What makes Caroline Lavigne with WNC Pet Care a good neighbor?
Ever wondered what it takes to transform a passion for animals into a successful business? Caroline Lavigne takes us behind the scenes of WNC Pet Care, her professional pet sitting and dog walking company serving Asheville and surrounding areas. What started as a side gig has blossomed into a thriving business with nearly 600 clients and over 9,500 pet visits completed last year.
Caroline's journey is fascinating – from working as a veterinary nurse across Canada and the United States to building her woman-led local business from scratch. She dispels common misconceptions about pet sitting, revealing it's far more than just playing with cute animals. With a team of 12-15 CPR-certified professionals (many with veterinary backgrounds), WNC Pet Care specializes in medication administration and personalized care that treats your pets like family members.
The conversation takes a powerful turn when Caroline opens up about overcoming significant challenges. While building her business without investors or loans, she drove for Uber and Lyft, logging nearly 40,000 miles annually to make ends meet. She also bravely shares her experience living with long COVID for the past two years, discussing how she's managed to continue growing her business despite physical limitations. Her story is a testament to resilience and adaptation.
Whether you're a pet owner looking for reliable care, an animal lover, or an entrepreneur facing obstacles, Caroline's insights will inspire you. Passionate about fostering animals and helping reunite lost pets with their owners, she embodies what it means to be a good neighbor in the pet community. Ready to learn more about professional pet care or connect with Caroline's services? Visit wncpetcare.com or find them on social media to ensure your furry family members receive the quality care they deserve.
To learn more about WNC Pet Care go to:
WNC Pet Care
828-333-2992
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of the Tri-Cities inWestern North Carolina.
So I've got a very specialguest in the studio today.
So I'm really excited to learnall about them and what they do.
And if you're a pet lover, Ithink you'll be just as excited
as I am, because today I havethe pleasure of introducing your
good neighbor, miss CarolineLevine, who is the owner
(00:32):
operator of WNC Pet Care.
Caroline, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Thank you, skip.
I'm very happy to be a part ofthis show as well, and hello to
all pet owners and also my petclients.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
All right, all right.
Well, I'm sure they're thrilledto see you today, as well, as
all the folks that don't knowabout you are going to be just
as excited to learn about you.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
about your business?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Absolutely so.
Wnc Pet Care is a locally ownedand woman led professional pet
sitting and dog walking businessserving Asheville and
surrounding areas.
We offer personalized servicesthrough a team of like 12 to 15,
depending on the time of theyear Trained professionals who
(01:22):
are all pet CPR and first aidcertified, for our client's
peace of mind.
Many of us also have aveterinary background, so we're
equipped to handle medication,including insulin and
administrating pills or eyedrops and anything like that.
We even have three team memberswho offer overnight stays in
(01:48):
clients' home, depending on ouravailability, and that really
provides a big peace of mind forour clients while they're away.
Something else that's importantto know is that everyone in our
team is insured, bonded and,through my business, and also
(02:08):
part of a professionalorganization such as Asheville
Area Pet Sitter Association.
If you haven't heard of it,it's amazing.
It helps pet parents connectwith trustworthy and reliable
pet care.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Pet care, a pet sitting association is that what
you said?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Yes, asheville Area Pet Sitters Association.
It's amazing, everyone isbonded and insured.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
That's crazy.
Wow, that's in Asheville.
That's a lot of professionalpet sitters.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
There are, you would be surprised.
I think that you know.
I don't know many people whodon't have pets in Asheville.
It's definitely a pet lovercommunity.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Absolutely.
Well, Caroline, why don't youtell us how did you get into the
pet sitting business?
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was born in Montreal, quebec get into the
pet setting business.
Absolutely.
I was born in Montreal, quebec,so I'm French-Canadian and I've
always gravitated towardsanimals really.
So whether I was working in petshops or a holistic pet food
store, I've always been aroundanimals, and when I was younger
I thought like, oh, I'll start abusiness of a pet hotel where
(03:28):
all animals will be in luxuriousrooms while their owners are
out of town.
