fun and improving lives is is our uh our focus. And uh we look for for franchise opportunities that you know can create opportunity for people. Uh and the everything pets, you know, group. Uh right now we have four brands in the pet vertical Zoom and Groomin', which is the largest and fastest growing mobile groomer on the planet. I am so, so proud of that group.

SPEAKER_00: 20:02

Yeah, and just to clarify for the audience, these are all franchisors. So they own the franchise, and then everyone franchises them. And Joe, I also got to tell you a story. So I was driving back from Fort Lauderdale this weekend, and I went back to Tampa, and I made my wife take a picture. She never sent it to me, so I didn't get to send it to you. It was a zoom and droven truck, and I'm like, Matt, I saw it. That's it, that's it. It's in the wild, it's in the wild. I saw the brand in the wild.

SPEAKER_02: 20:27

That is amazing. I get so excited. I get more calls now of people that see our vans uh on the road saying, Hey, I just saw this. And uh, and you mentioned Tampa, we got wonderful franchisees down in Florida and all over the place, but uh it's exciting. So Zoom and Groomin uh was the the first. Uh, and now we have four. We have Cooper Scoopers, which is waste pickup and uh pet uh walking and pet sitting. We have Salty Dog, uh Salon and Bakery, which is a fantastic. Brick and mortar, like really uh uh gold standard, grooming salon created by the founder uh Wynn Clayball and uh the Paul Mitchell schools. And uh on the podcast as well. I I know you've had Wynn on the podcast again. Like I say, I'm very fortunate that I've been uh uh around a lot of great people that really inspire. Uh and Wynn is another uh you know, his book, Be Nice. You can't you can't talk to Wynn and not be excited and have fun. Uh so back to our our group, Cooper Scoopers. And then finally, we just in September uh partner with a new group called Hike Doggy, which is the greatest uh dog activity on the planet. You know, they're based out of Golden, Colorado. Uh Kath Allen and uh and Abby Lee just did this incredible job where we pick up your dogs, we take them for a two-hour hike, and uh it is the most exciting part of any dog's week and uh just a blast. I even I got a chance to go out to Colorado and and do that two-hour hike. And you know, it it was uh beyond inspiring. So it's a lot of fun. And we've just kicked that uh you know that off in September and already growing. Uh uh just did our first two or three deals in the last two weeks. So very, very excited. And you know, that is starting to uh to really take off. It's a uh it's a great concept. So yeah, I think uh our goal is, you know, and and I'll steal this from Kath Allen, uh, it's make your dog feel as good as they make us feel. Um and I I love that. You know, it's that they've become so incredibly uh therapeutic for us, and they've done such you know, such great things. They're part of our family. And if we can do um our part to make their lives a little easier, and also make you know the uh the pet owners' lives easier. You'll see that we uh we have a strong focus on on mobile and on services, you know, that are geared towards making um you know pet parents' lives a little bit easier. And uh how can we enrich your pet's lives and how can we make yours a little bit easier?

SPEAKER_00: 23:02

Absolutely. And if someone was looking, like, because I feel like most franchisees, they sit there and go, I don't even know what's going on. Like, are these like are the best people for this like pre-business owners? Are they employees? Are they people who are looking for a side hustle? Like, yeah, what is the best way to think about this? Because I mean, you guys got a lot of opportunities, a lot of different things, and it can be uh a little intimidating.

SPEAKER_02: 23:25

Well, I think uh one, we have we we've got a fantastic team that can walk you through the process. But the real thing we're looking for is, you know, obviously you need a bit of a business, some business acumen. And it helps if if you you know have any type of a business ownership uh uh in the family, maybe, or or you've been exposed to it. But the reality is is that you know, anybody that has a passion for pets and a desire to um you know have financial independence and work for yourself can can do it. We create, and and this is something that uh I'm beyond impressed with what Loyalty Brands has done, is we create systems you know that make it uh very easy to be successful. If you follow the system, um your chance of success is in incredible. Uh I think you know, John uh you know talks about, I think he's up to 1100. He's created over eleven, twelve hundred millionaires. And uh he's had all of these successful franchisees, and every time uh you know I have a route, I I meet them. And you know, that's you know, I've seen that throughout my career is that uh, you know, franchisees that are passionate and you know and work hard and follow the system are successful. You know, those that uh don't want to follow a system, you know, frankly shouldn't be franchisees.

