How Becky Oldfield Went From Stressed, Busy, Skint Dog Walker, to Premium, Niched Gun-Dog Specialist
Discover how Becky Oldfield gained the confidence to increase prices, introduce upsells and niche into her passion for gundogs, which has transform her pet business from ordinary to extraordinary.
Listen and learn from Becky's inspirational story by clicking on the image below...
Full Transcript Below
 
Dom: I am joined by Becky Oldfield from Contented Dogs. Well, that's not the full title now, is it because it's Gun Dogs. Becky, you do a proper introduction, tell us who you are, what you do and when you started your business.

Becky: My name's Becky Oldfield and I run two businesses now. Contented Dogs, which is a Canine Adventure Business and Contented Gun Dogs Training Club, which offers gun dog training. Force free gun dog training.
 
I started the business in 2010, I think it was. Yes, it's been about 11 years now and just offered the bog standard walks like half hour, hour. Got really busy, took a couple of staff on, finally joined Dom's World and that changed everything. So repackaged the whole business, moved away from just the boring walks and we started to run adventures and obviously different types of adventures and different prices and things like that.
 
Then this year, I qualified as a gun dog trainer so I've started to add gun dog training to the services and branch off into the side of it and now we're just sort of tying it all together now with Dom's help. Sort of repackaging everything up so it's a bit more exciting than it was.
Dom: So, we did a lot of fixing at first didn't we. You sort of hung around on the outskirts of my world for a while and you bought a couple products and you came to an event and then you joined the PBIC and then we got on the phone and we tackled things like pricing and introducing an upsell and at first, it took a little while to catch on didn't it, introducing an upsell?

Becky: Yeah, it did. Yeah, because it was quite expensive. I thought oh no-one is going to buy it, it's a waste of time, but I thought no I'll have a go and now it's my most profitable service and it's the most popular. So it does work, just it was me that was holding me back.

Dom: That's often the case, isn't it though? We always think, and I just funnily enough, I don't know if you saw the comment that I put in the group this week, when you were asking about the packages and stuff, you know?
But yet when you were putting together your packages for your gun dog training, we always want to have a higher price package as well, because some people are going to buy it and then like you said, eventually that will become your most profitable thing, you know?

Becky: Very true. Yeah. Just need to be braver.

Dom: Everybody needs to be braver. Yeah. I mean, similar thing with my own business now, I think about the PBIC, we start off with just Gold and now, Diamond far outweighs Gold. So I think everybody's business is very similar, but sometimes we lack a bit of confidence.

Becky: Yeah, I totally agree.

Dom: So what kind of a difference has it made to how you feel about the business and also your turnover and stuff like that?
Becky: God, the turnovers obviously massively higher, and that I know it's not all about money, it's obviously not, but you do need money don't you, when you run a business. You do need to live, and I want a nice life. I want to buy nice things if I want to and I work hard, so it does make a huge difference. 
Obviously the different services and the way we've packaged things and the different price ranges there are now, that's just increased the turnover massively. So that's made life a bit easier, and things like, even like the practical stuff, like if the van breaks or somebody's off sick, I've got a little backup amount to cover it rather than before when I was scraping along and hoping nothing went wrong.
Dom: Yeah, a buffer fund. Yeah, this is all stuff that I've learned. A big part what we're do in Diamond now isn't it?

It's not just about the marketing, it's about how we're building a business to serve the kind of life we want to have, and then are we being sensible with the cash that comes in and all this kind of thing. How have you found that side of things?

Becky: Oh God, it's made loads of difference, because I wasn't really saving anything before. It was sort of like everything that comes in, it just went out again.

Dom: Hey, me neither once upon a time.
Becky: You live to your means, don't you? So I just earned more and I just spent more. Now I put a chunk aside each month before I spend anything and then it does grow, doesn't it? And it's really useful having it.
 
Dom: It grows really quickly doesn't it?

Becky: I dip into every now and then, but yeah. Yeah it made a huge difference,
It helps having people just push you, I think, with that because I wouldn't have done that otherwise. Never been very good with money.
Dom: Yeah, everyone says that. It's funny, because some people, when I start to talk about this, some people were doing it already. Some people were just starting. Some people have put it off and they're only just starting now, but I think that group mentality, isn't it where you see it.
 
Becky: Yeah, you see other people doing it.

Dom: This is what they're doing, this is what the people are doing, I bet there's something in it, you know?

Becky: Definitely, yeah. And it's, like you said, the sort of fitting the business around your life rather than just being carried along with the business, you've helped me to think, well what do I want? And then we build a business around that rather than the other way around. So that makes a big difference.
 
Dom:  You've always been good at what you do. And consequently over time, you get full and you're busy and your diary's full and it's very easy to just stay on that treadmill, isn't it?

Becky: Yes it is. Yeah.

Dom: And you think well, this is how it is actually doesn't need to be like that and you can change it whenever you want can't you?
 
Becky: No, absolutely. Yeah, and I think I'd prefer being less busy, but earning the same or more now. It sounds really quite obvious, but it wasn't at the time. You just think, wow, I just need more and more clients and just get busier and busier but that's no fun is it, eventually.

