We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shirley Garcia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shirley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?
We understand that it is because of the fur families that choose to shop with us and support our business, that our bakery continues to thrive after years. We don’t take this lightly, which is why we do our best to show our appreciation towards our customers throughout the year. For our business anniversary, we gift our loyal customers with a gift bag to provide a token of our gratitude. We have also implemented a rewards system through a stamp cards that offers a free item once a stamp card is full. We truly appreciate those who shop with our barkery and support our vision.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As dog parents ourselves, we have struggled with costly vet visits & health issues with our dogs that were not necessarily resolved with medication. We decided to take a natural and holistic approach towards our dogs and their lifestyle in hopes of improving their conditions. From leaving behind the kibble food and changing to homemade, balanced meals for our dogs, to then making our own fresh treats with real ingredients, we saw positive changes and it inspired us to provide other pet families with healthy/ quality options they cannot find on a store shelf. We learned it simply takes making adjustments to a dog’s diet that can improve their daily lifestyle without having to spend hard earned money on vet visits that do not solve the problem, only temporarily fix the issue. We wanted to share what we have learned as pet parents with other fur families in hopes to offer less worry and simple solutions. We love to connect and share stories with other pet parents. This is a community of love and support like no other.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
Some fun facts about our personal story. My husband and I are college sweethearts, we are proud UC Davis alumni. We met through mutual friends 11 years ago and have been on this journey of life together ever since. We both work in healthcare full-time by day, and enjoy spending time with our pack of four dogs in the evenings and days off. We never imagined to have four dogs at once, but they were our blessing in disguise because without them, this dog bakery would not exist. They are our inspiration and motivation to create new recipes and additions to our online store.
How did you build your audience on social media?
The best advice I can offer on this topic is to simply just post! I used to be so worried about having low-quality photos or cheap templates, however I have learned that I am my own, worst critic. Yes, it’s important to make an effort towards your content, however if you wait until things are perfect people will be missing out on what you have to offer. They just want to see your creations! If it’s the right customer for you, they will be drawn to make an order or follow your page and support your vision. I focus more on being consistent and active on our social media pages rather than trying to be perfect. There is beauty in the madness.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pawfectdogbarkery.com
- Instagram: @pawfectdogbarkery