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

Sherry, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I got the chance to start over, one of the first things I would have done would be to get a business coach or join a coaching group. Although I have a degree in Marketing and a minor in Business, I was not fully prepared for all aspects of running my own business. Support from a group has been invaluable in helping us be a better company which in turn has helped us serve our community more effectively.

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

Our store is unique in that we offer grooming, boarding, daycare, and aquarium services as well as holistic pet supplies and aquatic livestock and aquarium supplies. There’s not many of us out there like that! We are family run, established 2006 by Sherry Redwine, her husband Mike Doan, and her parents Bill & JoAnn Redwine. We strive to help educate our community about proper pet nutrition and holistic pet care practices. We only carry foods that contain no corn, gluten, or by-product and preferably not co-packed. The setup of our small dog daycare area is also very unique. It is connected to the checkout counter to make a big circle. The customers love to come in and see the little guys play. We also designed and built our aquarium system by hand. We curate the healthiest aquarium fish, coral, and plants.

After 15 years, we have established ourselves as a pillar in our community. The love our community has shown us during all these years warms our hearts. We realized that we do matter and provide essential services to our local pet parents. We stepped our game up recently and put ourselves out there on regular Facebook Live shows and interviews to connect even more with the community. Not only have we provided education but also entertainment! We are proud of what we’ve created and that’s why we want to share it with you.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When Covid happened, things were changing so fast, we had to pivot and create new strategies daily to keep up as a small business. Thankfully, because we are a family run business, we were able to make decisions fast to keep our business afloat and still serve our community safely. We immediately got our e-commerce up and running and started offering local delivery and pickup. We started doing Facebook lives to educate, sell, and entertain. We livestream regular interviews with industry experts and answer customer questions while they watch. One of our Facebook lives was about grooming your dog at home because most grooming salons were closed at the time. Another broadcast that is still popular is Shopping with Sherry! We show people at home new products, how to use them, and offer special deals to those who view live. It’s a great way to interact with customers and have a good time!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is all about consistency. Posting regularly on Facebook, Instagram, stories, and now Tik Tok is key. If someone is looking to do business with you and they go to your social media and see that there hasn’t been a post in 3 weeks, it looks bad. Businesses need to mix their content with educational posts, engaging posts, and last of all, selling posts. Of course a businesses’ brand needs to be reflected so using high quality images with your brand colors is necessary to look professional. It’s been a trial and error wild ride for us since we’ve been in business since 2006 and social media platforms have evolved. We’ve learned that if you don’t keep up with the new technology, you will be left behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.odysseypets.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/odysseypets
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/odysseypets