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Posted:13-January-2021

Interview with bfa Franchisee of the Year finalist – Matthew Snell, Trophy franchisee

Name: Matthew Snell
Location: Swindon & North Wiltshire
Franchise: Trophy Pet Foods
Date launched the franchise: 18th Feb 2012


Tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying a Trophy franchise?

It’s still hard to believe that we have only just started our fourth year of this incredible journey with Trophy Pet Foods. Following becoming very disillusioned with traditional employment, Jen (a Life Assurance Administrator for Zurich) and I (a Quality Manager for Europe’s largest PCB distributor) reached the decision that we need to do “something” about it. That something became a yearlong search for a suitable option and at last Trophy Pet Foods!

We’ve been married for 10 years and have a beautiful 4 year old daughter Charlotte who often joins us on deliveries or can be heard singing the theme to Wallace & Grommet in the background of the phone!

Why did you go down the franchise route? And why did you choose Trophy franchise?

Our ultimate aim was to identify which investment option would best marry our personalities and our need to succeed, thereby replacing the lost regular income from our previous working lives. We wanted to build a business on principles that we hold in high esteem, but only seemed to be paid lip service by our previous employers.

‘Putting the customer first’ 'delivering customer satisfaction', 'improving the customer experience' had become blah, blah, blah terms and we wanted to prove to ourselves, and those that doubted and ridiculed us for our choices, that these principles are worth fighting for as core foundations for building a business and that we could do this as individuals.

"So here we are, two dynamic, dedicated, optimistic, people with a bit of cash in their pocket, but were having a bit of a hard time, and looking to take control and make positive changes of their future. So what were our options? Start a business? Buy a business? Join a franchise?"


The short version of what was a very long process is that all three options were considered, in detail, and arguments were made for and against each. However, the perceived benefits of franchising kept topping the list of pro’s and propping up the bottom of the con’s list. Low initial investment, proven business systems, full support but no interference, sounds too good to be true and a perfect counterbalance to our self-confessed weaknesses. So franchising is the way, but which one……

Trophy Pet Foods is the leading, and original, pet food home delivery franchise and is flattered to have many copycat businesses follow their model. As a franchise, they can boast 25 years of business, 21 years of making their own food, 18 years as members of the British Franchising Association, and over 85 franchisees nationwide. The virgin Swindon & North Wiltshire territory was appealing to us as a fresh start with only 4 active customers. As part of our due diligence we trialled the Trophy pet food for many months to ensure the food worked for our dogs, giving us a real insight into what we could achieve. A ‘blank canvass’ opportunity was very appealing as it felt like it was all on us; we would either prove our point or grovel for our old jobs back!

How did you raise the finance?

The initial capital outlay and investment in Trophy Pets Foods is very modest, (don’t tell the Franchisor I said that), £15,000. In addition to this we needed to provision for a van, some working capital and a reserve to see us through the initial building stages.

What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?

The first 4 days training, (spread over a week at the office in Oxfordshire), followed by 4 days of in field training with our Franchise Support Manager really kick started the business. This was followed by a 1 day work shop after about 3 months of trading where we reflected on our progress, debugged as required and started to plan for a successful future. The support still kept coming; we received a further day of Show/Event training from an established Trophy Franchisee who guided us through our first show.

"Trophy Pet Foods have proved to us that their vision for ongoing support is as they say it is. We have benefitted from excellent industry communications, product development, free promotional literature, Local & National advertising, help with growing our customer base, seminars, the franchisee council, motivational support and our Franchisee Support Manager. But the list goes on: seasonal newsletters, brand building programmes, the Trophy website and social media are driven fantastically well, as is the Annual Conference."

We have recently been provided with free tablets preloaded with the most engaging customer videos. Trophy Pet Foods may have some old wholesome values but they are not afraid to embrace the new digital age either.

The most exciting recent training and support development is the launch of an independent, professional nutritional qualification and CPD program pet nutrition and UK pet food legislation. We will benefit from enhanced ability to deliver even more professional, qualified and dedicated service to our customers. Trophy Pet Foods recognise that there will always be new trends, ideas and advancement in pet nutrition as Trophy Pet Foods continues to focus on the next 25 years in order to meet the ever increasing demand within the home delivery pet food market, which is why they believe in continuous education & training so that we can deliver a better and better service.

