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Bringing awareness into all our inner dog circles
Personally, I would like to rename the business hair of the dog-I am always covered in hair. Only I am invested in my original name. Maybe that's what this blog is about. I can finally share how I got here and where I see everything going now.
Originally, my business model was to hike my 2- 6 pack of dogs in the outback where I trained with Natalie over the years Mon-Fri and groom them as they needed, on a 6-8 week rotation.
Plus, provide a space where I could board a couple of the pooches if their owners were going away. It was about developing close personal relationship with both human and hound-although, the dogs were my main focus.
This was a beautiful business model. I loved to hike outdoors with Natalie and the dirty dog pack-it was the best time in my life, as I finished all my courses and received my certificates things were coming together.
I could finally set my own hours-2 hikes per day 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Just 6 dogs per hike. This was life I wanted to live. I lived in this great little place where I was going to have my launch party and invite everyone I knew to spread the word I was open for business once my municipal license was approved or so I thought.
That was the next step-when it all came crashing down on me. I mean my life was in ruins. Once I learned my housing was illegal-the only thing I would be doing was packing.
I was not going to put any dog under my care at risk in any way-what I mean by this is, I wasn't about operate with the knowledge that I somehow discovered, the actual building permit needed to occupy my suite was never applied for. What???????
So-when I learned this I had to read the municipal bylaws regarding everything I was about to do-to learn if I had proceeded and anything happened-I could be charged under the Criminal Code of Canada. I would liable-even though the homeowner never applied for the occupancy permit, water, electrical, sewage, gas, or the building permit.
I couldn't even leave my own dog unattended in the house due to the faulty electrical wiring that blew the circuit breakers in the main house, which was the whole point of moving there. To help my own dog finally work thru her own anxiety and it worsened as we never got to work on it there.
What I was faced with was having to move-yet my entire budget got me to this very point. I had exhausted all my savings. Being unable to launch my business my income could not grow and now I was looking at moving expenses, damage deposits, pet deposits, hook up fees and everything else that goes hand in hand with moving. ack!
I had used cleaning to pay for everything up until that point and was burned out from that work. I had networked with alot of the customers I had cleaned for and they were waiting. Waiting for me to become fully operational. Only my 5 year plan didn't have a back up plan.
The 2 year plan was once I was up and running, I would save my earning for 2 years and have a down payment ready for a hunk of land and build my tiny house on it. Then, this is where I could turn it into a family business by operating a doggie daycare-with daily hikes, boarding and grooming.
That was the dream.
Now-after I managed to get thru all that-I had to move away as I was priced out of the housing market all together and start over. I stayed with family for a number of months while I started to net work and meet some people here-eventually, I would make the right connections and get on my feet, for the moment.
Since that is when Covid-19 struck-my next business model was crushed. I had built up some clientele. I was booked as a dog/house sitter while growing my dog walking/hiking & grooming business one dog at a time. I was booked until September.
I know I am not the only one who was struck down-all have suffered thru this thing. The business I was working out of Hounds Hangout closed permanently-gone. A huge loss for the community of Campbell River.
I would have considered just taking over the doggie daycare, only the owners want to sell. Who can blame them? Given all that has happened. As we are all facing uncertain times. I don't know where everything is going, I just know I will keep going. No matter what.
I am in the pursuit of happiness which would seems to me comes by way of perseverance. Just don't give up and you will get there-keep going. Rest if you must, but don't quit. EVER! It will change, it will get better and we will get thru all of it to see where the new normal take us.
Until next time,
Be good to yourself,
Cheers,
Lori & Piper
Originally, my business model was to hike my 2- 6 pack of dogs in the outback where I trained with Natalie over the years Mon-Fri and groom them as they needed, on a 6-8 week rotation.
Plus, provide a space where I could board a couple of the pooches if their owners were going away. It was about developing close personal relationship with both human and hound-although, the dogs were my main focus.
This was a beautiful business model. I loved to hike outdoors with Natalie and the dirty dog pack-it was the best time in my life, as I finished all my courses and received my certificates things were coming together.
I could finally set my own hours-2 hikes per day 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Just 6 dogs per hike. This was life I wanted to live. I lived in this great little place where I was going to have my launch party and invite everyone I knew to spread the word I was open for business once my municipal license was approved or so I thought.
That was the next step-when it all came crashing down on me. I mean my life was in ruins. Once I learned my housing was illegal-the only thing I would be doing was packing.
I was not going to put any dog under my care at risk in any way-what I mean by this is, I wasn't about operate with the knowledge that I somehow discovered, the actual building permit needed to occupy my suite was never applied for. What???????
So-when I learned this I had to read the municipal bylaws regarding everything I was about to do-to learn if I had proceeded and anything happened-I could be charged under the Criminal Code of Canada. I would liable-even though the homeowner never applied for the occupancy permit, water, electrical, sewage, gas, or the building permit.
I couldn't even leave my own dog unattended in the house due to the faulty electrical wiring that blew the circuit breakers in the main house, which was the whole point of moving there. To help my own dog finally work thru her own anxiety and it worsened as we never got to work on it there.
What I was faced with was having to move-yet my entire budget got me to this very point. I had exhausted all my savings. Being unable to launch my business my income could not grow and now I was looking at moving expenses, damage deposits, pet deposits, hook up fees and everything else that goes hand in hand with moving. ack!
I had used cleaning to pay for everything up until that point and was burned out from that work. I had networked with alot of the customers I had cleaned for and they were waiting. Waiting for me to become fully operational. Only my 5 year plan didn't have a back up plan.
The 2 year plan was once I was up and running, I would save my earning for 2 years and have a down payment ready for a hunk of land and build my tiny house on it. Then, this is where I could turn it into a family business by operating a doggie daycare-with daily hikes, boarding and grooming.
That was the dream.
Now-after I managed to get thru all that-I had to move away as I was priced out of the housing market all together and start over. I stayed with family for a number of months while I started to net work and meet some people here-eventually, I would make the right connections and get on my feet, for the moment.
Since that is when Covid-19 struck-my next business model was crushed. I had built up some clientele. I was booked as a dog/house sitter while growing my dog walking/hiking & grooming business one dog at a time. I was booked until September.
I know I am not the only one who was struck down-all have suffered thru this thing. The business I was working out of Hounds Hangout closed permanently-gone. A huge loss for the community of Campbell River.
I would have considered just taking over the doggie daycare, only the owners want to sell. Who can blame them? Given all that has happened. As we are all facing uncertain times. I don't know where everything is going, I just know I will keep going. No matter what.
I am in the pursuit of happiness which would seems to me comes by way of perseverance. Just don't give up and you will get there-keep going. Rest if you must, but don't quit. EVER! It will change, it will get better and we will get thru all of it to see where the new normal take us.
Until next time,
Be good to yourself,
Cheers,
Lori & Piper
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