Pets 2 Places Franchise Success

And since we wrote the last article on the left, Claire has already set up her first successful franchisee! Solihull is the first place to have a Pets 2 Places pet taxi service franchise. Nicola Hughes has come from a background of childminding and swim kids instructor, and with her own menagerie of animals at home, a pet taxi is the perfect opportunity. Nic who turned 50 last year was really excited to start the service in her own area. She said ‘I love animals and I’m great with people, with my background I have a lot of experience with working with all sorts of people so this seemed the ideal opportunity for me.’ Already a success after only a few weeks, Nic has found her customers come in all shapes and sizes. ‘One lady I have helped is housebound so I take just the dogs to the vets, when the vet gave medication in a tiny syringe, the owner said she wouldn’t be able to do this as she has arthritis and can’t manage the syringe, it’s ok though I’m happy to help give the medication every day, whatever we can do to help our customers we do. It isn’t really going above and beyond it’s just being a good kind person’ Whether it’s vets, groomers, kennels, over to visit friends or even on holiday; Pets 2 Places Solihull is on hand to help owners with their pets where ever they need to go. ‘I think I’ve finally found my dream job, its a pleasure to be able to help people with their pets, and the customers are so grateful, its really nice to hear how much of a difference I’m making in their life just by offering a small amount of help’ One customer said ‘I needed to get my cat to the vets in an emergency, she hasn’t been eating or drinking for almost 24 hours, I was so worried how I would get there, but the vets gave me the number for Pets 2 Places, it was so easy to book and Nic was really nice, even carried the cat to the car for me. Sadly my cat didn’t make it but having Nic to help me, just made it a bit less stressful’

If you need a pet taxi in Solihull or the surrounding areas, give Nic a call on 07549007268 or pop over to our . website https://pets2places.co.uk/

Nicola joined Claire as a franchisee in January and within one month had earned back 20% of her franchise fee! And she’s on course to earn back the full fee in seven months!

Message from SMBN: We congratulate Claire on her franchise success and are proud to support her business and her franchisees with maximum PR support.

Website: www.pets2places.co.uk

Facebook: @petsplacesmilton Keynes. @pets2placesfranchiseopportunites

Email: info@pets2places.co.uk

Phone: 07548926220

Intro to me

As well as spending the past 10 years slowly building* the off grid eco-retreat venue that I call home, *literally building- with my own hands and those of my many helpers), I’ve worked for 20 years in a few roles within health and wellness, (including a few years where that took a back seat, and though I still did massage, I fitted it in at, or worked it around, the events and festivals which became my “day job”. But for even longer I’ve been a mum to two (now grown up) girls. I had my kids young so never really knew adult life without them. Although they are now adults that hasn’t meant the problems and challenges have stopped. In fact for a few difficult years they seemed to get bigger than ever before and I longed to return to those hazy childhood days. I have always considered parenthood as the most important, and by far the hardest, job I have done.

And my work In my wellbeing journey so far I have worked as a massage and body work therapist, a yoga and Pilates teacher, a healthy plant based chef, and a more recently; incorporating elements of all of that, as a health & wellbeing coach.

Although I have in the past, worked with many men and still do occasionally, I now find myself mostly focused on mid-life mothers. Particularly lone single mothers or those in abusive relationships, as the challenges we face can are different to those with more support, and I fully empathise and understand these particular challenges. As parents or carers, we often tend to put our own needs last. With the best intentions, life often gets in the way, we are well trained in putting others needs first.

We need to learn to put our own wellbeing at the top of our To-Do lists. Because what happens if you don’t?

I help exhausted, overwhelmed parents find the time for selfcare, to fit in fitness, sleep better & eat better, because I learnt the hard way, what happens if you don’t.

12 years ago, I didn’t know the physical dangers of chronic stress. I had survived all the s*i* life had thrown at me, as well as all the self-inflicted, burning of that proverbial 2 ended candle.

