We recently connected with Michelle Neely and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I lost my service dog to cancer in 2012. Although I knew I would never be able to replace her, I still felt I needed to be around dogs and get my “fix” of doggie love. So in 2013 I started working as a dog walker for a company based in VA.

I soon realized that I was training my client’s dogs as I was walking them.. The clients appreciated the training as well as the love I showered upon their babies..

In late 2014 a client asked me to care for their dog in my home while they were out of town. They needed a boarding solution that was quiet and didn’t include any dog but theirs as the dog was a senior and medically fragile.

The idea occurred to me that this specific type of service might be lacking in my area. I did some research and found that no one was offering dog care to one client at a time in a home based setting.

Soon my other clients were taking advantage of my boarding service. It was a welcome stream of income outside of dog walking for the company.

In late 2015 I resigned from the dog walking company and started Michelle’s House. I marketed my business as a niche offering: exclusive care for one client at a time.

My clients became exceptionally loyal and I began to develop policies and procedures to handle operations. It was a learning process, but one that I relished as I was doing what I loved and showing my 3 children that it was possible to work for yourself.

I wanted to legitimize my training efforts, so studied and passed a national standardized test to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in 2019. I was then able to offer training services to clients in their own homes. While my boarding service is always the biggest piece to my business, training helps to add some variety to my life. It’s so satisfying to see an owner and dog incorporate the lessons I model and teach.

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?

*see prior answer*

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

When I was first starting out, although my current clients were extremely loyal, getting new clients was a daunting task. I was providing dog walking service to several clients in an upscale apartment building. One day I asked the management of the building if I could put a treat jar for dogs in the lobby.

When I received permission, I bought a jar with a little chalkboard on it, filled it with a variety of dog treats and placed my business cards and brochures in stands next to it.

My business really started to take off with that simple action. I kept the treat jar stocked and received many more clients from that one investment.

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

As I aged, walking dogs became more difficult for me. Then we experienced COVID. My business had to shut down as people weren’t traveling and everyone was at home with their dogs.

I worried that I would have to close Michelle’s House forever. However, after COVID, people were so eager to travel that I was booking up months in advance. Now I have to schedule time for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michelleshouse.net
• Instagram: Michelleshouseboarding
• Facebook: Michelle’s House