Small Business Saturday: Mom Jessica
Meet our latest Small Business Saturday Mom, Jessica Walsh, from Rockland County. She owns Paws on Main of Nyack which offers professional pet grooming, food & supplies. Jessica is a mom of a first grader, Ivy.
When did you start your business? I started my business a year ago in March of 2014. It was opened in 1999 by the previous owner. I worked for her part time for many years and when she decided to sell the business, I bought and renamed it Paws on Main!
How did the idea come about? I have been grooming for over a decade and couldn’t think of anything I’d love more than to have my own grooming shop.
What is special about your business? My business is special because I offer one-on-one attention to all my client’s pets. Many grooming shops and pet “mega” stores opt for quantity over quality and that is something I don’t do. I take dogs in by appointment throughout the day and treat them as if they are my own. I use high quality shampoos and conditioners and do every pet by hand, never in a cage. I also sell high quality pet food that you can’t find at chain stores.
How do you manage having your own business and motherhood? It’s hard, I have to say. Sometimes I don’t know how I manage but I try to just take it day by day and do the best I can.
Walk us through a typical day: A typical day for us is waking up, having breakfast, getting ready for work/school. I bring my daughter to school, walk my personal dogs, feed them and head up to my shop. I spend most of the morning into the afternoon grooming pets and then I have an hour or two of downtime where I get to enjoy a cup of coffee finally and sit at my desk (Still working though, I sell retail). Then I close up shop around 5:30pm and start my commute home. I pick up my daughter from her after school program and then we go home, do homework, make dinner, have bath time, read stories and go to sleep so we can do it all over again!
If you had to give one piece of advice to a mom wanting to start her own business what would it be? Make sure you start with capitol! It’s a tough market out there. Especially in sales. But I guess the most important piece of advice would be, don’t give up even when things seem impossible.
Want to check out Paws on Main of Nyack? Visit at 161 Main Street, Nyack, NY 10960 or call for an appointment (845) 535-3135
Website: www.pawsonmainofnyack.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pawsonmainofnyack
Twitter: twitter.com/PawsOnMain
instagram: pawsonmain
