Many of us have heard about the fortunate few who are able to transform their passion into a way of earning an income.
Thanks to Forrest Personnel Employment Consultant, Shelby, we’ve had the good fortune of meeting someone who has done just that: a young woman with an NDIS plan named Chenayah. She has a micro business called Chenayah’s Pet Sitting Services that she launched in September 2019. We caught up with her one sunny weekend afternoon in Bunbury.
The passion
We wanted to know where this desire to be around dogs came from. “I’ve always had a passion for animals,” she told us as she played affectionately with Jordie, her ten-year-old cocker spaniel.
Chenayah’s cocker spaniel Jordie
Gaps in the market
We were curious as to how she identified a gap in the market that could possibly result in a successful business. She explained that she used to work for a dog walking and pet sitting service, but thought there was room in the market for something more affordable. And, quite simply, Chenayah’s business was born.
The practical and the emotive
The micro business is part time. Chenayah is incredibly resourceful and either walks or takes the bus to rendezvous with her clients. Sometimes she stays overnight with them too.
How does being around animals make her feel we wanted to know? “Dogs make me happy and content,” she told us.
Jordie is on his lead and ready for a walk
Measuring success
We were keen to discover if this micro business is meeting some standard of success. Not only are there positive reviews on the Facebook business page, but we noticed that Chenayah lives around the corner from a grocery store (a captive market, perhaps?). At the entrance to the shop, and pinned to the bulletin board, was her promotional flyer. Low and behold, all 10 tags with her contact details had been torn off.
Loving them as her own
What better indicator of success is there than your promotional material being in such high demand! As we leave you, we share some text lifted from the flyer which we think hits the mark rather perfectly: “I am a reliable, fun, loving, caring person and I love all animals of all shapes and sizes as if they were my own.”
Promotional flyer for Chenayah’s Pet Sitting Services
If you’d like to contact Chenayah’s Pet Sitting Services, please call or text 0409 815 025, email, or visit her Facebook page
Feature photo: Chenayah with Jordie, July 2020. Feature photo editing: Rob Cox, oxy images
Forrest Personnel is a local charity. We specialise in supporting people with health conditions, injuries and disabilities to find and keep jobs.
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