So I've always had ideas aboutwhat I wanted to do career wise,
but it always involved animals.
And so, while earning my biologydegree, I became a veterinary
technician and I instantly fellin love with this field.
(03:51):
So over the next 14 years Iworked as a, as a vet tech or
now it's called veterinary nursein veterinary clinics, zoos,
hospitals across Canada and alsothe United States, and I worked
in a fabulous humane society inColorado, but I had to move
(04:14):
because of the rising cost.
It's quite expensive in Boulder.
So I moved to North Carolina,fell in love with the mountains,
and then I briefly worked atBrother Wolf Animal Rescue as a
veterinary manager's assistant,but it wasn't really the right
fit for me, and so, with the newmove and the experience that I
(04:36):
had just encountered it reallygave me the push that I needed
to start my own company, and soI was already doing a lot of pet
sitting as a side gig, becauseI never get enough of animals, I
just love animals so much, andso I decided you know what I'm
(04:57):
going to start my own company.
So, like I said at first, Idefinitely focused on providing
specialized income in home carefor pets with medical needs,
things like offeringsubcutaneous fluid
administration for cats withkidney disease.
All kinds turtles, fish, dogs,cats, you name it.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
What are some myths or misconceptions in the pet
sitting industry?
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah.
So you know, this one is prettyobvious.
But one common misconception isthat pet sitting is just, it's
easy, it's about playing withanimals, it's about petting them
, just, you know, going on astroll in the neighborhood.
But really, in reality it'squite a big responsibility.
(06:01):
It's a serious and professionalservice, and people understand
that now.
But you know, if you thinkabout 20, 30 years ago, I don't
believe that animals had thesame space in our hearts and in
our family as they do now, orfor most anyway.
(06:22):
So now, dogs, cats, they'rereally part of our family and
they're very important, and sohiring people who have
professional expertise is veryimportant.
Professional expertise is veryimportant.
Something else that peoplemight not think about is that
every pet is distinct, and so wetake care of dogs who like to
(06:47):
chase cars, and so we have to bealways ready if there's a car
that comes back, so that the dogdoesn't try to bite the tire,
for example.
Something else would be thatsome, some animals have health
or behavior issues that need tobe assessed and addressed, and
so our staff is trained for that.
(07:09):
Nobody wants to know that, ifyou come home from vacation,
that your pet sitter left thedoor unlocked or that your dog
had an injury that was notaddressed.
So we are professional in thatway.
So definitely, pet sitting, dogwalking, it's not just a side
(07:30):
gig, it's a profession.
Now, you know, pets are family,so and I would like to share a
little story of my own.
So of course, you know, beingin this field for so long, I've
heard a lot of horror stories.
I had a horror story myself.
So when I started my business,I didn't have enough staff yet
(07:54):
to hire one of my own for my ownpets while I went on vacation,
and so I went on a rover, hiredsomeone who had a master's
degree and thought you know,okay, she sounds responsible.
We did a meet and greet.
She had five stars rating.
Well, that day I came home andmy dog was missing.
(08:16):
I called her and she said thatshe wasn't feeling well that day
.
So she went back home and sheleft the door open, probably
accidentally.
But yeah, my dog ran away,probably looking for me, and
someone picked her up.
Thankfully she was okay.
But I mean, this can happenreally to anyone.
You know our team is trained,we all have the knowledge and
(08:42):
expertise to not let anythinghappen to our fur family.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Oh, my gosh, what a nightmare.
Yeah, you definitely don't wantthat happening.
Who are your target customers?
I guess you know obviouslyanybody that has pets.
But and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
So busy professionals , people who work long hours.
We have a lot of clients whowork in the in the health field,
so admission hospital or nurses, even traveling nurses,
families who are very busy whojust don't have the time,
(09:20):
retirees and also frequenttravelers, because we take care
of any animals while they're outof town and we also offer
overnight house sitting.
Whether it's visits or housesitting, we can definitely help
while they're out of town.
