Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacklyne Tesoro.
Jacklyne, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well, it all started when I was 18 years old and just finishing high school. I knew that I wanted to run a business but, I had no idea how to make that happen at the time. So I followed the traditional route of going to college but, in the process I started taking care of my boss’s friends pets. My boss trusted me and told his friend that I liked animals too. So I started pet sitting informally my second year in college and really enjoyed the autonomy that provided. Fast forward a few years, I went on to earn a graduate degree in education while still pet sitting and doing a few other odd jobs. I did not realize that I could actually earn an income from pet care until I had already been teaching a couple years. So, once my teaching position ended in the summer time, I started plotting how to make a business from pet care. I officially quit my teaching job in early 2015 and never looked back since then.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My biggest struggle and motivation in the beginning was not having an income. Since I quite my teaching job all together I realized that I had to get my pet care business going just to survive. The sense of urgency was a huge motivator.
Another struggle was just figuring out the technical part of running a business. Taking care of pets was the easy part but, advertising, creating a website, getting a license etc. was quite trying for a newbie like me.
Please tell us about San Gabriel Valley Pet Care.
We specialize in pet care in our clients’ homes. We provide services for dogs, cats and small animals/reptiles. We cater to a small clientele base and that was how I envisioned my company to be. Our clients receive the most personal one-on-one care from us. It is almost like a family. Something that I have been doing from day one is leaving a small 1/2 sheet of paper known as our “report card” at every client’s home. The idea of this “report card” was something I took away from being a teacher. This way the pet parents know how the overall wellbeing of their pets were that day. Surprisingly it was a hit from day one and I still get compliments about it from my clients. Something so simple can have so much meaning when you personalize it.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Probably one of the hardest things for me to accept is second place. I have a competitive nature and that has steered me in the wrong direction at times. If I could start over, I would listen to my intuition more and not worry so much about being the best or the greatest but, concentrate more on building relationships from the beginning. Because this work is so much about relationships.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@sgv-petcare,com
- Instagram: @sgvpetcare
- Facebook: San Gabriel Valley Pet Care-Dog Walking & Pet Sitting
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