SPEAKER_00: 24:44

I mean it it was it was very fascinating because I'll also add in that I actually went to the loyalty brands uh kickoff conference uh last earlier this year. I think it was like end of May or something like that. And it was just, I mean, you could feel the energy, like the people were excited and they wanted to be there. And you saw all the people doing their different brands and their different things, and it was just very, very interesting to see.

SPEAKER_02: 25:09

It's truly, truly inspiring, and to see the passion that is there, and uh, you know, that's what makes it so special. I can't tell you at that conference alone how many people uh came up to me saying, you know, from our tax business, from our bookkeeping business, from our construction business, uh saying, hey, I want to learn about uh Salty Dog. I want to learn about Cooper's, you know, I think I might want to get a Suman Grumman. Um tell me about this and have it.

SPEAKER_00: 25:35

You're bringing up a really interesting point. And this was kind of like a little bit crazy for me that it wasn't it just in one vertical. There's these people that would go in there that you might be a franchisee of I don't know, the one of the one of the everything pet brands. They be might be one of those franchisees, and they're like, I want to get another franchisee of like different. And I was like, what is going on? Like, because to me, like it was very interesting. You grow up, you get a job, like you work your job, you buy a house, you retire, you have your family. And like what John's created, and like what you're creating here, Joe, is like completely re flipping over the podium, like how we even think about income streams and money management and all of it. So it's very interesting.

SPEAKER_02: 26:20

Yeah, I I think you're you're spot on is that the we create opportunities for individuals to successfully scale. Uh, and you know, we cross over, you know, by having these different verticals. You know, right now our two you know main focuses are in finance, and and I'll also throw in home uh and pet, you know, with pet, you know, obviously being the one I'm most passionate about. But you know, from uh CR3 that does construction, roofing, exterior, um, construction to uh loyalty business brands to whole property management is a new one then, uh is a fantastic new concept that uh we launched uh about three months ago. Um there are so many unique opportunities and um all of the, you know, they all tie together. Yeah. Customers, everybody needs a roof.

SPEAKER_01: 27:12

And chances are 70 per 70% of those families that live in those houses that need roofs have pets. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 27:18

No, and then there's there's also property management, there's also the taxes, and it's just all the overlap is that's correct. It's like, how do you optimize for because you're looking at it a completely different way, opposed to like the normal, hey, I'm just a pet guy, what do I do? Like, and it's just it's very interesting to have so many different opportunities.

SPEAKER_02: 27:39

Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. It's it's funny, uh you know, ledgers, for example, we've got a few people in the pet space that you know have have ledgers businesses, and uh it it just works out really well, and and you know, there's so many synergies, and um, you know, what what John's vision was and what he is is is really built um is exactly that, creating this you know, ecosystem of opportunity uh for people. And uh, you know, we've been been really privileged to be a part of it and and really kind of see it on its ground floor. We just celebrated our uh had a zoom and groomer training last week, and we celebrated our 500th franchisee at loyalty brands. That's talking about it. Exciting. Uh it was fantastic, uh, Maureen out of uh out of Washington State. And uh it was such a blast to say, hey, you're our 500th. Uh by the end of this year, we are approaching our, you know, on the Zoom and groomer side, our 500,000th groom. Oh my god. Over 100,000.

SPEAKER_00: 28:44

Oh, just because you start seeing all the volume come in from yeah, I mean, it's it's amazing.

SPEAKER_02: 28:48

And it's you know, like this is less than five years old. Yeah, no, I mean it's that kind of growth thing, um, you know, is is unbelievable. We've seen just a tremendous trajectory.