So, of course, our targetcustomers are most likely people
(09:42):
who treat their pets likefamily members, provide
top-notch care, and our clientsknow that so they will contact
us when they really want someonewho will take care of their
pets as their own.
So most clients we find themthrough referrals from
veterinarians, groomers.
(10:04):
Also, we do some marketing alot on social media.
Gracie is our social mediamanager.
She's the one who posts a lotof pictures on social media.
Everybody adores her.
Also, of course, word of mouth,since we have almost 600
clients and I looked this upjust a few minutes before the
(10:26):
interview, but we completed9,500 visits last year.
So we're definitely a bigbusiness and word of mouth is
definitely something big.
And we have a referral program.
So we offer free walks or freepet sitting service when they
refer us to someone else.
And of course you know online,google the Asheville Area Pet
(10:52):
Sitters Association dot com.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
So outside of work, Caroline, what do you like to do
for fun?
Speaker 3 (10:58):
A lot of the things that I like to do.
My passions are around natureanimals.
I mean, I do have a biologydegree.
I've worked around animals myentire life, um, so I would say
that you know where you'll findme hiking, camping, doing a trip
at the beach, observing birdsin nature, petting dogs, other
(11:22):
people's dogs I never haveenough of pets.
I'm just, you know, the firstthing that I would do, that I do
in public when I see a cute dogis asking if I can pet them.
So I just get never enough ofpetting dogs.
I also spend some timefostering animals.
So I'm fostering a dog rightnow.
(11:45):
Her name is Squid.
She's amazing.
I've fostered a lot of puppies,kittens.
There's an association that Ireally, really love, not an
association, but a nonprofit.
They're called sister kitten,and I worked with the owner, uh,
at brother wolf, and I knowthat he, you know he dedicated
(12:05):
his entire life to saving cats,um, and there's nobody I respect
more out there, uh, than Eriche, um, he really does a
wonderful job and he has savedthousands and thousands of lives
, even dogs, especially duringthe hurricane, of course.
So you know, props to what hedoes.
(12:28):
Yeah, to be honest with you, Ialso spend some time on social
media trying to help reunitelost pets with their owners.
I have a lot of contacts so ithelps me.
It helps me just have a widerange of resources so I can help
(12:48):
really try to find and giveadvice to people if they find a
pet what to do and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Awesome, awesome.
That's wonderful of you, wow,very cool.
So let's switch gears.
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge that you've
overcome and how it made youstronger in the end, either
professionally or personally?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, absolutely.
So, to be honest with you,there are two challenges I
wanted to talk about.
So the first one is prettyobvious.
So, for anyone out there whohas started a business from
scratch, especially in a newcity, started a business from
scratch, especially in a newcity, they know how hard it is.
So I didn't have any you knowpeople helping me with
(13:39):
investment.
I didn't have a bank loan, Ididn't know anyone, and so I
really started from scratch andwith the limited resources I was
able to build my business up.
But it took me some time and inbetween, you know, until I was
able to really bring myclientele to a sustainable level
(14:00):
, I had to drive for Uber andLyft a lot, and so at one point
I was driving almost 40 000miles a year.
Yeah, done, um, but you know Idefinitely now I'm an extremely
good driver, first of all,that's good yeah, but also, uh,
(14:23):
it definitely, definitely mademe incredibly.
It taught me a lot as a personand I would be able to build a
clientele all over again, but alot quicker and more efficiently
.
Now, knowing you know what thetrial and error taught me, I
(14:43):
have another challenge that Iwanted to talk about.
I definitely debated whether ornot to share this, but I
believe strongly in raisingawareness and I hope that by
sharing this, I can help reducesome stigma and also help some
people out there who may beexperiencing something similar.
(15:03):
I've been living with longCOVID for the past two years.
It's definitely a complexcondition that affects a lot
more people than we would think,and something important to know
is that it is not contagiousand also people can live a full
(15:36):
productive life, be completelynormal and even manage a
business with a dozen employees,with the right management,
pacing and treatment, of course.
