Kayleigh Gaskill has been running her Scamps & Champs franchise in Tameside since June 2013. Having worked for Scamps & Champs as a dog walker and home boarder, Kayleigh decided that she wanted to replicate the success of the business for herself. She was the very first Scamps & Champs franchisee and, at the young age of 26, Kayleigh has been building a successful business with a team of dog walkers working with her.
Straight after finishing college, Kayleigh knew that she wanted to work with animals and started dog walking and home boarding with Scamps & Champs. After 8 years, Kayleigh decided that she wanted to work for herself and build her own successful business so she invested in a franchise territory of her own.
“This was a great opportunity for me to run my own business and I’d always wanted to work for myself rather than be employed. Dog walking wasn’t as popular when I first started my franchise so it was a great opportunity for me to get out there and do something for myself.”
“Scamps and Champs was an established business and I had worked with Lesley from when she first started her own business. The fact that I had already worked for Scamps & Champs already really helped me with setting up and running my own business because I know how everything works and the ethos of the brand. Lesley is a lovely boss and colleague and she has been so supportive and understanding. I needed a little bit of support when I started out on my own.”
Scamps & Champs provide a wide range of pet services 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 franchise can provide a full-time or part-time income depending on your goals and desires, whether you want to take the work on 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.
Kayleigh has been enjoying the flexible nature of the Scamps & Champs franchise and finds that it fits very well around her family life. Kayleigh always knew that she wanted to work for herself and is now reaping the benefits of her own hard work.
“Scamps & Champs offers a more flexible working life for me and it means I can fit my business around my young daughter. My husband also helps me out with the dog walking too so he’s at home and can take over with my little girl so that I can get more work done in the evening. It’s so much more flexible than a 9-5 job and you get to meet so many different characters. The dogs all have different personalities so no two dog walks are ever the same!”
“The support from Scamps & Champs has been amazing, we get so much and there’s always someone on the other end of the phone if you need help. I was also provided with dog handling courses and first aid training when I first started my business to help give me an edge over the competition. These extra qualifications are something you can tell your customers about to put their minds at rest when they leave their dog in your care.”
“Starting a business was a little overwhelming at first because you have to make sure people know about your business and get out there and advertise. However, once you get going with the advertising and business starts to pick up, it does get a lot easier! I still love the business now and I’m looking forward to growing it and making a future out of it for me and my family.”
“My advice to anyone looking at joining Scamps & Champs would be to go out with someone for the day to do a few dog walks and see how you feel. I loved it and I know that everyone else who has done it has also loved it straight away. Everyone that has come out on a dog walk with me has been really grateful for the time spent out together because it really helps to give you perspective with the business.”
“I want to make my business even more successful and expand on the various packages that we offer. We are just starting to offer a Wedding service at the moment so that Brides and Grooms can have their pets with them on their Wedding days. We help look after the dog in the day and then make sure they get home with someone to look after them. I want to expand on these sorts of packages because they really help us to expand the business.”