Dom: Not at all. So let's talk a bit about what we've done in the last year or so then. Like you said, you've always had a passion for the gun dogs, haven't you? You've been out beating and all this kind of thing. You've gone off and done your own training and up-levelled your skills with gun dogs. And  now over the last year, we've been packaging them into services and then trying to roll it out. I think we've tried, and you've done this brilliantly really, we've tried to roll it out in a way that it's comfortable for you because obviously it's a brand new thing. You don't want to throw yourself in too much deep end, do you? We've done it, but you want to try and build it in a way that you're happy with and also moving forward, this is the main thing we want to build a business around, isn't it?

Becky: Yeah. But like I said, we've done it sort of gradually so I started with one to ones just for my confidence, because it's talking to people and teaching people, the big groups were a bit scary. So we started with just the one to ones and then we rolled out the groups and now the packages are coming. It's just slowly getting busier that side and less busy the walking side, which is what I want, to sort of even it out a bit and then yeah, eventually the gun dog side to be bigger.  I didn't want to just leap in and just get rid of the walking and just go for the training because I like the walking as well. So I'd like to keep both, but yeah just even it out.

Dom: Absolutely. Yeah it's provided a good steady income for you, hasn't it?

Becky: Oh it has, definitely.
Dom: So it's difficult to cut those ties with it and you might never ever cut it, but I think what we're doing is we're, which is the same as happened in my business and Carol's and Katie's and other peoples as well. They're like you, the first business provides a platform, you know? So your existing business, you fix it, you make it profitable. You get rid of the crappy clients, you get rid of the clients who are maybe too far out your area.

You're making it the best business it can be, and then often it's like right, now what do you really want to do? And then the other idea comes off and this becomes the business that spawns another business, doesn't it?

Becky: Yeah, and it funds that one as well at the start, doesn't it?

Dom: Exactly. Really good point. Yeah.

Dom: Same for me, I mean, my first attempt at this, it funded the online store and that was a bad idea. But no, it's really true, really good point you made there because often when a lot of people are coming to me, they have obviously tonnes of ideas. I want to do this, do that. I want to do the other. And I'm always like, hey this is all brilliant and let's pick the one you want to do the most. First of all, let's fix this.  Because like you said, this is the platform that's going to fund the next thing you know?

Sometimes people start a next thing and the business isn't making enough or it isn't systemized well enough and you've got spinning plates and then they start crashing to the floor and I think sometimes it's frustrating because we all want get on as fast as we can.

Dom: But having this little plan. I mean, look how far you've come in. Like you said, from when, when was Dorset, when did I come down there?

Becky: Oh god, 2018 or 2019, was it?

Dom: Yeah, it was early 2019. It was February 2019.

Becky: The business is totally different, isn't it? Absolutely. It's completely changed. Yeah it's brilliant. 

I didn't even know there was that much wrong with it really. I think because you're busy, you think oh it's great, but actually when you get on the call with you, you're like oh, change this, change that. And you're like, oh, I wouldn't have even thought of that and it just makes so much difference.

Dom:  Definitely. So how are you feeling about the future then?

Becky: Oh brilliant. I feel really, really positive and I'm not just saying that. It's because everything seems to be going in the right direction and the gun dog training is getting busier and I'm really enjoying it now. Yeah I think it's going to be good. I just need to sort a few more bits I need to tweak and then get in there.

Dom: Definitely. Yeah we're ready to roll out the packages now. How has it affected things at home changing the business, you and the hubby and stuff. Can he tell a difference as well?

Becky: Yes he can. Yeah because I'm happier obviously, but also I've got a bit more time because before there was just no time for anything. I think a lot of people are like that aren't because they just get really busy. But now we've fixed a few things here and there, I have got more free time which does make a difference family wise doesn't it because you get to spend more time together and things. Yeah and it doesn't take over like it used to the business.

Dom: Yeah keep an eye on that, make sure it doesn't take over, take a day off here and there. Hey, thank you so much for coming on and sharing.

Becky: You're welcome, thanks for having me.

Dom: Tell people where they can go and find out more about you then and the classes.

Becky: So if you go to www.contenteddogs.co.uk, it should all be on there, so there's the information about the adventure side and the gun dog training side.

Dom: Fabulous. Thank you Becky. Oh and we forgot to mention your book as well. You wrote a book in lockdown!

Becky: Yes, a little book. That's "How To Transform Your Bored Pup into a Contented Dog" and that's available on Amazon.

Dom: Fantastic. Really well done Becky, I'm super proud of you, honestly.

Becky: Thank you for all of your help.

Dom: No, you're very welcome. It's fantastic, and I love helping people to want to get on. Yeah if you want some more help watching this, click on one of the links below and find out more about the private coaching programme. Thank you Becky.

Check out Becky's website here
To hear more about Becky's story check out this Episode of The Poodle to PitBull Pet Business Podcast
If you would like to join Becky in the Diamond Coaching Program then check out the links below.
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