We recently connected with Aylee Quezada and have shared our conversation below.

Aylee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

When I opened my business social media really wasn’t a thing and I created flyers to distribute around the neighborhood where my business was located. I would go to my business to open it, leave my father there in case anyone came in, and if they wanted their dog groomed then he would call me and I would come. After leaving my dad at my business, I would drive my car to a nearby neighborhood and get off and walk one block up and down and knock on people’s doors or leave my flyer on their door if no one was home. I did this everyday, targeting other areas I had not visited the day before. This was in the middle of summer, August to be exact, in the scorching heat of South Miami. My first client happened to be in the plaza and saw us and brought me his dog. It was a Yorkie named Bella.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The most important thing you must know about me is that I love dogs and I genuinely care for their well being. My clients come to me with questions before they take their dogs to the vet. I did want to be a vet growing up but hated the idea of having to put them down so I sought other means of making a living. I love what I do, I love playing with the dogs that board with us during peak season and getting to see and work on different breeds.

What I love most about my job is that I get to make the dogs look and feel good. We use all natural products and provide a non anesthetic dental cleaning service that’s effective and non invasive.

I am most proud of being able to win awards in 2023 and 2024, both years in Best of Florida. I mean the whole state is competing and to be able to win in the grooming category amongst all the other amazing contestants is mind blowing. I have also won Top Grooming Business, Best of Miami, and Loc8lnearme, in which I am grateful for and very proud.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a huge undertaking. It takes a lot of time to create content, edit and post. But no matter what you’re creating, from the most minimal to the most complicated, post, post, post! I build an audience by creating daily content. Whether is a post, reel, a story, long, short, just a pic, what matters is that people see you everyday! I have created a format that works real good on my stories: Transformation Tuesday (before and after pictures of my wok) , Pet of the Week Wednesday (who was the best and why), Throwback Thursday with a Twist (on this day, 3 years ago, I share the dog that was posted and I share information on that breed), and Friday Finds (this is my favorite videos about animals in general), and Friday Local Finds (where I share local businesses that I support). Staying active on all social media platforms is good for your image and business.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I had retirement funds that I pulled out to be able to open my business. I used it all. Not only do you need capital to open the location but you also need for your products, social media marketing, flyers, permits. There’s a lot that happens to open a business and it is hard to maintain. Staying focus on my goals is my priority and ensuring that my clients are happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Scottiepaws.com
• Instagram: @scottiepaws
• Facebook: scottiepaws.pets
• Twitter: @scottiepaws
• Youtube: groom-err has it
• Yelp: Scottie Paws Pet Resort & Spa
• Other: Tik Tok: scottiepawsgroomer