As of now, I have had the luxury of selecting one of the most stable industries (not to mention one of the most fun) in the world. The Pet Industry.

If you would have asked me, back when I was thirteen years old, working a Summer job bathing dogs for a local dog grooming facility in the St. Louis area, what I would be doing with my life nearly 27 years later, I would have had no clue I would have remained in the industry for this long.

While I “cut my teeth” in the pet industry at a very young age, one thing was for sure. While I could appreciate the efforts and talents that come with dog grooming, I was not going to be able to support a family on this life skill because I couldn’t groom worth a darn. I just don’t have the talented hands needed for such a profession, my clients would have been very dissatisfied, and I would probably be living in a cardboard box somewhere.

What I recognized early on, however, was just how incredible this industry was and still is. People LOVE their pets and I LOVE people who love their pets! If we didn’t love our pets so much, why would we incorporate them into our lifestyles and spend the lavish amounts of money on them as we do? Life insurance, health insurance, luxury resort accommodations, personal trainers, natural high quality diets, exercise programs, etc. are just some of the options available for us to spoil our fuzzy family members.

Once I found out I was not going to be a super star groomer, I quickly decided I wanted to stay in the business, but in order for me to do so, I needed to excel in my education of Business. Raising a family, working full time, and accomplishing my Master’s Degree in Business was no easy chore, but looking back, I am thrilled I made the commitment to myself, my family, and the industry.

My path has lead me down some exciting career opportunities including Luxury Pet Resorts, Grooming Salons, Doggie Day Cares, Training Programs, Consulting, and Product Sales through large retailers and even on television as a guest host on HSN.

My hope is to share some of my experience with you so that you may benefit and make smarter choices in your business and yield as much knowledge and profitability as you every hoped.

Till next time…..