It goes without saying that the success of any business comes down to the determination and experience of the people behind the brand. Kevin Thackrah, Director of pet-care services franchise Petpals, knows this to be true, having brought his own wealth of experience into the fold when he acquired the franchise in 2005. More than 15 years later and the former accountant and businessman is still drawing from the valuable knowledge gained in previous roles. Here, he explains why utilising the experience of those in your network is a crucial tool for success.
Long before I invested in the Petpals franchise in 2005, I started my career in accounting. After qualifying, I worked with some of the best-known high street retailers in the country. But by the early nineties I’d moved into the IT sector, eventually doing a management buyout of the company I’d been working for in 1993. In 1995, we sold the company and by 1999, I was retired. But, as my two children grew up and became more independent, I was soon looking for my next challenge.
As luck would have it, I bumped into a former work colleague whilst on holiday. He told me about this great pet-care services business he had started just three years before, called Petpals, and that he was looking to move on. After carefully examining the prospects for the business, I completed the acquisition and took over operations in 2005 – and it’s probably been the most interesting and enjoyable 15+ years of my career.
So, whilst my experience might not seem like the most suitable or relevant for the operation of the UK’s largest multi-service pet franchise, it certainly stood me in good stead as the years have passed. I’ve also found enormous value in utilising the experiences of the key people in the Petpals franchise support team, who have also come from all walks of life. I count myself lucky to work with such a diverse group of professional, committed people and find myself valuing their opinions and expertise on a daily basis. Their knowledge and passion have seen us tackle all manner of tasks, including a complete rebrand and the development of our management franchise model. Without the experience we’ve collectively brought to the brand and the experience of the fantastic people in our network, we may not have been equipped to deal with this or the many other challenges we faced as a network. This has never been more crucial than during the past 18 months and I’m proud that we’ve done this as a network – and without the loss of a single franchise.
Because I see such value in the strength of my expertise, I ensure we recruit franchisees from all walks of life so the brand can benefit from their expertise too. David and Sallyann Gray, for instance, completely personify what it is that I look for in a prospective franchisee. The married couple own and run multiple territories in the Northeast, one of the most successful franchises in our network. Aside from being real animal people, neither of them had any experience working in the pet-care industry prior to their investing in us in 2006. David had been working in the police force and security for a number of years, and Sallyann had been a teacher. Both brought with them a real sense of duty to the pets in their care and, having both worked in public services roles, a passion for taking care of their community. They have built on and developed their skillsets to build their business. They’re not alone in this however and every franchisee in our network has brought their own and often different skills to the network.
And with David’s experience and knowledge, he now works closely with me as our Brand Compliance Manager. Without having open conversations with David and Sallyann about their own interests and skillset, their valuable support may have gone unutilised, and we constantly look for this in all our franchisees.
It goes without saying that businesses and brands get ahead by working together, collectively striving to keep our economy going, through sharing best practice and instilling an open-door policy. That’s something we will continue to do at Petpals as we recruit like-minded franchisees.
Kevin Thackrah is Director of Petpals, the UK’s largest multi-service pet care franchise. Petpals offers much more than a home boarding or dog walking service; it is a professional, tried and tested, successful business format which is fully supported by the Petpals team and nationwide network of franchisees. For more information, visit www.petpals.com/purchase-a-new-franchise/
