This week we caught up with our friends at Tails N’ Trails to see what’s new! These days, owner Carolina Oakley is living in Milwaukee helping to grow their new location. Last time we spoke with Carolina was over a year ago and a lot has happened since! To start, they have two brand new locations in Milwaukee, WI and Worcester, MA, and they continue to grow their original Tails N’ Trails location in Providence, RI. Now, Carolina and the team have over 400 clients across all three locations.
So, how did Carolina and the team grow Tails N’ Trails so quickly and with so much success? Let’s dig in!
Having the right team and tools
Carolina attributes her success to her incredible staff and the level of care that they provide and to PetPocketbook for helping save them time so they can focus on growing the business.
“Our team is largely women-based, and we’re close both personally and professionally. I love the group we work with and know that we always have each other’s back. We pride ourselves on being reliable and accommodating for the different needs of our clients. We pair up one walker to one client and allow pets to create a bond with our walkers. That’s the person who does everything for that dog or family, and we have found that it works well for both. Most of our clients we had had since we first started over six years ago! A ton of our business has come from referrals from our regulars and continues to expand, like a web that keeps on growing.”
Carolina credits managers, Chrissy, Calia, and Cassady with making a huge difference in day-to-day operations and the role they play in helping the business grow. “They have really stepped up and taken charge, and we couldn’t have done it without them.” In opening two new locations, there has been an increased need to bring on new hires, and the managers have stepped up a lot. She explains how the Tails N’ Trails team is much like a family. “Because of the teamwork and support we have for one another, our team members tend to stay with us much longer than is normal in the industry.”
When it comes to saving time, and making their jobs easier, Carolina credits PetPocketbook. “It became really time consuming to keep track of everything. PetPocketbook helped us get organized and made a huge difference in our financial stability. The automated invoices, combined with having clients on AutoPay, the ability to request services online, and the staff management and compensation piece really made a difference in helping us grow. It made it so we could focus on expansion instead of the minute details of running a business, like invoicing, policies, and paying staff. We have grown so much since starting with PetPocketbook, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence at all.”
The response from pet parents about using PetPocketbook has been great too. Pet parents love the ability to schedule appointments online easily. The platform is easy-to-use and makes it clear for them to see when their appointments are, who they are with, and how much they owe.
Carolina explained that before using PetPocketbook, there were issues with clients making late payments and having to be hounded down to pay invoices. It sometimes even led to them having to pay staff out-of-pocket because clients weren’t paying on time. “I can’t say how much AutoPay has made a difference. Now when we bill out every two weeks, it gets into my account by that Wednesday, and I’m able to pay my staff on Friday without difficulty. The peace of mind is everything.”
She explains that when they decided to expand the business into a new location, there wasn’t much of a transition period because they had the tools for success with PetPocketbook. “The simplicity of it is great – even with three different locations, it’s easy to toggle over and switch from one account to another. It’s nice that all of our client information and billing is organized and separate for each location. When we bring on a new staff member, we just reach out to PetPocketbook Support, and someone will give us a crash course on how to use it. It really makes a big difference knowing that we can rely on the PetPocketbook team to help with any issues or answer any questions I have.”
Be prepared for challenges
When opening the Milwaukee location, Carolina faced a new challenge. “Getting to know the people and the area has been the biggest challenge with our Milwaukee location. We’re learning about the particulars of each location including what areas are dog friendly and welcome dogs off leash. We’re also learning about the people – the way of life is a bit slower than compared to that of the east coast, so we had to make note of those differences including expectations and work schedules.”
Another unforeseen challenge for Carolina and many other businesses is the rising cost of fuel. To help combat high gas prices, Tails N’ Trails pays 50% of the cost of gas for their staff. “Luckily, we’re able to offer that to make things a bit easier for our staff.”
Blaze new trials
As Tails N’ Trails has continued to grow, Carolina’s day-to-day looks a little different than it once did. With the time saved from using PetPocketbook, Carolina can act as the business manager and spend more time with her own dogs and in running her CBD dog treat company. “My favorite thing about owning the business is working with animals every day. It gives me the opportunity to offer that to others that want to work with dogs too.” Carolina’s CDB treat company, CBDelicacy allows her the unique opportunity to advertise to her clients and educate them about CBD treats and the benefits of using them.
To offer the best services to their clients, Tails N' Trails also invests in its staff by offering regular professional training with area expert and dog trainer, Chris Maynard off Maynard Dog Training Solutions. “He is a retired U.S. Marine with over a decade of experience training dogs and their humans. Chris specializes in aggressive dogs but has experience working with all sorts of behaviors, problems, and goals that pet parents may look to achieve with their dogs. He offers an Associate Dog Trainer Certification Course, which Calia is currently enrolled in! She’s studying how to teach basic obedience, crate training, recall, loose leash walking, and other commands that are helpful when handling dogs. Calia is passionate about understanding dog behavior, body language, and psychology, which she believes is the keystone to dog training. She feels it is incredibly important for pet parents to learn more about their dog’s breed, or mix of breeds, to provide the best, most well-balanced relationship possible. Calia will be offering training services once she has completed her certification!”
So, what does the future look like for Tails N’ Trails?
Carolina says, “We will continue to grow and keep opening new locations throughout the country. I’m thinking our next area will be the Southern Rhode Island/Newport area.” We can’t wait to see what the Tails N’ Trails team accomplishes in the future and are so happy to be a part in helping them grow!