So you know, despite thechallenges of long COVID, I'm
able to continue to run and growmy business successfully.
In fact, wnc Petcare has growneach year, whether it was 5% or
20%.
Every year.
We're continuing to grow andwe're also voted by the public.
(16:01):
We won several awards.
I've become even more focused,intentional and empathetic as a
boss, as a leader in my team,because of the experience that
long COVID has taught me andwhat it entails For those who
wonder.
(16:22):
So the symptoms of long COVID,if you guys are interested, they
vary a lot from one person toanother.
Some of the most commonsymptoms they include fatigue,
shortness of breath, muscleweakness, so having difficulty
even walking up the stairs.
(16:42):
Joint pain, dizziness likevertigo.
Joint pain dizziness likevertigo, heart palpitation,
exercise intolerance, obviouslythe brain fog that everybody
talks about.
And there's a lot more symptomsout there, and it also varies
(17:03):
from one person to the other.
But what makes it especiallychallenging is that,
unfortunately, it's so new thata lot of doctors don't really
know about it.
They don't understand it verywell, and so it's misdiagnosed
and a lot of people live with itwithout knowing what they have,
(17:24):
and so there are resources outthere.
But, um, you know, if you haveseveral of the symptoms um that
I mentioned uh just now, Idefinitely uh recommend looking
it up a little bit more on theinternet and maybe uh asking
your, your doctor uh to do some,some, some more tests.
(17:46):
But um, something else that'sreally, really hard is that you
can't really test for it.
There's not a test that willtell you oh, you have long COVID
.
It's more of a uh elimination,uh diagnostic.
So I wouldn't say that it isfully treatable.
I wouldn't say that I have,that I am cured, that I don't
(18:07):
have long COVID anymore.
That is not it.
It is still very new.
But what I can say is that itis fully manageable.
I'm able to be here today, Imanage my business and I go on
hikes, I'm able to go camping,to travel, but before I was
(18:32):
diagnosed with long COVID, I wastraining for a marathon and so
that is not something that I cando anymore.
And you know my running life isprobably behind me, but there
are so many other things in lifethat I can enjoy and discover,
(18:54):
so definitely there's hope outthere.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Absolutely, and it'll save your joints too.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Absolutely, absolutely Well, good to know.
Thank you for sharing that mypleasure.
Absolutely, absolutely Well,good to know.
Thank you for sharing that mypleasure.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
So, caroline, if you could think of one thing that
you'd like our listeners toremember about WNC Pet Care,
what would that be?
A company that supports ourclients and our team, as well as
our pets and our clients' pets.
We take care of one anotherjust like family, and we don't
(19:39):
see the pets that we take careof as pet clients.
We really see them as part of afamily and we grow with them.
We see them growing andbecoming who they are, from
puppies to elderly dogs or cats,and you know, whether someone
has a sick pet, a new baby, anaging dog, we're always here to
(20:03):
help.
We're not here to just check abox and, you know, finish our
job as quickly as possible.
We want the pets that are underour care to feel good, to have
a good time, to not miss theirowners too much, and we want our
(20:24):
clients to have a real peace ofmind while they're out of town.
So that's what we are able tooffer, and we also make sure
that the services that we offerare tailored to our pets' needs
so that you know their stresslevels are minimized when their
owners are not home.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Very good, good thing to remember Quality care.
Quality care, absolutely.
Quality care, that's Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Quality care.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
That's right.
That's right.
Well, caroline, how, if anyonein the region is interested and
thinking about going on vacationthis summer and needs some help
, how can they learn more aboutWNC Pet Care?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
absolutely so.
Uh, we can be uh reacheddirectly on our website,
wwwwncpetcarecom.
Uh, you'll find details aboutour services, our rates and also
how to get started.
So, um, if you click on booknow, you can select new clients
(21:24):
and then it'll prompt you to uhenter your enter your info and
someone will get in touch withyou so that we can learn more
about your pet care needs.
