Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Leila Qari, Owner of Denver Cat Company, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business is a cat cafe (coffee house with adoptable rescue kitties available for pet and play). Our customers are diverse, anyone from young families to college students to remote workers who want a cat to hijack their laptop while they try to work!
Tell us about yourself
I was practicing as a commercial litigation attorney at a large law firm when I first heard about the concept of a cat cafe, and it captured my imagination. I left my job to start one of the first cat cafes in the country. The satisfaction of creating a space that serves animals while bringing joy to humans has kept me going for eight years. It has meant everything to me to do work that is meaningful and important to my community.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Getting through Covid in one piece! My proudest accomplishment, in addition to that, is something that is very unique in a retail environment post-covid: my employee retention. I believe in treating people well and doing whatever it takes to incentivize them to stay with the business. It is unheard of in the current environment that employees simply stay, but my cat cafe employees have stuck with me for years (we did not do Covid layoffs; instead, everyone remained on the payroll through the shutdown).
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Keeping up with the constantly changing environment, both economically and just generally. A lot of shifts in the marketplace, and as a business owner, you have to keep up with it and move with the changes, or you become irrelevant. Staffing is a common challenge, too, although I have been unusually lucky in that regard.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Keep your costs/overhead as low as possible in the beginning.
- Find good people to help you and then treat them like royalty to keep them showing up. Their morale and life satisfaction are important, and it is your job to pay attention to these facets of their lives.
- Pay attention to, and adapt in line with customer feedback. Be ready to make many changes after you start because you will never think of everything on your own.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.denvercatco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denvercatco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denvercatco/
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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