We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Autumn Davis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Autumn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

A new rescue doesn’t qualify for grants until two years down the road, so it’s really a challenge for any up-and-coming group to sustain itself. We performed extensive outreach to people, located a few homeless animals and launched several campaigns on their behalf, connecting viewers to the ability to donate for necessary medicine and supplies. Their images, stories and medical estimates weren’t enough to move people – we needed to tell their story, and really explain the conditions in which these animals lived and how much they deserved the care they needed.

I woke up the next day to check my e-mail and it was flooded with receipts of donations – our wish list was fulfilled several times over, and we had a proper startup to take those animals off the street and get them to a clinic. I continued to watch throughout the day as more and more came in, thanks to the awareness and generosity of my local community. Words can’t really describe how amazing it was to confirm that YES, the resources are there, and YES, we were going to really do this. We have been campaigning and saving lives ever since.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Autumn Davis and I’m the President of First Watch Rescue. We’re a tax exempt non-profit that adopts out rescued, stray felines and we also perform a lot of trap, neuter, and release of feral cats in order to stop their cycle of homeless, suffering kittens. We operate out of Farmington Hills Michigan and service Oakland County and surrounding cities. We are a lot different from an animal shelter – we are foster-based, meaning we are virtually cage-free and utilize foster volunteers to help care and look after the animals in need. Although we are mainly a safe haven for cats, we do not “filter” incoming requests for assistance and if there is anything we can do for any animal in need, we will accept the challenge or at least find the best referral for their crisis at hand.

Our following appreciates the fact that we are transparent about the reality of rescue – which is dismal at times. We’re on just about every major online platform showing the community where their donations are going and how everything works. Between our eco-science educational pieces, entertaining footage of our kittens and exciting adventures in rescue, we provide material that connects the readers to our mission and invites them to join in on our many volunteer positions,

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Recognition is crucial in keeping our volunteers involved. As a unit, I make sure that everyone feels favored, appreciated and successful. We show our team how their actions bring wellness to the community and we put them client-facing whenever we can in order to show everyone how special and heroic they are! Look at the opportunities you have to credit and reward those helping you. Are you being personable and transparent? Do others feel like they can talk to you openly and honestly about “the way things really are”? Kind conversation achieves so much more than cold direction.

We have found that it helps to cross-train for multiple reasons. It benefits the individual to understand how different moving parts and responsibilities contribute to the shared goal, and allows for more hands on deck when everyone is skilled in multiple departments. When you expose some people to a different area or tier of work, they may very well begin acting in that role before you officially assign it to them – and that’s the kind of high-achieving person you want to promote from within.

Pizza parties don’t cut it and compensation can be limited beyond your control. Be nice and treat your team like the shining stars they are!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My board of directors did not come together because I interviewed them; I ran in to them while doing the same things that they were. A lot of people are out there, independently finding solutions for stray and feral cats. After routinely encountering the same folks who were willing to help out, we asked ourselves why we weren’t our own business. Then we decided to team up officially.

Better than any networking event or hiring campaign, I’d have to recommend an online platform not necessarily catered to “professionals”. Look for people expressing the same needs that you have, or a service that would benefit your brand, etc. Look for talent in people who aren’t actively interviewing and you’ll rule out those who are just trying to “act” the part you need to fill.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.firstwatchrescue.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstwatchrescue
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/First-Watch-Rescue-of-Farmington-Hills-MI-100085240655171/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-watch-rescue
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/1stWatchRescue
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/first-watch-rescue-farmington