Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruben Alan Casas Espino.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started K9 EX for my wife Stephanie back in 2015, at the time she was a caregiver for seniors and people with disabilities.
She would come home looking very tired and worn-out after her shift and I could tell she wasn’t fulfilled with her career.
One day, she came home after work with a grin on her face, something that I hadn’t seen in a while. I asked about her day and what got her smiling so enthusiastically and she simply said “one of my clients paid me $20 to walk her dog!”
I didn’t give it much thought but I knew how much Stephanie loves animals, she had told me childhood stories about how she always wanted to have a career that involved animals such as a veterinarian or zoologist.
Stephanie continued to help her client walking her dog once or twice a week, each time coming home with a beautiful smile because she enjoys walking her client’s dog so much.
It didn’t take me long to realize that this could be the career change that could change our life. The potential in a dog walking business was there because we already lived in PB, there were already dog walking businesses that we knew of and also was comfortable with the low-risk high reward that involved starting up.
I knew that we had to try this business out or face the harsh reality of seeing my wife come home tired and unfulfilled day after day. After all, we both had jobs that we could fall back on.
For the first six months to a year, we didn’t do much as far as marketing or getting our name out there, we pretty much considered it a “pet project” pun intended. Still, deep inside me I knew we had the potential to compete with the other guys, we simply needed to apply ourselves.
Year 2-3 showed considerable momentum, my wife didn’t need to work her caregiving job any longer and I occasionally had to put in some time helping out. That is when I realized that I really enjoyed going on walks and caring for these amazing pets.
Year 4- present, I had to leave my 20+ career in the restaurant industry to fully commit to what was once a “business for my wife” at this point, it had become a major player in the pet services industry.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall it was a smooth transition from employee to business owner if not a little laid back at first due to the fact that we were both employed and didn’t put in more effort to get the ball rolling. I firmly believe that anybody can achieve any goal, big or small as long as they put in the effort and don’t let anybody get in the way of such goals. Perhaps staying away from negativity (people, nonbelievers) could be a challenge since those people could be family or close friends…
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We have the funnest doggie playdates and pack walks in town. We offer what we call “excursions” to Ocean Beach and Fiesta Island.
We offer off leash Park adventures at Capehart Park and Cadman Park.
We also do group walks in La Jolla, Pacific Beach & Clairemont.
We are truly striving to become the “leaders in pet services”. I envision our brand to grow and become well known throughout San Diego. I would like to have a few employees, an online store, an app, maybe even one day develop a system to expand by franchising or simply expanding our reach to more neighborhoods around San Diego.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I take ideas from many other businesses that don’t necessarily have to do with animals or dogs. It can be something as simple as watching YouTube videos or searching on Google. I find inspiration literally anywhere. I also like watching and listening to TED talks.
Pricing:
- Excursions $45
- Park adventures $35
- Group walks $30
- Overnight care (sitting) $100
- Training $80
Contact Info:
- Website: k9-ex.com
- Instagram: @k9expets
- Facebook: @k9expets
- Twitter: @k9expets
- Youtube: @k9expets
- Other: Nextdoor @k9expets
Image Credits
Ruben Alan Casas Stephanie Gabriel
