Charlotte and Tim Claydon (both 52), say their pet care business that they started in 2021 has allowed them to put one of their children through university and will also pay for the next one who will start in September 2025.
‘It’s frightening how much the cost of going to uni has gone up since our first child went in 2017 and without our We Love Pets franchise, we simply could not have afforded it’ says Charlotte.
Tim and Charlotte have three children Thomas, now in full time employment, Max who is in his 1st year at Warwick uni and Clemmie who hopes to go to uni in Surrey to study psychology.
Charlotte explains,” Max’s funding from the government is £4,000 a year, but his accommodation is £8,000 so we’re already £4,000 down before he’s even looked at food, transport and bills.”
Tim added: “Of course he can get a part time job to offset some of those costs but it’s a lot for a young person to take on and we wanted to help. When our first child Thomas went, the grant was bigger, and the costs were lower, so we’ve had to dig a lot deeper to help Max out and want to do the same for Clemmie when she goes next year.”
Charlotte has always been entrepreneurial, running her own business arranging for young people to come to the UK on an exchange basis, until Brexit forced families to find nearly a thousand pounds per visa (taking into account language test, NHS surcharge and visa application) for visitors staying over six months, meaning the virtual end to the concept, so she knew the hard work involved in running her own business.
“To run your own business, even a franchise, you need to be passionate about the subject; the only thing I was more passionate about than my previous business was pets, and I was aware of the franchise business model, so I began Googling ‘pet care franchises’ and We Love Pets popped up.”
A franchise is where a person buys the right to run a branch of a business and pays the franchisor a percentage of their profits each month, in return for full training and support. We Love Pets has 182 branches across the UK.
“I knew I loved pets, but I hadn’t a clue how to run a pet care business, so it made sense to buy a franchise and get fully trained and supported. We are so happy we did; We Love Pets is like a family. The owners Jo and Ryan are incredibly knowledgeable about the entire pet care sector, and they have a large team who are always on hand for help. I don’t have to worry about websites or online booking systems, that’s all taken care of, leaving Tim and I to get on with growing our business.”
Tim and Charlotte’s business offers dog walking and boarding, doggy day care, puppy visits, cat care and small animal care too. They currently have a team of 15 dog walkers, boarders and pet carers to help them care for approximately 60 clients a month.
Things are going so well the couple are about to buy the neighbouring territory in Hitchin, which Charlotte says will pay for Clemmie’s university costs and, once she’s graduated, the family’s holidays and treats.
“It’s literally that simple, each new branch will help us pay for the next child’s uni fees and holidays. Eventually, our dream is to get a management team in place to run the business so we can spend time in Spain, knowing the business is in good hands back at home.”
Tim and Charlotte’s final words of encouragement to anyone thinking of following in their footsteps and buying a We Love Pets franchise is to just do it: “We haven’t regretted our decision for one minute. Like any business it has its ups and down, but that’s just life; the fact that it has given us enough money to support our children in their education is fantastic and it’s great to see that our hard work is paying off. Now to get our hands on that sunbed in Spain!”
