We recently connected with Julie & Jon Hamm and have shared our conversation below.
Julie & Jon, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Jon, my husband, and I started breeding French Bulldogs in December of 2021. This was probably the hardest time of my life to embark on something new. Earlier in 2021 both of my brothers passed away. The loss of the two of them hit me like a ton of bricks. I have always struggled with depression and anxiety and these events only exacerbated these struggles. Even though it was not the best time to be starting a new business I am incredibly thankful we did. Breeding French Bulldogs has helped me so much in the way of being happy. The last 3 years have been full of ups and downs, lack of motivation, anxiety, stress, and depression but through all that my husband and our dogs have helped me stay afloat. Running a business is not an easy task to begin with and when you struggle with mental health issues it can really make it feel daunting. Taking time to take care of yourself is so important along with being able to ask for help from the people around you. I am thankful everyday for my husband, who pushes me to do what is best for me, and for my dogs, who bring such joy and structure to my day.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We are Jon and Julie and we are the owners of J & J Frenchies LLC. We started breeding in December 2021 and fell in love with the process. Since we started breeding we have helped so many families find their new family members, helped people bring puppies in to their homes through our stud services, made amazing relationships with clients and fellow breeders, learned an incredible amount from other breeders and our vets, and have had some unfortunate events happen. Being a breeder is not easy and you have to work with some difficult situations. In our 3 years of breeding we have had puppies pass at a very young age, puppies that had cleft pallets, and puppies that we were not fully formed when born. This is not a business for people looking to make a quick buck. It is for people who love the breed.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Oh man! For us, the three most important things have been surrounding ourselves with like minded breeders, building a relationship with our vet, and patience. It has been so incredibly important for us to connect with other breeders who are willing to share their knowledge. We are truly thankful to everyone we have met throughout out journey because without them I imagine we would have had a much harder time in this business. Our vet and their team has also been such an amazing resource. They are always helpful and want their clients to be informed on how to best support their puppies and breeding females. Patience is the third most important skill to have in this business. It is not an easy business to be in and patience is so necessary. You may have females that don’t take on their first try. You may have females that never have puppies. You may have males that don’t produce. You may not be able to sell puppies easily. You may have puppies pass even though you did everything to save them. Even though you will deal with all of that, if you love the breed, have patience, are willing to ask questions, and trust your vet, you can be successful.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
This is a pretty simple question. Our clients are people who love dogs, people who have done their research about frenchies and their cost and people that understand what all goes in to being a good breeder. There are so many people out there that want a Frenchie but don’t want to pay a price that reflects all the effort that goes in to being a good breeder. However, our Frenchies are priced to reflect the time, money, effort, and love that we put in to every single litter and dog we have. Our dogs are our family first and our clients become a part of our family when they get a puppy from us. Once a client gets a puppy from us, we are still here for them to ask questions for as long as they have them. Our clients are families, couples, singles, young people, older people, and everyone in between. The one thing all of our clients have in common is they absolutely love the breed and we are so thankful they trust us with their new baby.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jandjfrenchiesllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jandjfrenchies/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JandJFrenchies
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jandjfrenchies/
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