Q: Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/cities.
A: Expert Pet is a full-service pet lifestyle company based in San Francisco, California. We specialize in premium grooming, a high-end resort with limited availability, all-day daycare, and curated retail offerings. Housed in a beautifully repurposed 100-year-old Bank of America — or Bank of Italy for those who know their banking history. Our storefront combines historic charm with modern conveniences. Customers can shop online, book appointments via text or our website, and enjoy specialty foods and products in an inviting space. Currently, we operate a single flagship location, with plans for expansion in the coming years.
Q: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A: I hold a Master of Science in Computer Science and a BA in Sociology. I am a different entrepreneur. I launched my first venture in 2021 during the pandemic, driven by a desire to apply a tech mindset beyond software. Major milestones include opening Ocean Paws, which became the flagship Expert Pet, hiring and organizing a nine-person team across retail, daycare, resort, and a dedicated marketing department, and producing two successful Pet Expo events in 2022 and 2023. I’ve also developed in-house software to support my business. Such as generating promos, POS tweaks, data analysis tools, and incorporating management apps—to streamline operations and enhance customer experience.
Q: What inspired you to start this new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?
A: A weekend trip to Carmel, California—renowned for its pet-friendly boutiques—sparked the vision. Back home, I realized our neighborhood lacked that level of care and curated offerings. Motivated by love for my little dog and having moved to a new spot in San Francisco, I transformed that inspiration into Ocean Paws, now called Expert Pet, tackling hurdles from zoning and space acquisition to assembling a reliable team.
Q: What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A:
a. Establish a financial cushion to ensure you have sufficient savings before launching to weather the unexpected.
b. Vet your partners rigorously. Run thorough background checks on anyone you bring into your venture—because “obvious” red flags are often the ones we miss. An LLC may seem like a straightforward legal shield, but not everyone will have your best interests.
I now like to say, “Obvious is not always obvious,” or “obviously not obviously” for short—because even when something seems straightforward, like an LLC protecting you, there can still be hidden risks and bad actors hiding behind that shield.
c. Invest in legal support to retain a trusted business attorney from day one to safeguard your interests and navigate contracts. You never know what you’ll find otherwise.
Q: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A:
• Drive is the unwavering internal motivation that keeps you forging ahead, even when the path is uncertain.
• Compassion is the genuine care for your customers, our pets, and the community you serve, ensuring every service delights both pet and parent.
• Love is the deep affection for your work; treating your business as a living entity that deserves nurturing, and that grows with your dedication.
Q: How many hours do you work a day on average?
A: My work and personal time blend seamlessly—I might draft store layouts at 2 am yet still consider it part of the creative process. While it’s hard to pin down an exact figure, I’m engaged with Expert Pet in some form for the majority of my waking hours.
Q: To what do you most attribute your success?
A: Primarily self-funding and relentless determination. Mixing my savings with a steadfast belief that we’ll succeed—plus building a team that shares my vision—has been critical to our growth.
Q: How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A: We’ve grown organically through local events (Pet Expos), in-store promotions, and targeted social media experimentation. By iterating quickly—testing new tactics, analyzing sales data with custom queries, and doubling down on what works—we’ve steadily increased awareness. Text reminders and online booking convenience have also driven repeat visits.
Q: Where did your organization’s funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A:To date, Expert Pet has been bootstrapped from personal savings and additional loans. For 2025, we’re seeking outside investment—approximately 10x our current annual revenue—to support tech development, an integrated customer app, open new locations, and expand our B2B services.
Q: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A: “Hope is not a strategy” is my guiding maxim. Long-term success comes from cultivating a growth-mindset culture, building a team of dedicated animal lovers, and continuously refining operations—whether through technology, training, or customer feedback loops.
My goal is to build on a growing niche. One powered by genuine community trust, ethical practices, and continual reinvention. In a world where toxic approaches often dominate, our antidote is to stay lean, transparent, and relentlessly focused on self-improvement—so that when we scale, we do it on terms that preserve our culture and integrity.
Q: Where do you see yourself and your business in 5–10 years?
A:
In five, we will have:
1. Launched our proprietary mobile app for bookings, shopping, and resort access.
2. Opened a second San Francisco location.
3. Established a Los Angeles outpost.
4. Established an Orange County outpost.
5. Rolled out a B2B branch and launched on third-party platforms.
I love coastal California, so Expert Pet’s goal is to reach every beach in the state! The ocean has been a guiding force behind this little business.
Q: Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A: Trader Joe’s inspires me deeply. Growing up in L.A., I admired their private-label strategy, consistent quality, and even their modest pet product line—customers even compare our offerings to theirs.
Q: How important have good employees been to your success?
A: Vital—the nine people on our team bring diverse skills across the marketplace, daycare, resort, grooming, plus design and marketing. Their dedication to pets, our customers, and continuous improvement underpins every positive customer review we receive.
Q: How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
A: I give each initiative a defined testing window—typically a few weeks. If metrics (bookings, sales, customer feedback) don’t improve, we pivot swiftly and iterate on a new approach.
Q: What motivates you?
A: Behind the scenes, I love having so many different aspects of accomplishing our goals. At the marketplace, we get motivated by seeing pets thrive, because of the items that we have in the shop. Overall, the in our care and knowing their parents trust us. Plus, the challenge of turning a historic bank into a modern pet hub keeps me energized every day.
Q: What are your ideals?
A: Integrity in how we treat animals, transparency with customers, and fostering a community where every pet—and team member—feels valued.
