Happy Doggy

Hello I’m Dene and I took on Trowbridge branch in June 2017.

Lyndsay has asked me to write a few words about what it was like so that it may help others starting up! If I had to narrow it down to 2 statements it would be these:

1. Start with the end in mind.
2. Listen to the advice you receive from your mentor – and use it!!

Ok -‘Start with the end in mind’ – what do I mean by that? Obviously if you decide to take on a happy doggy franchise of course you want it to be successful but think about what your measurement of success actually is.

For me, I had just been made redundant and needed to replace my income so that I could afford to pay all my bills and, as a single parent, manage a family but still have a work – life balance. If you have a partner with an income then it would probably have made this part a bit easier – but nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it!! I took a good look at my finances and calculated my essential household bills for a six month period. Fortunately I was able to put a chunk of my redundancy money on one side so that I knew whatever happened these bills would be paid. It then meant my new business venture had to pay for everything else; food, petrol and on-going costs setting up the business. (If I hadn’t have had this I would definitely have considered a part time job in the evenings to supplement those first few months getting started). When I had worked out what this minimum figure was I had my first goal; anything I earned over that was a bonus. It helped considerably to stop any panic setting in when some of those first months were slow.

The next decision was to think about how many dogs I wanted when running at full capacity and in what ratios (with Wiltshire Council license approval). I decided that ideally I would like this to be made up of 2 regular day-care dogs, 2 walkers and 2 boarding. I recognised that I would need to build up to taking out six dogs at once – as even if you have had your own dogs, looking after someone else’s is entirely different – yet alone looking after six!! I also decided that I only wanted to do one main walk a day.

I now had my second goal! I knew where I was and where I wanted to be – I had the end in mind!! I was able to clearly identify my strengths and weaknesses. I needed time to not only feel confident in my decision, but also confident in my ability to take out a pack and become the pack leader. I realised I needed to be flexible – not everything happens exactly the way you want it – but knowing what you want definitely helps!! I understood that the whole process shouldn’t be rushed and this is where the advice bit comes in.

Lyndsay suggested I start with 2 dogs, a mixture of ad-hoc daycare and boarders – this gave me an opportunity to see what it was going to be like. She told me not to rush, make sure you get the right dogs – it’s easy to say yes to everything when you are starting out but you may regret it later! Taking on a dog that lives miles out of your area may not be a problem when you have one dog; but later when you have 5 more in the opposite direction it might not seem such a good idea.

Building the business slowly also meant that I didn’t need to buy everything at once, I only bought what was needed when it was needed and this definitely spread out the cost. Lyndsay recommended two apps to assist with marketing and scheduling – both of which in my view are essential. She also spent some considerable time creating a Happy Doggy manual – she has a wealth of knowledge, both from a business angle as well as the practicalities of looking after dogs and it’s all there – read it!!

One of my obstacles was finding different walks that would be safe for lots of dogs off lead; Lyndsay met up with me weekly to show me a variety of lovely and energetic walks. I now have several walks under my belt so that I don’t get bored doing the same ones every week and neither do my dogs – I’m not sure who enjoys them most!! I also take lots of photos en-route and use social media to promote my business – this has worked really well and I have had many enquiries as a result. There’s nothing like watching your happy doggies playing in amazing locations and other people can also see for themselves the fun we have.

Unlike most other franchises there are no upfront costs, we simply pay 10% commission on all revenue – a real bargain. We get referrals from local branches and work together to ensure we keep the excellent reputation Happy Doggy has earned.

Finally we all have our off –days! Those ones when we lose a bit of confidence and wonder if we have made the right decision. All the Happy doggy branches are there to support you – we are like a little family and each new franchise will have a mentor! Lyndsay was my mine and she has been fantastic – I never have to worry about asking a question, however silly (we only know what we know – right!!) and she is always really supportive and professional.

Lyndsay expects commitment and drive and she genuinely wants me to succeed – and I am! Her enthusiasm for the business is infectious – I have no regrets whatsoever – it was the best decision I have made.