SPEAKER_00: 29:00

So, Joe, for you, how do people start to see the success? And how do people start to hitch their wagon on the right people? Because I know right now, or even get into business for themselves, because right now everyone's like, I want to do my own thing. Like, so how how do you think about that? And then just getting around because it seems like you've hitched your wagon onto like some very impressive players. And by hitch your wagon, I mean like you join the team or kind of get involved with them because you see the the vision.

SPEAKER_02: 29:28

Well, like I said, sometimes a little bit of luck helps, but also being, you know, being I I say this often and I learned this from a guy named Paul House. You know, he had a line, you know, many years ago said the smartest guy in the room is the guy that knows he's not. Uh and and I genuinely try to learn from everybody that I see and look for opportunity. Uh loyalty brands was dumb luck. I was doing other things and was not looking when John called and said, wow, this could be a great opportunity. And uh it is as exciting as anything I've ever done. Actually, more exciting, and um, you know, we're just uh you know, just starting to uh really ramp up. You know, what we're doing now is uh great. So how does somebody get in? You know, one, they take a look at us and check out loyalty brands. Uh I I should just say everything pass, but the reality is that loyalty brands offer so many huge opportunities. Um please stay, you know, have people take a look. And um really what you want to do is you want to find something that you're gonna be comfortable in. And uh I I didn't say not nervous about or I didn't say not scared, but you know, comfortable and it's it's something you like. Um, you know, John has this line, you know, he's instead of thank God it's Friday, it's thank God it's Monday. You know, he works 365 days a year, and he'll tell you that you know, Monday is as exciting as any day of the week because if you love what you do, you're really passionate about it, so you can't wait to get kick off the week.

SPEAKER_00: 30:55

I'm not gonna lie, everyone I've spoken to at loyalty is just a go-getter. There is no, hey, we're we're slowing down for the holiday. Like, not saying they don't have fun, not saying they don't do that stuff, but they're still bringing the like it's very high energy, and it's it's good. I mean, it's the people you want to be around. You want to be around, like I just gave a presentation this morning. Like, you want to be around the right people who give you that energy.

SPEAKER_02: 31:19

Culture is so incredibly important, and you know, we have three strategic imperatives for every single brand. And you know, it's really simple. I can share it's cross. Yeah, of course. Create happy, successful franchisees. So make sure you're doing what you can to take care of them and create fanatical fans. You know, we want our people to be fanatical about uh us. You know, if you go to Salty Dog or Zoom and Groman or Cooper's or Hike Doggy, I want you to have the greatest experience ever. I want your dog to bark, you know, every time our van pulls up because they're so excited to see us. Um, you know, whether we're we're scooping poop in your backyard or we're kind of we're trimming up your dog or taking them on a hike, we want that experience to be superb and we want you to, you know, genuinely, you know, think of us, you know, as the gold standard in uh everything we're doing. So that's creating the fanatical fans, but really on the the happy and successful franchisees, the key is one, give them the system, you know, give them, be, be truly a strategic partner of theirs and and help them to grow uh and and mentor them, you know, in a way that allows them to mentor their people. You know, being a happy and successful franchisee means that your people are happy and successful. You know, we have uh uh on the grooming side, both the salty dog and zoom and grooming, we have a groomer first mentality. You know, we treat our groomers, you know, I believe better than anyone else in the industry. And it's doing the little things you know that make a difference, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 32:50

So that so you're saying instead of putting the customer first, it's really like put the employee first.

SPEAKER_02: 32:55

Yeah, it's both. It's both. You create that culture where if I you know I I treat you right and they treat our customers right. Of course. You know, it just I wasn't trying to, but yeah, you've got one way or the other way. But I'm just thinking Jordan, you're absolutely right, is that um, you know, they are our customers, right? Our employees are as important as as our customers, so treat them you know the same way, you know, treat everybody right and you know, try to do whatever you can to you know create, you know, a culture of of you know fun and improvement where they're excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00: 33:25

Absolutely. And then a lot of the I mean, even a lot of the employees sometimes probably see opportunities where it's like we can get involved even further.

