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#10- Gayle Martz
9 Plays4 years ago
Gayle Martz, creator of The SHERPA Bag©. Founder of Sherpa Pet Trading Company, Author of the book “IT’S IN THE BAG: How to turn a passion into a new business” and “No Pet Left Behind: The SHERPA Guide for Travelling with your Best Friend”.
The Sherpa Bag© had been officially approved by most major airlines in 1994.
Gayle Martz is as an advocate for pet travel. She was able to broaden the awareness and was able to teach people about travelling with their best pals. In her book, “No Pet Left Behind”, she had an inclusive roadmap that would be very helpful in travelling with your pets. It offers not only lessons about business and life, but also offers new learnings about Ms. Gayle’s hope for a better future on human-animal bond. Her mission and passion is to help people enjoy and live their lives with their animal buddies anywhere and everywhere. Her goal is to make it possible for pets and pet owners to be together wherever they go.
Website: https://jimboparis.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JimboParis
Youtube: Jimbo Paris Show #10- Gayle Martz - YouTube
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:05
Speaker
I am Jimbo Parris and you are listening to the Jimbo Parris Show.
Gail's Connection to Paris
00:00:14
Speaker
So, Gail Martz, can you begin by giving me a brief summary about yourself and kind of who you are, what you're about, what your goals are, what you're doing right now.
00:00:25
Speaker
I guess I can. Thank you. It's great to be with you, Jimbo. And I love the fact that your last name is Paris because that happens to be one of the other places I live. So greetings. Good morning. Let's roll.
Creating the Sherpa Bag
00:00:40
Speaker
I was a host with Transworld Airlines when I was 20 years old and I traveled the world. I really lived life. It was a great experience. And then I came up with a great idea when
00:00:58
Speaker
I had gotten a dog and my great idea was to create a bag that people could take their cats and their dogs and be able to get on board an airplane. Sherpa was the name of the dog and I named the bag, the sherpa bag. Then I began working with all the airlines
00:01:27
Speaker
to change their policies regarding pets on board in the passenger cabin. So that's where I started 33 years ago with that great idea. And then I laid the foundation so that I could educate, make people aware about traveling with a pet.
Passion for Animals
00:01:50
Speaker
It's quite interesting. So can you kind of explain why you had such a fascination with animals to begin with? Because I think there's always some type of interesting story about why people are just into animals or anything that's not really human per se.
00:02:07
Speaker
Yes, well, I think if I go back time, I remember going to Westminster Dog Show. I was living in New York City, working from New York City. And I went to the Westminster Dog Show, and my heart just opened up when I was with all the dogs. And then I was doing the cat shows, and my heart opened up even more with all the cats.
00:02:35
Speaker
And I knew people loved their animals so much that I wanted to make it possible so we could take our pets, cats, dog, birds. Birds were allowed. I had done everything to make it so birds were
00:02:54
Speaker
allowed too, but then once we had that avian flu, all birds stopped being allowed on board in the passenger cabin on airplanes. But it's my love that really made my passion to be able to help them and help people be able to take their pet, I say, wherever they go. Why did you want to do this in the first place?
00:03:24
Speaker
What was your
Integrating Pets into Family Travel
00:03:25
Speaker
goal? What was your mission in the future? What were you seeing as the end goal doing all this? Well, the end goal is I have a little dog that's sitting right around me over here, but I'm traveling. And so I want to be able to take her because pets are part of the family.
00:03:46
Speaker
and the unconditional love that you receive from them and all of the unbelievable things that they can do for us mentally, emotionally, lovingly, it's unlimited the benefits of having a pet.
00:04:05
Speaker
Excellent. So I definitely now understand your motivations, but sort of elaborate more on how you got into the market in the first place, because I understand, you know, probably the pet product industry is very lucrative. So how did you deal with that competition? Was there competition? Were there any obstacles? Were there were there barriers of entry?
Facing Industry Challenges
00:04:25
Speaker
Kind of go into that.
00:04:27
Speaker
Well, the first thing that happened was you couldn't get a pet on a plane. There was not a bag in the world that you could take a pet and travel with a pet and then get on board an airplane. There was at the time the hard plastic carrier, but
00:04:46
Speaker
It's when at that time luggage was shifting from hard to soft luggage. This is 33 years ago before you were born. So it was a transition with hard luggage to soft luggage.
