Third year Business Management and Marketing student Abbie Parslow took an entrepreneurship year before starting her final year of studies – and used it to launch her own company, Lola’s Pantry.

Focusing on nutritious plant-based dog treats, Lola’s Pantry targets health-conscious dog owners wanting to spoil their pets, whilst also keeping them healthy. When asked why she decided to set up her business, Abbie said, “My Cocker Spaniel, Lola, suffered a serious illness which highlighted the need for her to have a more nutritious, high fibre and protein-based diet. A high-fibre diet has many health benefits to dogs, and this inspired me to create a ‘healthy option’ canine treat brand.

“My customers can feel at ease that they’re giving their dogs a healthier alternative to other treats on the market, so they don’t need to feel guilty when giving their dogs a Lola’s Pantry treat.”

Completing an entrepreneurship year provided Abbie with practical and hands-on skills which she was able to put into practice by setting up her business. She learnt about company formations and how to set up a business, product composition to create the best recipes for her treats, mandatory regulations, how to buy premium and high-quality ingredients in small quantities, how to sort her finances and use accounting software, developed her own marketing and branding, created her own social media accounts and researched feed microbiology to find a laboratory that could test her treats.

Discussing setting up her business alongside her studies, Abbie said that Keele Business School (KBS) was ‘tremendously helpful’ during her entrepreneurship year. She had regular 1-2-1s with KBS Lecturer Dr Peter McLuskie, where she kept him updated on her progress and asked any queries she had about her business plan. Abbie said, “I found being surrounded by all my ideas quite daunting, but being able to communicate these to Peter and the extra support he gave me was just what I needed.”

Abbie also spoke to her Academic Mentor, Professor Samir Dani, about her ideas and challenges in the entrepreneurship process, while Mike Astbury, CEO of the Mondrem Group (which is based on the University’s Science and Innovation Park), helped Abbie with the practical aspects of business management, such as setting up her business, company formations, eventually paying herself dividends, self-assessment tax, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), insurances and accounting courses.

Using the skills and lessons she’s learnt during her time as a student, Abbie is keen to differentiate herself from her competitors. Recognising the importance of developing a loyal customer base when targeting a niche market fuelled her decision to initially focus on her story and brand to make Lola’s Pantry stand apart from its competitors. Abbie said, “I’ve really listened to everything that has been suggested to me. Mike thought the idea behind Lola’s Pantry was a cracking one and told me to keep going while remembering ‘people buy you, not the product’.”

Having initially focused on testing her products, including Peanut Power, Super Spinach and Protein Pumpkin biscuits, Abbie's aim is to sell them through dog-friendly pubs and stalls at farmers and artisan markets. Longer-term goals will see Abbie increase her sales and brand awareness by developing a website and creating a presence for the company on social media. Once she has finished her degree, Abbie wants to extend her product range, look into more opportunities for Lola’s Pantry and upscale her production and selling strategy.