Larkin Combs was always a hard worker. During his childhood summers, while his friends went to the Jersey Shore, he worked on his grandparents’ farm in Georgia. “Ten hours a day, from when I was seven until my teenage years,” he says.
He eventually spent 25 years as a police officer in Union County, New Jersey. That’s how he met Jason and Steven Parker, founders of K9 Resorts — a dog boarding and daycare franchise that was founded in 2005, now has 40 units and 130 in the works, and often runs community initiatives like donating Kevlar vests to local police departments.
When Combs retired in 2019 and prepared to move to Apex, North Carolina, to be near his elderly mother, the Parkers asked if he wanted to open a franchise there. Combs said yes, and he turned his business into the brand’s highest-grossing franchise location — with nearly $3 million in revenue in 2024, and two more locations on the way.
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So how did a former cop end up as the top franchisee of a pet care franchise? He followed these three strategies:
1. The buck stops with you.
Do whatever it takes to succeed, because the responsibility is on you. “For four years straight, I didn’t miss a day,” Combs says. “And during COVID, I was answering the phone; I was running around with a sponge, cleaning. It was rough.”
2. Go a step above.
As the old saying goes: Treat people the way you want to be treated. “But there’s a step above that — treat them how they want to be treated,” Combs says. “Not every customer wants to be treated the same. Recognizing that gives you a higher level of service.”
3. Invest in employees.
Having patience and empathy can go a long way, and reduce turnover. For example, one of Combs’ employees made some mistakes, but Combs understood it was because of a mental health challenge. “I’ve worked with them for three years, and they’re now a supervisor. They can grow.”
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Success tip from the franchisor:
What’s the secret to Larkin Combs’ success? According to K9 Resorts co-CEO Jason Parker, franchising requires “all-in” long-term dedication more than industry background. “Larkin reminds me a lot of myself and my brother when we were starting out: For a good five or six years, we worked seven days a week,” Parker says. “No customers could walk into our location and not see us at the front desk. And that’s the same thing with Larkin. He’s committed, the customers know and like him, and they know he’s there.”