Design and Marketing Influences
00:05:03
Speaker
And the original hard plastic carrier was all that was available and that I wanted to be the alternative to the hard plastic carrier. And then my background, I had been in the handbag industry.
00:05:20
Speaker
I'm a professional photographer. So I work with a company and I would photograph Valentino when I was in Rome and Lanvin when I was in Paris. So I really was driven by bags and fashion and all of the things that, you know, how we dress, what bags we carry, you know, matching shoes, just fashion.
00:05:46
Speaker
So because I was in Paris and so much of Europe with the airline job, then I would professionally shop the markets to see what was a new trend, what was a new detail, what was a new style. So fashion is part of the story and my story.
00:06:09
Speaker
You had any other experience in flight per se? What other advantages did you also have? Because you were in the bag industry as well. What else did you do?
00:06:18
Speaker
Well, I think the photography, so while I was preparing for my interview that I was going to do on the computer, so we had a big screen, I was gathering up some of the things. And I started with, when I first created the very first original Sherpa bag, I would photograph Sherpa, my dog,
00:06:42
Speaker
That was the name of the dog. So then I had to be, that is Sherpa in her Sherpa bag. So she was my best model. And I would do this. I had a 600 foot, square foot apartment in New York City. And I would set up the lights and the cameras and have Sherpa being my model in the Sherpa bag.
00:07:07
Speaker
So that's how it really all began was from a photograph because that is worth a thousand. And so I started with one card, one photograph, and I sent it to groomers, pet stores, every place I could think of. And I had a wonderful partner in business. It was my mother.
00:07:32
Speaker
So she helped me thoroughly day and night for the process of really starting from a great idea to building a strong foundation and building a business that became a global brand. It is a global brand. So the Sherpa bag is the number one soft-sided pet carrier in the world.
00:07:58
Speaker
Well, you mentioned one person that influenced you, which was your mother, but were there any other people that sort of not really influenced you, but kind of taught you along the way how the industry works? The way I started was because I was working in the handbag industry. I went to Harold Sachs, who was the president of the handbag industry, also the company that I worked for. And I said, you know, I have this idea and I really must do it.
00:08:26
Speaker
And where do I go? Where can I begin in the manufacturing? At that period of time, back in 1988, Korea was open for manufacturing. China was not open. In the United States, it would have been great, but totally out of line price-wise. And I had to come in at a price point that people
00:08:53
Speaker
would say, okay, yeah, I could buy that. It's $75. I could take my cat. I could take my dog. And that was how it started. So I
Changing Airline Policies
00:09:03
Speaker
went first to Korea, and I had a design that I wanted to do. And I worked with the manufacturer in Korea.
00:09:11
Speaker
to create the first original sherpa bag, which is this one. And I ordered 1200 pieces in black, medium. And that's how I started in New York City. And I keep on looking at those pictures and
00:09:29
Speaker
Is this niche down to mainly small dogs? Because you definitely can't fit a Doberman in there. No, no, no. Well, you can, you know, when they're probably like five weeks old. So yeah, and that was that was the other thing I always wanted to address. But I had to begin and because
00:09:51
Speaker
major process to change policies on each airline's individual. They each have their own policy. It's not governed by the United States Department of Agriculture, by IATA, which is the International Air Transportation Association
00:10:11
Speaker
It's the airline policy. So I had to go and meet with each airline and educate them and show them that this was really a better way. And people in the beginning thought,
00:10:26
Speaker
Oh you know maybe that's isn't that cruel it's like there's so much ventilation and these cats dogs are den you know they love that den environment so I can't tell you how excited my dogs get all I have to do is put out a sherpa bag and they're like okay let's go you know I'm gonna go and cats
00:10:50
Speaker
Cats don't travel as much as dogs, but the real importance of a multitude of soft-sided pet carriers, but the Sherpa is the number one, so always get the number one, and it's guaranteed on board the airplane. But I would teach people to associate
00:11:14
Speaker
that with a pleasant experience for their cat or their dog so that you just leave it around the house you put some toys you put some treats and then they think wow this is great I really like it you don't
00:11:33
Speaker
use it to take them to the vet first because then they're going to say it with, oh my gosh, I don't want to have that happen. You know, I'm going to get a shot. I'm going to get this. I'm scared. And so it was really to keep that particular bag for their bag that can be used in the car.
