From The Doghouse To Best In Show: How Petpals Bounced Back

How Jeff Williams helped Petpals bounce back after losing 90% of their business in 2020

The pandemic hit Petpals, a pet-care service franchise, hard, wiping out 90% of their business almost overnight. Despite the sudden drop, Managing Director Kevin Thackrah and his team worked tirelessly to bring the company back to its pre-covid status. It was following this period of intense focus on daily operations and recovery Kevin turned to ActionCOACH, seeing their services as a springboard to elevate the franchise to the next level. 

Founded in 2001, Petpals was launched with the aim to deliver the highest standards of ethical pet care – from dog walking to pet taxis. Since their launch, the longest established pet-care provider in the UK is a multi-award-winning business operating in over 150 locations across the country. On their route back to recovery, Kevin encountered ActionCOACH through a British Franchise Association (BFA) pandemic advice surgery and was immediately intrigued by the support they could offer to him and his business. 

“The first time I met Action Coach Jeff Williams, he was presenting a BFA webinar in 2020 for franchisors looking to bounce back from the pandemic. I remember what he was saying really resonating with me, so I contacted him right after the session.”

A fresh perspective

What resulted from the initial contact with Jeff was Kevin joining a group coaching session, before moving onto one-to-one sessions. “I wanted to achieve a change of emphasis from just a lifestyle to a management model franchise. With Jeff’s help, we really went about defining what that entailed. We talked through refreshing Petpals’ vision, mission and values, supporting this new direction for both our existing and prospective franchisees.

“I’ve been managing businesses for over 40 years, so I know I’m pretty good at what I do but sometimes you need some fresh perspectives from external sources. Jeff was exactly that. He encouraged me to ask questions or frame my mindset in a way I might previously not have done in my day-to-day activities. Jeff also made me accountable for my progress which gave me the extra motivation to keep going in the right direction.”

Trusting the team

Kevin valued the coaching so much, he decided to include his senior management team in the development process. “I deliberately took a step back to let them develop and I’m so pleased to see how far they’ve come. Like many business owners, I was working in the business and not working on the business, so feeling able to leave my team to take accountability for the day-to-day delivery of their areas of the business has been great.

“Now, with thanks to Jeff’s coaching and the fantastic abilities of my team, we’re managing our franchise network much more proactively. This has resulted in franchisees feeling they’re getting more from us, and I know they’ll continue to deliver an excellent service.”

Kevin didn’t just think he and his team could benefit from coaching, he came to a clear realisation ActionCOACH’s expertise would offer substantial support to both his new and existing franchisees. “With so much opportunity for a financially rewarding business for our franchisees and it being a really enjoyable experience for animal lovers, we’re a lot more than just our original dog-walking service, having developed many more service lines since.

“So, I decided to offer ActionCOACH support to every new franchisee, funded entirely by us for the first three months. One of the first new franchisees to benefit from working with an Action Coach was James.”

James Callow launched Petpals Crawley in early 2023 and has experienced one of the fastest growing Petpals franchises in recent times. “Kevin told me he was providing me with three months of fully funded independent business coaching which I knew would be a great help to me as I was just starting out.

“I knew I wanted a deeper understanding of business development,” said James. “After engaging in some productive and in-depth sessions with Jeff, I felt I could better control my business and had a much clearer grasp on how to grow it. His advice worked - I was able to triple my turnover over the period of day one to six months in.”

Looking to the future

For Kevin, the true value of the coaching lies in gaining a clear understanding of his and Petpals’ future objectives. “I think we’re all singing from the same hymn sheet in where we want to go. Our focus right now is on the recruitment of new franchisees who want to build a team of pet carers to make a real difference to their community by offering our full range of services. We’ve always provided a strong support team at head office but the addition of an Action Coach at the start of their business is proving an exciting proposition for our prospects. 

“In terms of my future, even though I love running Petpals, I have the luxury of being able to step back when I want to. We’ve reached a place where I don’t need to be as deeply involved and I’m happy to leave the business in the capable hands of the team. Jeff’s involvement has made such a positive impact for Petpals, and I know the business is set to lead the way for years to come.”

The coach’s perspective

Jeff Williams launched his ActionCOACH business in early 2018 after an extensive career in the franchise industry. “When Kevin got in touch, I knew I could use my expertise in franchising and in developing leadership teams to support his vision for a transformation for the brand. I could tell Kevin was an outstanding businessman, but he wasn’t afraid to embrace working with a coach, seeing it as an opportunity rather than a weakness. His decision to fund coaching for their new franchisees is better than any Google review I could have asked for!” 

Would you like to build a business by helping others thrive and succeed? Speak to one of our advisors today and discover what an ActionCOACH franchise could do for you.