We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rio Brown. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rio below.

Rio, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

What didn’t my parents do right?! Honestly. I will never be able to find the perfect words to fully describe how wonderful my parents are and have always been. Growing up in a household with a dad who worked from home and a stay at home mom was a huge blessing.

Watching my dad network, make connections and grow his own business was such an inspiration. He had drive, passion and hustle. He was able to coach my soccer team, we were able to take family vacations, day trips to Disneyland, etc…because my dad was his own boss and could take time off whenever he wanted to! I knew that was the life I wanted when I grew up.

Having my mom be so involved in my education and extra curricular activities was life changing. Knowing she would always be able to chaperon field trips, host girl scout meetings, come teach art class at my school, etc…was so freaking cool. Her compassion and enthusiasm as a mom is undeniable. What an example she set for me!

My parents have encouraged me to reach for the stars and never limit myself. They have consistently believed in me and supported my decisions. And if they had concerns, they would communicate them in the most respectful way. Knowing my parents had my back and were a safe space at all times paved the way for me to never be afraid of anything.

Watching their unconditional love in action is indescribable, powerful and the type you read about in books. My parents are a power couple and I feel so lucky to call them mine.

Rio, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in The Valley where I was lucky enough to be surrounded by so many opportunities. The world was at my fingertips and anything was possible. I grew up in the entertainment industry and went to performing arts schools my whole life. The stage and in front of the camera was where I always thought I belonged. I am the definition of extrovert. When I graduated high school, I was still acting and started doing random jobs, like babysitting and pet care! I also got a job at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights which introduced me to a whole new world and started my transition to a spooky gal! Years later, I started working at a horror themed escape room and continued to fall more in love with the haunt world. In the midst of all the fun jobs I had, pet care was always in the background. I grew up with animals and I knew that I always wanted them to somehow be a part of my life.

Over time, I realized that I had built up a pretty decent clientele and decided that this was my calling! Mixing my love of Halloween and animals…Night of the Living Pets was born and FIVE years later, here we friggin’ are!!!!

I think what really sets me (and my team) apart from others is our passion, knowledge and professionalism. We provide such a unique, luxury service that our clients continue to rave about and refer us to everyone they know. I think it’s safe to say, we’re doing something right. Being able to do what you love for a living is one of the coolest things ever and being able to find a crew of people who feel the same is even cooler. We have been able to cultivate a community of likeminded animal lovers who are just really good people at their core. For that (and so much more), I am beyond proud.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I started Night of the Living Pets, a business based off clients going to work and traveling, in July 2019. You know, right before Covid made it’s ugly and unwanted appearance. My business was just a baby, about 8 months old, when the world shut down for what we thought was only going to be two weeks. I don’t need to remind everyone how long we lived in uncertainty, but it was very discouraging. During the height of the pandemic, I began getting down on myself, because here I was, a new entrepreneur, not working due to some wild and very unexpected circumstances. It took some time, but I tried to find the silver lining (everyone was adopting pets and would eventually need a service like mine) in all of the madness and once I found it, I knew nothing was going to stop me.

Every challenge that could have derailed my plans/dreams, only fueled my determination. In person networking became impossible, but I still found creative ways to push forward and use whatever resources that were safely available to me. I adapted to a new normal and pivoted to marketing the shit out of my business on social media. Because it wasn’t just about survival (even though it felt that way most of the time), it was about THRIVING.

My resilience helped me navigate the complexities of starting a business in an environment where success seemed improbable. Each roadblock became a lesson, and each victory (big or small), reinforced my belief in what I was building. Against all odds, my business became a testament of my persistence and tenacity.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The answer to this question is plain and simple – our excellent service. We don’t just come in and take care of our client’s pets. We give our clients peace of mind and THAT is priceless. We offer a very personalized experience, which makes us stand out. Nothing is too small or too big for our team! Is it your pet’s birthday? Expect a post on social media, a photo of them in a party hat and some kind of treat! Is it Halloween or Christmas time? Expect an photoshoot of your pets in a costume and a gift from us! We not only take care of our client’s pets, but we take care of their homes too. We water plants, we bring in mail/packages, we take the trash out, etc… To say we go above an beyond is truly an understatement. Our clients are become family and we love their pets like they are our own. There’s a reason we have 250+ clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nightofthelivingpets.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/nightofthelivingpets
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/nightofthelivingpets
• Other: Google Reviews: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Night+of+the+Living+Pets/@34.2267119,-118.6417726,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x8b76020c68f1971b:0x767357b035a57d19!8m2!3d34.2267118!4d-118.6417726!16s%2Fg%2F11l25pp_8v?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D