Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryn Ambrose.
Bryn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always knew I wanted to work with dogs, but initially I thought that would be as a veterinarian. I started Boston College on a pre-veterinary course track, but midway through I decided that was not the best fit for me. I realized I liked working with dogs much more than working on dogs. I became a dog walker my freshman year in college because I needed a job. Being from the South, I remember walking dogs in tennis shoes when I experienced my first big Noreaster. It did not take long for this Southern girl to learn the value of boots! By first semester by sophomore year (2013), I was so busy between work and school that I knew I needed help, and I had a vision of what I wanted to achieve. I wrote my business plan and pitched the idea to the core clients I had at that time. These are people who had seen first-hand how hard I worked to build up a great client base and provide a premium, personal service for their dogs. Thanks to the generosity and financial support of those three first investors/clients, I was able to form The Daily Stroll in January 2014. The company started with three employees, including myself, and only offered dog walking services. Today, I offer grooming, walking, boarding and daycare services, as well as retail merchandise.
Great, 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?
Initially, I really struggled every May and December. Because I always tried to hire other college students, exam times were especially difficult. I not only had to worry about preparing for my own exams and working full-time, but my employees always needed more time off to study. When you are the owner, you pick up the slack. Sometimes I would have to work 60+ hours a week and still find time to be a full-time student. I was often faced with difficult decisions, like choosing between what I wanted to do, being an 18 year old college student, and what was best for my business. I stayed focused, though, and have always put all my efforts into the business. Today, I can honestly say I have never looked back once! My business makes me so happy!
By far, the biggest struggle came in 2016 when I had some of my business’ intellectual property stolen. This truly rocked me. I had never before been robbed by someone I knew, and it was a real wake up call to the fact that the business was large enough, and valuable enough, for me to need to make some serious changes. I struggled to keep up good PR during this time, and I got a lot of pushback from clients. I had to take some time off to reorganize and hire more qualified employees. Within a month, I had an entirely new staff twice as large as the previous staff. The business definitely suffered a loss, and I lost some clients. After that, however, I stepped up my game and raised the bar for my business. New clients came, and the word quickly spread that I ran a quality shop with a top drawer staff. I am not an easy boss to work for because I demand the “Ritz Carlton service” from my employees. I have a great place now and great employees, and while at the time I felt that terrible incident would end my business, I know now that it helped me grow and learn, and The Daily Stroll is a stronger, better business for it.
The Daily Stroll – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I offer high-quality dog walking, grooming, and daycare services with competitive pricing. My whole operation is centered around the idea of “comfort,” an idea that is very close to me personally being that I grew up in the South. The grooming service is offered by appointment only so that the dog being groomed is the solo focus of the groomer and can be “in and out,” especially since this is generally a stressful experience for dogs. My staff and I hope to make the experience as quick and painless as possible, while still providing quality, individualized care. The walking service provides dogs a little outdoor social time with friends while their owners are away at work or busy. Most dogs usually walk with the same group and walker every day so that they can be comfortable, among familiar faces and smells, and enjoy the outdoors! The dog daycare is the most specialized service, and the feature of which I am most proud. The Daily Stroll’s daycare is designed and planned to be like home, but with friends. There are multiple couches in the dog room (the dogs are definitely allowed on our furniture!) and there are also areas organized by size. My Brookline location is designated solely for small dogs 20 pounds and under. This allows the big dogs, who are at my Allston facility only a half mile from the Brookline location, to run and romp freely without anyone getting run over in the mix. Everyone seems to be happier and more relaxed being amongst friends their own size! The Daily Stroll’s small-dog-only facility is the only one of its kind for the area, and it really sets us apart as a daycare that truly cares about what works best for the dog. Also, all our daycare dogs are taken for either a 30 minute walk or a trip to the park daily, and this is included in the regular daycare price.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career was Opening Day of the second location at 1354 Commonwealth Ave in Allston. I wanted to have a space large enough to separate dogs into different size groups in order to foster better play. Also, this particular facility is very special to me because I, personally, did a lot of the build-out manual labor. Even better, this venture was self-funded, and as such, is a true representation of The Daily Stroll’s success.
Pricing:
- Walking Services: $15/30 minute walk, $25/1 hour walk, $20 playgroup
- Daycare Service: $30/day or $125/week
- Grooming Services: Based on Size/Breed
Contact Info:
- Address: 417 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 024461354 Commonwealth Avenue
Allston, MA 02135 - Website: www.TheDailyStrollLLC.com
- Phone: 617-860-6154
- Email: TheDailyStrollLLC@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyStroll2014
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDailyStroll
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