We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rani Rai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rani below.
Rani, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
In 2018 my only son left for college and I became what is called an Empty Nester. Although I was a civil servant and was fully employed, I was struggling to understand how to deal with all the free time on my hands. My son kept me so busy for 18yrs at that very moment I struggled how to handle the emotions of not being in a parental role. In addition, my mother living less than 5 miles away had lost her husband to Colon Cancer and too was struggling being home m
alone as a newly retired widow. During this time frame, both of us was informed that people were boarding dogs through an App provided Service called “Rover”. I was also reading about how pets help with emotional trauma and people needing what we now call emotional support animals. At that moment I had an epiphany and believed that I could find support in the pets I boarded without having to incur the cost of owning them. I created a profile on Rover, and we’ve been boarding and walking dogs ever since. This unique approach helped us in so many ways while also helping others. Most importantly it was in variable ways an act of compassion from us to the pets and the pets to us and also compassion to ensure we loved the dogs we boarded and cared for them like our very own. Although we used Rover, we ultimately named our services Rani’s Rascals, LLC with the hopes we could share these acts of compassion in more ways than boarding.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a 1st generation born American, but I carry a large set of beliefs from my upbringing in an East Indian, Jamaican and then an All-American household. Rani’s Rascals, LLC is a dog boarding/walking and future supply company in the DMV area. This business is built on compassion and knowing that we aim to treat our clients’ pets like our very own. As we are a diverse company and have lineage from India and the meaning of the name Rani means Queen in Hindi, our mission is to pledge to treat all pets like royalty. Our clients know when using our services or when they buy our supplies, they will only receive prestigious, top tier care as well as quality products above competitors. What sets us apart from other boarders and companies is our mission to go above and beyond with exemplary care while building and strengthening lasting relationships. Moreover, we offer incentives and extend love, support even during times when compensation is waived to show our appreciation to our royal clients. In the future we hope to create a non-profit aiming at servicing low-income elder clients by providing free boarding/walking for their pets during unexpected surgeries and emergencies. We hope that everyone here and around the world finds what we receive each day doing what we do best and thats giving genuine love.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Throughout my life I’ve always felt inspired by many speakers and one that always is in repeat when I read his books or watch his videos is Motivational Speaker, John C. Maxwell. In order to be successful in almost anything you have to build rapport with people, and you must know your audience. Managing and leading your business is not something you learn overnight. It comes with time, commitment and constant learning. One video I watch to keep me in tuned with building a following of clients or strengthening communication with an audience is the 5 Levels of Leadership. Once you study it; next is to apply and then repeat towards building impactful relationships with people all around you.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
A story that illustrates resilience from my journey is I am a survivor of child and sexual abuse from the age of 3 to 11 years. In my future visits with doctors, I would be diagnosed with PTSD and Anxiety Disorder. For many years I battled suicidal ideation, severe depression, hopelessness, and had I not become a mother to my one son I probably would not be here to share my story. He gave me a sense of purpose and provided me the spirit within so that I could create opportunities to better his future. I battled insomnia, flashbacks and pushed through every challenge to ensure I was a mother to my child. As a 1st born American, I attained many values from my mother’s country of India. Through her guidance, I was always encouraged to find holistic ways towards healing the mind, body, and spirit. Despite the trauma I endured, my company created ways to help me heal by the most simplistic things in life. One example, the days that I can walk clients’ dogs within wooded trails that have beautiful trees swaying in the wind or as I hear the birds chirping creates a calmness resulting in knowing somehow everything will be ok. I do not let my trauma define me. It’s what I believed fueled me to ensure I created a safe space for my son which resulted in his success and accomplishments. As he is now a college graduate and now starting his own journey, he lets me know that pushing through the obstacles was priceless and couldn’t be valued or measured but only repeated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ranisrascals.com
- Instagram: @ranisrascals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071287115652
Image Credits
photos created in Snapchat and Instagram