‘We Love Pets has given me the courage to follow this passion.’
For the past year, Shannon has been thinking about running her own business to enable her to be at home more for their daughter, Sahaana.
Having worked in a pet store for three years, Shannon gained a lot of experience and training in handling small animals – regularly administering medication and taking care of aquatics, reptiles and small animals.
She has also undertaken dog and cat nutrition training so comes armed with some great transferable skills. For everything else, Head Office are on hand to support her.
Let’s find out what Shannon’s journey from employee to business owner was like…
What made you decide that WLP were the right franchise to enable you to be your own boss?
WLP provides an excellent opportunity for flexible working hours from home whilst still being in control of your own business. I feel like this is the right choice for me to enable me to be my own boss but ensure I get to spend enough time with my family. I have always been extremely passionate about animals and WLP has given me the courage to follow this passion.
How have WLP made sure you’re the right person to carry the award winning brand forward?
WLP have not only looked into my professional background but have ensured I am passionate about animals and the work that I will be carrying out.
What do you think you’ll find most challenging being a business owner?
I think the most challenging aspect of being a business owner will be being responsible for generating all of the customers.
What are your plans for that?
I will ensure I attend all social and business events relating to the industry and continue to promote and market the business all year around. I will keep all social media up to date and try to encourage reviews from customers to build good traction.
Did you at any time during the process worry that you can’t do this?
I was concerned that I would not have enough time to manage and promote the business with a small baby at home.
How do you feel now?
I feel like it is perfectly achievable now I have a better understanding of how much work I will be required to put in.
I spoke to Jo and Tracey from Reading East WLP who also has a baby and got an understanding from her of her usual working week and how she manages. This was extremely helpful and gave me the confidence to proceed.
What do you love most about where you live?
I love the access to all of the open spaces. Bracknell and Ascot have a huge variety of parks to explore.
How did you fund the franchise?
Biz Britain start up loan
What will being your own boss mean most to you?
Having the freedom to make my own decisions in order to grow the business. Also, being able to work a schedule around the care of my daughter but still bring an income into our family.
Plus, having the ability to be outdoors every day and more social working hours. What more could anyone ask for?
Shannon, like many others, used to think that buying into a franchise model meant working to someone else’s strict rules and regulations.
Where’s the fun in that? With We Love Pets it’s not like that at all.
What franchising mean to you now that you’ve met with the team?
It means being your own boss and business owner but having ongoing support from the head office.
It means being able to run the business how you see fit but using the guidance from the head office.
Find out more about Shannon and her dog walking and pet sitting business in Bracknell and Ascot.
