Brittnee Leysen

PURR Cat Grooming Ltd

Dr Brittnee Leysen is the founder and director of PURR Cat Grooming Ltd, Scotland’s first cat-exclusive grooming salon, and an award-winning entrepreneur whose work sits at the intersection of animal welfare, education and innovative business.

Originally trained as an anthropologist and historian, Brittnee holds a PhD from the University of Glasgow and continues to work as an Associate Tutor alongside growing PURR. Her academic background has shaped the way she approaches entrepreneurship: questioning accepted norms, using evidence to drive decisions, and building businesses that solve genuine problems rather than following industry convention.

Since launching PURR, Brittnee has transformed what many considered an impossible niche into one of Scotland’s fastest-growing specialist pet businesses. The company has served hundreds of cats, employs a growing team, has received multiple business awards, is preparing to open its second location, and has expanded into professional training, retail products and educational resources for both owners and groomers.

Brittnee is passionate about showing that businesses don’t need to be “everything to everyone” to succeed. Instead, she advocates for building brands around expertise, authenticity and community, believing that becoming exceptional within a niche creates stronger businesses than chasing mass appeal.

Beyond the salon, she regularly speaks about entrepreneurship, branding, resilience, and the realities of scaling a business while navigating personal challenges, legal disputes and the unpredictability that comes with being a founder. Her talks combine practical lessons with honest reflections on the highs and lows of building something meaningful from the ground up.

Whether she’s discussing specialist marketing, customer experience, business growth or the power of niching down, Brittnee brings together academic curiosity and real-world entrepreneurial experience to inspire audiences to think differently about what is possible.