I’m SO thrilled with how my life has changed since my HUGE career change only five months ago. Having just turned 40 ensuring that the rest of my working life was going to be a happy one was very important to me so I made a major life change!
 
BACKGROUND
I’ve worked in a sales capacity since I was 25 for L’Oreal, Toni and Guy, Benefit Cosmetics and in my late 30’s studied part time at University alongside my HR Manager role to obtain my CIPD Post graduate professional qualification. However, I didn’t ever feel that the corporate world was really where I “fitted”.  Even though I was a success at all the roles I took on throughout my working life, I didn’t ever REALLY enjoy any of them. 
 
I wanted to have a better work life balance. I wanted to be able to be self employed but still earn a good salary. I wanted to be able to enjoy getting up every morning and look forward to my working day and to be able to do some voluntary work also….WAS THIS POSSIBLE?!?!
 
A PLAN BEGUN
As 2014 came along, I began to wonder if I had it in me to work for myself and if this would finally see me happy in my working life…I started looking at various options including becoming an HR consultant, after all this was what I had worked so hard to become qualified in. But that didn’t really appeal to me.
 
SO I sat down one day and wrote down lots of things that interest me and amongst that list was dogs, people and marketing! So I started to think about a business which incorporated all these elements. I didn’t fancy dog walking, dog grooming or dog training. 
 
However, I had always struggled with the concept of putting my two dogs into kennels and when I looked for a local alternative I came up with nothing. There were a few local people who looked after dogs in their own homes but my dogs would be staying with lots of others and this just wasn’t going to work for my two – Hendrix my Labrador can be a little grumpy with other dogs and my working cocker spaniel is a complete wimp and is terrified of other dogs!
 
So the idea of setting up my own business to offer this service locally really got me thinking.
 
After a lot of research into the various companies out there and also at setting up completely on my own, I stumbled upon PetStay. 
 
I loved the branding, the ethos, the franchise owner, the business model and I was SOOO excited!! I zoomed up to Hull to meet with Carole Davy and could have signed on the line there and then…..but I didn’t. I continued my research but everything kept coming back to PetStay. 
 
A few days later, as I was desperately trying to make my mind up if to take this leap of faith and spend some of my hard earned savings on this franchise offering, my boyfriend asked me a question “If you were to call Carole tomorrow and say I’ve decided to go for it and she was to tell you that someone else had just taken Gloucestershire how would you feel”. My immediate answer was – I would be DEVASTATED and there was my answer! So I DID sign on the bottom line and have never looked back!
 
HOW DOES IT WORK?
It’s a Doggy Holiday!
You’re packed and ready to go on holiday – but “Fido” has a sad face…
He doesn’t like the kennels – and you know it.
Who can you turn to? PetStay!
 
We offer your dog all the comforts of their own home while you’re away on holiday.
PetStay was the idea of dog lover Carole Davy over 10 years ago up in Hull and Emma. It is a one to one service for dogs offering a safe, secure and loving alternative to boarding kennels.
 
Your dog is placed with a “vetted” carer for the duration of the holiday however long that may be. And even before the doggy puts a paw thought the door a home visit is arranged for the owners to see for themselves where their beloved pet will be staying.
 
Carole says “Our research shows that many dog owners aren’t happy putting their family pet in boarding kennels. They’d go on holiday and worry about how their dog was coping. We’ve always felt boarding kennels can be a stressful environment. As dog lovers, we came up with the idea of PetStay as a reassuring service we would want for our dogs.”
 
So when I took on this franchise, suddenly dog owners of Gloucestershire have a choice of care, it’s a kinder way to have your dog looked after.
 
The one to one service means your dog is the only dog at a LOCAL carer’s home at any given time. Dogs love a routine, that’s why we feed and walk hem as instructed by the owner. If Fido has a treat in the afternoon, likes to watch Vets in Practice an goes to bed at 10pm then our carers will make sure he receives this.
 
Not only that but our carer’s are fully insured and licensed. We interview the carer’s in their own home, they have to match our criteria and abide by our guidelines and must be, 100% dog lover.
 
Emma says “all our carers have many years’ experience in looking after dogs. Most are people who have retired and have plenty of spare time for your dog. They are doing something they absolutely love and that is reflected in the dog when their owner returns.” “We specify our carer’s are genuine dog lovers, are at home during the day and have a secure garden.”
 