You can also find us on socialmedia, so we have an Instagram
and a Facebook page so someonecan get in touch with us right
(21:45):
on there.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Very good, very good.
Well, caroline, it's beenfascinating.
I really appreciate you takingtime out of your busy schedule
to spend some time with me andwith our listeners to tell us
all about what you do, and weappreciate that and appreciate
what you do in the pet community.
I think that means a lot topeople and wish you and your
pets and your business all thebest moving forward.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Thank you so much.
It was such a pleasure beingpart of this interview.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Well, we appreciate you and maybe we can have you
back sometime.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
It would be wonderful , very nice, to meet you.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Very nice to meet you .
Thanks so much, Caroline.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.
Thank you.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of the Tri-Cities inWestern North Carolina.
So I've got a very specialguest in the studio today.
So I'm really excited to learnall about them and what they do.
And if you're a pet lover, Ithink you'll be just as excited
as I am, because today I havethe pleasure of introducing your
good neighbor, miss CarolineLevine, who is the owner
(00:32):
operator of WNC Pet Care.
Caroline, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Thank you, skip.
I'm very happy to be a part ofthis show as well, and hello to
all pet owners and also my petclients.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
All right, all right.
Well, I'm sure they're thrilledto see you today, as well, as
all the folks that don't knowabout you are going to be just
as excited to learn about you.
So if you don't mind, why don'tyou kick us off by telling us
about your business?
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Absolutely so.
Wnc Pet Care is a locally ownedand woman led professional pet
sitting and dog walking businessserving Asheville and
surrounding areas.
We offer personalized servicesthrough a team of like 12 to 15,
depending on the time of theyear Trained professionals who
(01:22):
are all pet CPR and first aidcertified, for our client's
peace of mind.
Many of us also have aveterinary background, so we're
equipped to handle medication,including insulin and
administrating pills or eyedrops and anything like that.
We even have three team memberswho offer overnight stays in
(01:48):
clients' home, depending on ouravailability, and that really
provides a big peace of mind forour clients while they're away.
Something else that's importantto know is that everyone in our
team is insured, bonded and,through my business, and also
(02:08):
part of a professionalorganization such as Asheville
Area Pet Sitter Association.
If you haven't heard of it,it's amazing.
It helps pet parents connectwith trustworthy and reliable
pet care.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Pet care, a pet sitting association is that what
you said?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Yes, asheville Area Pet Sitters Association.
It's amazing, everyone isbonded and insured.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
That's crazy.
Wow, that's in Asheville.
That's a lot of professionalpet sitters.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
There are, you would be surprised.
I think that you know.
I don't know many people whodon't have pets in Asheville.
It's definitely a pet lovercommunity.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Absolutely.
Well, Caroline, why don't youtell us how did you get into the
pet sitting business?
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I was born in Montreal, quebec get into the
pet setting business.
Absolutely.
I was born in Montreal, quebec,so I'm French-Canadian and I've
always gravitated towardsanimals really.
So whether I was working in petshops or a holistic pet food
store, I've always been aroundanimals, and when I was younger
I thought like, oh, I'll start abusiness of a pet hotel where
(03:28):
all animals will be in luxuriousrooms while their owners are
out of town.
So I've always had ideas aboutwhat I wanted to do career wise,
but it always involved animals.
And so, while earning my biologydegree, I became a veterinary
technician and I instantly fellin love with this field.
(03:51):
So over the next 14 years Iworked as a, as a vet tech or
now it's called veterinary nursein veterinary clinics, zoos,
hospitals across Canada and alsothe United States, and I worked
in a fabulous humane society inColorado, but I had to move
(04:14):
because of the rising cost.
It's quite expensive in Boulder.
So I moved to North Carolina,fell in love with the mountains,
and then I briefly worked atBrother Wolf Animal Rescue as a
veterinary manager's assistant,but it wasn't really the right
fit for me, and so, with the newmove and the experience that I
(04:36):
had just encountered it reallygave me the push that I needed
to start my own company, and soI was already doing a lot of pet
sitting as a side gig, becauseI never get enough of animals, I
just love animals so much, andso I decided you know what I'm
(04:57):
going to start my own company.
