It’s important to create relevant and benefits focused calls to action
Local, Quality & Reliable Support

Investigating Officer’s Statement

Charlotte Loftus, dog walking and pet services supplier got talking to us in a play centre one saturday afternoon while our kids were playing together. Charlotte had been very successful as an estate agency manager but what she really wanted was to set up a dog walking business as a lifestyle choice change. Charlotte has always had a variety of pets and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to get out of the office and enjoy the welsh countryside with our furry friends.

Charlotte had lots of ideas and had valuable knowledge and experience of sales and marketing, even if it was for another type of business. Charlotte has an excellent attitude, which is resilient, enthusiastic and positive.

We arranged to meet a couple of weeks after our initial brain storm at the play centre and set to looking at logo designs, purchasing a website domain and learning the basics of online advertising. We are not just web designers or marketeers at the idea buro, we pride ourselves on our business growth experience and we’ve helped lots of people start business’ in the last 15 years.

Charlotte will celebrate her first year in business in February 2019 and continues to build a highly recommended and profitable pet services business.

Launching A New Local Dog Walking Business

Case Details

The Idea Buro were commissioned to investigate the local area in terms of competition from other dog walking and pet services suppliers which was crucial to breaking into the market as a completely new face on the block.

Work was agreed on a flat fee and a six week website deliverable agreed. Daily contact was encouraged where necessary to work closely with the business owner to bring their marketing and web knowledge up a notch. We call this a pincer movement.

Charlotte soon found the confidence to add content to her wordpress website once the fundamentals were explained. She created page content, adding text and images and a few blogs. We went through how she could create content that was attractive to search engines and how to use the Search Engine Optimisation plugin to boost her content locally further still.

Her friendly and professional personality provided a spring board to develop an online story, following the age old BNI mantra “Tales tell, stories sell”.

Client: Charlotte Loftus, Dog Walker & Pet Services Professional Hawarden, Flintshire.
Client Requirements: Start-up Business Review, Coaching, Marketing Training, WordPress website development, WordPress Website Training, Social Media Advice, Blogging Training, Search Engine Optimisation Training, Sales & Marketing Support.
Website: www.pawsnorthwales.co.uk

Charlotte Loftus ‘Paws North Wales’ Dog Walking & Pet Services Case Notes

Screenshots

Website 13/12/18

website for someone startinga dog walking company

Testimonial

Business Growth Challenges

Background

Charlotte used to manage a busy estate agents but wanted to make a lifestyle choice change, to spend more time with her young son and so moved to north wales and set up a dog walking business.

We provide a very warm and friendly environment for your pets. Our professional team made sure your pet always gets the highest level of care, because we treat all pets as if they were our own! Charlotte Loftus.

Specialities:
Dog Walking, pet care, puppy socialisation, pet health.

Charlotte got talking with us at a play centre.

Charlotte’s client base is local within 20 minutes travel of her address. Friendly and professional, local dog walker and pet service provider. Based in Hawarden, Flintshire and covering 10 miles around.

I have a passion for all pets and the quality of their care and happiness.

I have been a pet owner of many differnt animals of all shapes and sizes and I understand the bond and love between us and our furry friends, they become family. It is so important to have a happy work, life and family balance along with your furry friends. I offer care and support for you and you’re pets it could be a trip to the groomers or vets, a regular dog walk, a special occasion or holiday.
I have owned a number of differen’t dog breeds including a Yorkshire Terrior, Chocolate Labrador, Doberman, Alaskan Malumute and a German Shepherd, giving me a good insight into the fantastic and fun characters of each breed and their individual care and needs. Missy, my New Zealand Huntaway is a fun loving pup and the newest addition to my family.

I love Cats they have always been a part of my life, with their own quirky personalities and needs, I do often wonder if they own us or we own them !.

As for our smaller furry friends I have owned Mice, Gerbils, Hamsters, Rabbits and Guinea Pigs, and many more….

I am also the owner of two Horses and worked as a Groom on a busy yard.

What ever you and your pets needs are I am happy to speak to you…. read my story here

The growth challenges we identified Charlotte faced were:

Launching her brand
Getting her bread and butter customers.
Building a strategic way of working.
Communicating her ‘message’ to a local market.
Gaining deeper market penetration for dog walking services in 3-6 months.
Ensuring focus where many ideas are possible, but time and resource is limited.
Finding additional related revenue streams in 6-12 months time.

Website development, social media touch points development and support are being provided to compliment short term coaching and training.

Case Solved

Learning outcomes?

Charlotte started her business with the help of an experienced business growth consultant with a strong knowledge of online marketing. She will celebrate her first year in business in February 2019 and i think we can agree it has been a very successful one.
Through working with The Idea Buro Charlotte was able to more fully appreciate her business from the start as a whole, both offline and online.
Working with us is showing her how to more fully identify and manage new opportunities, be more aware of business risk and strengthen the ability to communicate effectively to an increasing number of interested pet owners across a plethora of platforms.

Benefits to Charlotte

Increased confidence and knowledge in digital sales and marketing
Increased ability to effectively communicate
Self awareness of how and where to look for knowledge online to solve issues within the business
Better time management through the aid of learning helpful applications
Development of a marketing mindset even if you are not that way inclined
Understanding brand positioning

How does the training impact on the growth of the business?

Reducing reliance on paid advertising for example facebook ads or google ads
Recognising the need to become more strategic
Communicating her ‘messages’ better to the marketplaces
Gaining deeper market penetration
Ensuring focus where many ideas are possible, but time and resource is limited

Which can now further be addressed by:

The development of joined up marketing plans. Understanding existing “customers” better and exploring what new “customers” want and how current/new product/service could address those needs

Training in how to take a more proactive approach to the market

How do we embed the training and how is it validated and evaluated?

Coaching is given face to face and we iron out any bits Charlotte doesn’t immediately understand there and then. We meet whenever she has a new question which is seldom now. Google analytics is monitored to assess increase in website hits and where interest is coming from. We remain at hand to answer any questions and provide further tips and support whenever Charlotte needs to call on us.

Give A Statement

If you have read this case and believe you would like to start a business, contact our front desk at The Idea Buro via this contact form and an officer will be in touch within 24 hours.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs

It’s important to create relevant and benefits focused calls to action

Investigating Officer’s Statement

Launching A New Local Dog Walking Business

Charlotte Loftus ‘Paws North Wales’ Dog Walking & Pet Services Case Notes

Are you a local dog walker who needs help with sales and marketing?

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Business Wales Approved Supplier

Case File : Start Up Business Advice Marketing and Advertising : Dog Walker Charlotte Loftus Paws North Wales

It’s important to create relevant and benefits focused calls to action

Investigating Officer’s Statement

Launching A New Local Dog Walking Business

Charlotte Loftus ‘Paws North Wales’ Dog Walking & Pet Services Case Notes

Are you a local dog walker who needs help with sales and marketing?

Most Recent Entries

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Business Wales Approved Supplier