Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with E Mills, of Moonlight Natural Pet Store, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Moonlight Natural Pet Store is an active lifestyle store for dogs and cats on the go. We carry a huge variety of raw pet food and great quality pet accessories for furry kids.
Pet nutrition is something we are very passionate about. As such, we carry predominantly wholesome dog and cat food dehydrated and freeze-dried raw pet food. We believe that health happens from the inside out, so we advocate fresh, good quality food, exercise for the benefit of both our cat and dog customers, and natural supplements to aid with pet health issues ranging from diabetes kidney issues to dog skin problems like itching from food sensitivities.
We believe that dogs and cats are an integral part of our families and aid with our mental health as well as provide amazing companionship. Their only flaw is that they don’t live as long as we want them to.
Tell us about yourself
We have always been passionate about animals and good nutrition.
To us, our dog Shinji was a family member. Moonlight Natural Pet Store was born out of our desire to have a place where our furry kids could socialize while ensuring they obtained the best in nutrition and quality pet care.
Our story started when we first met. She would (and still to this day) drive on the highway and shout “hi cows, hi horsey!” every time we drove by a farm. It was a little bit disconcerting for him as he was raised around animals but had never met anyone so ecstatic about animals. A few years later, we fell in love with a dog that we named Shinji. Our every waking moment was about giving him the best food and an active lifestyle so that he was healthy and happy. That included not leaving him at home alone for long periods of time so that we could work or go hang out with friends. He passed away but still inspires us to have a place where dogs and cats with nutritional issues can have their questions answered.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Balancing home life and work life. It is difficult being married and working together all the time. We are grateful for all the support from customers, staff, and family that we’ve had over the years.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The toughest thing about being particularly a pet store business owner is that we opened the store because of our pooch. He passed away unexpectedly, which led to a lot of souls searching and struggling with coming to the store to help others. We believe that he would love for us to continue to help others with all the experiences we gained from helping him.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Communicate openly with your loved ones about your problems accomplishments, and stay grounded.
- Love what you do because it will matter the most when you are ready to quit.
- Learn to fail at a lot of things and get a few that matter most right.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.moonlightpetstore.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonlightDogCafe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonlightdogcafe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/moonlightdogcfe
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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