The Dog Stop® In The News

By USA WEEKLY

Starting a business is a big achievement for many entrepreneurs, but maintaining one is the larger challenge. There are many standard challenges that face every business whether they are large or small. It is not easy running a company, especially in a fast-paced, ever-changing business world. Technology advances, new hiring strategies, and now, political changes coming with the new administration, all add to the existing business challenges that entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives have to deal with.

Maximizing profits, minimizing expenses and finding talented staff to keep things moving seem to be top challenges for both SMBs and large corporations. We have been interviewing companies from around the world to discover what challenges they are facing in their businesses. We also asked each company to share business advice they would give to a younger version of themselves.

Below is our interview with Jesse Coslov, Co-Found and CEO at The Dog Stop®:

What does your company do?

The Dog Stop® is an all-inclusive dog care facility providing doggy daycare, boarding, grooming, obedience training, in-home services and a full retail store offering the best foods, toys, treats, and accessories available on the market. We strive to satisfy the needs of our customers, both two and four-legged, whatever they may be. Our all-inclusive model allows us to have something to offer for all dog owners. We put a focus on educating our customers to help them establish the best possible relationship with their dog(s). Our mission is to help owners be as loyal to their dogs as their dogs are to them.

What is your role? What do you enjoy most about your role?

I am the Co-Founder and CEO of The Dog Stop®. My role is quite diverse, I am involved in a little bit of everything however, my main focuses are franchise development, marketing and continuing to refine and improve the business model and systems. I never thought when we opened our first store in 2009, that nine years later we would become a franchise. Helping others to recognize and achieve their dream of being a business owner and watching them succeed is always extremely gratifying. Our mission is to provide both our two and four-legged clients the best possible dog care experience, which has never changed as we have grown. Knowing that our franchisees work hard to continue that mission and allow us to reach more communities across the country is the most rewarding and enjoyable aspect of my role as Co-Founder and CEO of The Dog Stop®.

What are the biggest challenges in your business right now?

Our biggest challenge is finding the right franchisees to help us grow our brand. Our industry and concept in particular are extremely popular and we have plenty of qualified candidates when considering their financial standing or business background. The real challenge is identifying those qualified individuals who have the right mix of business experience, customer service and a passion for working with animals. It takes a special person to be able to balance the demands of this business in terms of always providing the highest levels of dog care and customer service while also keeping an eye on the bottom line. Luckily, we have been able to find 20+ franchisees that have this ability and we are confident we will partner with many more over the coming years.

If you could go back in time, what business advice would you give to a younger version of yourself?

I probably would tell the younger version of myself to take more risks and follow my heart. It sounds cliché, but once I finally followed my entrepreneurial spirit and gave up the security of the corporate world, I became much happier and felt that sense of purpose. I always knew I wanted to be my own boss and create something of my own, I was just too scared to step out and take the risk.