From Dog Grooming To Acai Bowls — What's Making These Brands Grow So Fast?

Every year, arsenic we scour nan accusation from nan Franchise 500 rankings, we announcement immoderate brands that are making ample moves. Sometimes they recreation retired of nowhere, having ne'er classed before. Sometimes they classed small past year, and jumped complete a 100 spots — proving they're doing point worthy paying attraction to. So we chose 5 of nan biggest movers, and explored nan strategies down their success.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Zoomin Groomin

Jumped 221 Spots: Zoomin Groomin is joining nan Franchise 500 for nan first time.

It's debuting astatine No. 280.

John Hewitt is amazed by really overmuch money group will locomotion connected their dogs.

That's saying something, fixed that Hewitt has immoderate acquisition pinch high-net-worth enterprises. Hewitt cofounded Jackson Hewitt, nan taxation mentation services empire, and sold it for $483 million. Today, his institution Loyalty Brands has 7 franchise brands pinch an eighth successful nan works, offering everything from building and taxation and accounting services to, yes, pet services — which he says is nan "fastestgrowing [category] by far."

"I emotion my tax-preparation industry, but it only grew by 1% a year," he says. "The magnitude spent connected pets has doubled, and it's expected to double again successful nan adjacent 5 years."

His mobile pet-grooming marque is Zoomin Groomin, which he acquired successful 2021. Back then, nan business was astir 18 years old, struggling, and had conscionable 2 franchises and 4 vans. Now it has 134 units — and is joining nan Franchise 500 for nan first time, debuting astatine an awesome No. 280.

"We're bringing successful astir six to 8 caller franchises a month, and adding 12 to 14 caller vans a month," Hewitt says. "The petition is truthful great; aft you're successful business astir six months, you're booked 3 weeks successful advance. You petition different van, truthful your business is expanding."

He says that by 2029, he expects Zoomin Groomin to personification 3,000 vans successful cognition — and he plans to build connected customer petition crossed aggregate brands. He precocious acquired Salty Dawg storefront pet salon and bakery, and is launching a pet discarded removal franchise.

The Loyalty Brands franchises banal accusation astir customers, he says, giving pet-business franchisees a boost to their income base.

"Our largest agency does 5,000 taxation returns. Well, those taxation returns — an estimated 3,500 of them personification pets," he says. "So we cross-market to our different companies. Very less organizations do a bully business of that cross-marketing. I expect that we'll personification 1,000 franchisees by 2029."

He's too readying to proceedings ideas for further monetization: "This is already successful. The mean van does astir $200,000 and nets $50,000. We're going to adhd things successful for illustration canine stepping and insurance. We're not conscionable sitting connected our laurels. We're committed to improving nan strategy to thief our franchisees monetize their databases."

Related: The Secret Roadmap to Franchise Success, from Startup to Sale — A Blueprint for Growth Into a Multi-Billion Dollar Business

Image Credit: Courtesy of The Now Massage

Jumped 195 Spots: The Now Massage is joining nan Franchise 500 for nan first time.

It's debuting astatine No. 306.

When Jason and Gara Post opened their first Now Massage boutique successful 2015 successful West Hollywood, California, nan mates envisioned a membership-based conception pinch customizable services, truthful that massages could spell a convenient information of guests' and members' monthly routines.

The Now Massage began franchising successful 2019, and this is nan company's first twelvemonth successful nan Franchise 500 — debuting powerfully astatine No. 306. The Now has 60 boutiques crossed nan United States, pinch overmuch than 170 locations successful development. Average gross gross of franchises unfastened overmuch than a twelvemonth is $1.2 million.

One inaugural that helped thrust that maturation successful nan past twelvemonth is amended integer marketing, says Jeff Platt, president of The Now.

"We developed an in-house agency squad that optimizes advertisement locomotion crossed our franchise network," Platt says. "This onslaught enables america to displacement strategies successful existent clip connected platforms for illustration Meta, driving overmuch bookings and ensuring each trading dollar delivers results crossed our boutiques."

The institution too built a caller website pinch AI integration, which will motorboat successful early 2025 to springiness customers a smoother integer experience.

Of course, offerings too proceed to germinate incorrect nan boutiques, says cofounder and main imaginative serviceman Gara Post.

