Posted on Tuesday 24th May 2022
Staffordshire’s first boutique indoor self-service dog wash has now expanded thanks to the support of a £5,000 start-up loan from a county council business support scheme.
Victoria Shepherd set up Happy Henry’s! at Amerton Farm near Stafford to follow her dream of running a dog spa business, using her interest-free loan from the Staffordshire’s County Council Start-Up scheme to expand into dog grooming.
The loan is part of the wider Staffordshire Means Back to Business support scheme set up by the county council to get more money and support to more businesses quicker during and after the pandemic. The county council has so far loaned £124,000 in interest-free loans to businesses in Staffordshire needed a start boost.
The wider package of business support of survival and growth funding, fully funded training to upskill employees and take on apprentices. It has so far seen an additional £3.4m of investment allocated to businesses over and above the funding originally available from central government at the start of the pandemic.
Victoria said:
My own dog was very nervous but having had dogs for years I know how to help people to manage them. When I saw a gap in the market in Stafford for a DIY dog grooming service that not only makes bathing nervous dogs easier, but also helps teach their owners how to manage their behaviours, I jumped at it.
Although I have years of experience as a dog owner, when my dog Henry came into my life I realised he had struggles that I didn’t know how to manage. I then found games-based training and started to learn more about dog behaviour and great ways to help dogs.
This knowledge is helping other owners. I’m now getting calls from people who tell me they’ve been referred by a friend. Bringing this knowledge into my business at such a great location is fantastic.
The interest-free loan from the county council gave me just that bit of breathing space to finish my grooming training so that I can now offer a fully comprehensive service for all dogs.”
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said:
Our start-up loans can make a real difference to young businesses and has been a critical part of Victoria’s growth. With flexible repayment terms as well as the zero per cent interest, these loans have already a big difference to small businesses across Staffordshire, which are the lifeblood of our economy.
With the support available right across Staffordshire, it’s no wonder that our county has seen more businesses start up over the last years than before, and they grow quicker than most others across the UK.”
People can book in with Victoria at https://happy-henrys.co.uk/
Interest-free loans of between £3,000 to £5,000 from the Staffordshire Means Back to Business support scheme are available to businesses less than two years old.
More information is available at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/business/Staffordshire-means-back-to-business-support-scheme