SPEAKER_02: 33:32

And like Absolutely, you know, whether they can evolve to a you know their their skills as far as grooming or they want to own their own business, you know. That's that's the greatest part when we see somebody, you know, that says, Hey, I think I'm ready to do this, and then their their you know, franchisee wants to help them, you know, because they want to mentor them and see them. We also have a great you know program at loyalty brands called our our area rep program, where you can buy you know multiple territories and you're basically a mentor to franchisees. Um, so it's a great program. And and again, we we try to create that or cultivate that culture throughout the organization so people are really excited to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_00: 34:13

Absolutely, absolutely. So with Edwards Consulting, we have five pillars it's mental health, physical health, community service, philanthropy, spirituality, and relationships. So I'm gonna ask you, Joe, because I've been doing this for the past like probably 40 episodes, where I ask people the five pillars, and the reason is is because one, it can give them insights on how to feel better, or it's hey, I'm a person too, and we're not all perfect because the truth is we're not. So, Joe, what is your mental health like today? Not every day, just like today. How are you feeling on like a one to ten? And uh for yeah, just curious.

SPEAKER_01: 34:50

Today is uh it's pretty good. It's probably an eight.

SPEAKER_00: 34:52

An eight?

SPEAKER_02: 34:52

Why do you feel it's probably an eight, you know, like we're we're winding down. So I'm racing through all the things we want to get done by year end. I'm also thinking of, you know, we've got we've got a lot of family over for uh for Christmas tomorrow. So thinking about what we have to do to prepare for that, you know, thinking about making sure of you know helping my wife out, who is you know, definitely taking the brunt of doing everything. Uh, you know, so so yeah, it's uh it's it's in a pretty good space. Uh, you know, I don't have a heavy load today. Um you know, and every day is different, as you said. You know, it's a uh, you know, it's a a work in progress. I think uh, you know, my assumption is that everybody tells you they're perfect or lying. You know, they're not. You know, people have good days and bad days. You know, there are a lot of days you wake up and go, I don't want to get out. I don't want to come out from under the covers. Um, you know, and you fight through that, you know, that's just reality, is that uh, you know, nothing is perfect over the last uh, you know, my gosh, the last 10 years, you know, I've you know lost uh, you know, we've my wife and I have lost, you know, our parents, you know, like I've had some job changes, we've had some different different things, things, life happens, you know, and that's the same for everybody is that you know, it's how you how you deal with it. And uh, you know, you try to stay focused on constant improvement. You know, how do you get a little bit better each uh each day? So today is a is a good day. I hope by the end of the day it's a nine or ten, you know, that's where uh I'm at, you know. At first, uh this is one of my first podcasts, so there was a little nervousness in the uh beginning, and uh, you know, that you know, I mean, I gotta give it-probably knocked the point off.

SPEAKER_00: 36:25

I mean, Joe Joe, to be completely honest, for you to be uh as confront like as like 57, authentic, showing up, being like, I'm doing something new for the first time, going like Christmas Eve, like what am I doing? It's just I think that's such an incredible attribute because there's so many people who are like, I'm not for me. I give my job, I'm gonna focus on that, but you're like, no, I gotta give more, I gotta help more, I gotta provide more. And if this is the avenue we're gonna do it, this is the avenue. I'm gonna step into that. And I I I absolutely love that.

SPEAKER_02: 36:57

Well, I I like I don't think I'm much different than most people, you know. I I may I may try a little harder occasionally, but that's about it. You know, like uh did I get I take what you know, I try to do what I can to make a difference. And you mentioned spirituality. I mean, that's played up.

SPEAKER_00: 37:11

Oh, we're we're gonna get to them. We're gonna get to them. Don't worry. Yeah, um, so physical health on a zero to ten. How are we feeling there?