So, like I said at first, Idefinitely focused on providing
specialized income in home carefor pets with medical needs,
things like offeringsubcutaneous fluid
administration for cats withkidney disease.
All kinds turtles, fish, dogs,cats, you name it.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
What are some myths or misconceptions in the pet
sitting industry?
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yeah.
So you know, this one is prettyobvious.
But one common misconception isthat pet sitting is just, it's
easy, it's about playing withanimals, it's about petting them
, just, you know, going on astroll in the neighborhood.
But really, in reality it'squite a big responsibility.
(06:01):
It's a serious and professionalservice, and people understand
that now.
But you know, if you thinkabout 20, 30 years ago, I don't
believe that animals had thesame space in our hearts and in
our family as they do now, orfor most anyway.
(06:22):
So now, dogs, cats, they'rereally part of our family and
they're very important, and sohiring people who have
professional expertise is veryimportant.
Professional expertise is veryimportant.
Something else that peoplemight not think about is that
every pet is distinct, and so wetake care of dogs who like to
(06:47):
chase cars, and so we have to bealways ready if there's a car
that comes back, so that the dogdoesn't try to bite the tire,
for example.
Something else would be thatsome, some animals have health
or behavior issues that need tobe assessed and addressed, and
so our staff is trained for that.
(07:09):
Nobody wants to know that, ifyou come home from vacation,
that your pet sitter left thedoor unlocked or that your dog
had an injury that was notaddressed.
So we are professional in thatway.
So definitely, pet sitting, dogwalking, it's not just a side
(07:30):
gig, it's a profession.
Now, you know, pets are family,so and I would like to share a
little story of my own.
So of course, you know, beingin this field for so long, I've
heard a lot of horror stories.
I had a horror story myself.
So when I started my business,I didn't have enough staff yet
(07:54):
to hire one of my own for my ownpets while I went on vacation,
and so I went on a rover, hiredsomeone who had a master's
degree and thought you know,okay, she sounds responsible.
We did a meet and greet.
She had five stars rating.
Well, that day I came home andmy dog was missing.
(08:16):
I called her and she said thatshe wasn't feeling well that day
.
So she went back home and sheleft the door open, probably
accidentally.
But yeah, my dog ran away,probably looking for me, and
someone picked her up.
Thankfully she was okay.
But I mean, this can happenreally to anyone.
You know our team is trained,we all have the knowledge and
(08:42):
expertise to not let anythinghappen to our fur family.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Oh, my gosh, what a nightmare.
Yeah, you definitely don't wantthat happening.
Who are your target customers?
I guess you know obviouslyanybody that has pets.
But and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
So busy professionals , people who work long hours.
We have a lot of clients whowork in the in the health field,
so admission hospital or nurses, even traveling nurses,
families who are very busy whojust don't have the time,
(09:20):
retirees and also frequenttravelers, because we take care
of any animals while they're outof town and we also offer
overnight house sitting.
Whether it's visits or housesitting, we can definitely help
while they're out of town.
So, of course, our targetcustomers are most likely people
(09:42):
who treat their pets likefamily members, provide
top-notch care, and our clientsknow that so they will contact
us when they really want someonewho will take care of their
pets as their own.
So most clients we find themthrough referrals from
veterinarians, groomers.
(10:04):
Also, we do some marketing alot on social media.
Gracie is our social mediamanager.
She's the one who posts a lotof pictures on social media.
Everybody adores her.
Also, of course, word of mouth,since we have almost 600
clients and I looked this upjust a few minutes before the
(10:26):
interview, but we completed9,500 visits last year.
So we're definitely a bigbusiness and word of mouth is
definitely something big.
And we have a referral program.
So we offer free walks or freepet sitting service when they
refer us to someone else.