Automotive Collaboration for Pet Safety
00:11:54
Speaker
I began with the airlines. Then I was in Detroit working with the automotive companies. It was for pet occupant safety because the majority of people are traveling by car. How are you going to be safe with a pet in the car if you don't have them in a carrier if they're small?
00:12:23
Speaker
And so I worked with the Pet Occupant Safety in Detroit with all of the car manufacturers so that we could teach people how to be able to seat belt the bag into the car. And we developed a special ISOFIX fixture and all that. But the car industry and AAA is like a very big thing because that's what people do.
00:12:47
Speaker
So, but that's the, that's talking about traveling. So if we deal with the current time where, you know, people were locked and locked down, shut down, and it was all about safety at home. And safety at home, when you get a pet to love this environment of their den,
00:13:12
Speaker
their own personal space. You always have safety at home when what's been happening always in California is we get these huge wildfires. I'm sure you've heard about them. And it doesn't, the wildfires, there's the homes and there's that. And so it was always carry your pet to safety.
00:13:35
Speaker
Now, for the larger animals, okay, you're going to go in your car. You want to go in your car. Or if you can't go in the car, you walk them. Get out. You know, it's just get out. And so they, through the years in the pet industry, then they, they have the harnesses for the larger pets. So, you know, they have to be secured by safely
00:14:01
Speaker
when traveling rather than jumping from the front to the back, wandering around. It's a very dangerous situation because a pet becomes a projectile. So if it's sitting there and there's an accident, a car stops in front of you.
00:14:20
Speaker
Something happens somebody slams you from behind and it's very dangerous because we're driven with the freeways and cars out here so you need to really have them secured and that was where I kept building more towards teach on how to keep your pet safe.
00:14:38
Speaker
safe on a plane, safe in a car, safe at home, the Sherpa bag, or let's go to the larger animals because we have all the products now that are available for the larger animals to seat belt them in safely. Very good, very good. Now, you did elaborate on allowing the dogs to breathe through the Sherpa bag,
00:15:05
Speaker
I still feel like kind of elaborate more on why you would need a sherpa bag versus a backpack, per se. Why can't I just stuff my dog in a backpack? Yes, let's do talk about that because I just want to know. I'm curious.
00:15:19
Speaker
No, no, but as fashion prevails and the backpack, one of my best back was the Sherpa backpack. Now the backpack was the most versatile of all because I could use it as a shoulder bag. I could use it as a toe, you know,
00:15:38
Speaker
use the handle and just tote it as a tote. But I could use it as a backpack. And she, the dogs I had were female, were very, very safe in the backpack. And then the backpack had all the features that the dog needed. Like when they would go inside, there's, I always did a ring so that you would attach their leash to that ring.
00:16:05
Speaker
you know, so they don't escape from the bag. But all, you know, the comfort lambskin lining was in the inside, the ventilation, they're very close to your body. The backpack is, there's a lot of fabulous backpacks out now as well. But the Sherpa bag, I call it a home within a home, a purse for your, it's,
00:16:30
Speaker
When I'm traveling, I just came back from New York, so I had one dog with me in her Sherpa bag with her little comfy blankets, some toys, and just so she would be in there and be very comfortable and she's going to stay in there. Or if it was a trip to Europe,
00:16:55
Speaker
which is much longer flight-wise from Los Angeles to Paris, they're very comfortable. You want to make sure that they, you know, it's always when you train them, it's like, if you knew you couldn't go to the bathroom for 15 hours, would you be eating or drinking anything? No. And it's the same with the pet. I mean, they really know when they're trained, you know, because they can see once the suitcase is out,
00:17:25
Speaker
once things packed that, whoop, there's a trip coming up. But it's always to make sure because if you eat, if you drink, you will have to go to the bathroom. They really like to just sleep and they're very comfortable because they're in their own home. That's what the bag becomes to them, is their home. You said your bags are for both dogs and cats. Yes. Do dogs and cats have different preferences? I do know cats tend to be a little bit more
00:17:54
Speaker
Icely a little bit more flexible. So maybe also the bags do look a little bit different Polish, you know what I would do like I all I did what and then I had accessories, you know, I did accessories that would go with each bag that would help you to travel and take more of the hassle out of travel. So let's just say Sherpa's in this bag.
00:18:18
Speaker
It's the same bag that you use a cat, a cat goes into as well. But this accessory pouch on the outside is where, you know, I have the little cup for them to, they could have a little bit of water. And ice is what I always recommended. But I had written that on each bag. TravelTails T-A-I-L-S was written from my perspective.
