Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Stephanie Lomberg, owner of Dog World Resort & Spa, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Dog World Resort & Spa is a one-stop-shop and the premier destination for all GTA pups! We are located in downtown Toronto, near Adelaide and Spadina. We have an ethically sourced boutique with raw food, enrichment toys, beautiful accessories, and more, all to benefit and improve our fur babies' lives. We also provide a range of services, including doggy daycare (complete with a fully fenced and turfed private backyard) and a luxurious spa servicing both dogs and cats for grooming with brand new equipment and an experienced and loving grooming team!

We know that each dog is unique and special; therefore, they need to be approached and handled as such! We understand that your dog is your fur baby and a huge part of your family, and that is a responsibility that we do not take lightly!

Tell us about yourself

I have worked in the pet care industry for over eight years now; after receiving my degree in Psychology, I realized that I wanted to pursue my passion for dog care. I wanted to ensure that pet parents had the option of a holistic, loving place that would treat their pets with the same level of respect and care that we would show our own fur babies.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Building a competent, reliable, and loving team. From helping customers select the right teething toy for their first puppy to help socialize a newly adopted dog through our doggy daycare, each person that works here understands the responsibility that these pet parents have trusted us with.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

As a business owner, I want to be in control of every little thing, but learning how to delegate to reliable people without micromanaging is a bit of a challenge.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Take it one step at a time! It can be overwhelming because you will want to jump to the end goal of having a successful and busy business. But that will take time; make sure that you're not taking on more than you can handle at one time as you don't want the core of your business to suffer. Feel free to dial back your goals to make them more attainable until you are more established to take more on.
  2. Don't lose sight of why you started your business. As your business grows, you may feel a sense of repetitiveness in your daily work as clients may just become just another number, but keep in mind that to each person, this is something important and possibly a new experience to them. Be sure to put your heart & expertise into every single client as each one is important, and each deserves all that you can offer.
  3. Outsource the aspects of business that you hate as soon as possible! Don't be discouraged about some aspects of the business side of things that you may dislike, such as bookkeeping. Understand them for your self and as soon as you start making enough money, look to outsource professionals to help you so you can focus on growing and building your business.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Everything happens for a reason, so don't be too discouraged if something doesn't turn out exactly how you had hoped/expected. Through hard work and determination, everything will fall into place as it should!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.dogworldrs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogworldrs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogworldrs/

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.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.