From teenage dream to thriving business owner

A passion that started young

At an age when many people are still figuring out what career path to take, Sophie already knew exactly what she wanted.

She wanted to work with animals.

From a young age, animals were at the centre of Sophie’s world. Over the years she cared for a wide variety of pets, including dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs and fish. At just 14, she took her first job as an assistant in a pet shop, where she developed hands-on experience caring for different species, including birds and reptiles.

Her passion only grew stronger

Sophie also volunteered with animal charities, helping care for small animals such as rabbits, rats, guinea pigs and degus. But despite her love of animals, turning that passion into a career felt difficult.

Like many young people, Sophie worried about the cost and uncertainty of traditional career routes.

She knew she wanted more than just a job. She wanted a future doing something she genuinely loved.

Choosing a different route

That’s when she discovered We Love Pets.

Rather than starting a business completely alone, Sophie saw franchising as a safer, more supported route into business ownership - one that gave her the training, systems and ongoing support needed to succeed.

At just 19 years old, she made a bold decision. She invested in her own We Love Pets franchise. Many people might have seen her age as a disadvantage. Sophie didn’t. She saw it as an opportunity.

Sophie says:

“Starting a franchise gave me a much safer and more supported route into business than starting completely on my own. For the initial investment and ongoing fee, I’ve received more support, training and resources than I could ever have created by myself.”

Proving age is just a number

After gaining practical experience through dog walking and building confidence with the support of the We Love Pets team, Sophie launched her business and quickly proved that age has nothing to do with success.

What matters is commitment, drive and willingness to learn.

Today, Sophie has built one of the most successful branches in the network and is one of We Love Pets’ biggest success stories.

She says:

“Running my own pet care business is everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more. For as long as I can remember, I wanted a career working with animals, but it always felt out of reach.”

“To become a business owner at just 19 years old was an incredible opportunity, and I’m so excited to see what the future holds.”