Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Nakamoto.
Kim, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Tail Trekkers was born out of a webcam I set up to watch my dog at home while I was at my desk job. I has always assumed he was fine when I left for the day because he never exhibited separation anxiety. Boy was I wrong. Apparently he was miserable every day I left him. I felt awful, being someone who has always loved dogs so much, and I was putting this little guy through hell every day!
I suppose it was also born out of a lack of satisfaction at my (then current) job – online marketing. I was working in a gray cubicle, no windows, no appreciation, and no ability to see the effect my work had in the world.
So the day I saw that webcam video of my poor dog howling half the day, I started making plans and doing research. It took about 4 months of eating Ramen and saving every dime I could before I put my website together and started flyering around town. I gave myself 12 months to get to a “manageable income”, however it only took about 3 months before I was so booked that I quit my “real job”.
I got to where I am as quickly as I did because I did a lot of research, checked out my competitors, used my marketing and online skills to reach my audience quickly, and then figured out a way to do what my competitors did, but better. I’m a firm believer in competitive advantage.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was smoother than expected – many people said it would take a year to really get going – but there were certainly challenges. I knew nothing about running a business. You can buy books, go to small business groups, talk to other owners, but nothing prepares you for just how much WORK it is. I was spending 60-70 hours a week looking up this or that, being overwhelmed by all the choices an entrepreneur has to make and realizing no one is going to tell me what I should do. What laws do I need to be aware of? What business model is best for me? How do I do bookkeeping? How do I hire someone? 5 years later I’m still neck deep in law and accounting books at times. But man do I love it!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Tail Trekkers story. Tell us more about the business.
Tail Trekkers specializes in long-format dog walking. The shortest walk we offer is 1hr, and we’re known for our 2-3 hour trips to a variety of environments in order to give our clients’ dogs a more fulfilling life than we believe a short half hour walk in the same spot day after day can provide. We go to the beach one day, the woods the next, then a river walk the following day. Our dogs see new sights, meet new people, and hear new sounds. They develop relationships as well. It’s our belief that the reason we humans love dogs (and more importantly why they love us) is because they share with us a need for life to be more than is handed to us. They want adventure, friendship, fresh air, purpose as much as we do. And that’s what sets us apart. We aren’t merely dog walkers. We’re caretakers, and our goal is to make their lives better.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The dog walking industry (indeed most dog-related industry) is highly unregulated and primarily made up of very small independent companies- usually individuals. The reason is there is a lot of trust (or big brother equipment) needed to hire people in this industry. There is also a lot of liability involved. I don’t see that changing until some kind of regulation comes along – a real, valid certification program, perhaps even a college certification that involves mild medical and psychological training, on top of the physical labor involved in walking dogs. I would love to see that someday.
Pricing:
- Day Trips – $30-35
- 1 hr Walks – $23-25
- Boarding/Sitting – $43/nt
Contact Info:
- Website: tailtrekkers.com
- Email: tailtrekkers@gmail.com
- Instagram: IG @tailtrekkers
Image Credit:
Personal photo credit: Sean Malloy
All others: Kim Nakamoto
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