SPEAKER_02: 37:18

Uh well, you know, you've you've seen me, so I'm not the picture of health. So what do you feel? I'm probably a five or six, you know, probably a solid five. Yeah, I'm gonna be a little bit more. Why do you feel like that? Why? Yeah, well, I need to be in better shape. I've been a little bit too uh too lazy, haven't hit the gym nearly as much as I should, and uh, you know, so uh you know, dropping you know a couple pounds wouldn't uh wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

SPEAKER_00: 37:42

Absolutely, otherwise in pretty good health. Because here's the thing, Joe. If people don't share how they authentically are and actually like the truth, then we don't get better. You know what I mean? So everyone listening right now, it's like Joe's a human, he's sharing authentically, like we appreciate that. So I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02: 37:59

Absolutely. I'm not gonna give a plug when I am literally, you know, I've got a uh protein shake sitting next to me.

SPEAKER_00: 38:05

What uh what about community service philanthropy? How do we feel about that?

SPEAKER_02: 38:11

I think it's uh it's amazing to uh to give back when you can. And uh again, I've been fortunate to work with uh particularly on the pet side, really great um you know organizations. And uh I worked with a couple of of military groups, U.S. war dogs in particular, and America's vet dogs that I was super, super fond of. And we we did a lot of work with them over the years. And I'm gonna call that too.

SPEAKER_00: 38:36

What is that? What exactly is that military war dog? Like what are you doing?

SPEAKER_02: 38:40

Uh U.S. War Dogs was a group started in New Jersey by a guy named Ron Aiello, who uh created this uh this he was doing war memorials for uh service dogs, and from that, you know, we uh were able to raise some money and uh raised a lot of money over the years, um, and we're able to create you know opportunities to train dogs for PTSD soldiers, um buy things like cooling vests, dinner for dogs, and uh and really make a uh a difference for you know the well-being of service dogs, uh, even when they come back and they're they're decommissioned, you know, finding uh forever homes for them. Uh so that was one that was really rewarding. And then, you know, on the home front, um I've traveled for the last few years, so I haven't been in Maryland as much as I should, but you know, I worked uh uh a lot with uh I'll call two groups in particular. There's uh a group called Barks and uh and uh Baltimore Area Rescue and Care Shelter, uh and a group called Soft Side, show your soft side for anybody who gets a chance to check them out. It's one of the coolest things they've seen. It's uh uh an anti-animal cruelty campaign that was started in Baltimore. And you know, the tagline is only a punk would hurt an animal. So it's these gigantic professional athletes and celebrities with with uh rescue animals. Um, so really creating awareness. And as far as uh giving back, I think any opportunity you have to, you know, do do do good things um in a meaningful way is is important, you know, and you know, even the little things. It's not necessarily uh I I'm not big on being overly showy. You know, anybody knows me, I'm kind of like I'm always the you know, the face for radio, behind the scenes kind of guy. And uh, but when you have an opportunity to do good things, you should. And I think it's very rewarding um, you know, just being able to help people and and see them, you know, improve. I've also done, you know, I've coached uh, you know, youth in high school sports for a lot of years. Um I get a real enjoyment out of watching kids, you know, kind of come out of their shell and you know, be able to um, you know, grow and develop you know through sports. So I'm a huge fan of giving back.

SPEAKER_00: 41:00

I love that. I appreciate you sharing all that because it it gives a lot of the audience different ideas. Like, you know what I mean? Because I would sit there and go, all right, you're a pet guy. Cool. How can we help? And you're like, US war dogs, like, I mean, you just you just share that and you're like, oh, it connects the dots for people, right? Like, so if you really have a passion about something and you want to pair it with something, that is a brilliant organization. But you can figure out whatever organization you're passionate about. Like, one of the big ones for me is like financial literacy. I think it's super important, and there's different ways to get involved with that. So it's just taking, like, I can tell by the way you shared in all the groups that you have taken a thought process and you have kind of put together the time to go, hey, these are actually charities and organizations that I care about and I want to give towards them because they're actually going to make a difference. So I appreciate you sharing that because it makes a huge difference. And then the next one's relationships. So this could be personal, this could be professional, this could be whatever you want it to be.