What is a typical day for you as a Trophy franchisee?

A typical day starts with a working breakfast with the family. Responding to messages, most frequently orders, and updating the delivery schedule to suit. Then it’s off to the unit to collect the day’s stock and to make a start on the morning delivery round. Then its home for some admin, (ordering, lead follow up, etc), and then lunch and off again on deliveries. If I’m done on time I can tee off at the local golf club at 4pm or even better surprise my daughter by picking her up from school.

What challenges have you faced?

We have faced and overcome most challenges it seems that running a business can throw at you. The ones that stand out now are the initial sacrifice of some family time in the start-up phase, then later the first chunky VAT bills and then understanding the bizarre world of cash flow. I don’t think any of these challenges are unique to Trophy Pet Foods or franchising in general and I imagine these are faced by most business people on a daily basis. However, with Trophy Pet Foods’ support, guidance and experience we have learnt lessons, made adjustments and we feel we are stronger as a business and family as a result. The true beauty of franchising.

Has becoming a Trophy franchisee changed your life, if so how?

Our story starts with two hard working but disenchanted employees of very large corporate entities. Money was never a concern but our emotional states’ were deteriorating year on year, culminating in me needing a short hospital stay after developing an Arrhythmia in 2010. The cause was attributed to stress which in turn was the result of years of frustration created by poor leadership and the monotony of the corporate treadmill.

Our strong foundations were constantly tested but never dented during our ten year marriage. The biggest challenge was being advised that we would not be able to conceive a child but we headed in to an IVF programme with full optimism. This unfortunately for us did not yield any results and after much time and soul searching, and blaming our stressful work lives for our predicament, we moved on and found solace in the thought of becoming adoptive parents in the future.

A few years later, and with a clearer view of how we wanted to live our lives we found ourselves naturally gravitating towards learning more about adoption and how this would help us complete our family and provide a safe and loving home for a child in grave need. One thing that became very clear to us during this long thought process was the state of our work lives and the effect that would have on us and any child in our care. Something had to be done! Enter franchising and Trophy Pet Foods to the rescue.

Our daughter is now 4 and thriving at school. She completed our family at just 11 months old and at about the same time we agreed to join the Trophy Pet Foods network. We can also report that no further signs of a dodgy ticker have been identified. And a strong working relationship now compliments a stronger than ever marriage. We now contribute to a world of; inspired customers, happy and healthier pets, local recognition and respect - thank you ethical Franchising and thank you Trophy Pet Foods.

What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?

Be honest with yourself. This is the most invaluable advice I would offer any one starting a business. Are you really ready to put the hours and effort in, are you and your family aware that the work / family time balance could be distorted for a short while, can you handle some austerity in the short term? If so, then you could be well positioned to thrive in a franchise environment. Then having a clear and real focus helped us greatly. Our choices meant that we needed, (and I use that word in its strongest possible meaning), our Trophy Pet Food franchise to generate our main family income.

In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?

We are often asked what we believe makes a successful franchise but try as we might we cannot pick out one specific aspect or secret ingredient.

"Our success is a combination of many things: being able to apply the training and advice from the franchisor, having a driving motivation to succeed in the form of generating the main family income and being truly passionate about our products and service. If you don’t really believe in what you do, you can’t expect your potential clients to either. You really need to see this passion in your franchisor of choice too!"

What are your plans for the future?

Exciting times are ahead. We have lots of good decisions to make. Do we expand our activity to the further reaches of our territory, do we look to take on more in store concessions, do we employ and free up our time and refocus on attracting more clients, do we follow our existing model and live a nice lifestyle, or do we offer this opportunity to someone else and move on to the next challenge?

Would you do it again?

Yes, very much so, yes. For lots of reasons but also because of what we know now, having learnt some lessons the hard way, we would be in an even better position to accomplish our ambitions.

If you should like to request our FREE franchise prospectus, please complete our form here and we will send it to you. 

Interested and want to know more about Trophy Pet Foods?

The Trophy Pet Foods basic profile outlines aspects of their franchise opportunity

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