Petpals and the BFA join forces to put franchising on the radar for future business owners
Franchising might be one of the UK’s most successful – yet misunderstood – business models. That is why Petpals’ brand development manager, David Gray, is teaming up with the British Franchise Association (BFA) to help set the record straight. As part of the BFA’s educational outreach, David recently led an inaugural online session designed to give students and aspiring entrepreneurs a real-world look at what running a franchise is really like – and to highlight why it deserves a bigger place in conversations about business ownership.
The session formed part of the BFA’s mission to make franchising more visible, more accessible and more widely understood. Drawing on his experience building a successful multi-territory pet care business, David shared how franchising can offer the freedom of running your own business with the backing of an established national brand.
“For such a proven model, it’s shocking how little airtime franchising gets in education,” said David. “You can study business at university and never hear the word ‘franchise’. That’s got to change – and our work with the BFA is helping to lead that change.”
David spoke openly about how more accurate, modern portrayals of franchising could help unlock a wave of entrepreneurial talent that simply does not know the opportunity exists. He also shared how he has been working at a local level to bring franchising into the conversation – from offering work experience placements with Petpals to collaborating with colleges on real-life student projects.
“Talking about franchising is one thing,” explained David. “Showing people how to get started is another. We’ve had students come in for placements who’ve gone on to work with us long-term, and even one who bought her own Petpals franchise. That kind of impact is what this is all about.”
David also addressed one of the biggest challenges in the industry: public understanding. He pointed out that many people – including those working for franchises – do not realise what a franchise is or how it operates.
“There’s still this outdated idea that franchising is only for people heading into retirement or just looking for a side hustle. But the reality is, it’s a scalable, future-proof way to run a serious business. The more we can showcase that – especially to young people – the better.”
The session received strong feedback from attendees, with many praising the honest, no-nonsense insight David brought to the conversation. And with further collaborations planned, it is clear this is just the beginning.
Director of Petpals, Kevin Thackrah, said: “David’s session is a great example of the positive influence franchisees can have when they share their stories. We’re proud to support his work with the BFA – it’s an important step in getting franchising the recognition it deserves, not just as a career path but as a key contributor to the UK economy.”
David added, “Franchising works – we know that. But we need to start telling the story better. We’ve got so many brilliant business owners out there quietly running high-performing franchises in their communities. It’s time we brought that out into the open and showed people what’s possible.”