Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alex Roberts, Owner of Healing Bay Pet Nutrition LLC., located in Howell, MI, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My company is Healing Bay Pet Nutrition. I serve pet parents that need some extra help with their pets' health. Sometimes that means helping perfectly healthy animals just find the best food, but often it entails complicated cases of chronic disease and developing food and supplement plans to address their needs.
Tell us about yourself
I've been an animal lover ever since I can remember, and I've known I wanted to be a veterinarian since I was 5. I'm currently in veterinary medical school, but along my journey, I managed a pet store for years and essentially became a self-taught carnivore nutritionist. However, I didn't have a piece of paper to prove my knowledge, so I went and got it by becoming a certified Clinical Pet Nutritionist. When my kids were no longer babies, I went back to school full-time to finish my bachelor's, and that's when I started Healing Bay Pet Nutrition so that I could work from home. Currently, vet school is my full-time job, and I haven't been taking on new clients. Finding the motivation to keep going with my business was easy because I watched some really sick critters "miraculously" feel better, and there is no better motivation than such a clear indication that you're doing the right thing. Being in school, however, takes more than that to stay motivated. I rely on my husband, my kids, and a lot of horses for motivation now.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Probably that I just overall "did it" on my own. My husband was incredibly supportive, but no one directly helped me with any steps of the process, and that was hard because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing! So being able to say that I am a small business owner, and knowing that I made that happen 100% myself, does feel good.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Finding the right people that can actually help you grow. There's a lot of fluff out there, plus employees are hard to come by, let alone good ones. Surrounding myself with the right people that can help me get to where I want t go is definitely something I am still working hard on.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Make a proper business plan/blueprint before diving into anything. Make sure you are passionate enough about this thing that you will be able to stick with it through the most brutal times because I promise there will be times that you'll want to give up. Line up the people you need to get it off the ground and head in the direction you want before pulling any other triggers.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.healingbaypet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealingBayPetNutrition/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingbay.pet.nutrition/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-roberts-9457701b9/
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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