00:18:44
Speaker
No, Travel Tales, T-A-I-L-S, was written from Sherpa's perspective. And Sherpa was the globetrotting Lhasa Afsa. So she starts talking about, well, we have a trip coming up and, you know, I'm going to be underneath the seat. And then at that time, when I began, it was $45.
00:19:05
Speaker
When I worked with each airline, we had to set a prize. We had to set all of the different things, so reservations would know, in flight would know. All of the people involved in the whole process, from cargo to all of the things, people had to be aware of people traveling with a pet.
00:19:28
Speaker
So it just a way that everyone could be educated. That was really very, very important because the education and awareness is key and was key. And then the picture was worth a thousand words. There's other, you know,
00:19:49
Speaker
Sherpa in the back with that. Then I needed to have the travel tales from Sherpa's perspective and she's saying exactly what you must do. I must stay underneath this in front of mother or Gail and where you remain for the duration of the flight. Then she'd make these jokes and
00:20:13
Speaker
It was very funny. So Travel Tales was a huge success. Then I would write travel tips from the perspective of the travel ambassador. I'm a worldwide travel ambassador. But I would write it from my perspective on exactly what to do.
00:20:31
Speaker
Then on the back of the travel tips, I would have each airline that the bag was approved on. In the beginning, I would feel happy when I change a policy because then I could add another airline. I was the most proud when the airlines would allow a pet on board and then a pet could actually get on board and that involved the education
00:20:57
Speaker
and awareness of all the people at that particular airline so that they knew that this was okay. That's really good. So especially when you're elaborating on the airlines, you definitely have a lot of knowledge
00:21:10
Speaker
when it comes to the transportation of animals. But my question is, how did it get to there? What was your biggest failure that you ever had to encounter that sort of pushed you over that end and really caused you to transform yourself and your business into what it is now? I worked diligently with all the different factors involved with
00:21:34
Speaker
safety for the pet. And then when I started with the airlines, that was the biggest one, then the automotive industry, and then making sure I was at all the meetings and at all the shows, along with my mother who became Connie, because when you're working with your mother, you know, everyone's like, you know, this is Connie. And Connie
00:21:57
Speaker
This is very important that you ask that question because you need to have your financial house in order. And when you begin a company, I'm going to show you how I began because this is 33 years ago, so we didn't really have computers. So Connie put in this 39 cent ledger.
00:22:16
Speaker
and she would list the you know my pricing and then I would list my stores and this book became a bible you know it started out with these are my style numbers and then the next thing was where I had my accounts listed in the it's very important to keep
00:22:39
Speaker
Everything in a separate list, which now with all the computer programs that we have, it's like, you don't have to have a ledger, but that's how I started. And I really had, I was taught by my mother who wasn't accounting.
00:22:54
Speaker
Keep track of all expenses. Document everything. Every single expense you have is part of running a business. You need to know what you spent on a taxi, what you spent on airfare going to a show, how much the show cost. Every different thing had to be listed.
00:23:12
Speaker
And then the exciting page, when it had my accounts listed, then it would have each account and how many bags they purchased. I was in, at the time it was called Sky Mall, and it was on board the airplane. And so in the passenger seat up front of you,
00:23:32
Speaker
you know, you pull out Skymall, and then it had the Sherpa bag in there. And people, you know, would order the Sherpa bag. So then there's, you know, well, okay, well, they ordered 1200 bags this month, or they did that. So the book, this 39 cent ledger was how I started. But now computer wise, you have every program that will help you to
00:23:57
Speaker
begin to run a business, to watch how to do a podcast, to everything. It's on, you know, what do we want to click, Safari, Google, whatever, to search. And there's Jimbo Paris. I want to see everything you've done before. And I want to listen to the people that you've spoken with and learned from them. It's invaluable.
00:24:20
Speaker
Definitely. And you know, what really hit me was definitely the financing part because tracking your expenses for any business is important. It's not just that that's some very good general advice. And from what I'm getting here, the best thing you've learned is organization. Am I correct?