And of course you know online,google the Asheville Area Pet
(10:52):
Sitters Association dot com.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
So outside of work, Caroline, what do you like to do
for fun?
Speaker 3 (10:58):
A lot of the things that I like to do.
My passions are around natureanimals.
I mean, I do have a biologydegree.
I've worked around animals myentire life, um, so I would say
that you know where you'll findme hiking, camping, doing a trip
at the beach, observing birdsin nature, petting dogs, other
(11:22):
people's dogs I never haveenough of pets.
I'm just, you know, the firstthing that I would do, that I do
in public when I see a cute dogis asking if I can pet them.
So I just get never enough ofpetting dogs.
I also spend some timefostering animals.
So I'm fostering a dog rightnow.
(11:45):
Her name is Squid.
She's amazing.
I've fostered a lot of puppies,kittens.
There's an association that Ireally, really love, not an
association, but a nonprofit.
They're called sister kitten,and I worked with the owner, uh,
at brother wolf, and I knowthat he, you know he dedicated
(12:05):
his entire life to saving cats,um, and there's nobody I respect
more out there, uh, than Eriche, um, he really does a
wonderful job and he has savedthousands and thousands of lives
, even dogs, especially duringthe hurricane, of course.
So you know, props to what hedoes.
(12:28):
Yeah, to be honest with you, Ialso spend some time on social
media trying to help reunitelost pets with their owners.
I have a lot of contacts so ithelps me.
It helps me just have a widerange of resources so I can help
(12:48):
really try to find and giveadvice to people if they find a
pet what to do and whatnot.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Awesome, awesome.
That's wonderful of you, wow,very cool.
So let's switch gears.
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge that you've
overcome and how it made youstronger in the end, either
professionally or personally?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Yeah, absolutely.
So, to be honest with you,there are two challenges I
wanted to talk about.
So the first one is prettyobvious.
So, for anyone out there whohas started a business from
scratch, especially in a newcity, started a business from
scratch, especially in a newcity, they know how hard it is.
So I didn't have any you knowpeople helping me with
(13:39):
investment.
I didn't have a bank loan, Ididn't know anyone, and so I
really started from scratch andwith the limited resources I was
able to build my business up.
But it took me some time and inbetween, you know, until I was
able to really bring myclientele to a sustainable level
(14:00):
, I had to drive for Uber andLyft a lot, and so at one point
I was driving almost 40 000miles a year.
Yeah, done, um, but you know Idefinitely now I'm an extremely
good driver, first of all,that's good yeah, but also, uh,
(14:23):
it definitely, definitely mademe incredibly.
It taught me a lot as a personand I would be able to build a
clientele all over again, but alot quicker and more efficiently
.
Now, knowing you know what thetrial and error taught me, I
(14:43):
have another challenge that Iwanted to talk about.
I definitely debated whether ornot to share this, but I
believe strongly in raisingawareness and I hope that by
sharing this, I can help reducesome stigma and also help some
people out there who may beexperiencing something similar.
(15:03):
I've been living with longCOVID for the past two years.
It's definitely a complexcondition that affects a lot
more people than we would think,and something important to know
is that it is not contagiousand also people can live a full
(15:36):
productive life, be completelynormal and even manage a
business with a dozen employees,with the right management,
pacing and treatment, of course.
So you know, despite thechallenges of long COVID, I'm
able to continue to run and growmy business successfully.
In fact, wnc Petcare has growneach year, whether it was 5% or
20%.
Every year.
We're continuing to grow andwe're also voted by the public.
(16:01):
We won several awards.
I've become even more focused,intentional and empathetic as a
boss, as a leader in my team,because of the experience that
long COVID has taught me andwhat it entails For those who
wonder.
(16:22):
So the symptoms of long COVID,if you guys are interested, they
vary a lot from one person toanother.
Some of the most commonsymptoms they include fatigue,
shortness of breath, muscleweakness, so having difficulty
even walking up the stairs.
(16:42):
Joint pain, dizziness likevertigo.
