Posted:13-January-2021
Exclusive Interview with Tina Bingham, Kent Franchisee for Trophy Pet Foods
Name: Tina Bingham
Location: Kent
Franchise: Trophy Pet Foods
Date launched the franchise: 24/09/2012
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying a Trophy Pet Foods franchise?
I’m married, with two children. Prior to buying the Trophy Pet Foods franchise I worked in education.
Can you also tell us about Trophy Pet Foods?
Trophy Pet Foods make their own brand of ethical pet food.
Why did you go down the franchise route? What made you choose pet food delivery? And why did you choose Trophy Pet Foods?
Buying into a long-established franchise seemed to be the safest option in terms of setting up my own business, especially given the excellent products, training and support that Trophy Pet Foods provide.
"I have always wanted to work with animals, plus diet / nutrition has also played a large part in my own life due to my own allergies, and so healthy pet nutrition seemed like the perfect business to me."
I considered Trophy Pet Foods along with another pet food franchise, but Trophy stood out due to its ethical stance. I also spoke to a number of other franchisees around the UK for their feedback of whether the business had met their expectations, and their very positive response convinced me that Trophy Pet Foods was the right franchise for me.
How did you raise the finance?
From savings.
What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
One week’s training at Trophy Head Office and then Trophy’s Franchisee Support Manager spent a further week with me, going through product information and demonstrating marketing techniques, book-keeping, etc.
The Franchisee Support Manager telephones me once a week for a general update and is always available for further support when needed. I can also contact Head Office for support too.
All of the Trophy franchisees around the UK are very supportive of each other and we regularly chat about ideas, problems, successes, etc., plus another Trophy franchisee helped me with my first event, which was very much appreciated.
How would you describe your role as a franchisee?
I think the majority of my customers see me as far more than just the person who delivers their pet food. I am also a professionally qualified nutritional adviser (an independent qualification) and they often seek my advice about their pets’ health. My aim is to help keep their pets as healthy as possible, and diet plays a huge part in that. And of course I want the Trophy brand to be recognised for offering excellent quality nutrition and value. I am regularly invited along to dog training classes to give nutritional presentations, and get very positive feedback as a result of doing this.
What challenges have you faced?
Keeping up with the speed my business has grown, as my business has grown enormously as a result of customers recommending me to their friends and the nutritional presentations that I do.
I also feel that we now live in a world where people are far more demanding. Most online companies will deliver next day and so many of my customers expect me to do the same (or even the same day when they’ve completely run out of food!). Some customers do not appreciate the logistics of the large area that I cover and that it is just me delivering (my husband will help out occasionally but has his own work commitments too), plus I have family commitments as a working mum. I do my utmost to meet my customers’ expectations, and very rarely let anyone down, but it can be exhausting at times.
Book-keeping! Thankfully my husband takes care of my book-keeping, otherwise that would be another huge challenge for me!
Has becoming a franchisee changed your life? If so, how?
I have the satisfaction of running a very successful business, doing something I feel very passionate about. I have also been able to establish the business in a way that fits in with my own family commitments, which is far less stressful than having to ask an employer for time off work to attend appointments, family events, etc.
What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?
Definitely speak to other franchisees for their honest feedback of whether the business and franchisor have met their expectations.
In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
You need to have a genuine love of what you’re doing. People will see straight through gimmicks and don’t like the hard sell approach.
"You need to work incredibly hard, especially in the early days, to get your business established, and then continue to work hard looking after your customers so that you maintain their business and your good reputation."
You need to be flexible and have good people skills. People are a lot more demanding nowadays and are very quick to rip companies to shreds on social media if they don’t meet their expectations!
What are your plans for the future?
I very much see my business continuing long term and I’m getting to the stage where I need to think about employing someone to help me keep up with the demands of my growing business.
Would you do it again?
Yes!
Interested and want to know more about Trophy Pet Foods?
The Trophy Pet Foods basic profile outlines aspects of their franchise opportunity