00:24:37
Speaker
I say, everyone, organization is the key to success. And if you're not organized, forget about it. You know, so it's like every single thing I would carry a notebook with. I mean, this is before we had our iPhones and our Apple, you know, iPads and everything else. But I would have notes, you know, on the different categories that I was dealing with. And then expenses, you have to keep track of every
00:25:05
Speaker
expense and that's what Connie did that was she would total my expenses and then for let's say this month this month this month and then at the end of the year because when we had I think our tax time moved to May 17 whatever but you want to be able to present your tax person with all the proper numbers and that's why they all must be documented it is imperative.
00:25:35
Speaker
Were there any other lessons you've learned specifically or is that the main one? It's fine if it was the main one. You really must do is to protect yourself. So this is so very, very important. Protect your, you know, it's a brand. I'm building a brand. I had patents and trademarks worldwide. So I made sure
00:25:57
Speaker
I was registered in every single country in the world. If I wasn't registered in China, well, they could do a Sherpa. If I wasn't registered here, so I had my patent and trademark attorneys, not in the beginning, the beginning I had to do everything myself, but then I had patent and trademark attorneys and then my other corporate attorney and my CPA who were really the big help to me with all of that.
00:26:27
Speaker
Very good. And with all of your experience, what advice would you give somebody that would be interested in going into your career? What would you tell them? I would tell them to do your research. You have to research the market totally. And it's a global marketplace now. So you do your research, which it's so much easier now. You could do it online. Just do it online. What exists? I have an idea for this. And then just Google it, Safari it, do whatever.
00:26:56
Speaker
And then, you know, it's globally being done. So you just research your market and then see if you can find a void or, as they say, make a better mousetrap. OK, this is something that exists, but, you know, it really doesn't work. So maybe I can make that better mousetrap. It's like that phrase.
00:27:18
Speaker
And when you say make a better mousetrap, what type of marketing do you generally do? Are you more of an inbound marketer or more of an outbound marketer? It looks like you like to lure in your audience a bit. I did. That's how, you know, when it first began with like how I was going to do this, let's just say when I was a hostess. So now they're called defendants. So, you know, I had this up at the airports, each airport, and then I had
00:27:46
Speaker
coupon where buy this but you don't do things like that now but then I advertised in publications let's say at the time it was dog fancy cat fancy so I would advertise and available at you know petco.com or available at better stores near you so I had started with the major super store in 1990 so
00:28:14
Speaker
That was a big thing because it was very I'm very proud of that and I am in communication with them now and What the who was the CEO then Brian divine said he'll introduce me she create a
00:28:30
Speaker
a category. So when you create a category, you must build a very strong foundation. And that is all done with the organizational, the tools that you have and the protection that you have as well, because you do know that people will copy you. Did you have people that copied you?
00:28:51
Speaker
Well, yeah. And, you know, what my attorneys would say, they were great. I had a team of attorneys at the Pat and Mark company as well. They would say nobody ever copied a bad idea. So it's like, yeah, I did have people that copied me. And it's like I remember the first time when I went to a show and I would always be at a show like an hour or so before it opened. And so I could shop.
00:29:16
Speaker
the show and see what was new, what was not new and what was happening. And I'll never forget the day. So here I am. And I see there's my the sherpa bag, but it's not the sherpa bag. It's somebody else had made it. They did exactly the same color, exactly the same styles and everything. Well, I really
00:29:42
Speaker
It made me sick to my stomach, but that was like, oh, OK, well, you can't just do something like that. So I called my attorney and bottom line, there were always copies that came about. And I would go right up to the people and I would say, hello, I'm Gail Martz. I'm the creator of the Sherpa bag. And, you know, it's like.
00:30:02
Speaker
let's find a way that you can change all of this because it can't be like this. And I've had a lot of people through the years as far as copying a bag, yes. So your profession is a lot in the dog industry and do you ever have to deal with stereotypes, myths, people that have a view that you don't really want in your industry?
00:30:28
Speaker
What really changed all the work that my team that I had regarding airlines and issues and all of that was once they started with all these fraudulent, fake, emotional support dogs. Oh, excuse me. They had the emotional support peacock. They had the emotional support horse. But it was like,
00:30:55
Speaker
oh my gosh, it totally changed the industry regarding who's flying and what is flying on board. And what I really want to deal with are the people, every animal is emotionally supportive to us, but there's a place for each of these animals, like there's a farm or there's an outdoors or there's whatever.
Impact of Fraudulent Emotional Support Animals
00:31:21
Speaker
But on board an aircraft inside the passenger cabin, you have people that have allergies, you have people that have, you know, don't bring a peacock on board because it's not going to fit underneath the seat in front of you.
