What brought you to start your business or get into your industry? I spent many years working in Corporate America but found that corporate life no longer fit with being a mom once I had kids. I was looking for a way to have more flexibility in my work life and was also ready to have more ownership of my work. I did a lot of research into various options and decided to give franchise ownership a try. I bought 3 locations of StretchLab, an assisted stretching business. I opened my first location in Cherry Creek North, second location in Cherry Hills and was working on opening a 3rd location in Boulder when Covid hit. I sold all the StretchLab studios in 2021. I learned a ton about being a small business owner, including running a business during a pandemic.
Throughout Covid, I had been watching the proliferation of dogs and struggling myself as a dog owner to find quality dog services. There was so much demand and not enough (high quality) supply of pet services in Denver. I started researching the pet industry and realized it would be an amazing business opportunity. I came across Dogdrop, a brand-new franchise based in LA, and they were very aligned with what I had been thinking about. I bought 5 locations and am about to open the first Denver Dogdrop at 9th & Colorado. I am Dogdrop’s first franchisee. I loved being an early StretchLab franchisee, so I was excited to be super early again. Dogdrop is a unique concept in the dog daycare space and I am so excited to introduce Denver dog parents to this amazing brand.
What do you love most about what you do? I love building a business from the ground up, especially when it’s something that I truly believe in. I bought a fitness franchise 5 years ago and opened a few locations and sold that business in 2021. I bought the Dogdrop franchise a year ago and am looking forward to opening a few locations over the next few years, with the first opening very soon at 9th & CO. Bringing a new brand/concept to Denver and watching it grow and become a staple in a local community brings me joy. I also love that being a small business owner allows me to be a full-time mom and still have a meaningful and fulfilling job.
How can the Chamber help you? I would love to get the word out to as many dog-loving humans as I can about our business. I hope the members of the Chamber will try out our amazing services and help spread awareness of our opening in June. I look forward to hosing events in our space, collaborating with other awesome businesses of Cherry Creek to helps us all grow, and share learnings with fellow business owners.
