Wild Birds Unlimited

Founded: 1981 Franchising since: 1983
Jim Carpenter opened the first Wild Birds Unlimited store in Indianapolis in 1981. In 1983 he began franchising. The privately owned company is based in Carmel, Indiana.

11711 N. College Ave., #146 Carmel, Indiana 46032

Phone: (888)730-7108 Franchisee Association Franchise Advisory Council

Franchisor is a privately-held company with 43 employee(s); 2 employee(s) in franchise department.

Franchise Growth

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2009	261	13	0	0
2008	273	13	0	0
2007	280	14	0	0
2006	293	14	0	0
2005	294	12	0	0

Where Seeking Franchisees
In the U.S. Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North carolina, North dakota, New hampshire, New jersey, New mexico, Nevada, New york, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode island, South carolina, South dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West virginia, Wyoming
Outside the U.S.: Canada

Exclusive territories available.
Territory size: Varies

Special Programs
Wild Birds Unlimited is involved in several conservation efforts, including the Pathways to Nature Conservation Fund, the Junior Naturalist Program, Project FeederWatch and many more.

Total investment: $99.4K-148.5K Franchise fee: $18K

Ongoing royalty fee: 4% Term of agreement: 10 years, renewable

Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	Yes	No
Startup Costs	No	Yes
Equipment	No	Yes
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $150K
Cash liquidity requirement: $30K
Business Experience:

• Must love birds & nature, people skills

Operations

• 25% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4
• Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 6 days
• At franchisee's location: 2 days
• At annual meeting : 5 days

Ongoing Support

• Newsletter
• Meetings
• Toll-free phone line
• Grand opening
• Internet
• Security/safety procedures
• Field operations/evaluations
• Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing Support

• Co-op advertising
• Ad slicks
• National media

Franchise 500® rank:
#239 (2009); #364 (2008); #191 (2007); #179 (2006); #210 (2005);

Ranked #1 in category in:
2009; 2007; 2006; 2005;

America's Top Global Franchises:
#185 (2009); #139 (2007); #129 (2006); #159 (2005);