Today we’d like to introduce you to Mihail Nica.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mihail. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After graduate school, I worked in logistics for 10 years. Towards the end of my logistics career, I was feeling stressed out and burned out. I also knew I wanted to start my own business, and the time felt right to try something new.
As an undergrad, I studied biology and loved learning about the natural world, so I knew I wanted to do something that was closer to nature, and thought working with animals would get me out and bring me back in touch with that world.
So I quit my corporate job in 2014 and started working for a local pet care company to gain hands-on experience with dogs. Along the way, I started raising chickens – unsurprisingly, the journey of raising day-old chicks and seeing them be the happy girls they are today has made me a supporter of urban farming.
After working for that local company, I knew I would enjoy working with dogs for the long term, and officially opened Long Beach Pet Care on August 1, 2016.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest challenge was the change in income during the first year of transition. I knew a dog walking gig would not pay the same, so I got a second job working for my friend’s consulting business. I budgeted as tight as possible, but still ended up going through most of my savings in the first six months and there were several times where I asked myself “Am I going to be able to pay my mortgage next month?”
Fortunately, my wife has been very supportive throughout the process, and for some reason I just knew this was the right path to follow.
As with most new businesses, the first challenge with opening Long Beach Pet Care was building a client base. Thankfully, I still had my second job, and I knew what to expect financially, so that helped carry me through the start of it. This made the transition easier than the initial career change.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Long Beach Pet Care – what should we know?
Long Beach Pet Care provides general pet care services, with a focus on dogs. Our dog walking, dog boarding and doggie daycare services are the most popular, and we have also cared for cats, chickens and guinea pigs.
My main point of pride is that we provide dog owners peace of mind while they are away at work or on travel. I traveled a lot and worked long hours in my corporate life, and my wife was also away for ten to twelve hours at a time for her job. We always felt guilty that we had to leave our dog alone for that long, so we signed her up for doggie daycare and felt good that she was able to go out to get her exercise and socialize with other dogs. Now it feels good being able to reciprocate that for other pet owners.
We think our flexibility makes us stand out from other pet care companies in the area.
We routinely work outside official office hours in order to accommodate owners’ needs as best as we can. At the end of the day, we know folks need help when they’re in a pinch and we aim to be helpful and accommodate as much as possible.
Last but not least, we think a picture’s worth a thousand words; we always send photo updates during each appointment so pet parents can get an idea of their pets’ friends and what we were doing each day.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My wife has been amazingly supportive and has always helped me steady the ship during stressful times or when feeling overwhelmed.
Mom has also been great. Initially I was concerned she wouldn’t agree to my new profession, and would push me to put my college education to “better” use. Instead, she is happy that I found something I can dedicate myself to.
Contact Info:
- Website: longbeachpetcare.com
- Phone: 5629994677
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/longbeachpetcare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/longbeachpetcare
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/long-beach-pet-care-long-beach
Image Credit:
Long Beach Pet Care
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