Today we’d like to introduce you to Darlyn Bautista.
Hi Darlyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My mom was an entrepreneur and I learned a lot from her. I knew then I wanted to have my own business and be my own boss. In high school my husband (now) and I started selling chips and snacks to our classmates. As we got older, we knew we wanted to have a business in where eventually we can be self-employed however we didn’t know what business we wanted to create. The vision and concept of Paws Journey started back in March of 2020. This all began with Bella, CEO, and our trips to the beach, hikes and our regular walks. We love the outdoors and with that came so much exploring, our leashes for Bella would get muddy from the water, and the stains would not come off. Trust us, we tried! That’s when we realized we love dogs and are passionate about our fur babies. So here we are a year later, we started our own dog brand to provide dog parents fashion and adventure gear for their fur babies so they can bring their 4-legged family member along their journeys as much as we do.
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?
We have had many obstacles and challenges in creating and owning Paws Journey. One of them being having our main jobs and having to create time for our brand. However, we have learned to prioritize and split our work so Paws Journey grows as a business… For example, I am the creator for all our bandanas. I chose fabric, cut and sew however I also do all the social media and am taking classes to learn how to market. There are times I feel overwhelmed and feel like giving up, but my husband reminds me of our goals and why we do this. Paws Journey is a passion for both of us. When Jose is not working he is helping me do market research or even attending educational seminars.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have my degree in accounting and worked as an accountant. My goal is to become self employed 100% but as of now I have a full time job and work creating new items for Paws Journey. Jose is a paramedic student finishing his internship and also works as a medic for the entertainment industry which are usually 12 hours shift. We have our hands very busy, but also find time to work on different areas in Paws Journey.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
We have extended our family to another shihtzu, Stella, who we call the COO, chief operations officer. We are two dedicated individuals who are not giving up on our dreams to see plenty of pups wearing our gear and hope to also donate much more to dog shelters and dog organizations for those fur babies who have no homes.
Contact Info:
- Email: Support@pawsjourney.com
- Website: www.pawsjourney.com
- Instagram: @pawsjourney_
- Facebook: PawsJourney
