Passion For Pets

An OSCAR Pet Foods franchise gave John Leith the personal rewards he was searching for

When John Leith decided it was time for a career change, he was certain he wanted to work with pets - and OSCAR Pet Foods provided all the right ingredients.

He explains: “It took friends to point out that self-employment might bring me the personal rewards I was searching for. After 15 years on the road as a private hire driver, I retook my GCSE exams to make a career change into an office environment, which proved to be disappointing.”

Everything to gain

As a result, John resigned from his job at the local council and started to make plans to become his own boss.

“I had everything to gain,” John says. “In my spare time I’d been working on a property renovation, but reflecting on my passion for pets, I was inspired to investigate the options. I went online to discover franchising and OSCAR.

“There was no need to look any further because in OSCAR I recognised passion, commitment, dedication and a fantastic range of products that would speak volumes for anyone wishing to set up their own business.”

John says he had a good understanding of his area, which includes many rural miles and remote places.

“Previous experience helped me to find ways to cover the distance and locate customers who would benefit from pet food home delivery,” John adds. “OSCAR telesales was a great help towards getting started, but it also prompted me to make the early decision to follow up with the recognised nutritional qualification, which is available to all franchisees.

“To be able to give customers extra confidence through my knowledge of pet care would be a great asset to my business.”

His wife, Alison, works full-time, but also helps John with administration and marketing.

“We quickly discovered a high volume of country shows in our area, as well as specialised weekly markets, which attract a regular following of pet customers,” he says.

“I appreciate that any new business takes time to develop, but I’m confident in having all the right information and assistance from the OSCAR team to help me towards success. It’s reassuring to discuss ideas with head office and share points of view at regional meetings with fellow franchisees.”

Know your territory

John’s advice for anyone considering joining the OSCAR network is to know your territory and tailor your knowledge to suit your needs.

“For me, with many isolated areas of distribution, I’m now considered to be a local pet food supplier because my customers have the reassurance of never running out of food - with the added benefit of free home delivery - and that means a lot,” he says.

“I think things happen for a reason. We already had three Labradors, but I was reassured when our adopted indoor cat and Jack Russell dog, now my OSCAR mascot, benefited from being fed OSCAR food.

“So if asked how I feel my life has changed since setting up my own business, I would say it’s far more relaxed and I have freedom of choice to never stop planning new ways to achieve great things with OSCAR.”