00:31:36
Speaker
really straight guidelines that must be adhered to. So they got rid of that. There's no emotional support dogs allowed, but you can show them. Let's say a servant dog. A servant dog is so very important because people cannot live without service dogs that really help them to walk and move and find things. And I had also done
00:32:04
Speaker
It was then called the Devtless Society, but it became PetPartners. PetPartners.org is a fabulous organization that helps people that have these service animals to know what to do with them. It really helps them in their lives. Every organization that could help the people
00:32:26
Speaker
I worked with. They helped the people and the pets to help them be able to help them with their lives. So that was important. It's really interesting. And speaking of these myths, do you think people are more wary of any type? Well, it's COVID, you know, this is past COVID. So has that changed your business in any sense?
Disaster Relief Contributions
00:32:52
Speaker
Well, I'm more at this point, I have other people that company and they do all of that, but you have to take the market like, okay, well, everybody thinks, oh, okay, you have to travel with this bank. That isn't the most amount of time you spend is in your home. So why don't we talk about safety at home? Because then I just have to bring up
00:33:17
Speaker
There were huge, huge wildfires last year, and there's an organization called The Greater Good. And I made a huge donation to them of maybe 11,000 products to get help to the people that needed to get their pets out of these massive wildfires that we were having and continue to have in California.
00:33:41
Speaker
So working with other organizations that really help the animals is what I always have focused on as well. And when you work with these different organizations, is it any different from how you run your business in a sense? Because you're sort of going from a for-profit world to a more nonprofit sector. So does that sort of change your mindset? Do you have to switch some gears or look at the situation differently?
00:34:11
Speaker
Well, there are other people that they all part of the business are running the sale part of the business. I'm more of the person with that huge donation. I just took all the animals and the people that were here because of the wildfires and all of that. And then I felt it was very important that I told my story in a book. So then I wrote a book. It's in the bag, you know, cat, dog, tail.
00:34:40
Speaker
And it's, you know, how do you turn a passion into a new business? And what support, I've always said to people, you must do what you love. You know, find what you love is inside and find a way to make it work. So the book was, I think the book, and then how do you turn a passion into a new business?
00:35:05
Speaker
tells you the stories of, okay, well, here are the copies, or here is a problem here, or here's what I didn't know.
Safe Pet Travel and Wildlife Awareness
00:35:15
Speaker
You know, I just didn't know this. So I kept taking notes throughout my entire times. It's like, this book is done, and then the next book is
00:35:26
Speaker
you know, will be something that deals with it's out, you know, and it's like, how do we deal with these things? So I have notes for everything as I keep continuing on with my biggest goal, which is one day to be able to take your pets wherever you go.
00:35:43
Speaker
safely in a car, down, walking them outside. You know, walking them outside. We're in Coyoteville out here in California. You have to be so careful. Now, they're in San Clemente. No, but the coyotes,
00:35:59
Speaker
or the Bobcats, they are all out. And so, you know, when you have a dog, and especially these small little dogs or a big dog, whatever, there's coyotes here. So that's dangerous. Bobcats are dangerous. Snakes are dangerous. Be aware of your environment, you know, and always be prepared for safety. Okay, excuse me, sit.
00:36:23
Speaker
Okay, I'm so sorry. Why we were talking, this little dog said, I want to talk too, because I want to talk about a few things about what I like to do with traveling. And she has to be very, very well behaved, you know, and all dogs and cats. So again,
00:36:43
Speaker
positive association. So she saw I was having a great time talking to you and she's with me all the times. She said, let me join in with Jimbo. Is that a new haircut?
00:36:57
Speaker
she's always like this but she's a little she'll be two in July and she's got the breed is called a miki m-i-k-i it's a little rare breed but she's on my website it's gail g-a-y-l-e mart m-a-r-t-z dot com then you can see before her there
00:37:20
Speaker
Kimba, who was icky also, they're just endearing, loving, as all dogs and are, and they each have different personalities. So, and then I must train them to be photographed, but I think she's doing a good job just being here on our little interview. How many different breeds do your Sherpa bags accommodate for?
00:37:42
Speaker
Well, when you mentioned, talk about dogs, you know, they have the Yorkies, the Maltese, the Chihuahua. We have all dogs and then we have bigger dogs when they're puppies. Now, puppies can be transported in the Sherpa bag. So it's not a plume at all to be able to transport. And then if you drive, you can also be driving.
