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

Vickie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

In 2011, I was the co-owner, graphic designer, and office manager of a very busy audio/video duplication company. I was also the mom of 2 human boys as well as 2 furry babies. One of the fur-babies became very ill and passed away. It was unexpected and I wanted to know why. I did a lot of research and found that the condition was most probably exacerbated by the foods she was fed. I went to my vet with the idea to cook “human grade” meals for her. After many many months of research and learning, we produced a cookbook for pets and people that sold over 2,000 copies. I was traveling to other states doing home shows and television. I wanted to share my findings with more pet parents so I got in touch with a local rescue organization. After several months of volunteering with them, I realized that the need for animal rescue was tremendous in my area.

This is where I took my big leap. I knew it was a risk. I knew very little about animal rescue. I knew nothing about starting and running a non-profit organization. I had no idea of the great love and great sacrifice involved. And most of all, I had no idea of the cost to run an animal rescue. There would be lives depending on me to succeed.

After completing the appropriate paperwork and getting my 501(c)3 declaration, I put out the word with local pet stores and the flood of phone calls and emails began. Because I chose to be a foster-home based organization which means I have no brick and mortar facility to work from, every animal that comes into our program needs a foster home.

The search for caring hearts and open homes began. Once I had a couple of homes willing to help, I realized that each of these animals needs medical attention in some way. Not only do they need food, toys, bedding, they need vaccinations to maintain health. They MUST be spayed or neutered to help stop the continuous over-population of unwanted pets. These animals often come from very bad situations. Cruelty, neglect. Illnesses, poor physical and mental conditions. While veterinarians are sympathetic to our mission, there is not a lot of financial relief even for reputable rescues. Vetting costs were so much more than the small adoption fees I was asking for, so another leap, another risk….Fundraising! That’s a whole new area with challenges of its own. But, nobody does this type of work alone. It is a collaboration of hearts and minds and ideas.

Community involvement. With the help of many of my friends from my business in the music industry, we have had benefit concerts. We reach out to our community and they step up when times are tough.

15 years later, we have a Cat Team and a Dog Team. We rescue not only cats and dogs, but any animal in need for which we have a qualified foster home. We provide full vetting for every animal that comes into our program including spay/neuter and microchipping. We have a program especially designed to take in senior animals or animals with special needs. We rescue and re home on the average of 200 animals a year.

I still work with my husband at our now 45+ year business. I went from being just a mom to a grandma as well. I have “several” dogs and cats that I have added to my family thru the rescue.

A leap of “faith” began my journey, grace kept me thru the risky times and love, even on the hardest days, is what keeps me going.

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 background and context?

I grew up in Texas where my work experience ranged from banking to education services. I moved to Nashville with my children after a divorce. I could not find a position in education here but I was a people person so began working in customer service at a business within the music industry.

You learn to be flexible. You never stop learning new things (I taught myself graphic design so I could design album and CD covers for artists). After marrying a man who owned his own business, I quickly learned what it was like to own and operate a business. How to hire and manage employees.

These skills helped push me to follow my heart and pursue my own non-profit organization. It involves not only managing humans but it involves interacting, understanding, and responding to the needs of beings that can not speak to you. You become responsible, at times, “literally” for their lives.

I’m just thankful that God has given me the patience, compassion and understanding to deal with the needs of pet owners who often find themselves in situations with their pets that they never expected. He gives me courage and conviction when it comes to the rescue and rehabilitation of animals in so much need.

I would hope that anyone who knows me or works with our animal rescue would see that our focus is on the welfare of animals. We conduct our rescue with integrity and honesty and we want the very best for the animals and the families that are looking to add a new family member to their home.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is one of the most powerful tools available to grow a business or advertise products (in my case animals and related services or events). I’ve learned not to get sidetracked by peoples opinions or conversations that don’t promote the rescue. I have to stay focused on my goals and who I want to reach.

Consistency and clarity with my posts are very important. It is tempting to share personal beliefs or jump into controversial conversations or respond harshly to criticism. But when you do it harms your message and your goals.

Attention on social media is incredibly short. Here are some statistics that I have found:

You have about 1–3 seconds to stop someone from scrolling
The average user decides whether to engage with content in under 5 seconds
Short-form videos (like Reels) see the highest retention when they hook viewers in the first 2 seconds
Posts with clear, engaging visuals can increase engagement by up to 2–3x compared to text alone

To capture people’s attention, I often lead with a header that sums up my post. I try to use short, meaningful reels. When I post, I try to keep it to the point, give an engaging story or image and sum it up with what I want from the viewer.

Growth doesn’t come from going viral—it comes from staying with your message, and giving people a reason to come back.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

This is something I have already explored and conveyed to many of our customers.

Working in the music industry today—especially on the physical media side—means constantly navigating a supply chain you don’t control. Most CDs, vinyl, and packaging materials are manufactured overseas, so you’re dealing with long lead times, production bottlenecks, and shipping delays that can shift overnight.

When production is limited, costs go up—sometimes dramatically—and what used to be a predictable turnaround becomes a moving target. Add in freight increases, customs delays, and minimum order requirements, and even small projects can become complicated and expensive.

Because of that, I tell everyone that you can’t rely on a single path anymore. You have to stay flexible and think ahead. Order earlier, build relationships with multiple vendors, and sometimes adjusting expectations on timelines or formats. Just as important, you have to pivot creatively. That might mean offering alternative media like USB drives, short-run duplication instead of replication, or bundling digital downloads with physical products. It’s about finding ways to still deliver something tangible and valuable to your audience, even when traditional manufacturing isn’t as accessible as it once was. Adapting to a changing market is what makes or breaks a business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.musiccityanimalrescue.com
• Instagram: mcar.adoptions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MCAR2013