Barking Mad Market Harborough Expands into New Territory

A Barking Mad franchisee is celebrating after expanding her territory, to match even more doting dog owners with helpful hosts. Louise Jones bought the ‘virgin’ territory of Market Harborough in April 2022, launching Barking Mad in the area for the very first time. Since then, she has established a stronghold of pet hosts who are on hand throughout the year to support owners looking for a home from home for their pets while they go on holiday.

Now, she’s expanding into neighbouring Loughborough, an existing territory which is being sold by its previous owner. Taking on additional team members to service demand, as well as a wealth of new hosts, Louise is excited about what the future has in store. She said: “Over the last two years I’ve seen my business go from strength to strength. I now have a fantastic community of hosts in Market Harborough who support an incredible customer base, built up through recommendations and word of mouth.

“I’d always thought it would be nice to expand one day, but I didn’t think the opportunity would come up so quickly. When it did, I reflected on how far I’ve come in such a short space of time and knew I couldn’t miss it.

“Barking Mad is a unique business model, where I’m essentially match making people with animals that make them happy. And when a customer has a great experience with you once, they know they can holiday in total peace of mind, so they always come back to us. To be the person responsible for bringing all of that to people is brilliant – there is nothing better, and now I get to do it in two areas rather than one!”

Louise knows the area of Loughborough well, having worked there previously when she was a PA to fitness expert Rosemary Conley, a post she held for 15 years. Following that role, Louise worked for the Peter Jones Academy, an enterprise created by the Dragons Den star to help young people starting their own businesses. She then moved into fundraising, working for the NSPCC, and Leicester Children’s Hospital’s charity arm, forging relationships with major donors and high net worth individuals.

She added: “When I joined Barking Mad, it was to create a better work-life balance, following years of intense jobs. I wanted to have the freedom to choose how and when I work, and Barking Mad has ticked every box in that respect. I’m now entering a new era and while I know I’m going to be busy, I’m really excited for the challenge and to build even further on what I love doing. Starting a franchise was a huge decision for me, but it’s one I’ll never look back on. Now let’s see what two franchises is like!” concludes Louise.