“From scaffolding to dog food! Ask me why and I can’t believe how it all happened! I was totally fed up after twenty-six years in the construction industry and eight years supervising. Without any business background, I also had no idea where my future was going until a member of my family explained how his dog walking business was outlining the benefits of working for yourself.
“The subject of pets had a good feel about it: outdoors, physical, healthy and sociable. So I didn’t hesitate to go online and, having already seen an OSCAR van locally, I investigated further into the realms of franchising and found a business which was for sale in my area.
“Since joining OSCAR I’ve never enjoyed life so much! A walk in the park to establish potential customers has made me realise that pet people are very approachable and more fun – noticeably different to working on a building site.
“Taking on all aspects of self-employment was going to be very different and I had a lot to learn. The initial OSCAR discovery meeting and the chance to speak to other franchisees certainly encouraged me to take the next step. And knowing that this was a very big step, the OSCAR team were on hand to lead me into a very intensive training session, opening my eyes to all the elements of running a business and a product range that promoted confidence to sell.
“The OSCAR business model, back up support and marketing materials keep me focused and the opportunity to gain a qualification in nutrition meant I could expand into new areas of business development.
“OSCAR also helped me to tick all the boxes, research my area, plan my schedules and keep in touch with the network. I’ve found regional meetings a great place to pick up news, ideas and share points of view. Plus, with the added access to online meetings reaching a wider area of networking, I can appreciate how OSCAR is working for franchisees in different parts of the country.”
