Dog owner's wizard idea turns hobby into business

Group Business Correspondent

Monday 22 October 2012

IN this week's SME Focus, a dog lover with an entrepreneurial background explains how he managed to turn a hobby into a successful business in spite of suffering a big setback in peak season one year.

PAWS FOR THOUGHT: Peter Rose, pictured with his cocker spaniel Wilma, says changes proposed by the Business Secretary may help smaller companies. Picture: Colin Mearns

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SME Focus By Mark Williamson Email: mark.williamson@theherald.co.uk Telephone: 0131 240 0282

Name:

Peter Rose

Age:

What is your business called?

Wizard of Paws

What services does it offer?

We have two outlets – one in the south side of Glasgow, the other in East Kilbride – and both are one-stop-shops for dogs and their owners, offering five key services: we retail a comprehensive range of dog products and provide dog grooming a dog creche and a dog training school. We also offer an indoor self-service dog wash complex.

What is the turnover? We expect to turnover in excess of £600,000 this year. When was it formed? 2005 What were you doing before you took the plunge? After I left school, I went straight into the family firm as my father owned a successful jewellery business and it just seemed like the logical step for me at the time. I trained as a goldsmith, serving my apprenticeship in 1988. During my time in the family business, I enjoyed the creative aspects of jewellery manufacturing and design and the fact that my dad was also an entrepreneur gave me a great grounding and insight into how to run a successful business. However, in 1998, my dad was reaching retirement age and having thoughts on selling the company, and that really suited me fine because by then I was really keen to make my own mark in the business world, with a venture of my own. Why did you take the plunge? It was a quirk of fate actually that I've been able to turn a hobby into a business. In 1995, I took on a rescue dog with some major issues. I sought help from various people but eventually I decided to enrol in a course to better understand dog behaviour and found it fascinating. From there, my growing interest and understanding of canine behaviour led me to train as a dog groomer and the entrepreneur in me realised there was a gap in the market for a business like Wizard of Paws. How did you raise the start Up funding? When I started, in 2001, I operated initially from my garage running a grooming business. From there, I got the funds together to open a small outlet in Busby. What was your biggest break? A couple of things happened at the same time to develop the Wizard of Paws concept as it stands today. A friend came back from holiday in the USA and told me about the self-service dog washing concept she had seen there. I thought it made great sense to combine the elements I already offered plus training and retail and I realised this is what I should be offering, although I quickly understood that I couldn't do all of this on my own. At the same time, I was developing a fairly large customer base and through conversation it transpired that one of my clients who had vast retail experience was keen to get involved in something "different". I shared my vision with her and she agreed to come on board, as a silent partner. What was your worst moment? In 2006, in the run-up to our first Christmas, we invested heavily in purchasing extra stock. However, on November 27 we came to work to find the entire place under one foot of water. We lost a huge amount of expensive stock, and half a day's trade. This equated to a significant five-figure sum. Thankfully, we were insured. That said, we then had to scramble about at the busiest time of year, replacing our losses in time for the busy weeks that were coming. What do you enjoy most about running the business? I get great pleasure from working with both new and experienced dog owners and feel a great sense of achievement when I have been able to help. I thrive on the constant challenge of developing and growing the business. I'm always searching for the next product or idea. What do you least enjoy? Official "brown" envelopes, which seem to come through the door every other day, because nine times out of 10 it means that I'll be parting with hard-earned money! As a responsible business owner, I understand that there are requirements for rules and regulations and moral responsibilities. However, there are so many things to keep on top of, in terms of legislation relating to health and safety, human resource changes and the like. In an ideal world, I suppose I would employ someone to do all of that, but as a small business it's just not financially possible, so it falls to me and it's so time-consuming. What are your ambitions for the firm? Expansion of the brand name and opening more branches using different variants of our business concept. What are your top priorities? Making sure that the fabulous staff I have are happy in their work, keeping a healthy cashflow and balance sheet, making sure that dogs and their owners are well cared for and ensuring that our strategic plans for growth are realised. What could the Scottish and/or Westminster governments do that would most help? In general, employment law is a hugely valuable thing, especially as it protects the most vulnerable in their workplace. However, I think the proposed changes Business Secretary Vince Cable would like to see could go some way to redressing the balance, which often appears to be heavily weighted in favour of the employee. That said, I don't think a ''one size fits all'' approach to Employment Law is the right way to go. Huge corporations employing thousands of staff who will never meet the chief executive are very different places from SMEs, where bosses and their team work side-by-side on a daily basis. I think SMEs would benefit greatly from a consultation period, and from there, new or amended employment legislation specifically designed for SMEs could be introduced to take into account the sometimes unique circumstances of both the employer and his employees. How do you relax? Besides spending time with my wife, Angie, and my three daughters, I hugely enjoy walking my dogs. I love being outdoors, and I am currently enjoying the challenge of training my young working cocker spaniel, Wilma. She teaches me something new every day!

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Dog owner's wizard idea turns hobby into business

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