Steven and Jason Parker have been in the pet care industry since 1999 and franchising K9 Resorts since 2011. In this conversation, they walk Katherine through the disciplined, long-view philosophy that's gotten them to 50 open locations — and what it actually means to award franchises instead of selling them.
In this episode:
- Why they turned down one of their earliest franchise candidates — and how it shaped their development process
- The leadership model they use as co-CEO brothers, and how they built a C-suite that complements rather than replicates
- The pet care industry's next evolution: mental enrichment, smaller group sizes, and what "humanization" looks like in 2026
Guest: Steven and Jason Parker, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, K9 Resorts
Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMO
Are you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.com
The Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the MyPodcastHost Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.
Brought to you by MyPodcastHost — private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously. mypodcasthost.com
What is Franchise Leader Spotlight?
The Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast puts you inside the conversations franchise brand presidents, CMOs, development officers and operators are actually having - about growth, franchisee adoption, marketing strategy, and what it really takes to build a system that scales.
Host Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO and founder of MyPodcastHost, sits down with the executives shaping modern franchising to ask the questions most people dance around. No fluff. No keynote speak. Just real experience from the people running real brands.
If you lead a franchise brand or you're building toward one - this is the show for you. Subscribe and join the conversation.