Inside Sparkle: Lessons From A Fast Growing Grooming Franchise ✨

Happy Friday Daily Groomers!

Lately, I’ve noticed a growing trend….. a wave of Supercuts veterans crossing over from human hair to pet grooming. And they’re scaling fast.

One of the more recent examples I’ve started to go deeper on is Sparkle, a new franchise redefining what pet salons can be. Our friends over at The Woof recently sat down with their Joe Aeppli, COO + Co-Founder to talk about how they built such rapid momentum — 340 licenses in just 18 months.

I thought the interview was a great read, and there’s a lot we can all learn from their approach to systems, people, and purpose.

Here’s what they covered:

• How Sparkle spotted a gap in grooming and built a membership-driven model to fix it.

• How they reached the incredible milestone of 340 licenses sold in just 18 months.

• How they pick franchise partners who lead with values, accountability, and scale experience.

• How smart capital deployment is fueling tech, training, and long-term system strength.

• Raising capital

Check it out below 👇

You started in franchising as a teenager (Supercuts). What early lessons from that time still shape how you build and scale Sparkle?

Starting in franchising at Supercuts as a teenager gave me an early lesson I have never forgotten: the success of a location hinges on the alignment of culture, process, and support. If even one of those three is off, sales will eventually suffer. I saw it firsthand in a salon where one bad hire disrupted culture, processes slipped, and performance declined. The systems in place were not strong enough to catch the issues early, which meant the team was left digging out of a much deeper hole than necessary. That experience taught me the importance of measuring what you expect and creating accountability at every level of the organization.

That principle is at the core of Sparkle. We built the brand around a balance between three primary pillars: The Pets, The People, and The Business. Our leadership team was intentionally designed to reflect that balance. My co-founder and CEO, Ben Crawford, is a lifelong entrepreneur and one of the top multi-unit franchise operators with The Joint Chiropractic. He understands exactly what franchisees need to feel supported and successful. My background has been on the franchisor side, where I focus on the strategy, membership model, and systems that drive scalability. And our first hire, Steve Dick, brought over two decades of pet industry experience from PetSmart, giving us deep expertise on what pets and salon teams need, and what they have lacked for years.

Those perspectives together shaped Sparkle’s DNA, and they are symbolized by the three stars in our logo. When pets, people, and business are in sync, everyone wins. That is a direct throughline from the lessons I learned early on to how we have built Sparkle today.

When you and Ben first spotted the “missing piece” in grooming, what was the concrete problem you kept seeing, and which key features or processes at Sparkle were designed specifically to fix it?

The gap we saw in grooming was clear: demand for quality pet care was exploding, but the industry had not kept pace with rising consumer expectations. For today’s pet parent, a dog is not just an animal — for many, they are another child, for others, a companion. Yet most of the industry has failed to evolve with that reality. Clients are asking for quality, convenience, affordability, and above all, trust. But the market is dominated by two big boxes that cannot adapt quickly or intelligently, and by fragmented mom-and-pops with inconsistent standards and limited infrastructure.

The labor model was just as broken. Groomers are often paid on commission, which incentivizes doing more rather than better. That has led to lower standards of care, inconsistent experiences, and a career path with little stability or upward mobility — a real problem given the rapidly growing demand for grooming. In most cases, the only way to protect margins under that model is to raise prices or lower quality, which ultimately hurts both employees and clients.

Sparkle was designed to fix this. We professionalized grooming with a salaried employment model and clear career ladders, standardized training and operations to raise the bar of care, and built a membership-driven revenue model that provides predictability for both franchisees and clients. Just as importantly, we created a support system for franchise partners that makes scaling easier and more sustainable.

In short, Sparkle improves the experience for the pets, the people, and the business. Pets get safer, higher-quality care. People — whether pet parents, groomers, or franchisees — get trust, stability, and opportunity. And the business benefits from a model that is consistent, profitable, and built for scale. That is the missing piece, and it is why Sparkle is growing so quickly. products being used. That combo creates a lose, lose, lose, for the pets, the clients, and the salon teams. Our membership-based model, allows for a different and better way forward.

You sold 340 licenses in 18 months. To what do you attribute this rapid growth?

Selling 340 licenses in just 18 months is a milestone we are proud of, but it is the byproduct of deliberate choices, not just fast sales. First, the market timing is undeniable. Pet ownership has never been higher, and grooming is both a wellness need and a recurring service, which makes it highly attractive to franchise investors.

Second, our model resonates because it solves problems that have held this industry back. The membership structure creates predictable recurring revenue, our salaried employment model professionalizes grooming careers, and our operations are built to deliver consistency and scalability. Franchisees see that we are not just another pet concept — we are defining a new category in Quick Service Pet Care.

Finally, the growth is possible because we built the infrastructure first. Proprietary systems, training platforms, support teams, and a seasoned leadership bench allow us to scale while protecting unit-level economics. It also reflects the fact that we have a very deep understanding of how this model works and the levers that influence success. Sparkle was meticulously crafted from the ground up, and that foundation is why we have attracted top operators from multiple verticals and brands who recognize both the strength of the model and the size of the opportunity.

Beyond financials, how do you evaluate prospective franchisees? What operational signals, temperament traits, or values make you say “yes”?

For us, evaluating a prospective franchisee goes far beyond capital. We are building a long-term brand, and that means choosing partners who share our values and have the temperament to scale with discipline.

