Wetherby man in running for top business award
WETHERBY businessman Richie Womersley is in the running to be crowned Entrepreneur of the Year in a nationwide competition.
He has entered his business, The Dog-Walker, into the Nectar Small Business Awards and hopes to make the shortlist.
The contest will be judged by James Caan, star of the TV show Dragon’s Den, and has a top prize worth over 4,000.
Since he founded the business in 2006, Richie has expanded it from a single client to one which runs four specialist vans and has two franchises.
Richie had a difficult childhood in care and at the age of 16 he had to fend for himself.
“Leaving school with no qualifications and no idea what I would do, I found life hard,” he said. “I spent years going from job to job but dreamed of owning my own business.
“It was only when I started work in kennels that I discovered something I had a real passion for - animals. Some years later I was out walking my two dogs when a woman approached me and asked if I was a dog walker.
“I was a little taken aback but then we started talking about it and I had my first client!
“Four years l;later, I have a team of three and we are walking hundreds of different dogs a year. Everyone has busy lives and the use of dog walkers to care for pets when their owners cannot, is growing and growing.”
Richie will be holding a “meet and greet” day at Wetherby Town Hall tomorrow (Saturday, August 14) from 8.30am to 4.30pm when his team will answer questions about their service.
A vet from Hutchison, Dunlop and Baird, of Hallfield Lane, will also attend.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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