"We are perpetually researching and expanding our insubstantial of massages and enhancements, launching gliding cupping [using silicone cups to glide complete nan tegument and relieve musculus tension] astatine locations nationwide successful 2023, successful summation to activity integration partnerships pinch best-in-class brands for illustration Ouai, Summer Fridays, Rare Beauty, and more," Post says. "These partnerships personification spell basal to our trading strategy and activity innovation."

For 2025, The Now is too launching a loyalty program, and investing successful resources to empower franchisees arsenic they build their teams astatine each level. The institution is seeking to mobility franchise agreements for locations including Washington D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Charlotte, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. The cleanable franchise proprietor is simply a multi-unit operator.

"Service invention will enactment a cardinal attraction arsenic we intent to personification 100 locations operating by nan extremity of 2025," Platt says. "We will diversify our offerings by testing and launching innovative caller enhancements and services designed to propulsion first-time guests while inspiring excitement among our squad members, existing guests, and members."

Related: "Growth Can beryllium Extremely Rapid" — Use These Tools for Your Long Term Franchise Success Plan

Image Credit: Courtesy of Rolling Suds

Jumped 190 Spots: Rolling Suds is joining nan Franchise 500 for nan first time.

It's debuting astatine No. 311.

The Rolling Suds power-washing marque began overmuch than 3 decades agone successful Pennsylvania. It started franchising successful 2022 and had 47 franchise locations unfastened arsenic of July 2024, landing it connected nan Franchise 500 for nan first clip — astatine No. 311.

"This year, we evolved a lot," says CEO Aaron Harper. "Our systems were built astatine nan opening of nan year, but we quickly realized we needed to build an executive squad of seasoned franchise professionals to support our franchisees. Going from 90 territories sold astatine nan extremity of 2023 to astir 250 territories sold by nan extremity of 2024 required america to move arsenic a team."

The institution focuses overmuch connected commercialized businesses than residential, pinch trucks that tin soft-wash 4 stories from nan crushed and cleanable homes successful small than 30 minutes.

"We learned that acold outreach is 1 of nan astir effective methods of acquiring customers," Harper says. "People personification soiled buildings and homes that petition to beryllium cleaned. The manufacture is truthful fragmented that location aren't a ton of power-washers getting successful beforehand of these customers. In a batch of ways, it's a bluish ocean."

For 2025, nan strategy includes tackling nationalist accounts, pinch a bully accusation of franchise owners having operated for astatine slightest a year. Harper says he expects to personification overmuch than 420 locations nationwide by nan extremity of 2025.

"California is simply a ample target for us," he says. "We are getting a ton of traction there, trading 15 units successful nan past 12 months. Other states wherever we would for illustration to get overmuch franchise owners would beryllium Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, California, Florida, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and Oregon, conscionable to punishment a few."

He says nan cleanable franchise proprietor wants to build a sizable business, has a higher consequence tolerance pinch a overmuch entrepreneurial mind than mean franchisees, is well-capitalized, and does not petition to return a nett from nan business successful twelvemonth one.

"A less of our operators are multi-brand, multi-unit franchisees who are well-poised for rollup opportunities incorrect nan web arsenic opportunities arise," he says. "None of our franchise owners are coming successful expecting to beryllium part-time retired nan gate. However, we do not want them retired power-washing buildings. They will personification 2 labour hired earlier training for that. We personification a very circumstantial cleanable operator: They must beryllium comfortable going retired into their statement each clip to create relationships to triumph work."

Related: These Franchises Are Big-Time Earners Right Now, and They're Fun!

Image Credit: Courtesy of Amada Senior Care

Jumped 179 Spots: Amada Senior Care began franchising successful 2012, and has made nan Franchise 500 before. It missed nan ranking past year, nevertheless — and is now backmost astatine a beardown No. 322.

What caused nan abrupt acceleration? In short: The marque took 2 of its offerings and built them into overmuch bigger opportunities.

Amada Senior Care has an different guidelines story. It originates pinch NFL subordinate Tafa Jefferson, who signed pinch nan Chicago Bears successful 1997 but suffered career-ending injuries a twelvemonth later. He began talking pinch his assemblage changeable teammate Chad Fotheringham, and nan 2 went into business together — deciding to create Amada because Jefferson's mom utilized to activity successful elder care, and he saw opportunity there.

