Dog’s Next Best Friend is an in-home pet care company. The owner, Liz Clawson, started running dogs in Michigan four years ago, looking for an early morning running buddy for safety purposes. When she moved out to Breckenridge, CO, in 2007, she continued offering dog walking, running, and pet-sitting services. Due to the increasing demand for in-home pet care in Summit County, Liz established an LLC and hired contract workers to fill in when she was already booked.
Liz learned about the Small Business Development Center at Colorado Mountain College through one of her contract workers. Seeking to turn her little “side job” into a “professional and successful entrepreneurship,” she met with SBDC consultants for several free business counseling sessions. Their wealth of business knowledge was evident to her in their first meeting. They helped guide her through establishing an LLC, writing a business plan, and choosing a name for her company. The consultants gave her positive reinforcement for the things she was already doing and challenged her to think BIG about the potential for her company. Even though she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, she did not know the basic steps to establishing her own company. The SBDC helped her with the logistical side of starting her pet-sitting business. Her love for dogs and exercise make her…”Dog’s Next Best Friend!”
