Today we’d like to introduce you to Mireya Varela.
Hi Mireya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Working with pets has always been a dream of mine. I felt stuck in life and was yearning for a purpose. I asked myself, what can I see myself doing? I looked back at my child-like self and just knew it had to do something with pets. After quitting my 9-5 job at a Veterinary Hospital as a Front Desk employee, I had hoped for more experience working directly with animals. Clients would always come up to me asking me if I knew of any pet sitters. The lightbulb in my head started to turn on. If there is a demand for it, I can create a business of it! Getting myself to be self-employed has always been the goal, I just needed a high-demand product or service to start. With my personal experience of having needy pets at home, and helping my close friends and family with their pet’s needs I sat down at my computer and I went to work. How to start a Pet sitting Company? I started within my community. My apartment complex is pet friendly and we are also located next to an airport. So many people travel for work and vacation. I set out flyers at our local businesses and at our mailboxes. I also created a Facebook and Instagram page titled “Needy Pets Pet Sitting”. I joined a few Facebook groups revolving around “women in business” and “pet sitting in Denver”. My business took off! So many referrals and recommendations from friends, family, and my community really set me up for success. I can’t thank them enough!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been fairly smooth. Of course, there are some slow times when I need to find more clients or more space to take on more clients when the time to travel picks up. But it has all been working in my favor, if there’s a will there’s a way. I try to make my services as convenient and broad for all types of pet needs. If I don’t have space to board, I can go over and spend some time with pets in their own environment. The only obstacle is having more space. Within good timing, I’m hoping to get out a business loan and invest in property to build a special place for all types of pets to board.
As you know, we’re big fans of Needy Pet’s Pet Sitting. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Needy Pet’s Pet Sitting is a pet sitting business owned by Mireya Varela, as of November 2021. I specialize in taking care of pets while their owners are away. From scheduled feeding, dog walking, socializing with other animals and monitored play to basic obedience training and understanding animals’ body language to meet their natural instinct needs. I am most proud of being able to set up a comfortable and welcoming environment for dogs and having a safe and trustworthy approach with cats and dogs. I’m not sure what it is but animals have always been very drawn to me as I’ve been drawn to them. I am proud of my company, branded to help animals use their natural instincts and keep them in-tuned with their natural abilities, to use their minds with mind-stimulating games, ways to keep them from being bored, having anxiety or not being able to fulfill their life’s as an animal. I would like for the readers to know that I am determined to be the best dog and cat sitter. I take the extra mile to meet all their needs, socialization, behavioral, training, and medical needs as well. The more pets I sit, the more knowledge I gain. Every experience I have had with an animal has been rewarding and I am so thankful for the clients I have, that put their trust in me to be there for them and their fur friends.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice that helps me start this company is to find a high demanding product or service. There’s a lot out there so narrow it down to what you are good at and what you love doing. The best way to find out is to try, we have so much time to try out our hobbies, and focus on creating them to be bigger than just a hobby. Reach out to your community. Use social media to your full advantage. Use old tactics like flyers to announce that you are available and what you are selling. Buy business cards and leave them everywhere! Have conversations with people about your business, and see if your product or service is needed in their daily lives. And most importantly, be passionate!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/needyfurpets/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072449389317
Image Credits
Credit: Mireya Varela / Needy Pets
