Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Kondratenok.
Anna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my own dog walking company after graduating from Babson College and spending a few years in the corporate world. I was working for a company in the North End when the recession hit in 2009 and our company started laying people off. Instead of considering applying for other jobs, I decided to start my own company and wanted to do something that I enjoyed which was taking care of animals. Ever since I was a young girl, growing up in Lake Placid NY, I was helping our family friends with taking care of their dogs and smaller animals such as guinea pigs and cats. When we moved to East Boston, I moved to a large building called 156 Porter Lofts which was dog friendly and some of my friends needed a dog walker. I spoke with a friend of mine Marta White who is a great dog walker in Charlestown and still runs a successful dog walking company called Dog Gone Walking and she gave me loads of tips on how to proceed. It took me a few months to design my own website and start the company basically without much starting capitol because I certainly did not have much. My husband helped me with walking some of the larger dogs in the beginning because my first two puppies lived in the same building but could not walk well on leash and certainly not together, their names were Maverick and Jones. I would leave my work during lunch breaks and walk the puppies for 40 minutes in order to get back to work on time on the T for the rest of my work day in the corporate world until I was laid off because I was scared that my company would not make it and I would have no income to live on. Then, my company grew quite quickly since I was the 1st dog walker in East Boston and I was working mornings, evenings, and every single weekend without any time off for about 2 years on my own before hiring an assistant. I enjoyed my walks, playtimes, and park runs ever since and take care of the puppies as though they are my own. Today, I mainly work from home overseeing the Dog Walking Do. team which consists of truly incredible and highly responsible adults, managing client communications, and coordinating marketing efforts because I just recently became a mother and chose to stay at home to raise my son. I love to go out dog walking as well and take on that responsibility as much as possible and when my assistants are sick or go away on vacation I am outside all day long with the puppies and enjoy my work very much. Our main objective is safety and making sure that the puppies go potty and get lots of exercise outside. We love taking them to the new East Boston Dog Park which just opened up a year ago.
Has it been a smooth road?
I certainly had some struggles, especially in the beginning of starting a brand new company. I quickly had to get the hang of walking 3+ dogs at a time because my days were 6+ hours long and that was challenging especially since it took a while to get used to walking the puppies together in groups for me, and my client base grew quickly (adding about 3 pups on average per month). I also learned that a great online system is a must for a dog walking company my size and had to switch from using Excel spreadsheets for scheduling and keeping track of financials which I used all the way up until about 1.5 years ago to an online system. I single-handedly implemented an entire IT software program called Pet Sitter Plus which allowed for better tracking of invoices, seamless dog walking scheduling, and easier communication with clients. This system cut down greatly on any mistakes with doggy walks and all of my clients now enjoy paperless automatic billing instead of cash, checks, and credit cards which was also helpful in saving me lots of time.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I specialize in dog walking and pet sitting for dogs, cats, and smaller animals. Our team is recognized as the top dog walking company on Yelp with over 22 5 star client reviews. I am proud of the fact that in over 6 years we really did not get a bad dog walking review or even a 4 star dog walking review for that matter. It takes a lot of responsibility and dedication to making sure that all of our puppies are safe on city streets and in city parks. I take time to continuously train my small group of co-workers to ensure that this is the case. Also, to schedule, communicate with clients, and oversee operational growth as well as training and development of a dog walking team takes lots of work and time on an everyday basis. I am fortunate to have such great team-players, who are also animal lovers and who give personal undivided attention to our puppies and smaller pets each and every day.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, East Boston is a growing part of Boston and it is a great area for our dog walking company. Even with other competition in the area we still manage to keep growing and differentiating ourselves with small, personalized group walks and attention that we give to our clients. I send them emails with photos and videos every week of each and every puppy that our dog walkers email to me.
Pricing:
- $15 for 1/2 hour plus group walks
- $10 for small puppy potty breaks
- $20 for cat sitting visits
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dogwalkingdo.com
- Email: dogwalkingdo@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogwalkingdo/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dog-walking-do-boston-3?osq=dog+walking+do
Image Credit:
Alex Jarige, with Alex Jarige Photography (www.jarigephotography.com)
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