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Heidi Flammang

Ready to play ball?

Heidi Flammang overcame daunting personal trials to become a pioneer in one of the world’s largest growing economic sectors, the pet industry. There already exists an endless amount of resources on how to create a business plan, the best way to finance your new venture or to turn your passion into a cash machine. This web site will focus instead on the personal journey you’ll venture on as you reach for your goal of attaining the corner office, your own business and the life you have always dreamed. The aim will be to inspire and support all would-be entrepreneurs, existing business owners or simply everyday people faced with the challenge to defeat fear and conquer their dreams.

Intertwined throughout her personal story are lessons learned from the years building Camp Bow Wow, from the first camp which opened in Denver in 2000 to a $30 million business with more than 200 franchisees in 38 states and Canada, to the value of giving back to the inspiration for the passion, the dogs, through The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. Accomplishment and success can be fraught with much hardship, but each step in the journey is one from which to learn, become inspired and ultimately to be rewarded.

Lets play ball!

The world is your field of tennis balls and sticks to fetch if you just put your nose to the ground and go after it! Tragedy, loss, misfortune….can all be used to learn the lessons you will need to get past the fear and become a great leader or entrepreneur! The Heidi-Inc site is meant to support you and encourage you to do just that!




Heidi Flammang

About Heidi

Through personal and professional tragedies, beginning with the loss of my young husband to losing a million dollar insurance settlement, I have faced extraordinary adversity. By turning my life-long passion for dogs into the nation’s largest doggy day and overnight care franchise company, creating a related charitable foundation and raising a wonderful 12-year-old daughter as a single mom, I have accomplished great success so far. Through these experiences, I have gleaned personal wisdom and business acumen which I am eager to share with those who are searching for fulfillment or wishing to find strength to face life’s personal and professional challenges.

My first husband Bion and I began building a life together full of happiness and with a limitless sense of hope for the future. We were two highly motivated, energetic twenty some-things with entrepreneurial spirits and an abundant supply of energy. Together we conceived the idea of starting a doggy day and overnight care business born out of our love for dogs and the need for a market alternative to the bleak conditions of the traditional kennel environment. With this motive, Camp Bow Wow was born. The concept was totally novel and in many areas of the country remains so to this day - the philosophy is simple, Camp Bow Wow is a place where a dog can be a dog.

As a young couple from middle class families, Bion and I lacked the resources to start the business, so the plan was shelved until the “future”. The future for us would never come. Shortly after we finished developing the Camp Bow Wow business plan, my family treated Bion to a surprise private flight in an open cockpit stunt plane for his 25th birthday. Bion loved adventure and was thrilled with the gift of this special ride. My parents accompanied Bion to the airstrip that tragic day that he died and bore witness to the crash that killed my best friend - my husband.

Bion’s untimely death had a paralyzing effect on me. For years afterwards, I lost sight of all the hope that gave me the drive to make something of my life. All the energy and spirit I once had was channeled into all the wrong directions. In an effort to cope, regain direction and jump-start my life, I hastily got remarried to a man I was close friends with in grade school. Unbeknownst to me, he had severe addiction problems which quickly contributed to the failure of the marriage and the seven year custody battle with his mother in which I become embroiled. Added to the shortfalls in my personal life were the loss of almost the entire $1 Million settlement from Bion’s crash in court costs for the custody battle, unreturned loans to friends and family, a series of bad investments and the failure of two start-up businesses which I founded. Nothing seemed to be going right.

Finally, in 2000, as a somewhat lost, single mom with only $83,000 of the dwindling settlement left, I was encouraged by my brother to finally start Camp Bow Wow. I pulled the dusty business plan off the shelf, rolled up my sleeves and jumped head-first into the most challenging undertaking of my life which has grown to be the one of the largest women owned franchise and pet industry businesses, the largest doggy day care company in the world and a $30 Million leader in the $47 Billion United States pet sector. This bumpy road has presented me with all sorts of tests and tribulations, but the rewards, mostly non-financial, have been unparalleled.

