This Dog-Training Franchise Is Zooming Ahead

After a rough few years, Zoom Room made major changes...and has emerged as a stronger, faster, very well-behaved business.

- CLINT CARTER

Zoom Room expected to have 45 total locations open by the end of 2023. It hit more than 60. That growth caps an incredible turnaround story.

Zoom Room's past troubles are notorious. Shortly after it started franchising in 2009, the company made some bad deals. It was "picking the wrong franchisees and growing without a plan," says Mark Van Wye, who was the company's COO at the time.

In 2016, the year Van Wye took over as CEO, the franchise had just 10 locations down from 14 the year prior. So his first act was to implement a two-year moratorium on sales of new franchised locations. He used the hiatus to build out the support team, bring on a VC partner, and improve unit economics.