QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
MandatoryMicrosoft Office 365 and QuickBooks Online and high-speed Internet access. We provide an e-mail account that you must use exclusively for the Franchised Business. You must acquire QuickBooks Online (c
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Pet Butler
Personal servicesSoftware purchasing at Pet Butler is controlled at the headquarters level, where CEO Theodore T. Hofer and CFO David Martinez oversee a mandated tech stack that includes ARF Back Office, Poopnet, and QuickBooks Online. The franchise system comprises 41 total units, 38 of which are franchised, giving vendors a small but concentrated addressable market of single-unit operators who must comply with HQ technology mandates.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
41
38 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-2.564%
vs prior filing
AUV
$103K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
12%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$46K
per unit
Investment range
$96K–$121K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
14%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
FacebookMeta
iled in the System Standards or otherwise in writing by us periodically. If we approve the use of any Online Presence, including social networking websites (such as LinkedIn®, X™, Facebook®, Instagram
InstagramMeta
System Standards or otherwise in writing by us periodically. If we approve the use of any Online Presence, including social networking websites (such as LinkedIn®, X™, Facebook®, Instagram®, TikTok®,
LinkedInLinkedIn
guidelines detailed in the System Standards or otherwise in writing by us periodically. If we approve the use of any Online Presence, including social networking websites (such as LinkedIn®, X™, Faceb
TikTokTikTok
dards or otherwise in writing by us periodically. If we approve the use of any Online Presence, including social networking websites (such as LinkedIn®, X™, Facebook®, Instagram®, TikTok®, or YouTube®
YouTubeGoogle
erwise in writing by us periodically. If we approve the use of any Online Presence, including social networking websites (such as LinkedIn®, X™, Facebook®, Instagram®, TikTok®, or YouTube®) in the ope
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 5 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to obtain and use specified accounting services from a designated vendor, unless a third-party is otherwise approved by us.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to data and records of your Franchised Business that are generated or stored by the Technology System.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
shall furnish to us, within fifteen (15) days after the end of each calendar month, a statement of profit or loss for your Business for the preceding calendar month and a balance sheet for your Business as of the end of the preceding calendar month.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
which may include us or our affiliates.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may periodically change these requirements.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
42953Item 8
During fiscal year 2025, we received $42,953 from franchisees based on purchases or leases.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
20Item 8
All of your required purchases represent approximately 95% of your total purchases for the establishment of the Franchised Business and 20% of your overall purchases in operating the Franchised Business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
We reserve the right to charge you a fee (not to exceed the reasonable cost of the research and inspection and the actual cost of the test) to make the evaluation.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
Before utilizing an unapproved product, service, equipment, vehicle or supplier, you must first notify us of your intent to do so, submit to us technical data, specifications, photographs, samples and/or other information we request, and obtain our written approval.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge and agree that, as between us and you, we have the sole rights to, and interest in, all Contact Identifiers and Online Presences.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must obtain and use in the development and operation of the Franchised Business only those brands, types and/or models of computer hardware, software, Internet and other electronic connectivity, data warehousing, security, e-commerce and other computer and technology equipment, support and other services we…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You further agree to cooperate by participating in our customer survey programs, market research programs, test marketing new products and services in your Business and providing us with timely reports and other relevant information regarding such market research, and you agree to participate in and/or request your…
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right at any time during business hours, and without prior notice to you, to inspect and audit, or cause to be inspected and audited, the financial records, business records, cash control devices, bookkeeping and accounting records, sales and income tax records and returns and other records of your…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may periodically modify System Standards.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You will only be allowed to conduct the Franchised Business from locations within the Territory that we have approved, which approval we will not unreasonably withhold.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Unless previously approved by us in writing, you must not establish or create any domain names, websites, email addresses, usernames, profiles, screen names, social network accounts, other online presence or presence on any electronic, virtual, or digital medium of any kind (“Online Presence”) that uses the Marks or…
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 11
Each calendar year, you are required to spend an amount equal to 5% of the Gross Sales of the Franchised Business for the previous calendar year or $18,000, whichever is greater, for advertising and promotion in your Territory (“Local Advertising Expenditure”).
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 16
You must participate in any customer loyalty, membership, or subscription programs we establish.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Regional Marketing program is established, you will be required to contribute up to 2% of the Gross Sales of the Franchised Business to the Regional Marketing program.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must purchase the products and services we periodically designate only from the suppliers we prescribe and only on the terms and according to the specifications we approve.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Franchised Businesses must utilize only services that are approved by us as having acceptable performance characteristics, quality, warranty, appearance and other characteristics determined to be relevant by us and shall purchase such products and services only from suppliers approved by us as meeting our criteria…
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must also use the credit card processing vendor we specify.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must sign and deliver to us the documents we require to authorize us to debit your business checking account automatically for the royalty fees, marketing fund contributions, regional marketing fees and other amounts due under the Franchise Agreement and for your purchases from us and/or our affiliates (the…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must obtain and use in the development and operation of the Franchised Business only those brands, types and/or models of computer hardware, software, Internet and other electronic connectivity, data warehousing, security, e-commerce and other computer and technology equipment, support and other services we…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to data and records of your Franchised Business that are generated or stored by the Technology System.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may require you, your employees and other previously trained individuals to attend and complete, to our satisfaction, ongoing and refresher training programs (including programs provided by third parties) designated by us as part of the System Standards or otherwise in writing.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 7
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
The franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- With 298 active personal services brands, I can't see which ones are growing or have the tech gaps my product fills, so I waste weeks chasing the wrong targets.A rep burning 10 hours/week on manual research at $50/hr loses $26,000/year. FranCloud's fit_scoring and corpus_search surface high-fit brands in seconds, reclaiming that time for selling.
