John and Elaine Warburton, Barking Mad franchise business owners from Fife, were announced as “Franchisee of the Year” winners of the Lifestyle category at last night’s glittering bfa HSBC Franchise Awards ceremony. The highly coveted awards are the franchising industry’s most important form of recognition and champion those who have shown exceptional business acumen over the last 12 months.

The husband and wife team from Barking Mad showed that their business has thrived whilst allowing them to achieve an enviable life-work balance. In their case, this meant indulging a real love of dogs as well as working their roles around their daughter and other commitments. 

Elaine was delighted to accept their award and said:

“The entire awards journey has been fantastic and we are honoured to have been a part of it. We truly believe that Barking Mad has changed our lives, it certainly has mine, having such a positive impact on my mental health. We sincerely hope that others will be inspired to follow their dreams just like we did.”

John added:

“Working as Barking Mad Fife & Kinross’ owner with Elaine has been the best decision we have ever made!”

Andrew Brattesani, Head of Franchising at HSBC and joint presenter of the awards, said:

“John and Elaine are living the dream working for Barking Mad. Working with animals all day and looking after their own gives them great pleasure, and for them to make a successful business out of this is testament to their hard work and passion.”

Former Marketing Director John keeps a keen eye on the figures, but Elaine, an ex police officer and fitness instructor who felt unfulfilled in her previous career, also counts doggy cuddles as part of the profits! They have achieved a cumulative turnover projected to be £400,000 in just five years and aspire to grow their business to a level where they can recruit more staff.

Established in 2000, Barking Mad is the UK’s most trusted dog sitting service, rated no.1 by Trustpilot. They provide bespoke dog holidays through a franchise network of dedicated, local professionals. Franchisees recruit a community of carefully chosen, dog-loving host families who care for pets whilst their owners are away.

Barking Mad is a multi-award winning franchise which is part of the Franchise Brands plc group of companies, an international multi-brand franchisor with a combined network of over 450 franchisees in 12 countries.  It is recognised across the pet care sector and the franchise industry, as well as by the great British pet-loving public. With the value of the UK pet market predicted to hit £2.1 billion by 2023, demand for dog holidays is predicted to increase.