When starting up my new business, I started to think about what my business should say about me. Spoiler Alert: I love animals! Why would somebody want to come to me versus another business? Why would they absolutely NEED me versus using an App like Rover? What kind of customers do I want to attract? After all, I don't want just any customer. I want the right customer that will represent my brand as well as I do, I hope.
I knew that I wanted my business to be centered around kindness and respect. After being in the corporate world for close to 25 years, I really felt like that was lacking. Sure, HR would come do their spiel about inclusion and respecting others' differences. Were these presentations really what the company felt or was it a "check the box" item that leaders had to do in order to be compliant and show their due diligence, in case the company was ever to get sued for creating a toxic work environment? Was it a path to get on the Top Most Inclusive Companies' List or Best Places to Work List?
I had an incident that still haunts me today and, unfortunately, projects onto my feelings of the corporate culture. I had been promoted with a team of people under me. Someone did not like that I had been promoted. I was accused (wrongly) of aggressive behaviors, I was followed in the parking garage, was given lewd hand gestures, and was mobbed against on a 360 evaluation calling me stupid. But I was a white, not terrible to look at, heterosexual female. Obviously, my life was drama-free. The person accusing me was disenfranchised. I kept getting ask if I could do anything different to make this person think differently of me. My answer was, "No, I could not. This person has it out for me." I got written up for dismissing the feedback. And I did lose it once, which I wish I hadn't done obviously only made it worse for me. I got to a boiling point to where I had enough and I blew up. I am, afterall, a human bing. I was fighting a losing battle, all by myself. It wasn't fair. I didn't deserve that. I wasn't stupid. I was a hard worker. Any reaction or emotion that I displayed was used against me. I wasn't performing. I felt defeated. I ended up transferring departments and it was much better there. But the experience had tainted me. I hated people. I didn't trust them. I kept dreaming of opening up my own business.
So how do I get my mission and core values of my business out there? Social media certainly has helped. It's the best, most cost-effective path to getting the word out there. Post some pictures, set them to music, get your message out there. I wanted to the message that said that I was the one that you can trust to come into your home, when you are not there, and know that I will do my best to make your pet feel loved and care for. I wanted to be the next best thing to the owner being home and loving on their furbabies themselves.
So I decided to do a photoshoot. And yes, I would love a parade thrown for me because that was not an easy decision to execute. I don't like being the center of attention. I reach out to the photographer who I knew lived in my neighborhood and specialized in business branding. I told her my story. It probably was TMI. She was so thankful for me being so transparent and it's exactly what she needed to know to help me get my story out there. She told me that I'll be surprised at how some good pictures could really elevate my business and the message that I want to send.
I told my therapist about the upcoming photoshoot. She was so happy. She said that this was exactly what I needed. I need to be able to see me how others see me. It would help me be more confident in what I could bring to the table. Not just for my business but for my other life and relationships in general. I had a hair and makeup artist. I had a wardrobe consult. It was fun. I got to play celebrity for an afternoon. I was exhausted by the end of the day but I felt like I had done something good for myself.
I had photos of me interacting with some actual 4-legged clients as well as the photographer's dog. It was a good glimpse of what my clients could expect when they're not around. I felt like they told the story that my business is centered around kindness and respect. Not only would I give that to my clients but I would also demand it from them or they can go somewhere else. And when the day comes to hire employees, I will drive that point home. I will treat them with kindness and respect but I expect the same to me.
The best part of this whole experience is that I've started to like people again. Not every people. I think in the corporate world, those were simply not my people. Through my business and the message that I've tried to project, I've attracted my people to me. These are people who love their animals, don't mind spending money on them, and appreciate someone who is willing to love on them when they can't. And I've found that people who love their animals are often respectful, kind people. They treat ALL beings with kindness and respect. For some of them, I felt like I've even become part of their family. I'll get invited to get togethers and I'll get sent pictures when something special has happened in their lives. It makes me feel what I do for them matters.
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