DC Health Link’s 5th annual POWERUP DC Small Business Forum looked a little different this year as speakers joined virtual panels from their homes. Topics ranged from woman-owned small businesses to youth entrepreneurship, with a primary focus on how local businesses are adjusting during the pandemic. Among the speakers was Columbia Heights business owner, Patrick Flynn of Patrick’s Pet Care.
Speaking on the panel for Insights and Resources to Navigate Uncertain Times, Flynn shared the ways his business has shifted and his creative use of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds they received earlier in the year.
“We were tremendously privileged and lucky to receive a PPP loan,” explained Flynn. “When the month of March started, we were doing 300 daily dog walks…by the end of March, we were doing 85.”
With many of their clients working from home, Patrick’s Pet Care’s large staff was left wondering what was next.
“It was very important to me that I keep their jobs, and not only keep their jobs, but perhaps give them skills to do new jobs for the new normal,” said Flynn.
His solution? After consulting with an attorney, Flynn enrolled his entire dog-walking staff in online dog training school. Thanks to the PPP funds, Flynn was able to use his business’s existing tuition benefit program to pay for his staff’s training and maintain their health insurance coverage.
Equipped with even more pet care knowledge, Flynn and his team have used the downtime to strategize and roll out three new services.
The first new service—Force-Free, Fear-Free Grooming—reduces the trauma many dogs face during grooming. Their new approach is, “patient, and compassionate, and empathetic to [the dogs’]needs,” said Flynn. His Fear-Free Grooming Certified staff are offering grooming services by appointment. To make an appointment, email daycareboardinggrooming@patrickspetcare.com.
Patrick’s Pet Care has also developed what Flynn refers to as “dog Montessori school”—Dog Daycare 2.0. This new daycare program is “structured, it focuses on the mental, emotional, and physical needs that a dog needs to thrive,” said Flynn. “So far our reception to both [programs]has been positive.”
Newly certified in force-free dog training, Patrick’s Pet Care also now offers private dog training sessions using purely positive reinforcement techniques. This summer, Patrick’s Pet Care’s force-free certified trainers have been busy doing virtual (and to some extent in-person, outdoor) dog training to help dogs in the District adapt to their new normal. You can book a free 30-minute consultation by emailing np@patrickspetcare.com.
“I’m grateful we are still here knowing that so many of our fellow small businesses are not,” says Flynn. “Not only are we here, but we’re bouncing forward to provide safe services and safe jobs for DC pet people.”
The moderator, Carl Brown, State/Executive Director of the DC Small Business Development Center, was impressed with Patrick Flynn’s ability to adapt his business. “Wow, unbelievable,” Brown exclaimed as he wrapped up the panel. You can watch the full video here to learn more about the ways small businesses are recalibrating in this time.