The timing to start Camp Bow Wow was perfect. I was ready to devote myself to a business I loved and felt I had no choice but to succeed…failure was not an option! After investing the last of my savings ($83,000 to be exact!) and a lot of sweat equity, I opened my first camp in December of 2000 near downtown Denver. In 2003 I started franchising the concept and by 2007 sold over 200 franchise businesses. Camp Bow Wow came to fruition because I believed in myself and overcame fears and shunned naysayers. I respect and admire everyone who overcomes personal hardship, follows their passion and comes out on the other side shining with their version of great success. My story aims to offer encouragement and incentive as well as advice on overcoming extraordinary personal suffering to an audience who may be fearful of taking chances, growing or leading a business, or ultimately of achieving their dream.


Heidi's Presentations

Heidi Flammang

Choose any topic below and click for more information:

  • "What Glass Ceiling? My Story of Start Up Success!"

    • "What Glass Ceiling? My Story of Start Up Success!"

    What does it really take to be a great woman leader or business owner? We’ve inherently got what it takes…our leadership style is innovative, trusting and empowering – and ideally suited to today’s business challenges.

    Nevertheless, we all know the “glass ceiling” statistics: Only 6% of top executives in Fortune 500 companies are women, despite occupying 40% of all managerial positions. Only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, and only 3% of women-owned firms have revenues of more than $1 million compared with 6% of men-owned firms. But take it from a woman who’s defied all those numbers – with the right strategies, attitudes, and “been there, done that” coaching, women can break right through that glass ceiling.

    Join Heidi Flammang as she recounts her personal story of overcoming a variety of personal and professional obstacles, then launching and growing her own wildly successful business. Along the way, she’ll share the 5 most important actions women must take to achieve professional success, whether in corporations, politics, entrepreneurship, or nonprofits. Are you ready to break through?

  • "Tails from the Bark Side – The Adventures of Building a Dog Gone Great Brand!"

    • "Tails from the Bark Side – The Adventures of Building a Dog Gone Great Brand!"

    Estée Lauder, Nike, Apple, Ben and Jerry’s, Camp Bow Wow…. despite being very different businesses, they’ve all been incredibly savvy about building their brands. Now you can be, too!

    You already know that your brand isn’t just about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. But where do you go from there? Entrepreneur Heidi Flammang has successfully built an extraordinary brand (one coveted by hundreds of franchisees across the country!), and in this engaging presentation she’ll share 5 strategies for developing and implementing a successful, stand-out brand program. Throughout, you’ll benefit from Heidi’s insider tips as she shares her real-life stories about what worked and why, what didn’t work and why, and other lessons learned.

  • "Tails from the Bark Side – Franchise Lessons from the Top Dog"

    • "Tails from the Bark Side – Franchise Lessons from the Top Dog"

    According to industry analysts, there are more than 765,000 franchise-based businesses in the United States alone, employing almost 10 million people and meeting a payroll of nearly $230 billion. Needless to say, franchising is immensely popular and provides enormous economic benefits.

    Franchising also is one of the toughest business models to build successfully. In fact, Camp Bow Wow founder Heidi Flammang was consistently told that without a tremendous amount of working capital and the backing of a larger franchise, she would never survive the path to a successful franchise brand. Undaunted, Heidi launched her first camp in Denver in 2000 and has built her business into a $25 million business with more than 200 franchisees in 38 states and Canada. Not bad for a small business going up against the likes of industry giants Petco and PetSmart!

    In this inspiring and engaging presentation, Heidi tells the inside story of how she did it – and makes it clear that with determination, intelligence, a great team, and the tenacity of the underdog, you can succeed, too. Along the way, she’ll explore the 10 lessons that were critical in building her pet-industry franchise powerhouse and help you become the Top Dog of your industry.

  • "Ready to Play Ball? Turn Your Passion into a Successful Business"

    • "Ready to Play Ball? Turn Your Passion into a Successful Business"

    Camp Bow Wow, Heidi Flammang’s wildly successful doggy daycare and boarding company, came to fruition because Heidi believed passionately in her vision. Overcoming fears, personal hardship, and the advice of nay-sayers, Heidi turned passion into profit – and a richly rewarding life.

