Mandator
y Questions –
Q. 1: 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.
Ans: We are NYC’s premier pet care company. Our bread and butter is dog walking and we offer our clients both private and social (semi-private) walks. We are headQ. 1uartered in the West Village but also serve Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Tribeca and Battery Park City.
Q. 2: Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: Smiley Pets was founded by Georgia Farah and her husband Jason. For 35 years, Georgia has been genuinely passionate about animals and has been surrounded by dogs and cats throughout her life. She is a member of ASPCA and has been volunteering at KittyKind since 2010.
Q. 3: What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: Georgia’s mom operates a small non-profit organization in Rio de Janeiro, which raises funds to care for cats and dogs neglected and left on the street. She feeds, fosters and administers medical care while looking for responsible homes interested in adoption. It was this type of upbringing, which gave Georgia the understanding as to the degree of personalization each pet needs in order to be emotionally and physically happy. Georgia has always aspired to successfully run her own business and it was a natural progression for her passion for animals with her entrepreneurial ambitions to build the premier pet care business in Manhattan.
Q. 4: What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: – Never loose sight of your end goal – preserve your vision.
-Keep a positive outlook on things
-Do what you love.
Q. 5: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: – Hard work
-Persistence
-Execution
Q. 6: How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: Varies by the day – 10hrs on average
Q. 7: To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Always putting the client and their pet first and making sure my employees are appreciated.
Q. 8: How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: We like to think our existing clients are our best marketers – Nothing beats a personal recommendation. Aside from that, online is our most successful tool – Google, Yelp, and social media.
Q. 9: Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: We consider ourselves lucky as Smiley Pets has been bootstrapped from the beginning.
Q. 10: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Patience – unless you are the latest internet/social media sensation, building a successful business takes time.
Q. 11:Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: I hope that Smiley Pets continues to grow organically and our clients continue to recommend us to others – that is our idea of success.
Q. 12: Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: Amazon – they have done an amazing job adding convenience to our everyday lives. I love businesses that save consumers TIME.
Recommended Questions –
Q. 13: How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Critical – employees are the client facing aspect of our business.
Q. 14: How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: If you believe in your idea deep down you should never give up. With that said, we all have fiscal responsibilities that we need to take care of and that may force some to take a temporary detour.
Q. 15: What motivates you?
Ans: Positive feedback from clients and happy employees
Q. 16: How do you define success?
Ans: Having a well balanced life.
Q. 17: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Being my own boss and having my own schedule
Q. 18: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Getting great feedback from clients and knowing they are happy with our services.
Q. 19: What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: Having an appetite to take risk
Q. 20: What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans: We have very happy employees. I believe being a compassionate boss is one of the most important traits for an entrepreneur. It ensures that members of the team are willing to go above and beyond to help out and make the client happy.
Q. 21: In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Busy
