Exploring Life & Business with Stacy Velez of Doggie Door

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Velez

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As an entrepreneur, I have a passion for constant creation around business development and my personal growth. The two projects that I would like to discuss today are my fresh dog food and whole supplement business (Doggie Door), as well as my collaboration with two fellow entrepreneurs on a new podcast (Brunette: The Podcast).

As someone who has developed over 20 businesses, and sold a few, I believe in chasing your passions – mine include health and wellness for dogs, and having an amazing forum with which to discuss a plethora of topics with humor and friendship on our podcast.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Doggie Door has always been a passion of mine: it started as a doggie day care, spaw, and bakery almost 20 years ago, and has now developed into whole body health and wellness food & supplements for our pets. There are so many things to consider and work on when opening a business, but if I had to pick one main obstacle to overcome: prioritizing your time. My family is very important to me, and I have to delegate work related items when possible. Being available for my family, even something as simple as school drop off and pickup, has been top of my list – choosing the entrepreneur journey meant more about freedom with time than anything else.

We’ve been impressed with Doggie Door , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I actually went to school to become a vet tech, I worked in vet clinics, volunteered on many animal farms and shelters, and have always known my purpose was to do work around, and for, animals. It wasn’t until my Golden Retriever, named Zurri, had such terrible health issues (skin, coat, gut, etc), that I decided this was the branch of pet wellness that I needed to be in. Doggie Door was developed as I worked tirelessly to help my aging dog feel some relief. I believe in giving back to our communities with donations to local first responder pets, and help to educate as many as I can with my experience with my own dog and how his health improved with natural food and supplement products. I am so proud of the products that we have created, and I love that my sweet pup’s memory will always be with me in this brand.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking is everything in business development. I have had mentors for the last several years – people who are doing what I aspire to do. The connections and lessons I get to learn daily, and share with others – it is priceless. I would always seek to learn from someone who has done what you want to do – and mentors can provide so much guidance to help save you time, money, and frustration. They can also help you to excel at a faster pace. Finding the right fit for a mentor is important – and I am proud to say that I have been mentoring others for quite some time as well!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @doggiedoordiner
• Facebook: @doggiedoordiner