Putting Your Passion into Your Start Up

Anyone who knows us knows how passionate we are about animal rescue. From our first cat off the street at the age of 6, to our recent work with a number of rescue groups such as Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel rescue, we've fostered and adopted over 30 seniors and special needs dogs in the last 15 years, and the number of pets in need in shelters and rescue groups seems to show no signs of slowing down.

So it will probably come as no surprise to anyone, though it has to us, somewhat, that we have just launched our start up of pet-themed jewelry, with a range of designs related to the pets we love.

We've been in business online since 1994, but for some strange reason, never focused on our pets, even though pet-related products are now a $72 billion industry in the USA alone.  I guess we thought it was too much fun and it did not feel like work, but our 2 recent rescues changed all that.

Leo and Melany are both blind, and have special needs that include a lot of expensive eye drops several times a day, and trips to the vet for follow up care. It is a significant ongoing commitment in terms of both time and money, so we began to talk about the best way to fundraise for these two. The exclusive jewelry designs, based on photos of our beloved furbabies, just seemed to emerge all by themselves.

In our line, we have two cocker spaniel themed items, of course, but we have also included other breeds that we have owned, or known and loved. But even more exciting, we feel, is our Rainbow Bridge line, to commemorate all of the pets we loved but have lost.

Surgery and chemo could not save our adored dog Peppy, or our senior rescue Brandy. Even with pet insurance, the treatment protocols added up to thousands of dollars. If you do not already have pet insurance, remember that any form of insurance is important to help protect against unfortunate surprises in life, and vet's bills can add up quickly for even a simple health issue if you are not insured.

The timing for launching our new line could not have been better, or worse, because we also just lost our mother to cancer unexpectedly, and had to deal with all sorts of medical and funeral expenses out of the blue. Not to mention all the paperwork involved when a person passes-who knew?! 

We also had a cat, Frankie, with end stage renal disease, who we had to give fluids to every day, til cancer suddenly took him as well. It was yet another sudden tragedy that left us reeling at all that had to be done, and how much everything cost. Even more bizarre, it highlighted for us how much of a shortage of saline there is in the USA, with us running around desperately trying to find IV bags for the cat when even the vet could not get any because it was on back order for weeks.  

Even worse, one of our team then ended up in the hospital needing emergency surgery. Yet thanks to the automated nature of an efficient online business, with email marketing autoresponders and schedulers for social media marketing, nothing got missed out on or skimped upon. That is the beauty of an online start up-one that can go to work earning for you 24/7/365, even when you are away from the computer.

During all these dark days, the chance to work on something fun that we were passionate about definitely helped get us through in one piece, and emerge even stronger than before. It taught us that there is no one right time to start a business, but also, that if you are passionate about it, you are capable of a lot more than you might think yourself to be.

It also then seemed a natural extension to aim our first marketing campaign for the Mother's Day holiday in the USA. We were too late for Mothering Sunday in the UK, which takes place in March, but all orders in by 4/22 for these limited edition designs in runs of 10 to 25 high quality pieces will arrive in time for Mother's Day delivery in the USA. We also created the coupon code doggie10 for buyers to use at the checkout by 4/22 to get $10 off any purchase. 

Our Mom didn't live long enough to see the designs, but we know she would have been as passionate and excited about them as we are. She was in her 70s, but loved the computer and was nothing if not entrepreneurial, helping us run our businesses because she could see the potential for growth and success.

We have also created an affiliate program for this line of jewelry, so that anyone who feels as passionate about pets as we are can start their own business easily and use the profits to care for their animals, as we do, or to just improve the quality of their lives through running their own business. In addition to the extra income, running your own start up teaches you, or refines, exactly the kinds of skills that can help you succeed in almost any job.

Not every task will be fun and exciting, but there is nothing quite like the thrill of working on something you really believe in. As the great marketer Zig Ziglar once said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." We can extend that now to "You can help anyone or any pet in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Please visit us at our new jewelry store to see the designs, and/or check out the link at the bottom of the page for instructions on how to become an affiliate and earn commission on every piece you sell. Discover for yourself how putting your passion to work in your start up can pay off. And how times might be tough, but putting off starting your business leaves you older but no wiser.  Leo and Melany and all of our rescue pets thank you, and wish you the best of success in finding your passion and putting it to work as you start your own business.

About the Author: Joan Mullally is the author of more than 70 small business and marketing titles designed to help new business owners gain the skills they need to succeed online.