This is not by any means a way of getting something for nothing. I prefer to earn my keep doing what I love to do. Its my therapy grooming dogs. Besides it's not a chore to go to work when you love what you do for an honest living. I opened What's Up Dog? I converted a 1977 Ford e 250 into my mobile unit. This was the first stepping stone of my lifes pathway, and into my journey of becoming a smal
l business owner at 30 yrs old. I got 1 1/2 years out of this van then the motor blew. From there, I started transporting my table and equipment for grooming in my car, setting up in/outside of my clients homes. At this point, I was still trying to build my clientel any way I can. Most people are trying to maintain a cleaner home and fur baby when they call me. Not to have me cut the hair inside their homes! So very few and far between I would book appointments. I was very considerate, always cleaning up the mess and thankful for the opportunities not only to get to know the pet, but it also gave me more time to get aquainted with the client. This way they could see first hand how I interact with their pet(s) Gaining a sence of sercurity(
I assume) when they relinkwish their pet to me. I want them to know that they will be safe with me im tender hearted and i always want trust between the animal and myself first, i spend the majority of my time with the pet using sharp tools all over its body. trust is important between the pet and i. right along with the client knowing that their beloved furry friend is in good hands while with me. i will take as much time as i need to build this with the pet and gain a comfortable enviroment less stress grooming expeiriance is what i aim for. most of the clients i have groomed for inside thier homes i still have today in fact! i perfer quality over quantity when it comes to my work. i know that my time management suffers because of these factors but when my clients take the time to understand my point of veiw and goals over all with the service i provide to them they seem to understand this aspect. from this point i then got a job with petco and continued to work in my own clients on my time off still trying to build my client base. from there i was blessed by my sister, with the van that is shown above. the picture painted on the van is of my daughter, serenity at 4 years old. my motivator and marketing agent, lol! i strive to teach her to be independent, self sufficient, and to know that hard work does pay off. my van/business has been a key factor in the up bringing and support of raising her. a crucial tool that has helped me instill many other morals and skills she will hopefully retain and then apply in her own life as she grows up. on feb 15th 2017 our lives were rapidly changing, my vans brake booster went out while i was on my way to a biopsy appointment for a lump on my breast that i had been keeping an eye on for over a year. with the assistance of my dr amd ultrasound imaging it showed that it had grown significantly in the past nine months so i was urged to go in for the biopsy. that morning my van got into an accident and was totalled. i only had liability so my van/business was not covered. this has been a very hard lesson learned. the results of the biopsy came back as a tumor that shows cellular changes and my doctor says take it out, we have to remove the tumor before it becomes something far more dangerous. I have not had the surgery done yet due to the fact that I have had to try and catch up on my dogs and my bills, to say the least. I have since then bought a new to me but older van. 1982 Ford e 350. Already set up for mobile grooming. It is from a towing company and paid only $500. Its has been insufficient at getting me to my appointments or any kind of support when it comes to catching up financially. i have replaced every componant in the charging system except the wiring. I have replaced the alternator 5xs ,battery 3xs, regulator, battery cables, starter, and the sylenoid 2xs .I now have to move for the second time in 5 months due to not enough money generated from my business to go towards all of my bills, parts, and mechanic payments. needless to go any further in detail with the negative happenings in my life that i am currently still trying to over come. I try to keep my self stable mentally by searching for any positive out look or a change that took place due to the negative happening that occured. i balance myself this way mentally. i redirect my focus in a positive way for the mere fact of over coming the hurdle that life has put in front of me. As I said before, this is not some pitty party or feel sorry for me show. This is my life, and my view upon living it. Loving what I do, and my legacy to instill into my daughter. My mom lives on in me, as I do and will through her, followed by her children to come. If you feel like donating to me and my struggle to keep my business and life afloat. My plan of action is sistaining my van into working order. It needs to be completely rewired. It is a dream of mine to eventually have a wagon tails conversion van and if there is enough money generated from this i would love to put a down payment on one, or just buy a used one with a warranty amd full coverage insurance as well. but i really dont see that big of a miricle happening to me. Things like that only happen in the movies but i never loose hope and will continue to work towards this dream/goal no matter what I do, So I can be even more efficient today than I was yesterday. MAY GOD BLESS YOU. If not, MAY GOD BLESS YOU TOO!! Thank you for taking the time to read this. All I hope for is maybe you learned a new way of seeing things in a new light in your own life. LIFE IS LIKE THE GAME OF POOL, THERE IS AN ANGLE TO EVERYTHING. A new perspective awaits...
Candice Wright • July 4, 2017