Joint pain dizziness likevertigo, heart palpitation,
exercise intolerance, obviouslythe brain fog that everybody
talks about.
And there's a lot more symptomsout there, and it also varies
(17:03):
from one person to the other.
But what makes it especiallychallenging is that,
unfortunately, it's so new thata lot of doctors don't really
know about it.
They don't understand it verywell, and so it's misdiagnosed
and a lot of people live with itwithout knowing what they have,
(17:24):
and so there are resources outthere.
But, um, you know, if you haveseveral of the symptoms um that
I mentioned uh just now, Idefinitely uh recommend looking
it up a little bit more on theinternet and maybe uh asking
your, your doctor uh to do some,some, some more tests.
(17:46):
But um, something else that'sreally, really hard is that you
can't really test for it.
There's not a test that willtell you oh, you have long COVID
.
It's more of a uh elimination,uh diagnostic.
So I wouldn't say that it isfully treatable.
I wouldn't say that I have,that I am cured, that I don't
(18:07):
have long COVID anymore.
That is not it.
It is still very new.
But what I can say is that itis fully manageable.
I'm able to be here today, Imanage my business and I go on
hikes, I'm able to go camping,to travel, but before I was
(18:32):
diagnosed with long COVID, I wastraining for a marathon and so
that is not something that I cando anymore.
And you know my running life isprobably behind me, but there
are so many other things in lifethat I can enjoy and discover,
(18:54):
so definitely there's hope outthere.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Absolutely, and it'll save your joints too.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Absolutely, absolutely Well, good to know.
Thank you for sharing that mypleasure.
Absolutely, absolutely Well,good to know.
Thank you for sharing that mypleasure.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
So, caroline, if you could think of one thing that
you'd like our listeners toremember about WNC Pet Care,
what would that be?
A company that supports ourclients and our team, as well as
our pets and our clients' pets.
We take care of one anotherjust like family, and we don't
(19:39):
see the pets that we take careof as pet clients.
We really see them as part of afamily and we grow with them.
We see them growing andbecoming who they are, from
puppies to elderly dogs or cats,and you know, whether someone
has a sick pet, a new baby, anaging dog, we're always here to
(20:03):
help.
We're not here to just check abox and, you know, finish our
job as quickly as possible.
We want the pets that are underour care to feel good, to have
a good time, to not miss theirowners too much, and we want our
(20:24):
clients to have a real peace ofmind while they're out of town.
So that's what we are able tooffer, and we also make sure
that the services that we offerare tailored to our pets' needs
so that you know their stresslevels are minimized when their
owners are not home.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Very good, good thing to remember Quality care.
Quality care, absolutely.
Quality care, that's Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Quality care.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
That's right.
That's right.
Well, caroline, how, if anyonein the region is interested and
thinking about going on vacationthis summer and needs some help
, how can they learn more aboutWNC Pet Care?
Speaker 3 (21:04):
absolutely so.
Uh, we can be uh reacheddirectly on our website,
wwwwncpetcarecom.
Uh, you'll find details aboutour services, our rates and also
how to get started.
So, um, if you click on booknow, you can select new clients
(21:24):
and then it'll prompt you to uhenter your enter your info and
someone will get in touch withyou so that we can learn more
about your pet care needs.
You can also find us on socialmedia, so we have an Instagram
and a Facebook page so someonecan get in touch with us right
(21:45):
on there.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Very good, very good.
Well, caroline, it's beenfascinating.
I really appreciate you takingtime out of your busy schedule
to spend some time with me andwith our listeners to tell us
all about what you do, and weappreciate that and appreciate
what you do in the pet community.
I think that means a lot topeople and wish you and your
pets and your business all thebest moving forward.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Thank you so much.
It was such a pleasure beingpart of this interview.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Well, we appreciate you and maybe we can have you
back sometime.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
It would be wonderful , very nice, to meet you.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Very nice to meet you .
Thanks so much, Caroline.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnptry-citiescom.
That's gnptry-citiescom, orcall 423-719-5873.
Thank you.
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