Meet the Team – Stephanie Roberts – Finance Director
August 9th, 2021 in News & Blogs
Hi there everyone. My name is Stephanie Roberts and I’m the director and co-founder of Mutneys Professional Pet Care Products.
Mutneys was set up over 25 years ago by me and my husband Jamie and throughout all that time – from dining room table to where we are today – we have always put the needs of our customers and staff at the heart of everything that we do.
We aim to be part of the dog grooming community and not just the place you contact for supplies and equipment. We offer advice and support to our customers helping them make the right decisions on what they need and supporting them through any issues or challenges.
We can’t always tell the customers exactly what they want to hear but we are always friendly and approachable whatever the query and prepared to go the extra mile to help. We want our customers to find a business that is friendly and helpful where they can get advice and support as well as equipment and products.
My background is in customer services and accounts after doing a degree in customer service at Leeds University. I spent my university holidays working for Jamie’s parents, Sue and Derek, learning the basics of grooming. That gave me a real appreciation of the skills of dog groomers which has been invaluable in working with them through the business. I know just what physical hard work the job is and have huge admiration for their creative skills. Groomers have to be able to envisage the end result and then put in the hard physical work and creative flare to make it happen. What they do is phenomenal.
We really value our staff – they are what makes our business – so we give them the chance of progression within the company and the opportunity to learn new skills or expand existing ones. We have always offered relevant training with NVQs and other qualifications in administration, customer services, warehouse work and digital marketing.
We have always had a real family feel to the way we run the company. Our two sons, Harry, now 22 and Max, 19, have grown up with Mutneys. Both have always helped out at Crufts and other shows and worked in the office or warehouse when needed. Max still works in the warehouse and Harry takes time out from his digital marketing career to help out at Crufts.
We know what it is like to juggle a busy family life with a business, so that’s why we have always run the business with a strong family ethos. We try to be as flexible and understanding as we can with our own staff. We know that family comes first and we always try to make sure our staff can get to the parents’ and school events or dash off if there’s a problem with childcare arrangements.
Of course our dogs are also part of the Mutneys family so our own dogs, Dexter and Charlie, are with us in the office most days along with some of our staff’s dogs. Though I say it myself, it’s a great place to work!