A day in the life
Your commute is a walk in the park
No two days are quite the same, and that's part of the appeal. Here's what a typical day can look like running your own We Love Pets branch, both when you're starting out and once you've built a team.
When you're starting out
A typical day in your first months
In the early days you'll do most of the visits yourself while you build your client base. Here's an example of how a day might run. Your own will depend on your clients, your services and your family.
8.00am
School run, then plan the day
Drop the children at school, then open WLP Connect to check your bookings and the routes it suggests for the day.
9.30am
Morning walks
A small group walk across the common, never more than four dogs, matched by temperament, followed by a one-to-one walk for a nervous rescue.
12.00pm
Puppy visits and cat care
Lunchtime visits to puppies whose owners are at work, then a cat check for a family on holiday, with a photo update sent to each owner.
2.00pm
Meet a new client
A free meet-and-greet at a new customer's home to get to know their dog, their routine and the little quirks that don't fit on a form.
3.15pm
School pick-up
Because you decide when your visits happen, the school gates are part of your working day rather than something you miss.
Evening
A quick bit of admin
Invoices go out automatically through WLP Connect, so the admin takes minutes. Then the rest of the evening is yours.
In her own words
“I never miss a play or sports day”
“I now take my 9-year-old son to school and pick him up every day. I never miss a play or sports day, and I even volunteer to help out. I can prep for dinner without being stressed, and I'm eating much better.”
Julie Turner, We Love Pets West Berkshire
Julie used to commute into London for an office job.
Once you've built a team
From doing the walks to running the business
As your client base grows, many franchisees take on walkers, sitters and home boarding hosts. Your day changes from delivering every visit to leading the business:
- Morning: check the day's rota in WLP Connect and see your team's visit check-ins come through as they go.
- Late morning: meet new clients, and pick up a walk or two yourself if you enjoy staying hands-on.
- Afternoon: recruit, train and support your team, and plan your marketing.
- Each month: use your dashboard and Business Reviews and Planning to see where to grow next.
“I knew that to make a big success of We Love Pets, I'd need to build a team from day one, so I started recruiting as soon as I opened, and I haven't stopped since.”
Tina, We Love Pets North Somerset
£70,000 turnover in her first year
Turnover is business revenue, not salary or profit. Individual results vary.
The honest bits
That depends on the business you want to build. Many franchisees plan their visits around school hours. In the early months you'll be busier while you build your client base, and as you grow you can take on a team so you're not doing every visit yourself.
Weekends and school holidays are often the busiest times in pet care, because that's when owners go away. Many franchisees plan their team around those peaks so they still get time off themselves.
Dogs need walking whatever the weather, so there will be wet and windy days, especially early on. Most franchisees will tell you a rainy walk beats a rainy commute, but it's worth going in with your eyes open.
Much less than you might think. WLP Connect handles bookings, rotas, automatic invoicing and staff pay, and suggests the most profitable routes and services, so you spend more time with pets and customers.
Yes. If you'd like to go further after a chat with us, we'll introduce you to existing franchisees so you can ask them anything about their day-to-day.
Could you picture your days like this?
Book a chat and we'll talk through what your week could look like, built around your life rather than someone else's timetable.