    As she shares her personal story, Heidi offers encouragement and advice on how to overcome a fear of taking chances, find the courage to grow and lead a business, and ultimately achieve your dreams. As her life story makes clear, even tragedy, loss, and misfortune can teach valuable lessons that help us become great leaders and entrepreneurs.

    By tapping into her love for dogs, Heidi Flammang changed the way our country cares for its furry friends! Find out how to turn your passion into a highly successful business, and maybe just change the world along the way…

  • "Paws to Give Back -- How Cause-Based Marketing Can Help Grow Your Business"

"Paws to Give Back -- How Cause-Based Marketing Can Help Grow Your Business"

Cause-based marketing has been a key strategy behind some of our country’s greatest brands – Microsoft, McDonalds, Patagonia, Ben and Jerry’s, Camp Bow Wow….and it can be the force that pushes your own business to new heights!

Heidi Flammang opened her first Camp Bow Wow in Denver, CO, in 2002. In six short years, she has built her industry-leading business into a $25 million enterprise with more than 200 franchisees in 38 states and Canada. Among the secrets of her success? She learned early on the value of giving back to the cause that inspired her passion. Through the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, Heidi has found an incredibly rewarding way to honor her commitment to the well-being of the animals she loves and give others a chance to share in that commitment.

Learn how the foundation has enriched Heidi’s business beyond bottom-line profits while also helping to build a brand of trust and authenticity. People love giving back – make sure you’ve given them an opportunity to do so!



Testimonials

"Heidi's talk received some of the best reviews we've ever gotten from our membership. Her knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for her business really engaged our audience."

- Debbie Anastasi
Executive Director
Boulder Marketing Group



"Heidi's story of starting Camp Bow Wow, and most importantly, Heidi herself, was truly inspirational! A captivating speaker, Heidi shared practical business tips and wove them into a movitvating talk our members loved. I received exceptional feedback about Heidi from the attendees of our luncheon event, and I experienced her as very personable, articulate, and a true professional."

- Nancy Stubbs,
Managing Director,
eWomenNetwork-Boulder County



"...Heidi is an engaging speaker and is a "model citizen" for making her passion her profession. This is evident when she speaks about Camp Bow Wow and the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. She has a wonderful open personality and presentaion style that captures the attention of audience members. She did such a good job with her presentation that the other presenters actually used her as the example of one of the fundamental factors in being a successful entrepreneur — passion about what you are doing. Her presentation received the highest reviews of any of the presentaions in our program..."

- Christine S. Hardy, MPH, MBA, DVM
Director, Business Development
Animal Cancer Center and NeoTREX
Colorado State University



"...The students found her talk very stimulating and encouraging. Many of them said that she has provided them information that will help them in their future business endeavors. Importantly, the class was deeply inspired by the personal experiences shared by Ms. Flammang—her sheer candidness and sincerity were clearly manifested in the way she replied to the students’ questions during the Q&A portion at the end of her talk. Overall, the students benefited immensely from this interaction, and they evaluated her as an excellent resource speaker for motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to go ahead and work on their dreams in spite of the hurdles along the way..."

- Marilyn Uy, PhD Candidate,
University of Colorado at Boulder
Leeds School of Business



Lets play ball!

"Heidi Flammang from Camp Bow Wow did an hour session with my 50 for Colorado participants on our Entrepreneurship Day in July 2007. This group of 40+ executives meets monthly to learn about the various economic sectors in Colorado. Heidi was one of the highest rated presenters for the entire year and the group really enjoyed her presentation. It was educational, interesting and entertaining! I am quite pleased that she will be able to speak again this year to our new Class of 2008 on the Entrepreneurship Day. "

- Robin Miglarese, Associate Director
Executive Education Programs
University of Colorado at Boulder
Leeds School of Business



Recommended Books

Heidi's News

Lets play ball!

Heidi speaking about her experiences with receiving “Sudden Wealth”