Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats

Interested in starting your own journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Anne Tuccillo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats, located in Alexandria, VA, USA.

What's your organization, and who are your members?

Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats is a non-profit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. Our organization provides job training and paid employment to differently-abled individuals living in their local community. Our team of awesome people supports the daily operations of making all-natural ginger dog treats. What we do is make dog treats, but why we do it is to provide a sense of purpose, meaning, and a paycheck to a population that is greatly underrepresented in the workforce.

Tell us about yourself

I'm the Executive Director and, along with my son Bryan founded Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats. After a fulfilling 33-year career in public service, I retired from the Education Department's Office of Federal Student Aid in 2017. Bryan and I founded Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats in the fall of 2017. Bryan has Mitochondrial Disease, a degenerative neurological condition. The two of us began to bake dog treats out of our home soon after Bryan aged out of special education services within his school district and struggled to find meaningful employment. We teamed up to create a non-profit concept of providing employment opportunities to young adults while contributing back to the community.

As a parent of a special needs child, there is always the lingering question about what will happen to my child once they are no longer in school and beyond. I remember the pride I felt when I received my very first paycheck. Differently-abled individuals are no different; they want to belong, they want to find purpose and meaning, and receive a paycheck for a job well done. Being able to see the growth and development of our team members and the enthusiasm they demonstrate when they arrive at work is very motivating and encourages me to continue to work hard to grow our organization to help more individuals like my son.

What's your biggest accomplishment as an organization?

To date, the biggest accomplishments are in regard to grant awards. We have successfully secured funding from three separate entities that have made it possible to hire more staff, strengthen internal procedures and infrastructure, and expand our brand to a larger customer base.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being an organization?

Our philosophy is "people over profit." With that said, we cannot help our people without generating a consistent revenue stream. The work is easy, but selling our product in a very competitive market can be quite a challenge.

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

Collaborate with like-minded people who can serve as mentors and help you get started.
Establish a mission statement that will guide your work and express the core values of the business.
Give yourself grace when things don't go as planned or as fast as you'd like, progress over perfection is the best attitude to have.

Where can people find you and your group?

Website: https://www.pawfectlydelicious.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PawfectlyDelicious
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawfectlydeliciousdog/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pawfectly-delicious-dog-treats/

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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