Joshua Fitzgerald | CEO, Zoomin Groomin
Joshua Fitzgerald lived Zoomin Groomin as a franchisee before running it. Now, past 300 mobile grooming vans, the CEO argues operational discipline beats flashy growth, walks through the metrics every franchisee should obsess over, and explains how the Loyalty Brands umbrella turns buying power and franchising experience into a competitive edge.
When Joshua Fitzgerald became CEO of Zoomin Groomin, he wasn't stepping into an unfamiliar business - he had already lived it as a franchise owner. Before leading one of the fastest-growing mobile grooming brands in North America, he spent years hiring staff, optimizing routes, improving profitability, and solving the same day-to-day challenges franchisees face today.
Now, after surpassing 300 mobile grooming vans, Fitzgerald is focused on something many franchise systems struggle to achieve: scaling without sacrificing consistency. In this conversation, he explains why operational discipline beats flashy growth, the metrics every franchisee should obsess over, how Loyalty Brands gives Zoomin Groomin a competitive advantage, and why becoming the industry's clear market leader starts with helping franchisees build better businesses.
You went from franchisee to CEO in a remarkably short period of time. Looking back, what experiences as an owner prepared you most for leading the entire Zoomin Groomin operation today?
It happened fast, but I think the transition made sense because I had already been in it every day as a franchisee. Owning a market forces you to figure everything out, hiring, staffing, client retention, scheduling, profitability, and fixing problems as they happen. You learn quickly what actually moves the needle and what doesn’t.
That gave me a big advantage stepping into the CEO role because I’ve lived the same challenges our franchisees face. I know what it feels like to invest your own money, build a team, and carry the pressure of making it work. So when we make decisions at the corporate level, I’m always looking at it through that lens.
The biggest thing I learned as an owner is that small details matter. A few extra dollars on ticket average, one more groom a day, tighter routes, better hiring, those things seem small until you scale them across hundreds of vans. That’s where growth really happens.
At the end of the day, I think being an owner first gave me credibility. I’m not asking anyone to do something I haven’t done myself, and that matters.
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