I didn’t take proper care of me. Like most folk, I didn’t realise how important it was. I thought I was indestructible. The truth was very different. A combination of years of working crazy hours with little sleep at festivals; combined with first with being a young lone mum, then in an abusive relationship, had left me chronically stressed, & far more physically damaged than I realised. I ignored my body’s cries for rest. If I was tired, I fuelled myself on coffee. I continued to push myself. I had something to prove to the world. Jan 2010. I qualified as a Personal Trainer. The next day I collapsed with severe “burn-out” for me that meant, multiple debilitating allergies, (Including being allergic to my own sweat which made all the skin on my face fall off) and chronic fatigue. I couldn’t work. I could barely get out of bed for 3 months. I spent my sofa months learning how to heal & how to prevent this happening again. I do not want to go back there, and I want to prevent you from ever have to go through the anguish of

not having the energy to get out of bed to take care of your kids, to go to work, or even just have a nice time out with friends.

My burn out was severe, and took years to recover from. Is it time to value yourself enough to make your health &wellbeing a priority? I love motivating and enabling people to become healthier & happier As well as in person Wellness retreats and glamping breaks here on my magical mountain in

Spain** I also offer a range of services online. Weekly group classes ( Slow Calming Yoga, and Positive Pilates, (pets welcome!) as well as 1to1 sessions, (these are stand alone classes or part of an affordable Wellness membership) I am developing some specialist courses and self care sessions such as Menopause support, Guided Massage and Fascial Release .

**Pre Covid I had planned to run some in the UK too, so fingers crossed that the becomes feasible again soon.

I have always been a huge fan of Ten2Two, but again it took me YEARS to learn of their existence. Women (and men) regularly fall into traps because there isn’t enough knowledge and support signposting them to specialist agencies who help them find SALARIED work for PROFESSIONAL pay. We really must do better, and at the point where we enter into a situation where 9-5 is unmanageable we need to know what is out there to avoid a decade of destitution. Why does this never get airtime? This is news that people need to hear!

Ten2Two has been working to change attitudes and approaches to part-time, flexible and remote working for more than 14 years. They work with businesses around the UK to help them understand the benefits of employing a flexible workforce, offering support and services to make flexible working a reality.

Ten2two works as a recruiter to source high-calibre professionals for flexible roles across all levels and all sectors in business. They design and implement returner programmes and consult with businesses to help shape future-focussed staffing models.

Since their launch in 2007, they have seen the employment landscape shift in favour of more flexible working arrangements and a greater acceptance from employers that even senior, professional jobs can be done successfully on a part-time basis. MD, Deborah O’Sullivan says “when we first launched, we would have to explain to our clients the various types of working formats available and that part-time roles weren’t just for junior positions. Now, especially following the pandemic, our clients come to us asking for all levels of candidates in all sorts of formats from three days per week, five short days remote working or other flexible working formats.”

Ten2Two aims to help mothers (and fathers!) achieve a work-life balance by finding rewarding work with local employers working hours that suit life’s other demands such as the school run or nursery schedule. Their slogan says it all – Drop kids off. Have a career. Pick kids up. They are looking forward to expanding their business reach further across the UK in the coming years. Find out more at www.ten2two.org

Meet Liz! Another amazing woman who has decided enough is enough and is doing something about it! Here’s what Liz says;

Do you want to:

• Be available for school pick up and drop off • Watch your toddler’s delight as they pop bubbles at

their favourite toddler group

• Meet your mum friends on Friday afternoons whilst

your kids play, and you drink Prosecco (busted –maybe that’s just me and my friends!)

• Take long weekends without eating into your

annual leave

I did too, but call me greedy, unrealistic or misinformed - I didn’t feel this should mean I shouldn’t be able to climb the career ladder in a fulfilling job that allowed me to develop my skills and experience. But this is something I have witnessed happen time and time again to so many friends and colleagues. Those that want to work fewer hours after having children often find themselves side-lined, underpaid and undervalued. And I had a feeling it was about to happen to me…

Oh sh*t…

Last September, at the height of the Covid pandemic, I was made redundant from a job I loved (yep – I was an economic victim of the Covid pandemic). I had worked part-time in the Recruitment team at one of the Big 4, recruiting HR Consultants into their Consulting practice.

Now - straight up. here’s what they don’t tell you about looking for a part-time job…

I quickly discovered it wasn’t easy to find ‘good quality’ part-time roles. To maintain my family-friendly hours, I would have to take a big step down in my career (and a significant cut in salary, thus making childcare unaffordable).

Each time I mentioned part-time with a Recruiter, they quickly told me the role was full-time only, or worse, they ghosted me! I mean – how rude!

But my daughters were only little (2 and 3 years old). And I didn’t want to miss all the precious milestones working in a full-time role.