Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Dore.
Hi Michael, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
K9 Resorts is a franchise based out of New Jersey with over 15 years of experience. K9 Resorts – Houston Energy Corridor is the first K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel in Texas.
I, Michael Dore, have always wanted to run my own business. From the time I was young growing up just outside Orlando, FL I watched my family and close family friends become the first franchisee of Planet Fitness and successfully start and run a variety of different businesses. Those same individuals are a part of my board today and they have been a huge help in getting me to this point of opening our first K9 Resort.
I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2013 and took a job working in health care in South Carolina. While I was only in my role for 2 years I was able to learn how to manage and use data to come up with creative solutions. I did not have a passion for health care but, I was able to use these skills to get a job in the Houston Texans front office as a Football applications programmer.
Starting in early 2019, while I was working in the front office of the Houston Texans, I started to look at different franchise opportunities so I could fulfill my goal of running my own business. The most important thing I learned working in football is to do something you love because it makes putting in the long hours worth it.
I have always loved animals. I especially love dogs, having grown up with them my whole life, and recently getting a Weimaraner named Niles. As I searched for franchises I kept coming back to the pet care industry as it’s where my passion is. After an exhaustive search of different pet care franchises I found and chose K9 Resorts as it was both the place I would most want to take my own dog and the place I would be most proud to say I ran.
We have plans to develop at least eight K9 Resorts in the greater Houston area, but as I live in the Energy Corridor I saw the need for our services locally and decided to put our first location in here, conveniently located off of I-10 at 12145 Katy Freeway Houston, TX 77079.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been far from a smooth road from when I first decided to take on this venture of opening a K9 Resorts. We found in site selection that it can be very difficult to find sites that hit all of the criteria you are looking for and can it can be a difficult process to find a space that has the outdoor space you want while also having a landlord that will work with your use.
We signed our lease in February of 2020 right before the pandemic hit which caused a variety of delays during construction. When we were able to get open in December of 2020 we were opening right in the middle of the pandemic. Many people were still not travelling and still working from home which severely limited the number of potential customers to use our daycare and boarding services. We were able to use this time to really focus on our operations and to teach our customer service representatives the quality of service we want to provide. This allowed us to capture a large number of new customers as people began to travel again and look for daycare services for their dogs.
Even now we are still being very affected by the pandemic with the rise in Omicron. While the holiday season is usually our busiest we saw a large number of cancellations the last few weeks of December and first week of January.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel provides Dog Daycare and Cage-Free, Home-Like Luxury Boarding at our hotel for our four-legged friends.
At K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel, we realize that few things are more important than the health and happiness of your pets. When you leave your four-legged friend in the care of our highly trained and certified professionals, you can rest assured they will receive the ultimate experience. Our award-winning luxury boarding and daycare services combine familiar homelike amenities with recreational fun to create resort-style vacations for your dog.
With a variety of different rooms to choose from, we strive to accommodate the needs and preferences of all our clients. K9 Resorts provides a spacious retreat for your fur baby both while they rest and while they play. Our play area—covering approximately 6,000 square feet indoors and out—is a highlight for your best friend’s stay with us. K9 Resorts also has state-of-the-art ventilation systems throughout our facility with UV lighting built in, which kills most of the bacteria in the air. We use hospital-grade disinfectants to clean all surfaces at our luxury dog hotel.
Not only are we highly regarded and internationally recognized, we are honored to have been rated the top pet care facility franchise in the nation by the International Boarding and Pet Services Association. From our cage-free dog boarding to the attentive care we provide, there are many reasons why veterinarians and other pet professionals prefer K9 Resorts.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I am a huge sports fan and you will often hear me listening to a variety of different podcasts in that arena. I enjoy listening to The Ryen Russillo Podacas, The Favorites, Caught Offside, and a variety of others. I have actually found that the gambling podcasts can help me the most as their whole goal is to try and find value where the market does not see it. This can sometimes mean thinking about things from a contrarian point of view or thinking of things in a completely new way. In business, we are trying to do the same thing and find value where others may not see it.
Pricing:
- Daycare Packages range from $25/day – $36/day
- Boarding includes playtime food and bedding and ranges from $60/night – $85/night
Contact Info:
- Email: energycorridor@k9resorts.com
- Website: https://www.k9resorts.com/houston-energy-corridor/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k9resortsenergycorridor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/K9ResortsEnergyCorridor/
