Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Joanne Downs, co-founder of Pawkee, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm the co-founder and manager of Pawkee. Pawkee was founded in 2017 to meet the needs of customers who were in search of quality pet care. Primarily we offer dog walking and pet sitting services, but we strive to go above and beyond the norm. We treat every pet we care for like part of our 'Pawkee Family, ' making both our human and furry customers happy.
We are a proud Bipoc, lgbtq+, female-led business that aims to make quality pet care accessible to everyone. A professional, reliable, affordable service is what we deliver.
Tell us about yourself
I trained to be a lawyer, practicing Commercial Real Estate in London, England. However, it didn't take long to realize it wasn't for me. I didn't want all the hours of hard work to be a waste, so I took the skills I had learned as a lawyer and put them into creating my own business from scratch.
I thought to myself, 'what do I love doing?' And the answer was obvious, I love animals and caring for them (I've been a vegetarian since the age of 14). I met my business partner Julie in 2016, and as she developed the software, I began drafting the contracts and created customized templates aimed at what customers were looking for. We launched in 2017 and haven't looked back. Every day is different, with new challenges, but we've learned and adapted and are so proud of what Pawkee has become.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Without a doubt, surviving the pandemic. Our business is to look after pets while their owners are away, but with no one leaving their homes, we had no demand. In March 2020, we experienced an unpredictable amount of cancellations, with no foreseeable new bookings. It was devastating for our whole team, both physically and mentally. But through hard times, you have to persevere! We took the downtime to scan over our website and look at our business model to see what we could tweak to make us even better. And steadily, as the world started opening up, so did we, and we had a huge bounce back!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Unpredictability, not just the big things like the pandemic, but also the small things. Managing a pet care business means you're delivering a service that is greatly relied upon. If a customer's schedule changes last minute, you have to be there for their pet. When you're managing a team, logistically, it can be very difficult to ensure we meet the needs of all customers. However, I proudly tell people about our 100% 5-star reviews on Google because this shows we're doing a great job!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Take risks. People tell me all the time, 'I would love to do what you do.' The reason why most people don't is because they're afraid to take the first jump.
- Learn from your mistakes. In taking that first leap of faith, you will undoubtedly make a few mistakes along the way. Accept them and turn them into a positive to improve.
- Hire the right team! We invest a huge amount of time and energy in hiring the right people who enjoy working together as a team and who our customers can rely on. Although dog walking and pet sitting may seem like an easy tasks, there's a huge amount of training and responsibility involved.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
If you love the stability of a set income and a set routine, then being an entrepreneur is not for you. Your business might be down one month and up the next. While I love being my own boss and setting my own schedule, I never expect to switch my phone off at 5 pm; I'm on call 24/7, ready for anything!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://pawkee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PawkeePetSitting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawkeepetsitting/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pawkeepets/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pawkee-pet-sitting/
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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