Live the dog lover’s dream and be your own boss, running a multi award-winning pet care franchise.
A lifestyle with flexibility, a growing full-time income and the rewards of making a really positive difference to the lives of pet lovers and their four-legged best friends – what’s not to like?
Why not escape the ordinary, leave the 9-5 office grind behind and become your own boss with Barking Mad?
Sharing our pet care sector knowhow, systems and brand name has enabled our large network to start or grow their own successful businesses via the franchise route.
Our 70+ franchise owners love what they do and reap the benefits of a successful, flexible, family-friendly career.
Why Barking Mad?
- Over 20 years’ experience – we are proud to be an award-winning, leading franchise in our sector.
- Best Pet Care Franchise – as awarded by The Elite Franchise Top 100 for the LAST 7 YEARS in a row!
- A highly flexible business opportunity – allowing you to run it around other personal commitments.
- Great earnings potential, as well as achieving the work/life balance you really want.
- A market leading launch package – including marketing activity, licensing support and insurance.
- The UK’s most-trusted pet care provider – as verified by our substantial number of Trustpilot reviews – over 9,000 and counting!
- Fantastic support available to our franchise network including: Animal welfare licensing support, Social-media, Sales & Marketing support, Operational, Accounting and IT support, Dog behaviour training, canine first aid certification and other practical coaching.
Join Our Pack
Would you jump at the chance to ditch your current routine and enjoy spending every day in the company of adorable dogs and fellow dog lovers? John and Elaine Warburton, winners of the British Franchise Association Lifestyle Award, describe buying a Barking Mad franchise as,
“the best decision we have ever made”
Self-confessed, ex ‘wage slave commuter’ John explains:
“As animal lovers, the concept of home-from-home dog boarding held huge appeal. The Barking Mad franchise system’s tried, tested and proven operating procedures were a major factor in our decision, along with the training, support and potential for growth to an impressive six figure turnover.”
Dog ownership in the UK has surged over the past few years, with an estimated 34% of the UK population now owning a dog, which equates to over 13m dogs*! Therefore, Barking Mad is expanding across the UK and needs motivated business owners to meet demand. Could this be you?
Comprehensive Business and Customer Support
Starting out on your own can be really tough and new entrants to the market need to stay ahead of the competition. According to a recent report in ‘The Times’, 20% of sole traders fail within a year and 60% fail within five years. Launching a franchise with a prominent brand name, with the added support of a dedicated HQ team, means that your new venture has the best possible start.
Barking Mad’s team of experts are specialists in all areas of the business, so you don’t have to be! From sales and accounts advice, to social media and online marketing support, help is on hand. Franchisees are guided every step of the way with one-to-one business planning and expert training guides.
As part of Franchise Brands plc since 2016, our franchisees also benefit from the knowledge of a group of market-leading franchise businesses who share the same support services, with huge commitment to investment and innovation.
Loyal Repeat Business and Referrals in a Massive Growth Industry
When you buy a Barking Mad franchise, you will benefit from our brand’s loyal repeat business and referrals in a massive growth industry. Our customers love our service, as demonstrated by our independent 5* Trustpilot reviews.
Tapping into potential in the pet market requires knowledge of a complex sector, but with a Barking Mad franchise, our proven and successful business model will give you all the tools you need to achieve your entrepreneurial, pet care dreams.
Top Dog Brand Leader
A strong brand and extensive expert resources mean we have a tried and tested recipe for your success. Barking Mad has a strong brand presence both online and offline, as well as being featured by the national media including the BBC, ITN, Daily Mail, Metro, Evening Standard and many more.
If you’re a pet lover, with ambition and a dedication to first class customer service, then Barking Mad could be perfect for you. Our franchise owners create profitable and successful businesses with the support and expertise of our leading national brand. They enjoy an enviable work-life balance whilst indulging their passion for pets.
Join a business community who love pets as much as you do. Territories are strictly exclusive and available on a first come first served basis, so why not get in touch today? We’d love to chat to you about taking the first steps to becoming a dog care entrepreneur. Request an information pack today to find out more.
*The franchise is £9,995+VAT, and with our PAYG option, we can get you started with as little as £4,995 +VAT to set up. Barking Mad also has a great relationship with high street banks and there is also the option of a Government start up loans scheme, subject to acceptance.
* Dog population in the UK 2024 | Statista
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Barking Mad Franchisees Nominated as Finalists in Prestigious 2024 BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards in the ‘Community Focus’ Category
Northumberland based Barking Mad franchisees, Brabara Frater and Caroline Bradshaw have been selected as finalists of the prestigious 2024 BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards for the ‘Community Focus’ category.
Barbara and Caroline, set up their Barking Mad business in 2019, after swapping their busy and pressurised careers as teachers, for running their hugely popular home-from-home dog boarding franchise.
Feeling like they had got out of education all they were going to get, and achieving all they wanted to achieve, they were looking for a new challenge. They wanted something that would allow them to achieve their ‘Why’ – it’s not what you do, but why you do it. Doing everything with the principals of Simon Sinek in mind (author of ‘Start with Why’ – a book about how to inspire in leadership), has allowed them to serve their community of hosts and customers in the best way possible.
Commenting on the announcement, Barbara and Caroline said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have reached the finals of these awards. We set up our Barking Mad franchise just before Covid-19 hit, and given we are reliant on people taking holidays, this was a particularly challenging time for us. But, we have such a strong community of dog-loving hosts, who really are like our extended family, when restrictions lifted and our loyal customers could start using our service again, our hosts could once again enjoy having canine companions again.
“We value our hosts’ loyalty and friendship tremendously. Even more than this, it is extremely heartwarming to see them become friends with each other and enjoy the companionship of the community that we are able to facilitate through our business and passion.
“It is fantastic to have been recognised by the BFA in this way - we are very proud.”
Chief Executive of the BFA Pip Wilkins said: “We are delighted to be celebrating our 35th year of the BFA awards this year and as always, another exceptionally difficult round of short listing. We never cease to be amazed by our entrant’s ingenuity and tenacity, their ability to adapt to changing marketplaces and to be able to amend their business model to ensure they are always offering the best opportunity to their franchisees and customers. I’d like to offer my congratulations to everyone who made the finals; this is in itself is a huge achievement and one they should be extremely proud of.”
UK Head of Franchise at HSBC UK Gillian Morris said: “My heartfelt congratulations to the deserving finalists in this year’s British Franchise Awards. Shortlisting the entries and choosing the finalists is one of the toughest challenges of my year but it’s one I love. I was truly inspired by the brilliant businesses amongst this year’s entrants and the finalists really do represent the best of British franchising.”
Winners will be announced at a gala black-tie event following the BFA’s annual conference on 7th November 2024.
Barking Mad Video
