Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diamond Alexander. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a pet sitter and groomer. Funny story is — this was never a part of “the plan.” I moved to Atlanta with my husband in 2018 to go to LAW SCHOOL. In the weeks proceeding law school, I realized that I had several weeks leading up to when school started and nothing to do. So, I posted on a pet sitting app offering to pet sit for people to make a little extra money. I fully intended to delete the profile once I started school in a few weeks. Within a few days of signing up for the app, I had 5-6 client’s who had brought their pets to me consistently for daycare or overnight sitting. I had people requesting to book overnight sitting for vacations they planned a few months out, which meant I had to decide if I was going to keep doing this beyond starting law school. So, I decided I would do it just until the following summer when I could get a legal job. I’m sure you see where this is going — I kept setting deadlines to “stop pet sitting” until I realized I was never going to stop. In 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit, many local groomers closed down. My pet sitting clients began asking if I could help with minor grooming like baths and nail trims. I found a grooming school program online and thought, “Why not? The world is shut down, school is out for Spring Break and we’re going back to school on Zoom afterwards, and I have nothing better to do.” I completed my grooming certification during my second year of law school and the rest is history.
We are now a full-service pet sitting company offering overnight boarding, drop-ins, dog walking, and cat care along with full service grooming. In addition, I finished that law degree and passed the bar exam, so I’m also a full-time attorney. I absolutely love both of my careers, and I regret nothing. I cherish the relationships we’ve build with my clients and their pets, and I believe that sets us apart from other businesses. It’s more than just a service and exchange of funs, we love the animals and treat them as our own when we welcome them into our home-based environment. We pride ourselves on offering a service that is centered around mimicking the animal’s home environment and level of care they receive from their owners (and the occasional over-spoiling!)

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

This is actually one of my favorite questions because it allows me to reflect on just how ridiculous I was with starting this business. I completely led with my heart. I just loved animals and wanted to take care of them while their owners were away. I remember the first time I bought a kennel for the business. ONE KENNEL. I had made exactly enough to buy that kennel that day. I had two dogs of my own, so I used their leashes, blankets, etc. for the animals I pet sit if their owners did not bring them. I remember asking my husband to use our Home Depot card to buy cleaning supplies for the business because, well, I didn’t have a better plan! It took me almost six months to really put my mind to it and realize that if I ever wanted this business to go anywhere, I absolutely had to come up with a financial plan. The first things I did was establish my business legally, get insurance, and set up an account to deposit the money I made. I then began keeping track of what I made so that I could reinvest back into the business. This is where I began to actually see growth. I was later able to establish business credit, build up supplies and relationships with suppliers, and eventually yielded profits that allowed the business to float itself and, after about a year, I finally got an actual paycheck from my business! The biggest thing I did to help me actually get my business off the ground financially was get organized. Many people think you need a certain amount of money or consistent business to organize your businesses finances, but I think it’s the best thing you can do if you really want to see where your business is making money and grow it. You will lay the pathway to further capital opportunities that allow expansion, especially as someone like me who had no plan and no coins to get started.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We do not struggle at all with this, and I think it is primarily because of the relationships we have built. I have had client’s call me in an emergency asking for help with their pets and we’ve shown up for them. I have client’s who book the entire year for all of their appointments, and they know they can rely on us to be there for them so their family can plan peacefully and without worry about their animals. I’ve helped clients through training, loss, and moves, and all kinds of situations. We eventually become an integral part of their families and they ours. The loyalty almost comes naturally based on the personability of our services and the relationship we have.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diamondsdoggydaycare/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diamondsdoggydaycare/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@diamondsdoggydaycareatl

Image Credits
Terrence Alexander of Alexander Aperture Photography