Meet Caroline
From civil servant to running a thriving pet care business
At a glance
- Previous career: Civil Servant (23 years)
- Reason for change: Wanted to escape a stressful career and build a business she genuinely loved.
- Joined We Love Pets: 2018
- Current monthly turnover: £6,800
- Favourite part of the job: Working outdoors with animals while enjoying the flexibility of being her own boss.
"After 23 years in the same career, I knew it was time for a change."
For more than two decades, Caroline worked as a civil servant. While she enjoyed helping people, increasing pressure and a lack of job satisfaction left her questioning whether she wanted to spend the rest of her career in the same environment.
For years, she'd dreamed of running her own dog walking business. As a lifelong animal lover and dog owner herself, she knew working with pets would be far more rewarding than another day behind a desk.
Like many people considering self-employment, she had doubts.
"What if I fail? What if I don't make enough money?"
Those questions almost stopped her from taking the leap.
Why Caroline chose franchising
Initially, Caroline planned to start a business on her own.
However, after researching the options and speaking to the We Love Pets team, she realised that having proven systems, comprehensive training and ongoing support would give her the best chance of success.
Rather than spending years figuring everything out herself, she could focus on building her business while knowing experienced people were there whenever she needed advice.
Looking back, she says choosing the franchise route was one of the best decisions she made.
Building a business around the life she wanted
One of Caroline's biggest motivations wasn't simply earning an income - it was creating a better lifestyle for herself and her family.
She wanted to escape long commutes, spend more time outdoors, enjoy flexible working hours and do something she genuinely looked forward to every day.
Today, that's exactly what she's achieved.
Running We Love Pets Chorley has given her the opportunity to build a successful local business while helping pet owners every day and spending her time caring for animals she loves.
A thriving business
Today, Caroline's business generates around £6,800 per month and continues to grow through a combination of dog walking, pet sitting, home boarding and other pet care services.
More importantly, she has created a career that gives her freedom, flexibility and genuine job satisfaction.
Instead of counting down to weekends, she's built a business around doing something she enjoys every single day.
If you're sitting in a career that no longer makes you happy
If you're sitting in a career that no longer makes you happy, it's easy to convince yourself to stay because it feels safe. Caroline understands that feeling better than most. But taking the step outside her comfort zone has allowed her to build a rewarding business, work with animals every day and create a lifestyle that simply wasn't possible in her previous career. Sometimes the biggest risk is staying exactly where you are.
Could you see yourself doing the same?
Whether you've spent years in the public sector, work in an office, or simply want a career that offers more freedom and purpose, you don't need previous pet care business experience to build a successful We Love Pets franchise.
With industry-leading training, ongoing support and a proven business model, you can create a business that fits around the life you want to live.
Thinking about your own career change?
Book a discovery session to explore whether We Love Pets could be the right fit for you.