Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Fletcher.
Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
How I started: My love for animals has been with me since I was a child. When I was younger, I thought I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. Well, me and doctors/blood don’t mesh well, so I pursued a Bachelor’s in business instead. While in college at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I dreamt of someday owning my own business; whether it be a restaurant or a pet-related store, I was always thinking of the entrepreneurial life. Fast-forward 8 years and a few corporate jobs later, I found myself drawn back into crafting in my spare time. What started as simply making a few fleece tie blankets for my boyfriend (now husband 😊) and our cat, turned into a small business where I’ve hand-made hundreds of fleece blankets tailored to cats and dogs.
How I got to where I am today: Today, Animals Fur Days has over 5,000 followers on Instagram, and an active customer base of friends, family, and other pet parents looking to spoil their fur babies. To get to where I’m at today took a lot of patience and persistence (and cuddles with the furry ones). Patience was necessary when starting my business because it took a while to actually build up enough inventory to have a nice “variety” for customers. Once I had that variety started though, I couldn’t stop! I now have over 100 different designs available and take custom requests too. Persistence was necessary because establishing a following of 5,000 is not easy! You have to continue to be active on social media, follow and like other posts and pages, and comment and engage on posts similar to your market. And I’m not saying once a week, I’m saying every day and multiple times a day! I should also mention that my attendance in craft shows in Fall-Winter is also a huge win for me. People love seeing/touching the blankets and result in more purchases than just viewing then online! Along with patience and persistence and craft shows, is my passion for animals. Without that, I might as well just be binge-watching Netflix every night. 😉
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting a small business isn’t easy. No one actually teaches you how to register a brand name, establish a web domain, and create a website in business school. These are all things I had to research and “hope” I got right! It wasn’t until my first year of taxes were due that I realized my brand name wasn’t even registered in Minnesota. Whoops! We’ve gotten that all taken care of and I’m still learning along the way. One huge thing for me is inventory management. I love to buy fabric. The more new designs that come out, the more fleece I have in my house. I am starting to keep detailed logs of my purchases vs. sales so that I can maintain profitability. While starting a business isn’t always a positive return, that’s what we need the end result to be!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Animals Fur Days is dedicated to making pets and their hoomans happy with cute and cozy products. While I started just making fleece blankets for cats and dogs (and hooman babies too), I have recently expanded my product offering to include snuffle mats, rope toys, catnip toys, and bandanas as well! Everything I offer is handmade by yours truly, which I think really sets me apart from other online dog boutiques. I also think what sets me apart is my variety. I have never had a customer ask for a certain pattern and turn them down. I either have something similar that they’re pleased with or I go buy more fabric specific to what they’re looking for!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
While I know profitability is huge if you’re trying to make a small business your full-time job, I really care about pleasing my customers more than making money! I have to set reasonable prices for my products, after all they are hand-made and I have a ton of time invested into them, but if I can go above and beyond for someone by offering free shipping or buying a specific desired fabric at full-retail or even hand delivering their order, I have a hard time saying no. Pleasing people (and their pets too!) is deeply rooted in me and I live by it!
Pricing:
- Blankets – $20 – $35
- Snuffle Mats – $30
- Rope Toys & Catnip Toys – $2-$10
- Bandanas – $10-$18
Contact Info:
- Email: animalsfurdays@gmail.com
- Website: www.animalsfurdays.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animals_fur_days/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/animalsfurdays
