Pet Product News Editorial Blog:
Friday, July 31, 2009
Running a Pet Boutique "Lean and Clean"
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This week, I had the pleasure of talking with a gentleman—John Paul DeJoria—who runs a company with retail sales approaching 
$900 million a year. This is not my usual conversation as the editor of Pet Style News, as so many of the pet boutique owners and pet product manufacturers we write for and cover are classic mom-and-pop operations either just barely getting by or enjoying a little bit of modest success. The pet boutique industry has its fair share of big companies too, but to my knowledge I haven’t spoken to anyone else enjoying that level of success.
You’ll read more about this interview in our October/November issue, but there’s one piece of it I simply must share right away.
According to DeJoria, after about one or two years in business, practically every businessperson runs into a road block where things seem like they might be on a downward trend. To him, this is a pivotal moment where you can do the right thing or fail.
Think about the way you did business when you first started, he said. Think about how you ran it “lean and clean.” In the beginning, maybe you put flyers on cars to advertise your pet boutique. Maybe you didn’t have any staff and did all the work yourself. If you need to take a step back to that “lean and clean” level, do it to save your business. It might just be the key to the growth and success you’ve wanted.
This is great advice, I think, for small business owners who maybe experienced some growth a few years ago but are struggling now. Be on the lookout for things that you once considered luxuries that you now feel are essential. Weigh how much they really mean to you and your business and if in reality they are still luxuries, let them go for now. Above all else, never lose that go-getter attitude you had when you first opened your shop.
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Running a Pet Boutique "Lean and Clean"
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