At nan start, Amada Senior Care provided basal in-home attraction for seniors. "We ran our ain agency successful Orange County for six aliases 7 years," Fotheringham says. "We had a friend who wanted to get into nan business. He saw that we were doing well, and he said he wanted to beryllium our first franchise."

By 2023, nan marque had 156 franchisees. Then it began emphasizing 2 of its offerings overmuch than it had earlier — starring to beardown maturation and 41 overmuch franchise locations, pinch mean information measurement expanding 16.4% betwixt October 2023 and October 2024. It had 249 locations sold by nan extremity of 2024, and 500 overmuch mapped retired for purchase.

So what were those offerings? One of them was placements. Although Amada helps seniors successful their homes, immoderate yet require alternate surviving arrangements. Amada helps them find nan champion assisted-and memory-care facilities, and past collects placement fees.

The different offering involves helping aging taxable veterans. Many veterans are eligible for a authorities usage that covers in-home care, but astir veterans don't cognize astir it aliases can't fig retired really to get it. The Amada squad untangles nan bureaucratic maze for them.

Focusing connected serving severely underserved populations — peculiarly successful agrarian areas — helped Amada work astir 4 times overmuch veterans successful 2024 than successful 2023.

"We personification certified acquisition units astatine nan healthcare facilities, truthful their group tin understand amended really these programs work, nonstop these [veterans] complete to us, and past we advocator for them incorrect nan bureaucratic system," he says.

For disappointment caregivers who had been trying to thief veterans personification in-home care, nan action was a godsend. "The magnitude of business we could create from that vertical was incredible," Jefferson says.

Related: Transform Your Business and Maximize Profits by Focusing connected This Customer Retention Factor

Image Credit: Courtesy of Playa Bowls

Jumped 157 Spots: Playa Bowls was No. 461 connected our database past year.

Now it's No. 304.

In 2014, a brace of surfers group up a insubstantial array successful Belmar, New Jersey, and started trading acai bowls. They came up pinch nan thought aft stepping nan world and learning astir acai and pitaya. These became among nan first branded Playa Bowls.

Within a year, they opened their first charismatic location successful Belmar. Then they started expanding. The first franchise opened successful 2016, and they ended 2024 pinch astir 300 afloat units. This is only its 2nd clip connected nan Franchise 500; past year, it was astatine No. 461. Now it's No. 304.

What caused nan ample jump? New activity — and a caller onslaught to franchisee growth.

As franchises grow, they often scope a pivotal moment: The founders personification overseen maturation nan champion they can, and are caller to bring successful a seasoned executive. That's what happened successful April 2023, erstwhile erstwhile Smoothie King COO Dan Harmon became Playa Bowls' caller CEO.

Harmon has complete 3 decades of franchising acquisition from Papa Murphy's, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Blockbuster, and McDonald's. He quickly saw 2 opportunities: thief existing franchisees grow, and enlistee caller ones from underappreciated markets.

"Many of our existing franchisees wanted to grow," says Jayson Tipp, nan brand's main betterment officer. So nan marque "got overmuch fierce astir opening caller markets," Tipp says. As a result, successful 2023, 60% of nan brand's caller franchise commitments were pinch existing franchisees.

Playa Bowls too outsourced recruiting for caller franchise candidates, he says. "We hadn't been very attentive to opportunities successful Texas, for instance. We looked astatine Houston and Dallas, truthful we'll personification those shops opening successful 2025. Our first shop successful Chicago opened this past October. And we started doing multi-unit agreements, which we hadn't done before."

The minimum multi-unit connection is 3 locations, and nan maximum is 10, pinch a maximum connection of 5 years. Last year, Playa Bowls mostly sold three-unit agreements to caller franchisees, pinch a batch of five- and 10-unit agreements going to existing franchisees.

"It's a ballot of confidence," Tipp says. "Franchise owners recreation profitability. If they're making money, they're happy to unfastened different shop."

Next connected nan database is continuing to streamline nan shop buildout process to small costs. "We moved from owners hiring their ain architects to having a centralized marque designer who handles each nan caller shop openings," Tipp says. The franchise too now has a preferred instrumentality supplier that gives franchise owners an different level of support. "We collaborated pinch them really closely, truthful our franchise owners don't personification to spell shop around."

Related: What's Ahead for Franchising successful 2025? Here are nan Key Trends to Watch.