Interview on Starting a Dog Daycare Business page 12
Marcy: Exactly - how am I gonna do - how am I gonna be able - and you just figure it out. You take money from here and you put it there until a certain date, and then you swing back over here. I mean, it's a real balancing act. It's a real balancing act. I've never worked as hard, but I've never had more fun. And there's - you know, that's the thing about working for yourself. You don't have to deal with the crazies - I used to be in advertising before I did this.
Interviewer: Really?
Marcy: I spent 16 years in advertising - yeah - and I got sick of it and moved out here from Dallas. And this is a real education in the fact that you meet people similar to you because they're dog people, and for the most part they're really neat. But every - you know, like any business you run across there's some screwballs. But it's been a real education, and I'm glad I did it. But like I said, I've never worked so hard in my life.
And the thing is, you know, I keep saying to myself, "Why didn't you do this years ago?" I didn't have the opportunity or the money to do it years ago. So it's just - it's - you know, you do it when you can.
Interviewer: Sure.
Marcy: But this is what makes it all fun.
Interviewer: This is a kind of a - I mean, I know you do a lot of dog scooping and poo-poo pushing and other things. But hanging out with a pack of dogs on a sunny afternoon -
Marcy: Exactly!
Interviewer: - is not so bad.
Marcy: It's not so bad - yeah! Yeah. And it's interesting because people think, "Oh, I wish I had your job - you know, just hanging out with dogs all day long." But it's a little bit more than that, you know. You're the referee. You gotta make sure nobody gets hurt, you know, and it's - you gotta be on top of things.
Interviewer: Well, that's pretty much everything I can think to ask you at this time. Do you - is there anything that I've missed that you think somebody who's seriously looking at this as a business should know?
Marcy: The most important thing they need to know is knowing dogs - knowing how to read dogs. The most gratifying thing about this business is seeing a dog - for instance, like Rufus, when he first started coming here, he was very anxious, very cautious, but when you see the transition from this type of situation into what they are today and the dog's running around, playing with the other dogs, having a good time - that is really - that's what pays off.
That's what makes it all worth it - because I have a number of dogs like that. I've got - Rhoda, who's around here someplace, was a shelter dog, and when she first came in, you couldn't get within 20 feet of her. And now she plays and plays and plays. She goes up to people that she doesn't know. And it's - that's what makes it worth it. That's exactly what makes it worth it.
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Dog Walking for Children and Teens
Dog Walking Services: Dogs' Day Out
Be the Best Dog Walker in Your Town
How to Handle Aggressive Dogs
How to Get a Dog Walking Job
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Additional Dog Services to Offer
Walking Puppies
How to Advertise and Promote a Dog Walking Business
How to Get Insurance for Your Dog Walking Business
How to Get Experience with Dog Walking and Dog Training
Pricing Your Dog Walking Services
Would You Make a Good Dog Walker? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Find Out
How To Interview Clients: The Owners and Their Dogs
Dog Training Basics Every Dog Walker Must Know: Dog Walkers' Obedience Training
Dog Walking Safety Tips
Dog First Aid
Dog Walking Etiquette
Dog Walking Flyers
Dog Walking Business Names
How to Stop a Dog Fight
Dog Walking Business Cards
Dog Walking Rates
Dog Walking Tips
Reviews of Dog Walking Business Books
Dog Walking Forms