SPEAKER_02: 42:01

I I find that they're usually both. You know, they marry. I've been uh, and again, uh I I say fortunate, grateful a lot because I am, you know, I've got you know two of my best friends I've had since I was six years old. Oh wow. Um, you know, my you know, half a dozen best friends I've known for at least 30 years, and you know, in in several cases, um, you know, some of my my closest friends started out as coworkers um and employees either. You know, sometimes I work for them, sometimes they work for me, sometimes we were, you know, we were on the side, didn't it didn't really matter. And uh, you know, so I I think relationships are incredibly important. You have to like uh the people that you know you're around, you gotta like the people that you work with. You know, case in point, it's funny you talk about working a lot, and you know, Bob Gap and I were on a you know, had a quick call last night at 10 30 and ended up being an hour plus call. Just kind of like and we're both like it just to genuinely enjoy you know speaking to each other. Um you know, and I still keep in touch with uh other people that people that I worked with 30 and you know, in some places 40 years ago.

SPEAKER_00: 43:14

How do you do that? How do you stay connected to people? Like, what is there any strategy or anything that you do to stay connected with people? The only reason I ask is just because we it's hard for us to maintain, like there's so many people.

SPEAKER_02: 43:26

So honestly, I I I don't, you know, like I I stay connected to people that I want to stay connected to because I'm uh you know they're you know, it's a genuine relationship. Yeah, you know, and uh and and this is probably wrong for this podcast, but I'm not one of those guys that strategically reaches out to people every 32 days, you know, because you know, I've got to ping them and give them a hey and how are you and all, you know, like uh, you know, like I I'm I'm cordial with everyone, but you know, the people that I'm closest to, they know it. You know, they know it because I connect with them. And um, you know, I I have you know great relationships uh that I've had for many years, but I don't have a cadence to how this is supposed to go. It's just uh hey, you know, like I miss you, let's go talk. And you know, and and and that's the you know the beauty of it is all you know, like I and it's fun. Sometimes I get a call, you know, from people and it's like, hey, it's just been a while, let's catch up. Yeah, uh, absolutely. And and you know, I find that that's a lot more rewarding because it feels very genuine.

SPEAKER_00: 44:26

Yeah, absolutely. And then spirituality, where are you at on spirituality? How do you feel about it?

SPEAKER_02: 44:33

All over the place. Um, I do. I've been spiritual my my life. I'm a product of Catholic school. Uh so you know, I was I was you know beat up by uh by nuns and then uh you know Franciscans. Um and I and I I truly know, and you know, all kidding aside is the you know the Franciscans um really helped to shape uh my beliefs and kind of the way I think about things. So always been spiritual. You know, I'm I'm not going to lie and say I'm the perfect you know Catholic by any means. Um I've had you know ups and downs as far as relationship with the church. Always been very spiritual though, and uh, you know, I am uh you know, I am a regular mass attender. And uh, you know, I think it's important for me. It it's a comfortable space. And uh, you know, it's just uh, you know, I am I I feel that I'm at my healthiest when uh you know spiritually I'm in a good place. Yeah, so it's important. It's important to me. And uh, you know, I try to you know live by you know the you know the principles that you know were kind of impressed upon me by you know my parents and you know and and those Franciscans back in the day. Uh but it you know it's uh uh it's important, it's very important to me.

SPEAKER_00: 45:51

Absolutely, absolutely. So, Joe, where can people learn more about you and where can they learn more about loyalty brands?

SPEAKER_02: 45:58

Well, I don't know that anyone has to learn more about me, but I would suggest uh checking out uh loyalty brands, you know, at loyaltybrands.com and also checking out um any of our concepts zoom in grooming, salty dog, cooper scoopers, uh, and hike doggy. Uh all of those um you can check us out on social, you can check out our websites, and uh and also under uh loyalty brands, you can see all of our uh our amazing brands. They're nine currently, and uh and stay tuned. We're working on a few more. Uh so exciting times, and uh, you know, come join the fun.

SPEAKER_00: 46:37

Absolutely. I love it. I'll put all that in the show notes, and I I really appreciate the time, Joe.

SPEAKER_02: 46:41

Fantastic. Appreciate you, my friend.