Franchise owners Todd and Audra Fetter celebrate almost four decades of marriage and being in business together.
Precious Grundy | The Lima News
LIMA — At the age of 9, Todd and Audra Fetter met in 4-H. The two grew up together and ran into each other later in life at the Ohio Theatre. After one dance, the couple fell in love and married six months later in 1985. The Fetters quickly started a family and their life together began.
“We had been in business together for forever; farming to start with,” Todd said. “We bought a small manufacturing business. She ran all the payroll and everything. I grew the sales and we still operate it today.”
Todd and Audra ran many businesses and decided to venture into the restaurant business in 2013. The couple quickly opened several stores over the next two years.
“We went from one to eight stores in 20 months,” Todd said. “That is a seven-store increase. We were opening new stores, building them from the ground up and purchasing other existing stores.”
Todd also said following COVID the couple closed two stores but they continue to see growth in their current stores today. The Fetters have the most stores among the Wings and Rings franchise owners. “We each have our separate roles,” Audra said. “Sometimes we try to overstep our boundaries. We both put ourselves back in the place we need to be.”
While working together as partners in business and life, the couple has learned many lessons including “keep business as business and home affairs home.”
“Working in the business is not much different than working in your marriage,” Audra said. “Marriage is a full-time job. It is more of a full-time job than your full-time job because it is 24/7. To keep us grounded with each other, we work on everything together.”
The Fetters also said they learned to work together in business through watching their parents and grandparents work together.
“Just like businesses, you have your ups and downs in marriage as well,” Audra said. “You have rough patches — My mom and dad got married very young. They always said some of the best years of their marriage were the years they struggled because you have to work together — I think that is kind of the way we are. It just brings us closer together.”
The couple hopes to use their business to help and inspire others.
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
