My Biz July 2022 Winner
My Biz competition winner Juliette Wills wins £500 to start paw-fect business ‘Bexhill Pet Sitting’
Pet lover and winner of the July My Biz business plan competition, Juliette Wills aims to help the pet owners of Bexhill ‘here and meow’ with her 1-to-1 pet sitting and dog walking service, Bexhill Pet Sitting.
After taking part in the My Biz programme, owner of Bexhill Pet Sitting Juliette entered a competition for participants to submit their plan for their business idea, which they developed through course content covered in the workshop sessions.
Delivered by Let’s Do Business Group under the CHART programme, which concluded in July, the My Biz workshop programme supported aspiring entrepreneurs in Hastings and Bexhill to follow their career aspirations. Ran in-person in Hastings Library by our expert business manager Lisa Young, the programme, which consists of two full day workshops, got off to a positive start in September 2021, after most workshops had been taken online during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Since the conclusion of the CHART programme and the run of My Biz workshops, Let’s Do Business Group has started running a new workshop programme, Ready For Biz, to continue to support aspiring entrepreneurs and new flourishing businesses in the area. After getting off to a positive start in October 2022, Ready for Biz is set to continue into 2023.
An animal lover with a background in copywriting and journalism, Juliette had been looking after the beloved pets of her friends and neighbours for 20 years, and after seeing the increased need for a pet sitting service following a boom in pet ownership during the pandemic, she decided to take the leap of turning her hobby into a business in 2022.
Juliette hopes to run comprehensive dog and pet sitting service – offering one to one pet sits, walks as well as a pop-in service to help pet owners that want to offer their pets some extra love and attention.
“Whether your dog needs regular walks, occasional visits or company overnight, I’ll be there for them. I also offer pet-sitting and pop-in visits for cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, rats, alpacas, goats, sheep and bearded dragons.”
Juliette says that she believes Bexhill and the surrounding areas is the perfect place for a business like hers to flourish. Many people took on pets during the pandemic, and now with a return to the new-normal and going back to work, there are lots of pets out there that could benefit from a service like hers. Some pets may be anxious and not suited to services like pack walks or kennels, but rather need one-to-one care in their own home while their owners return to work or go on holiday, and owners want the peace of mind that their pet is being under the best care. It’s this aspect that Juliette believes gives Bexhill Pet Sitting an edge – while she is unable to offer pet boarding or pack walks, she’s able to cater to what some might think are ‘difficult’ pets.
Having already gained a lot of experience caring for other peoples pets, she’s gained strong testimonials from previous clients and pet owners for a foundation for Bexhill Pet Sitting. Pairing this with her experience in copywriting, journalism and photography, Juliette has already developed a professional website to welcome enquiries from new clients to get Bexhill Pet Sitting off its feet.
“Juliette looked after our cat, Rory, when we were on holiday. She sent us updates every day with pictures of him curled up in her lap or playing in the garden. She never left him for more than a couple of hours, and she spoilt him rotten. He clearly missed her very much when she left as he sulked for two days! Juliette left our house spotlessly clean and tidy, took in our mail, watered the garden, dealt with deliveries and even washed the bedlinen and made up the bed before she left so we didn’t have to do it when we got home. We couldn’t have asked for more from her and highly recommend her as a pet sitter.”
Having already ran her own business before, Juliette felt that she needed to refresh her memory before setting up Bexhill Pet Sitting, and she came across the opportunity to attend the My Biz Business Start Up Workshop Programme at Hastings Library in the summer of July 2022.
“I found the course very helpful. I’ve run my own business before but needed to refresh my memory on set up practices. I find it quite hard to focus on one project at a time, so breaking down the business plan into different sections was a great idea.”
“There was a wealth of information given to us during the two days, and I found the templates and PDFs helped to organise my whole thought process.”
The course content enabled her to make sense of setting up the new business and decide what was needed to get Bexhill Pet Sitting off to the best start. After completing the course, she had developed a solid plan, and subsequently submitted her plan to the My Biz Business Plan Competition, where she was awarded £500 to help finance her launch.
“Lisa delivered a no-nonsense course that I recommend anyone thinking of starting their own business to attend. I’m thrilled to have won this competition and look forward to meeting more furry clients because of it!”
Juliette now hopes to build the reputation of Bexhill Pet Sitting, and attend dog shows to get the word out about her new business with the help of testimonials from her happy clients.
We wish Juliette and Bexhill Pet Sitting the best of luck for the future!
For more information on Bexhill Pet Sitting, visit Juliette’s website at https://www.bexhillpetsitting.com/
