Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Canzona.
Jessica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began the business in May of 2010 as I wanted to have a job I was truly passionate about. After adopting my own dog, Layla, I realized how much I enjoyed watching her play and romp around at the dog park and how much there was to explore in San Diego while walking her. I’ve loved animals my whole life and couldn’t think of anything better than having a job caring for them full time. I knew I didn’t have the thick skin needed to become a veterinarian and while researching other pet care professions I came across dog walking and pet sitting.
There is really no better place to have a business where you are outside all day than San Diego, so I decided to take the plunge. I was lucky to have a support system as my husband was working full time and was able to support us while I tried to make my passion a reality.
There were many long hours and a lot of running around to get the word out and after the first year, I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. One year turned into two and my husband Erik came on board to help. His help was so beneficial and we continued to grow until we realized that we were working 14 hour days seven days a week and we needed help. We hired some great people and our 14 hour days became fewer and further between. We grew slowly so that our attention to detail and customer service didn’t suffer. We also have an extensive interview process so that we can ensure that we are hiring quality people as there is a lot of responsibility not only with people’s pets, but also the security of their homes. We only bring on the best and our client’s love that we have a small team so that we are available whenever they need us. We look forward to many more years of providing top notch service to our clients and their fur kids.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think every business has its ups and downs, however it’s how you handle the downs that really prove you are a solid company. Whenever one of our core team members leave, it’s always a struggle to replace them. Since we are so picky with who we hire, it sometimes takes longer than anticipated and those extra hours fall on us. We’ve also had some struggle setting limits on how much we work. We finally set standard business hours this past year and it has helped us have more time outside of working. It’s definitely easy to focus too much of your time on work because it doesn’t feel like work! We are very lucky that we are a husband and wife team as we rely on each other heavily to make sure all aspects of the business are running smoothly at all times.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Paws Play story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in the quality care of your pets and your home while you are on vacation or if you just have long work days and are unable to exercise your pet as much as you’d like. We are most proud of our team as without an exceptional team on staff, we couldn’t provide the quality customer service we would like. We also wouldn’t be able to handle every request thrown our way, even in last minute situations where people get tied up unexpectedly and can’t get home to care for their pet as they had anticipated. What sets us apart from the others is our attention to detail for each and every pet we care for as well as our customer service. We normally get back to every client request within hours so that they don’t have to wait to book their vacation or know that we are there to help. We are extremely dependable and always want each and every client to feel like they are the only one.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really believe in luck. I believe that hard work and determination has gotten us to where we are today. Our business name is all we have and we have built our business in a way to ensure we always have a stellar reputation. In this line of work, without a solid foundation and quality care, you will find yourself out of work very quickly. There are a lot of hobby pet sitters and dog walkers out there and we are superior to them because this is our sole focus. We will never be unavailable because of another job or because we decide we want to do something else. We know this is what we want to do for the long term and there is nothing else that will make us as happy as spending time with each pet we care for. Our dedication to our clients and their pets shows through and is what helps us to continue doing what we love day in and day out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pawsplaysandiego.com
- Phone: 619-757-4600
- Email: info@pawsplaysandiego.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawsplaysandiego/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pawsplay
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/paws-play-san-diego
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/pawsplaysandiego
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