Pandemic Adaptation for Home Pet Safety
00:38:11
Speaker
And
00:38:11
Speaker
But anyway, so it's like cats and dogs and the small breeds take the small breeds or you take puppies, you know, so puppies are being reported animals are being transported. And then I think really we're talking about we had.
00:38:26
Speaker
situation, locked down, shut down, you know, stay out and do that. So it's like, I can put her in the car and go for a little drive, put both the dogs in their bags, seatbelt it in. And then I just, you know, just a way fortunate I have the ocean to look at so I can take a nice view in. It really helped keep working, keep working, but then you must take it and then you come back and you focus and, you know, work
00:38:56
Speaker
your list of things to accomplish. Quite good. I think another thing is people really have an attachment to their dogs at times. And I think that part of that attachment is the safety as well. And I'm just curious, are there any registered inspections you have to go through or other things that you have or credentials that this is safe?
00:39:19
Speaker
Yes, you really should. I mean, number one, one of the things I wrote, but you know, you must make sure that all of their inoculations, their shots, everything, I mean, not that anybody's going to get rabies, but they have to have a rabies shot. You know, they have to have everything that must be totally up to date. Let's just say we're on a plane. OK, well, now you have to have everything totally up to date within 10 days, no later than 10 days.
00:39:46
Speaker
So you see the veterinarian before you go. You have a health certificate that is filled out. And that shows that this pet has every single stop that it's supposed to have, you know, for every single thing that is needed on board an airplane. But training is a very big factor here. And it's like, if you're going to be goosey, but you're not going to get anywhere,
00:40:12
Speaker
You must train that pet. I don't want to see, I don't like to see dogs walking down the aisle as I did on my last flight. And because it's not, you have to be respectful of the other people on board the airplane. It's not about you. And speaking of that same respect, how do you think your customers give back to your business?
Growth through Feedback and Media
00:40:35
Speaker
Do they give you the reviews you need? Do they give you that type of content? Like how do they kind of contribute?
00:40:41
Speaker
My customers were, they were my biggest support. And then when I would do, I did a lot of television and magazines and papers because, you know, the whole, I was living in New York City, so the woman next door to me,
00:41:00
Speaker
worked, she was the editor of Town and Country, or this person wrote for the New York Post, or this one did that, and they all had animals. So they knew, I was in the best place I could have been to start a business was in New York City because so many people had dogs and cats and, you know, what can
00:41:22
Speaker
to make it safer for them. So that was how it started. And then when the publicity, write a story that can help people to learn. And it's like, I have to think of these things at like four in the morning or at different times. That's okay. I just, you know, now we can make a little recording. And then when it comes to a different time during the day, you put that thought to work. So it's really helpful.
00:41:50
Speaker
Definitely. And previously you talked about following your passion and following what you
Following Passion in Business
00:41:55
Speaker
love. Can you kind of elaborate on why this is so important? Well, I say constantly do what you love in the places you love with the people and the people you love. So here I am in California.
00:42:11
Speaker
same philosophy. Then I'm in Paris, same philosophy. I have the people that will all help me and the stores. So if I want to go, if I'm in Paris, I go to one store and the dogs are groomed in that store and then all the products are there. And those are the people that really helped me to build the business.
00:42:33
Speaker
and by the positive affirmations that I received. Oh, one of the other things, well, on the website, when you have a website, and let's say you get testimonials, I had testimonials that really, I would always be on the floor, not in a chair, but I would be reading these testimonials, and I would hear how I'm changing people's lives, and it would be the affirmation that I personally
00:43:02
Speaker
because there's so many other to deal with in business. It's not easy. And when I was talking to try to help other people in business and then the company said to me, why didn't you tell us to be so hard? I said, oh, it gets harder. You just develop more tools to help you to be stronger and better in every field. I think that applies.
00:43:29
Speaker
Very good. And do you have any final words to say to the audience? Well, I think it's always do what you love. And if at first you don't succeed, try, try. And I had to do that continuously and you will find a better way. It really works. Very good. Thank you for being on this show. You're a great guest. Love the dog.
00:43:52
Speaker
Thank you so much. Wonderful. I'm so pleased. Thank you so much for what you do. And I'm really grateful. Thank you for listening to the Jimbo Parish Show.