Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ji Khalsa, Co-Owner of Cosmopolitan Companion Dogs LLC., located in Santa Fe, NM, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a boutique, home-based breeder of healthy, loving, trained, and allergy-friendly companion dogs—Goldendoodles, Bernedoodles, and Golden Mountain Dogs. We specifically breed for companionship. Our dogs are ethically and responsibly bred from thoroughly health-tested parents, and we are certified Blue Ribbon by GANA and Excellent by Good Dog for our practices and ethics.
Our puppies are raised by certified professional trainers, not just by a pet enthusiast with no formal training. I'm also the founder of Midwoofery, the #1 source of evidence-based education for responsible breeders. This means you are literally getting a puppy from the breeder who wrote the book on breeding and teaches thousands of other breeders how to breed responsibly and ethically.
Tell us about yourself
My mother was a dog breeder and trainer, and she got me started in the business over 30 years ago.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Breeding, raising, and placing puppies that integrate so well into their new homes. Nothing is more fulfilling than seeing happy puppies with happy families.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
In my business, we are working with living, breathing animals. We don't make widgets. We don't have an assembly line. So there's a lot of unpredictability.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Really, truly spend time looking into the business so you can plan and know what to expect.
- Always be sure to pay your employees first. If you are a start-up, this often means they get a paycheck, and you eat ramen for a month.
- Always place your customers—and, in my business, the welfare of your puppies and dogs—above all else, including and especially money. This ends up paying off in the long run because reputation is everything, plus being able to sleep at night knowing you are doing the right thing is also important.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.cosmopolitandogs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CosmoDogs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosmopolitandogs/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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