Louise Jones: My franchising journey with Barking Mad

After two years as a franchisee for Barking Mad, Louise Jones is seeing her business go from strength to strength

Not many people can say they’ve worked in the world of celebrities, but Louise Jones can, and she cites years of experience of managing busy diaries for public figures as one of the key reasons behind her success as a Barking Mad franchise owner. Within just two years, she’s been able to expand and grow her franchise into two territories.

High-flying career

When Louise originally moved to Leicestershire, she became PA to Rosemary Conley – a job she enjoyed for 15 years. As well as organising the exercise guru’s appointments and TV appearances, Louise was also integral to the production of Rosemary’s books and videos.

“It was a very busy but absolutely brilliant time,” says Louise. “It meant I had to be super organised, as I basically ran Rosemary’s life.

“While working for her, I had my two sons, taking a short career break after each. Rosemary had inspired me for many years and was instrumental in me opting to change tack, as she knew I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I wanted to balance motherhood and a career, so I became a Virgin V make-up rep, holding parties in the evening while my husband cared for our children.

“That taught me a lot about customer service, and how to recruit people to a business, as I had to find party hosts who would do makeovers. It was a role that suited me, and I was soon appointed to the role of area sales manager. I worked on commission, so my income relied on me and me alone.”

Following her role with Virgin V, Louise was headhunted to work for the Peter Jones Academy, an enterprise created by the Dragons Den star to help young people starting their own businesses.

“It was my responsibility to bring in speakers and mentors to deliver inspiring speeches, and I worked closely with Peter and his team,” Louise says. “I did that for three years before moving into fundraising. I worked for the NSPCC, and Leicester Children’s Hospital’s charity arm, forging relationships with major donors and high net worth individuals.

“In my last role before becoming a franchisee, I was instrumental in raising £7.5m to build a new centre within the hospital. It felt like an incredible achievement, but I also wondered, What now? I needed another change.”

What now?

Louise had always wanted to run her own business and was sure she had the credentials and acumen to do it. At Christmas time in 2021, she raised the idea of franchising with her husband.

“Our sons had grown up and were no longer in school, so it felt like a good time to invest in myself and start to build a business,” she says. “I knew I definitely wanted to work with dogs – I just didn’t know what.”

Louise began Googling opportunities for franchise businesses and came across Barking Mad.

“What appealed to me,” she says, “was that I’d have a national brand backing me. Barking Mad was obviously a tried-and-tested model, with a brilliant reputation. It would be my business, but with extra support when I needed it.”

That was all the evidence Louise needed to invest. She handed in her notice at the hospital but was so eager to get started that she used her remaining holiday to complete her training.

A new start

Purchasing the Market Harborough franchise, Louise was working in a “virgin” territory – an area that had never had a Barking Mad franchise before.

“I was starting from scratch, so I knew I had a lot of work to do,” she says. “But I had some help from a franchisee working close by who’d been looking after a few customers that would become part of my territory.

“I started off with one host, and quickly realised I wouldn’t have a business unless I recruited some more! I went to visit the one host I did have, to find out all about her – what she enjoyed about hosting and what she needed from me to make it even better. That was invaluable, as it helped me understand how to market to potential other hosts.”

A home for hosts

Louise took to social media to spread the word about opportunities for hosts and received some enquiries via the Barking Mad website from people who were interested.

“That’s where the benefit of working with a national franchise brand comes in!” she says.

Most important to Louise was developing a diverse group of hosts, to suit dogs and customers with all types of needs.

“One of my first hosts was recruited by my husband, in the pub after a tennis game,” she says. “He’d recently got divorced, and his wife had moved away with their dog, whom he missed terribly. He felt lonely and craved the company of a dog.

“Another host was a previous customer who’d been so impressed with the service we provided that she wanted to become part of the business. She had a dog who was old and didn’t like long walks any more, so it was a way for her to get more exercise with a dog that was more active.

“Another host only lives in the UK for six months of the year so can’t have her own dog, but loves having that temporary joy of having a dog in the house. Another is a teaching assistant who works full time in the week but has a lot of spare time at weekends and in the holidays, as she lives alone. Another wanted to provide her own, timid dog with some company on a regular basis. Within one weekend of having a new dog to stay, her own had learnt to play and is now an incredibly sociable dog.

“My eldest host is 84 and my youngest is 32, and each has different reasons for becoming a host. One of the best parts of the job is meeting people for the first time and understanding their ‘why’.”

Key learnings

Though Louise had worked in some pressurised jobs, starting her own business from scratch was completely different and required a lot of learning in a short space of time.

“I quickly realised I needed to trust my judgement,” she says. “If I was unsure about a customer or their dog, my gut told me to step back and say no. My hosts are so precious to me; I’d never want to put them in an uncomfortable situation. Saying no is a hard skill to learn, especially when it means you’re turning down income, but you’ve got to develop that confidence and understanding.

“You must also be very organised, self-motivated and disciplined. When you go and see a customer, they’re buying into you, and they need to have 100% trust that you’ll place their dog with someone who loves them as much as they do. You have to follow through on everything you promise, which is really important.

“I absolutely love being my own boss, having freedom and flexibility, and being in charge of my own destiny. The work I put in is for me, and for my hosts, and the success of the business depends on how hard I work. I’m prepared to give 110% to keep growing it, and I’m excited about where things can go.”

Speedy expansion

Just two years since launching her franchise in Market Harborough, Louise has taken the bold step to expand into neighbouring Loughborough, an existing territory that is being sold by its previous owner. Louise knows the area well, having worked there previously when she was a PA to Rosemary Conley. Taking on additional team members to service demand, as well as a wealth of new hosts, Louise is excited about the future.

“Over the last two years I’ve seen my business go from strength to strength,” she says. “I now have a fantastic community of hosts in Market Harborough who support an incredible customer base, built up through recommendations and word of mouth.

“I’d always thought it would be nice to expand one day, but I didn’t think the opportunity would come up so quickly. When it did, I reflected on how far I’ve come in such a short space of time and knew I couldn’t miss it.

“I’m now entering a new era, and while I know I’m going to be busy, I’m really excited for the challenge and to build even further on what I love doing.”

Happy hosts, happy franchisee

Louise is a proactive franchisee, who puts her hosts at the centre of her business. This, she says, brings much more than just benefits to the business – it’s helped create a true community.

“I phone my hosts every week, even if they’re not hosting a dog,” she says. “They’re more than hosts, they’re friends, and I like to show them that. Ultimately, we’re all likeminded because we all share a love of dogs, but it’s also quite unusual to share that love in a work environment.

“Barking Mad is a unique business model, where I’m essentially match-making people with animals that make them happy. And when a customer has a great experience with you once, they know they can holiday in total peace of mind, so always come back to us. To be the person responsible for bringing all of that to people is brilliant – nothing could be better.

“Starting a franchise was a huge decision for me, but it’s one I’ll never look back on.”