Q: How do you generate new ideas?
A: By staying mentally attuned—whether I’m coding a new feature, creating in-store experiences, listening to music, or absorbing feedback from customers and Experts (our internal team nickname). I also encourage every Expert to share ideas; creativity flows best when it’s collective.
Q: How do you define success?
A: Success is sustainable growth: delighted customers, a thriving team, and the ability to reinvest in better services and technology.
Q: How do you build a successful customer base?
A: We started with Loyalty Rewards. Every purchase builds points, and after $100 customers get a $10 reward. We strive to reach more exceptional experiences, like seamless booking, personalized touches like text reminders, and memorable milestones in our historic space—and by rewarding service loyalty with exclusive packages.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
A: The creative freedom to blend technology, design, and art—with no limitations on what we can accomplish—to bring to life joy to both pets and their people.
Q: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
A: Seeing families at our Pet Expo booth light up when they find the perfect treat for their dog—and hearing them say “only Expert Pet could do this.”
Q: What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
A: I’m exceptionally pro–growth mindset, and I believe anyone can lead, contribute, and live their best life however they wish. The major difference, statistically speaking, is access to capital (cash).
In any event, I’ve had to embrace uncertainty as opportunity—wearing multiple hats, taking risks, and making calls that shape the whole organization. From personal experience, if someone defines themselves soley as an entrepreneur and separates themselves from their team? That’s a red flag—maybe even narcissistic and destructively detached. We’re all building something together. If you’re building something for yourself, then you’re driven by ego alone. And you can turn on a dime for a penny.
Q: What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
A: We foster an unrelenting growth-mindset. The goal is for the team to learn quickly, share insights, and hold each other to rising standards. I model hands-off leadership, empowering everyone to make decisions and innovate.
At the end of the day, I can’t make every decision.
Q: In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
A: Iterative.
Q: If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
A: Depends on which career we’re talking about. Lately, I’d engage a legal advisor or business mentor sooner, to navigate early challenges more efficiently. As a young person, starting a career, I could never decide on what I wanted to do.
Q: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
A: It’s blurred boundaries—but weekly beach trips to watch the ocean waves roar, smell the salty air, and take a breath, help me recharge and stay connected to loved ones.
Q: What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
A: Fear of stagnation—I manage it by constantly setting new goals and testing fresh ideas. Then, when something actually works, and works well, I face that fear head-on. It works as is! Admitting defeat in joy.
Q: How did you decide on the location for your business?
A: I searched for a unique historic building in a pet-friendly neighborhood—and the century-old bank ticked every box. Luck.
Q: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
A: Yes and no—though it may not look like a traditional business model. As someone with a tech and sociological background, I tend to value entrepreneurship like a function of society.
You start with data—ideas, opportunities, feedback.
You validate it against a core set of values: is it honest, does it align with your mission, and does it avoid toxicity?
If it’s usable, safe, and rooted in integrity, you extract the value, shape it into a concept, and implement it. And then, crucially—you iterate.
In pseudo-code, litterally code that is not code, it might look like this:
# a great entrepreneur receives data
function great_entrepreneur(data):
# Check: data aligns with core values and truth
# Make sure it’s pertinent, actionable, and constructive
# Filter out corruption, ego, and harmful influences
# if it’s bad, toss it
if isValid(data)
and isUsable(data)
and isNotToxic(data):
# Extract the useful insight
value = identifyValue(data)
# Envision a solution or product
solution = visualizeConcept(value)
# Bring it to life
newData = implement(solution)
# Check for completness based on specs
if isFinished(newData):
return newData
else:
# Refine, test, and evolve continuously
iterate = great_entrepreneur(newData)
return iterate
else:
trash(data) # let’s disect and review
return “Bad data exception, let’s try something else.”
For me, the “formula” is about combining discipline and creativity with a moral framework—especially in a world where toxic behaviors still persist. It’s your values that serve as guardrails, allowing for innovation without compromise.
Q: If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
A: Leonardo da Vinci—for his boundless curiosity and interdisciplinary genius.
Q: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
A: My little dog—whose unconditional love taught me the importance of compassion in building a business.
Q: What book has inspired you the most?
A: Well, this is awkward. I honestly don’t read books. As a scientist, I’ve always been curious and hungry to learn, but ADHD makes long-form reading difficult—I lose focus quickly without visual or interactive input. I absorb knowledge better through hands-on experimentation, real-world testing, and observation. That’s how I stay inspired and keep learning.
However, there is one little book—its name escapes me—that stuck with me. It was a grammar guide recommended, but not required, by one of my English professors. It broke down the fundamentals of the English language in such a formulaic, structured way that it genuinely helped me understand text better. That analytical, systems-based approach to language really resonated with how my brain works.
Q: What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
A: Underestimating the legal complexities of an LLC agreement.
Q: How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
A: By building validation in processes, seeking expert advice, and conducting regular “post-mortem” reviews after each major launch. In other words, reviewing what we’ve accomplished and why we haven’t.
Q: What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
A: Beach trips to watch the waves, listening to music, sketching store layouts, and exploring pet-friendly spots in the city.
Q: What makes you happy?
A: Left brain: That there’s always a challenge to solve.
Right brain: Seeing a tail wag and knowing a pet’s day is about to get brighter from a single-ingredient treat.
Together: Watching this little entity I’ve built grow and take on an identity of its own.
Q: What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
A: Time with friends and family—though I’m enjoying short, but meaningful moments by the ocean with someone special.
Q: If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
A:Two come to mind.