From corporate banking to running a business she loves
After 28 years with Lloyds Bank, Deb swapped boardrooms for the outdoors – and built a thriving pet care business earning over £7,000 a month.
At a glance
- Previous career: Business Banking Manager at Lloyds Bank (28 years)
- Industry: Corporate Banking
- Why she changed: Wanted to turn her lifelong passion for animals into her own business
- Current business: We Love Pets Herefordshire
- Average monthly earnings: £7,000
- Best part: Combining business ownership with a career she genuinely enjoys
For almost three decades, Deb built a successful career with Lloyds Bank, spending 28 years helping businesses grow and supporting hundreds of commercial clients.
On paper, it was a successful career.
But when redundancy during the pandemic gave her the chance to pause, she asked herself an important question:
What do I really want to do for the next chapter of my life?
The answer had been there all along.
She'd grown up surrounded by animals, had spent her life caring for dogs, cats, chickens and countless other pets, and wanted a business that combined her commercial experience with something she genuinely loved.
Rather than starting from scratch alone, Deb chose to invest in a We Love Pets franchise.
Today she owns and runs We Love Pets Herefordshire, leading a growing local team and helping hundreds of pet owners across the county.
"I already had the business skills. I just wanted a business I could be passionate about."
Throughout her banking career, Deb worked with more than 300 businesses, advising owners on finance, growth and business planning.
Those years gave her a huge advantage when launching her own business.
She already understood customer service, financial planning, business development and building long-term client relationships.
What she wanted was the freedom to use those skills for herself.
"I've spent years helping other people grow successful businesses. Now I get to build my own."
Turning a passion into a profession
Animals have always been part of Deb's life.
Growing up near a farm meant feeding lambs in the spring, caring for family pets and developing a genuine love for animal welfare from an early age.
That lifelong passion is now at the centre of everything she does.
Instead of commuting to meetings and corporate offices, her days are spent outdoors, supporting local pet owners and working alongside a team who share the same values and love for animals.
It's a very different lifestyle—and one she wouldn't change.
Building more than a job
One of the biggest attractions of franchising for Deb was being able to build a real business rather than simply becoming self-employed.
With the support of the We Love Pets team, she has recruited trusted local staff, developed relationships across Herefordshire and built a business designed to grow.
She has been able to combine the independence of running her own company with the reassurance of having an experienced franchise behind her.
A better lifestyle
Leaving a long corporate career can feel like a huge leap.
But for Deb, it proved to be the beginning of a far more rewarding chapter.
Today she enjoys:
- Running her own successful business
- Working with animals every day
- Leading a growing local team
- Spending more time outdoors
- Making a genuine difference to pet owners in her community
- Building a business that reflects her own values
Looking for a more rewarding career?
Many of our franchisees come from successful corporate careers.
Like Deb, they already have the transferable skills needed to run a business - they simply want more freedom, more purpose and a better quality of life.
If you've spent years building someone else's business, perhaps it's time to build your own.
Thinking about your own career change?
Book a discovery session to explore whether We Love Pets could be the right fit for you.