We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cyndi Richards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cyndi below.
Hi Cyndi , so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
You know that saying, “the definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results?” For the first 12 or so years of my career, I was doing exactly that. I grew up with chronic migraine headaches. When I get a migraine, I have to eat something, drink water and something with caffeine in it like Pepsi, take my meds, and lay down in a quiet dark space. Migraines are considered chronic when you get 15 or more a month. You can imagine how much that kind of thing can impact your life.
I consider myself a pretty smart person, but it never occurred to me that I wasn’t going to be able to somehow manage a typical career and my migraines. By the time I graduated college, I had 21 years of experience navigating life with them. Imagine my surprise, when my managers in the real world told me to take a Tylenol and suck it up. It’s just a headache. To be fair, when you work in operations, HR, and management like I did, your role is key to the overall successful running of the business.
I did my very best in every role I was in, for as long as I could. Being the person that “always got things done” taught others that they could come to me with anything and everything and I would make it happen. This would lead to me being overworked which would lead to increased migraines, anxiety, sleeplessness, …. rinse and repeat to infinity. I would eventually be forced out or have to resign due to not being able to get out of bed because of the headaches.
It was after I had repeated this entire cycle for a 4th time, I knew I had to do something else. I was tired of being a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
I have found that in a time of great trial and self-doubt, for me, comes the most clarity and the ability to take a risk. Besides my headaches, I am also an extremely outspoken, business minded, sharp individual. I have a knack for seeing the problem and identifying the solution faster than almost anyone else in any given room. Being in support positions where you often figure out the issue before your manager, or the partners, or the owner of the company often comes with a good bit of being “put in your place” by those that find you intimidating. So after the fourth time I found myself in the position to need to change roles, it was time to try something different.
At the time, LuLaRoe was just coming on the scene. I thought their business model was smart and I loved the product. Slinging skirts and dresses wasn’t something I’d ever thought about but it was my gateway drug into becoming and entrepreneur. I learned to trust myself. After all, I worked my ass off for other people. Why on earth didn’t I think I could do the same for myself? When LuLaRoe went to an online sales based business, I knew I wanted to do something that had me working face to face with people.
I’ve always been passionate about pets so when I stumbled into dog walking and pet sitting, it fit like a glove and I never looked back.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Peace of Mind Pets RVA was a business born from an idea I had when getting ready to travel to Europe for a couple weeks. I was living in MD at the time. All the options for care for my cats involved windowless cages or crates. There was no way I could go an enjoy my vacation knowing my 3 cats would be absolutely miserable. That idea germinated around in the back of my brain for a number of years after.
When we moved to VA, we looked for a property that would allow us to build the business as we envisioned it. We offer mostly crate and cage free boarding for pups that are other dog friendly. We say mostly crate and cage free because some dogs genuinely enjoy the safety of their crate. They hang out in our house just like they are our own pets. We have a little over 2.5 acres for them to run and play. In the summer, we have pup ice creams, pool time, and other water activities. In the winter, we do sniff mat puzzles for breakfast and dinner, plow through the snow, and run to our hearts content. For our kitty, rabbit, guinea pig, and pig, yes, pig visitors, we have a large master bathroom and a spare room with windows, toys, cat towers, beds, and all the creature comforts. No cages for these babies!
For our clients we do pet sitting and dog walking visits for, we strive to provide peace of mind that not only are their beloved pets cared for but so is their home. We love on their babies and care for them as if they are our own. I train my staff to always go above and beyond. Always go the extra mile.
In the near future, we are going to build a new, one of a kind facility on our property. I still plan to offer the same bespoke care. Where others offer runs and kennels, we’ll offer travel themed living rooms based on dog size and personality. Each room will be staffed so each pup gets individualized attention. We recognize that this type of environment isn’t for every dog. We will also offer dedicated space and runs for challenging dogs. All dogs deserve loving care. We just have to ensure that we can do it in a safe and secure manner. We will also still offer cat and small animal boarding. They’ll have beautiful, bright spaces to stay and play. When their parents go on vacation, they’ll go on one of their own with us!
Our new facility will still offer cat and small animal boarding. It will be a sanctuary, a home away from home for them.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be curious. Surround yourself with people that are ambitious. Be a learn it all. If you don’t know the answer, don’t get scared. Ask someone! You can find mentors through SCORE, get information on starting a small business through the SBA, network in your community to learn about upcoming opportunities, and read everything you can get your hands on. Be hungry for the life you want to create.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
When you first start a business, you’re all in on every aspect of it whether you are good at it or not. When the tide starts to turn, and you start making real money, the single biggest thing you can do for yourself, is invest in quality help. You want to hire a great CPA. You want a quality lawyer. If you are weak in an area, hire someone to handle it for you. Basically, if it doesn’t bring you joy, delegate it. If it isn’t an income producing activity, delegate it. Never stop being a learn it all. Teach yourself about the areas you are weak. Keep an overview of all of your operations but don’t discount hiring help to free up your most valuable asset – your time. You should be spending your time building your business in such a way that it can run without you. Document your operating procedures, refine your “special sauce”, nail your hiring process, find the efficiencies in your work and hone in on it. That’s where the real freedom is.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.peaceofmindpetsrva.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peaceofmindpetsrva/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peaceofmindpetsrva
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-d-richards-cdr/
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