Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee Kristen Martyn has found a place to nurture her love of nature
By Suzanne Bowness
What is a Canadian, backyard bird-watcher’s favourite bird? If you guessed cardinal, you’d be right. For franchisee Kristen Martyn, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Barrie and Newmarket, Ontario, it’s not a guess, but knowledge gathered serving thousands of fellow bird enthusiasts. She can also tell you that cardinals like sunflower seeds, seek tree cover for protection from the elements, and have a particular fondness for cedars. They’re shy and tend to appear in the early morning and late evening when it’s darker and their brilliant red feathers aren’t as visible to predators.
Clearly, Martyn’s work is a passion as well as a business.
Martyn opened her first store in Barrie in 2012, alongside her father. She also acquired the existing Newmarket location in 2020 and now operates both stores with the help of a manager and assistant manager alongside the rest of the staff.
While she started out on the floor serving customers, Martyn now manages primarily from the back office. “I look at myself as the person who brings new customers to the store, and the team in stores as the people who are keeping them there, offering a really good experience for them once they hit that door,” she says.
Back in 2012, she and her father had both been looking at the franchise independently but decided to buy-in together. For him, it was a post-retirement challenge and for her, a way to engage her passion for wildlife. Her baby boomer father brought the sales experience that he’d grown throughout his career while Martyn brought with her a millennial’s perspective regarding social media, taking up social media platforms even before they were standard across the franchise system.
Connecting with customers
As a retail franchisee, Martyn is focused on customers. Since the top draws to their store are from drive-by traffic and recommendations, she has a strong billboard and signage presence, as well as a focus on customer service both in-store and online.
In store, customer appeal is created with a relaxing atmosphere, including neutral colours and modern design using wood and metal materials. But the standout features are the ones that tickle the other senses—Martyn says the smell of the bird seed and nature sounds playing in the background are what customers most appreciate. “People walk in, and we often we hear them say, ‘This is my happy place.’ It’s a real compliment,” she says.
Another feature they concentrate on is their collection of quality products, from the freshest food to the highest variety of offerings to help customers attract their favourite birds. “We are the experts, and we have lots of products to support us,” Martyn explains. “We have great feeders and bird baths, but the food is really what keeps people coming back.”
Today, Martyn says the online store makes up a solid percentage of customer traffic, so she tries to make sure that customers have a similarly positive experience by using tools like Google and Facebook Ads to pull them in, and regular interaction to make them stay. She has a dedicated marketing manager, and uses Instagram, Facebook, and even a YouTube Channel that includes a live bird cam trained on five feeders.
“Developing a loyal following has been impactful, as [it’s] those people who are engaging with your pages. Daily or weekly, they come to see what you’re up to and we try to replicate our in-store experience online,” says Martyn. This is especially significant in a day and age where customers don’t have to actually step foot in the store in order to shop there. “We want to make sure that the online experience is just as strong as the in-store one,” she adds.
The wind beneath franchisees’ wings
From day one, Martyn has been pleased with the franchise system’s support. Starting with online training at Wild Birds Unlimited University, franchisees then gain experience working in an existing store for two or three weeks before opening their own location. Additionally, Martyn considers the franchise’s proactive approach to introducing improvements as outstanding, from a new point-of-sale system to updated handbooks and training videos to new platforms for internal communications.
Martyn says she also appreciates the franchise community, which she says makes franchising stand above an independent business. “You could open up a wild bird feed store from scratch, but you have so much value in the franchise system, in terms of being able to offer you not only the materials and direction, but we have 350 plus franchisees to pull from, networks of people that we can ask, ‘Hey, is this working in your store? What are some good sales you have been running?’” says Martyn, adding that she really benefits from the connection with her fellow Ontario franchisees, particularly given that the franchisor is based in the United States.
Despite her praise for the franchise itself, Martyn admits that a current challenge is the American tariff threat. “For various reasons, we import from the U.S., which previously was looked at as more positive, but right now it’s a sticky situation … People look at a franchise as a corporation. So we really try to [educate customers that we are] a locally-owned small business, employing people in the community, serving our community,” she says, noting that she has always been involved in many community events and has focused on creating local relationships.
Despite the political situation, Martyn says the franchise has been very supportive to its Canadian locations. “I’ve been so impressed with their response, and particularly as an American franchise working with Canadian franchisees, they really tried to understand our perspective and put themselves in our place. To feel heard and valued is really important, so I feel very supported.”
Millennial motivations
As a millennial starting a business with her baby boomer father (who exited the business after four years), Martyn says that taking advantage of the natural skills divide was key. “We had different areas of expertise—he was old-school sales, and taught me the sales techniques from his entire career. And I was like, ‘I know a lot about birds, and making community connections and also, like, Dad, this is online marketing,’” she says.
“For my generation, what we can bring to the table for franchising is that we’re probably the first generation to grow up with computers in the home and in school, and so we’re a bit more tech savvy,” Martyn points out. Yet she says she has the impression that millennials don’t always consider franchising first, which puzzles her. “There’s so many great businesses out there that are already running wonderfully. Opening a business is a scary thing for so many different reasons, and when you find a franchise that has a proven track record, it puts you at ease and makes you more confident.”
Besides advising other millennials to consider franchising in general, Martyn encourages her peers to find a business that aligns with their values, something she says her generation finds essential. “As a millennial, we have a lot of really strong core values. I think that if you can find a franchise that aligns with that, then you know it’s a wonderful opportunity. That’s something that I feel like I’ve been able to do, to take that passion and find that purpose and impact in a positive way,” she says.
Learn more about franchising with Wild Birds Unlimited
