Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brittany Cornejo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brittany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Being successful is such an exciting journey! To me, it takes a combination of setting clear goals, having a strong work ethic, and being determined to put in the time and effort needed to achieve them. Two of the most important factors in keeping yourself focused and on track are self-discipline and self-motivation. Having a problem-solving mindset and being open to learning from mistakes helps a lot, too. Always keep a positive attitude, a healthy mindset, and surround yourself with supportive friends and family who believe in you. Most importantly, have a sense of purpose and fulfillment in what you’re doing. It makes success so much more meaningful.
Brittany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Brittany Cornejo. I’m the founder of Houston Pet People, a professional pet care service based in west Houston and Katy, Texas. After feeling drained and unhappy in my previous job, I decided to pursue my passion for animals and joined the Rover app as a pet sitter. My client list grew very quickly and I found myself loving the work. In 2019, I decided to take it to the next level and took the first steps to open my own private company, Houston Pet People, which offers in-home services such as pet sitting, dog walking, pet taxi, and home concierge services. HPP officially launched in March 2020. I’m insured, bonded, and CPR First-Aid certified. I work closely with clients to create a customized pet care plan, and provide GPS maps and activity reports after each visit. HPP also offers a la carte concierge services and pet taxi services to help our clients even more.
If anyone understands the guilt that you feel when leaving your pet at home, it’s me. I get it! My goal is to provide you total peace of mind while you’re away. Your pets won’t even know you’re gone! I’m so proud of the trust and loyalty my clients have in me, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Something that I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that failure is a bad thing. Society teaches us that failure is something to avoid at all costs, and that success in the only acceptable outcome. Actually, failure is one of the most essential parts of the learning and growth process. Failure teaches us valuable lessons and helps to identify areas in need of improvement. I’ve had multiple failures since the start of my business. They used to discourage me, but I’ve learned to appreciate and grow from them. Everything is a learning opportunity!
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
Oh gosh. There is one story that always comes to mind whenever I’m asked this question. I was young, still pretty new to pet sitting, and it was my first visit with a new client who had three dogs, including a wolf-hybrid dog named Remi. Remi was huge. I walked inside the house and got busy greeting all three dogs, trying to appease the fact that a stranger was walking in to their home. While doing this, the front door blew wide open and Remi booked it!! Keep in mind- this dog was not very nice with animals outside of his home and not the most people friendly, either. He could run much faster than I and it didn’t help that he didn’t really know who I was. I started to panic and called the owner, in tears, right away. A man in a truck drove by and saw what happened, and offered to drive me around the neighborhood to find Remi. So, yes, I got in the truck of a strange, unknown man. (I still cringe thinking about it now) Luckily, he didn’t want to kidnap me, and we actually drove around to search for Remi. I saw him running down the side of a bayou. I had to crawl under a gate, run through tall grass and weeds, and finally had Remi backed into the corner of someones backyard fence. Side note- it is not fun staring into the eyes of a potentially aggressive wolf-hybrid dog who probably doesn’t appreciate being cornered. Remi was distracted by the treat in my hand and he let me slowly grab his collar. I slipped a lead on him and we made our way back home. That was probably the most chaotic 30 minutes of my entire pet sitting career. The most important take away from this whole story is- ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY LOCK THE DOOR BEHIND YOU! I wish I could have learned this lesson an easier way, but it’s something I’ll never forget.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houstonpetpeople.com
- Instagram: @houstonpetpeople
- Facebook: Houston Pet People
Image Credits
Cynthia Nguyen