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

Michelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

I think the biggest issue Corporate America has in the pet sitting business industry is their audacity to butt their heads into the industry without any pure intention. It is absolutely despicable that entrepreneurs will come into this industry will dollar signs in their eyes as well as their heart. I think that’s exactly the root that starts these horror stories you hear about different boarding facilities across the country; Ownership of the boarding facilities are in the wrong hands! We’re seeing real estate agents, cleaning companies, etc. grow their business and use capital from that to build and open “top of the line” looking facilities. When in actuality, it’s just a luxurious looking nightmare waiting to happen, and believe me when I say it does happen.

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.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Michelle Burnham, I am 29 years old and I was born and raised in an outskirt of Charlotte, NC. I have a degree in communications with a business minor from IUPUI in Indianapolis, IN. My background in pet care began as a simple part time job at a dog boarding and daycare facility and my passion grew from there. I took on multiple roles at various facility around Indianapolis and ultimately made it my goal to open my own facility. The finances never got to the point where I was able to make that happen, so I ultimately shifted my business model to in-home pet sitting and dog walking out of client’s homes. What I am most proud of is building a brand, reputation, clientele, and local business from scratch. I have built a wonderful, dedicated staff who I am grateful to work for who not only help me serve exponentially more clients, but they also represent my brand and vision the way I want the job executed. I am a firm believer in excellent customer service, integrity, and going the extra mile. It’s a beautiful experience to go from so much planning and brainstorming, daydreaming and finally executing and watching the ideas blossom into a full fledge, profitable business. It’s an honor not only to be able to provide stable work for myself, but at the minimum, consistent part-time work for the staff as well. I am so proud to have been able to expand the business from Indianapolis down to Raleigh as of Spring 2022. The staff have maintained a smooth ship up north, and I feel like I’m really just beginning to get rooted in Raleigh!

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

This is always a tight squeeze for the week-to-week payroll. It’s absolutely insane to watch the bank account go from a comfy number down to a few dollars after everyone is paid. A lot of sacrifices have had to be made on my end, and I’m always ensuring the staff is paid first, on time – no matter what. I think the best visual way I can explain it is honestly the example of getting a fire going from stick and flint all the way to a hot, powerful fire where you know you have to keep fanning the flames. Although there isn’t a lot of overhead in the business, there are always bills to pay and I admit I do pay my staff extremely well. I’m grateful to keep a low turnover due to close knit relationships and great pay, but the margins are paper thin! It’s so important for me to always be active on social media in order to keep an online presence and hopefully bring in new clientele. It’s a delicate balance of wanting to always be available for your loyal clients while also being able to take on new clients and and keep everyone happy. That’s where there’s power in numbers – the more trusted staff I can get to build meaningful relationships with the clients, the more personal the service is and I feel like that’s the best way to do customer service in this vulnerable type of industry where we not only care for your pets but come into the client’s homes.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was part time dog sitting for my parent’s church friends while going to college and working at a dog daycare and boarding facility. Most of that grew from word of mouth and going above and beyond for clients each time I worked to really stand out. I remember the biggest milestone for me was hearing different managers at facilities, even a guy in IT, telling me I needed to just move past my fear and take the leap to start my own company. I finally took the leap in 2020 when working at a small, family owned boarding/daycare facility in Speedway, Indiana. I stood up for a client’s rights regarding an insurance issue and upon putting in my two weeks notice, I was humiliated, verbally abused, and fired from that job. I knew I could never go back to a facility again and butt heads with grown adults where I was fighting on a weekly basis for what was right. I filed my business name with the Indiana Secretary of State in October 2020, got my EIN (Tax Number), and began contacting former co workers from previous boarding facility jobs asking them if they wanted to work with me part time by pet sitting on the side of whatever current jobs they were working. I turned a very traumatizing event into my career and livelihood.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dogsndigs.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dogsndigsindyraleigh
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/dogsndigsindyraleigh
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-burnham-370b72130

Image Credits
Brooklynn Bryan Photography