When an owner rings PetStay, we ask many questions on Fido, any special diet, medication, walking and feeding routines. From the information we gather, we then match Fido to the carer which we think will suit them both. We then set up a meeting for the owner and Fido to go and meet our carer. This is a great time for Fido and the owner to ask questions, tell all about Fido and have a general sniff around. We find this is a great benefit; to the owner, carer and of course Fido. Most dogs settle in very quickly at a PetStay carers home, I do believe they can be a little spoiled by our Carers.
 
The ethos of our service is that people can rest assured their dog is being cared for in a safe, loving home environment – a home from home. Our first concerns are to the well-being and happiness of your dog.
 
PetStay are THE alternative to Kennels.
 
SO HOW HAS IT BEEN?!
I was earning a very good salary as an HR Manager of a large local business and enjoyed having a regular income which allowed me and my partner to have the lovely things in life. However, I realised that this wasn’t everything when I became so unhappy in the corporate world. 
 
It was going to be a gamble and some of my friends and family thought I was mad to go it alone! However, I’m delighted to say that Petstay Gloucestershire has been a roaring success from day one!
I worked really hard following all Carole’s advice and making use of her amazing support. I do believe that without the back up of a franchise I wouldn’t have been able to hit the ground running as I did.
 
And what a fantastic 5 months PetStay Gloucestershire has had!
 
I have found holiday homes for no less than 90 dogs since June and have received nothing but positive feedback which is just so encouraging. 
 
We have had a real variation of guests from a 13 year old German Pointer called Hector to a 6 month old Jack Russell, Gabby. My all time favourites though were Trouble and Mischief the Beagles – and yes, they did live up to their names but were adorable.
 
PetStay Gloucestershire has proved to be a HUGE hit in the county and dog owners are delighted that this service is now available to them. 
 
What customers have been particularly happy with is that they are asked to visit their selected carer prior to their doggies stay so that everyone can get to know each other and the owner can be sure that they are happy with the holiday home for their beloved dog. Also, that the carer looks after their doggie guests in exactly the way that the owners request. This means that the number of walks isn’t limited, that if the dog usually sleeps in a bedroom, this is where they will sleep and so on.
 
I now have a team of amazing carers across the county. They all have something different to offer, ensuring that we can cater for the many varying needs of our doggie guests. Some of my carers have their own dog but many don’t, so owners can choose if they would like their dog to be on their own or with some company. Either way, we don’t mix guest dogs so the stays are exclusive.
 
Without my carers commitment, dedication and support however, the success I have experienced so far would not have been possible and I am so proud of every one of them and ever grateful to them.
 
The shows I have attended this summer have been lots of fun and I’ve met so many lovely people and their beloved 4 legged friends. I can’t wait for next year to attend even more shows and spread the word further about PetStay Gloucestershire.
 
Bookings are now coming in fast and furious for the rest of the year and 2015 is shaping up nicely too!
 
AM I GOING TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL?

• I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my working life – box ticked!

• I expect to be regularly earning a similar salary to the one I left behind in the next 6 months (so within 1 year of being in business). – box ticked!

• I’m choosing the hours I work and am having more quality time with my boyfriend and family – box ticked!
• I’ve applied to volunteer with Riding for the Disabled – box ticked!

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS?
YES YES YES!!! If there is anyone out there who is looking for a new way of life, being self employed, have the opportunity to grow a business with the support of a Franchisor with over 10 years experience, then I would say GO FOR IT!!
 
Home Boarding for dogs is absolutely THE way forward for our beloved dogs to be cared for when their owners go away for a short break or a holiday. Kennels 
just aren’t the boarding option of choice now days with dogs very much being viewed as family members. I love comments from my customers when they ring me such as “Oh I am so pleased I found you, now I can go on holiday with peace of mind, knowing my dog is going to be impeccably looked after” etc. It really is such a great business to run.
 
The Petstay Franchise team are all from quite different backgrounds with different areas of expertise which we all share regularly. This means we have SO much to offer as one of the leading dog home boarding companies in the UK. HOWEVER, we all have one thing in common – we are mad about dogs and are passionate about putting dogs happiness and welfare first.