Operationally, we look for candidates who understand the fundamentals of multi-unit retail such as managing teams, tracking KPIs, and creating accountability systems. Most of our operators are already successful with other national brands such as European Wax, Massage Envy, The Joint Chiropractic, Jersey Mike’s, and more. They recognize the power of recurring revenue, structured operations, and building teams at scale, which makes them a natural fit for Sparkle.

Equally important are temperament and values. We look for leaders who can balance empathy with accountability, who understand that culture drives performance, and who are excited by the idea of disrupting an industry to ignite positive change. We are also willing to say no. We have already turned candidates down, which is not something many brands are willing to do this early, because protecting the integrity of our system matters more than the speed of a sale. When someone demonstrates that they want to build a business that improves the experience for pets, people, and the community, we know they will be a great fit for Sparkle.

What is the typical upfront investment for a new location and the payback timeline you present to candidates (best-case and typical)?

Our upfront investment is disclosed in our Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 7, where the range is $236,000 to $473,000. That variance reflects our modular buildout approach, which allows salons to scale from four to six to eight grooming stations depending on market demand and real estate. Typical footprints range from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, which keeps the model efficient and adaptable.

As for payback timelines, that is not a figure we are permitted to provide outside of the FDD due to federal franchise regulations. What we can say is that Sparkle was designed with strong unit-level economics in mind, and our focus on membership-based recurring revenue, efficient buildouts, and operational discipline all contribute to creating a model that is both scalable and sustainable for franchise partners.

What are your top three customer-acquisition channels today, and how do you allocate spend between brand and local marketing?

Our top three acquisition channels today are search, community engagement, and referrals. Search is the workhorse, capturing high-intent local searches and converting them into appointments. Community engagement gives us a grassroots presence through local events and partnerships that build trust at the neighborhood level. Referrals, powered by strong word-of-mouth, remain one of the most cost-efficient and authentic drivers of growth.

When it comes to spend, we take a dual-layered approach designed to maximize franchisee ROI. At the unit level, franchisees invest a minimum of $3,000 per month or 5 percent of gross sales, whichever is greater, focused entirely on lower-funnel local lead generation. This ensures every salon has predictable visibility in its immediate trade area. On top of that, our National Marketing Fund, which is 2 percent of sales system-wide, fuels digital demand generation, brand storytelling, and conversion rate optimization.

The result is an extremely favorable ROI profile, consistently in the double digits. That is driven by the right combination of high customer lifetime value, low customer acquisition costs, and strategic, enterprise-level marketing execution. It is one of the clearest demonstrations of how our model balances franchisee-level success with system-wide growth.

How do you choose sites? What are your non-negotiable site-selection criteria?

We approach site selection with the same discipline we apply across the business: data-driven, but flexible by design. In partnership with our national broker, Catalyst Commercial Group, we’ve defined key thresholds around population density, household income, and psychographic profiles informed by our first-party data.

That said, Sparkle isn’t bound by the same constraints as many retail service brands. As a destination concept, we aren’t dependent on walk-by traffic or only “A-rated” power centers. Our model works equally well in what we call “shadow centers” or strong B/B+ centers, as well as select non-traditional spaces. This adaptability dramatically broadens our pool of viable real estate, which is a critical advantage in today’s tight market.

Where we draw the line is in markets with thin population density, low incomes, or unsafe parking dynamics. Pet parents need to feel comfortable dropping off and picking up their dogs, which means well-lit lots, safe traffic flow, and ideally, dedicated parking near the salon. Those factors are non-negotiable, because protecting the safety and experience of our clients comes before anything else.

How much capital have you raised? How is that capital being deployed today, and over the next 3–5 years what are your top growth priorities?

To date, we’ve raised $1.2 million in initial seed capital in October 2022, which provided the foundation to launch and prove our model. Since opening franchise opportunities in April 2024, we’ve generated an additional $3.2 million through regional developer and franchise license sales. That capital has fueled one of the fastest growth trajectories in the pet services category.

We are very intentional about how those dollars are deployed. The majority is invested into franchisee support systems, proprietary technology platforms that enhance efficiency and scalability, and ensuring strong four-wall profitability at the salon level. Our philosophy is simple: every dollar raised needs to translate into franchisee success and system-wide durability.

Looking ahead 3 to 5 years, our growth priorities are clear. First, rapidly expanding our footprint to capture national market share. Second, continuing to innovate our technology stack to keep Sparkle ahead of the curve. And third, investing in the people and culture that allow us to deliver consistency, care, and scale at the same time. Those pillars are what will allow Sparkle not only to grow quickly, but to grow with quality.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone trying to become a franchisee in the pet space?

My advice would be twofold. First, move quickly. The pet industry is experiencing explosive growth, and it represents one of the most exciting opportunities for both first-time franchisees and experienced multi-unit operators looking to diversify their portfolios. Timing matters in categories like this, and those who establish a footprint early have the chance to build real long-term value.

Second, do your due diligence. This industry is highly fragmented, and too many concepts lack the enterprise-level infrastructure required to scale and support it’s franchisees. It is important to look beyond the pitch deck, the headline AUVs, and the number of locations. The real differentiators are often in the less glamorous but mission-critical areas: operational process and discipline, technology platforms, support systems, company culture, and long-term vision. Those are the factors that sustain performance long after the honeymoon period and ultimately determine whether a brand can truly support its franchisees.

For the love of grooming,

Alex

That’s all folks! Keep calm and groom on 🐶🤘