What is your top leadership tip?
Always be honest.
Who inspires you?
People who can take a positive from a negative!
Kate Wood, Director, Your Pets Warehouse
Your Pets Warehouse is a social enterprise in the heart of the Rhondda valley that provides work experience and training for local young people with disabilities and mental health issues who are outside the traditional job market.
Kate founded Your Pets Warehouse over three years ago when she saw a gap in the market to provide employment opportunities for disabled and excluded young people.
The 3,000 sq ft quality pet store in Tonypandy now has an annual income figure of over £200,000 from product sales alone and employs 10 full and some part-time staff and a number of trainees and volunteers.
Kate has continually developed the business to be financially viable but not at the cost of keeping her original vision of a social enterprise. Kate has led the business forward and developed the sales strategy to include on-line sales as well as growing the training side of the business to be able to offer more opportunities.
While the business has been eligible for grants, Kate has not simply allowed this funding to dictate the business plans. She has turned a sound enterprise into a viable, commercial entity.
Your Pets Warehouse is now a place for disadvantaged young people to gain skills, be respected and valued. This in turn helps to equip them with skills they can use in their ongoing working and personal life. The store recently appointed a training manager who specialises in designing and delivering bespoke accredited training programmes applicable to individual requirements.
Kate is open, honest and generous by nature and likes to pass on her enthusiasm to everyone she comes into contact with. She has a big smile and quickly puts everyone at ease. She is a natural leader who never ceases to inspire with her endless energy and belief in what it is she does.
With Kate’s support and far sightedness young disabled, disengaged and disadvantaged young people are now experiencing work, as trainees, volunteers and paid employees.