Jeanette Harding joined the Scamps & Champs franchise network in 2015. Since then, she has been building a successful business in her local area, Fareham. Having worked for a large corporation previously, Jeanette was ready for a new challenge and was looking for a more flexible working life.
With no previous experience in the pet care market, Jeanette was looking for added support and back up to help her launch a successful business. With customer service skills already, Jeanette knew she had the experience needed to build a customer base and provide excellent customer service.
“I’ve always had dogs and pets and working in retail really helped me with the skills I needed for Scamps & Champs because you have a lot of one to one contact with the customers. I worked in a factory for 10 years and I missed the contact with customers, you just saw the same people every day. That’s part of the reason I decided to start looking for a new opportunity!”
“I left my last job because I’d had enough of it. Large corporations always try to get the most out of you and they decide the terms and conditions. It was a nice environment at my last job but I had decided I wanted to move. I started to look at opportunities that would occasionally allow me to work from home.”
“I decided to open a franchise because of my age. If I had been younger I might have gone it alone but I didn’t have the confidence in setting up a business for the first time and just wanted something I could get off the ground straight away. The support and back up you receive as a franchisee was definitely something that appealed to me. I chose Scamps & Champs because it offers more than just dog walking or home boarding so you have a wider range of services to fall back on. I also met with Lesley, our Founder, and felt that she would offer me everything I needed and was someone I could work with for the long term.”
“When looking at business opportunities I wanted more time to be at home when I wanted to be and something that would fit around my life – not me having to fit my life around work! I can even take my own dog to work with me if I need to!”
Scamps & Champs provide a wide range of pet service to the local community. From dog walking to home boarding and pet sitting, franchisees provide flexible or occasional services to suit their customer’s needs. The Scamps & Champs franchise can provide a full-time or part-time income depending on your own goals and desires, whether you want to take on the work yourself or employ a full team to help you scale the business up and become even more profitable. Scamps & Champs is a business that will fit around your lifestyle to help you achieve a better work-life balance whilst building a career you can enjoy.
All Scamps & Champs franchisees are provided with an initial training programme and support throughout the lifetime of their business. After her initial training and once she’d started the business, Jeanette realised that there were still a few element she was unsure of so she was offered additional support to help make her as successful as possible.
“I had 3 days of training. Lesley came to me for the weekend because she wanted to see the area I was working in and I needed a little extra support on some of the software. Now, if I ever need anything, there’s always someone at the end of the phone. Whether it’s from Head Office or from other franchisees, we’re a close network so there’s always someone there willing to answer your questions and it’s extremely reassuring to have that – you’re never on your own.”
“My business is really taking off now. I’m extremely pleased with how it’s taken off and with what I’ve achieved so far. I now have dog walkers and home boarders on board with me now which means I can start growing the business, take on more clients and enjoy the flexibility of the business.”
“My plans for the future are to continue building the business as much as I can. I would like my husband to come into the business eventually so that he can give his job up and enjoy the same flexibility as me. We still have our mortgage to pay so until the business has got to a suitable point, he will have to continue working.”
If, like Jeanette, you would like to build a more flexible future, please contact us today!