- 63.5% of personal services brands mandate no POS system, but I can't identify the 108 that do without digging through hundreds of FDDs.Manually reviewing one FDD takes 3+ hours. At 108 targets, that's 324 hours. FranCloud's tech_landscape reveals POS mandates instantly, turning a $16,200 research slog into a single query.
- 91.6% of brands don't mandate a CRM, but the 25 that do are hidden in static reports, delaying my outreach to high-intent prospects.Landing one CRM-displacing deal in this segment can yield $30k+ ARR. FranCloud's find_lookalikes pinpoints those 25 brands and their peers, accelerating pipeline by months.
The vendor opportunity at Pet Butler
Pet Butler is a personal-services franchise providing pet waste removal and related services, headquartered in Illinois. The system counts 41 total units—38 franchised and 3 company-owned—with an average unit volume of $102,592. Year-over-year unit growth was -2.56%, reflecting a contracting footprint. For software vendors, the addressable market is small: 41 locations, all operated by single-unit franchisees, concentrated in Michigan (4), Texas (3), Florida (3), Washington (3), and Pennsylvania (2). No multi-unit operators exist in the mapped data. The royalty rate is 12%, and the initial franchise term runs 10 years.
Despite the modest unit count, the franchisor mandates a specific set of back-office and operational tools, creating a centralized procurement dynamic. Vendors who can integrate with or replace components of this mandated stack may find a narrow but clearly defined entry point.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD lists five HQ executives in Item 1: CEO Theodore T. Hofer, President James M. Young, Director of Integrated Marketing Gillian Hrycyk, CFO David Martinez, and VP of Business Development Mark Potocki. With no multi-unit franchisees and a mandated tech stack, purchasing authority sits squarely at headquarters. The CEO and CFO are the likely economic buyers for back-office and financial systems, while the Director of Integrated Marketing and VP of Business Development may influence customer-facing or operational tools. Franchisees are single-unit operators with no apparent autonomy to deviate from HQ mandates.
Mandated and current tech stack
Item 11 of the FDD requires franchisees to use four systems: ARF Back Office, an unspecified pet care scheduling software, Poopnet, and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. ARF Back Office and Poopnet are industry-specific platforms likely handling routing, billing, and customer management for pet waste services. QuickBooks Online serves as the mandated accounting system. The scheduling software is named only by category, not by vendor, which may indicate flexibility or an omission in the disclosure. No point-of-sale system is mandated, consistent with a service business that invoices rather than processes counter transactions.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD contains no extract on procurement or supplier designation, so the formal procurement model is not publicly defined. However, the Item 11 mandates signal a de facto designated-supplier approach for core operational software. Renewal terms under Item 17 require franchisees to give written notice between 12 and 18 months before their 10-year agreement expires, sign the then-current franchise agreement—which may contain materially different terms—and attend refresher training. With only 38 franchised units and negative unit growth, renewal-driven software evaluation windows will be rare. Vendors should monitor any system-wide refresh cycles or changes in HQ leadership that could trigger a stack review.
How to read the Pet Butler FDD
The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Start with Item 1 to verify the executive team and any parent-company relationships (none are on file; Pet Butler appears independently owned). Item 11 confirms the mandated technology systems. Item 17 spells out renewal conditions and the franchisor's right to impose materially different terms at renewal. The unit tables in Item 20 show the geographic footprint and ownership structure—all single-unit, no multi-unit operators. Use these sections to build a precise account map before engaging HQ.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on tech-stack fit and procurement signals.
Questions vendors ask
Pet Butler, answered from the filing
The buying center includes CEO Theodore T. Hofer, President James M. Young, and CFO David Martinez. Director of Integrated Marketing Gillian Hrycyk and VP of Business Development Mark Potocki may influence operational tools. All 38 franchisees are single-unit operators with no purchasing autonomy signaled.
The 2026 FDD mandates ARF Back Office, an unspecified pet care scheduling software, Poopnet, and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. No POS is named; the tech stack is back-office and scheduling-centric, reflecting the personal-services model.
Pet Butler has 41 total units: 38 franchised and 3 company-owned. The system contracted by -2.56% year-over-year. All 40 mapped operators are single-unit, with top states Michigan (4), Texas (3), Florida (3), Washington (3), and Pennsylvania (2).
The most recent FDD does not disclose a designated or approved supplier program in Item 8. Without an extract, the procurement model is not publicly defined, though the mandated systems suggest HQ exerts strong control over core operational software choices.
Franchise agreements run 10 years. Renewal requires written notice 12–18 months before expiration and signing the then-current agreement, which may contain materially different terms. With 38 franchised units and recent negative growth, renewal-driven evaluation cycles will be infrequent and small in number.
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below to examine Item 1 executives, Item 11 tech mandates, Item 17 renewal conditions, and unit tables directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Pet Butler files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
40 operators run 40 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit40
Top states by locations
| MI | 4 |
|---|---|
| TX | 3 |
| FL | 3 |
| WA | 3 |
| PA | 2 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Pet Butler
unknown of pet butler holdings.
Related Personal services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.