Steve Woodward spent nearly 20 years retailing wax and wicker at Pier 1.

Today he's using that expertise in the wild bird business, boosting sales up to 40 percent at the franchise he bought in November 2006.  Retailing is retailing. It doesn't matter if you own one store or 100. It's about presenting the right product,  says Woodward, who at Pier 1 rose from store manager to head of Internet marketing and operations.

It's about making sure you have the right product and the right amount of it. And it's about developing relationships with your customers.

Woodward left Pier 1 and bought the Wild Bird Centers of America franchise in Fort Worth. A longtime backyard birder, Woodward is now applying what he sees as a lifetime of entrepreneurial experience.

I've always thought about doing this. I've been lucky to run stores and businesses, he says. Running Pier 1's e-commerce store , that was very entrepreneurial. I always enjoyed it.