We were lucky to catch up with Jen Klair recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success can be measured in a variety of ways. Money is the obvious indicator of a “successful” person in our society today but I feel there is more to it than that. Of course we all want to make money and be self sufficient, but how do we get there with humility and gratitude?

The answer should be a mix of strong emotional intelligence (self awareness of our strengths and weaknesses), supportive friends/family, ambition to follow through on our mission and good ole’ hard work, sweat and tears.

I have always been a believer that the best companies are made up of truly team oriented people. Without a team mentality with all of our employees, it can be a grind. So, finding the best staff and realizing when to let the bad ones go (earlier than you think you should) can really strengthen the team environment and allows your staff to be successful in their roles as well.

Finally, I do not think you can truly achieve great success without some failures that teach us great lessons about ourselves. Every setback or frustration I have had in my career has been an opportunity for reflection and improvement in the long term, Taking a failure and turning it into something better or different can be the most satisfying feeling in the world, especially if it turns into a success!

Jen, 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 began my career as an entrepreneur in 1996 when my husband and I moved to Lake Tahoe. I have always had a great love for animals and started my first business called Jen’s In Home Pet Care. I joined Pet Sitters International to learn about the industry and created all of my own contracts and documents to get started. I advertised in the small local paper and the calls started coming in right away and I was off and running. I absolutely loved it and ran the business by myself for years.

We moved to San Diego in 1999 and I needed to decide what to do next since pet sitting would be too challenging with a young child (and another one on the way). I knew I wanted to stay home and raise our children (our second child was born in 2000), but my options were limited at the time. I loved all things baby related and especially heirloom type gifts. I recruited my creative mother and we decided to make some handmade baby blankets and vintage pillowcase dresses to sell on eBay. It was a big hit very early on and it set the wheels in motion.

I wanted an online retail store for unique & handmade baby items. This is back in the day when online shopping was new, so I hired a web designer and we created a Yahoo store to sell the baby blankets & vintage pillowcase dresses that my mother made by hand. It was called Jen Klair Kids and it quickly took off. We hired more designers and started buying at the apparel mart in Los Angeles every season. We had over 1000 products within a few years and hired a publicist to help with marketing and exposure. We were featured in many print magazines and in a book called “Starting from Scratch…”

During this busy time, I learned the importance of time management and quality control, along with bookkeeping and budgeting. I also learned how to handle customer service at a high level and when to just say no in the most diplomatic of ways.

It wasn’t until 2015 that I decided to close the shop. We were getting destroyed by the dominance of Amazon and big box sellers on the internet, so it was time to move on and I was ok with it.

I took a couple years to work on my next plan and knew I wanted to get back to a great passion – animals. This is when the idea of Wags and Ruffs was born. I visited almost every daycare in the area to see how they ran things and how they set up their shops. I created my shop from the ground up with a great support system of family and friends to cheer me on and encourage me, which was crucial. It has been a roller coaster ride, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

When I first started Jen Klair Kids in 1999, it was a small business that I ran with one assistant. We became popular very early on and started to get some celebrity clients who just found us online. This was before social media and vast online shopping options, so marketing was different and somewhat old fashioned back then.

I wanted to hire a publicist to capitalize on our early success and our popularity in some celebrity circles. I ran into a friend who was in that industry and I asked her if she thought it was a good idea. It was expensive and I didn’t really have the budget for it at the time. She gave me some simple advice that I think back on all the time – “what does your gut tell you to do?” My gut told me to take the leap and trust my instincts. I hired the publicist and she was so great for our business. It catapulted us to another level and it was a great time for our business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source for new clients for us with Wags and Ruffs is word of mouth. The second best source is through social media engagement – Instagram and FB.

Steve Jobs famously said during his early days with Apple that if he was down to his last dollar, he would spend it on marketing. This is so true!

In the early days, you feel like you are on a never-ending marketing quest to find your customers. Stay strong and true to your high standards and the customers will find you. Be honest and deliberate with your intentions and you will get there with hard work and determination.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wagsandruffs.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wagsandruffs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wagsandruffs
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmO8-9PXwuexapGwEabzlEA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wags-and-ruffs-san-diego

Image Credits
Jen Klair Wags and Ruffs