We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Sharkey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jennifer, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
When I was a little kid, my mom used to put bugs, worms, frogs, and snakes in my hand so I wouldn’t be afraid of them, and would respect all animals. (Too bad that didn’t help me with spiders!)
Cats have always been my favorite animal, and they’ve always been a part of my life since I was 3 years old when my family rescued a litter of kittens, and their mom from our cabin. We got to keep two of the kittens, and found homes for the rest. Wanting to help and make cats happy is truly my passion!
I found out about a cat that was thrown out onto the streets and abandoned, when the family moved away, I knew my husband and I had to help. We were going to surrender him to the Animal Humane Society, because between the two of us we already had 4 cats, and didn’t think either of us could take on another, but we both fell in love with him! He was so handsome and charming! We named him Moo after a stuffed cow I had, Moo-Cow, and we took him to the vet to get the “works”.
From talking to the neighbors where Moo was roaming, we found out that the area was swarming with stray and feral cats. My husband and I got some live traps and started trapping as many cats and kittens as we could, bring them to the Humane Society where they were spayed/neutered, and vaccinated, then brought back the ones that were “too feral” back to the colony where they can thrive and survive. Luckly the kittens were young enough to get socialized, and eventually get adopted into loving homes.
Rescuing Moo, then finding out about the feral cat colony nearby gave me a great sense of purpose – I wanted to help other cats in the same way, and do whatever I can to help reduce the stray, feral, and abandoned cat population. Which is another reason why I wanted to start Big Moo’s Catnip!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was already growing catnip, and Moo would get so excited every time I brought in some fresh leaves. Like many people, I would get a bag of catnip from the store, or with a new toy, and always thought it wasn’t as good looking as the catnip I grew myself. Because of Moo’s personality and love for catnip, I decided to start my own small business growing and selling premium organic catnip. Catnip that’s mass produced and sold is always brown, full of stems, and who knows what else. Plus, you don’t know where it was grown, what kind of chemicals or pesticides they use, or the way it’s processed.
I knew there was room in the catnip business to offer a high quality, organic, fresh, natural, and GREEN alternative to the catnip at pet stores. I also have whole leaves, buds, catnip powder, which is what sets me apart from all the rest.
I participate in local events when I can. Moo did an in-person donation of his book, “Moo Wants a Home” to the Humane Society for their Rescue Readers program, where kids come in and read to the animals who are waiting to be adopted. Giving the animals some attention and teaching kids the importance of the struggles that a lot of cats go through because sadly, Moo’s story is not all that unique. At the end of the year, I donate a portion of proceeds from sales to a shelter or rescue in need. I have been able to donate to Feline Rescue, Animal Humane Society, and Pause 4 Paws over the last few years.
Because of the platform I have, I’m also able to do things on the spot, like currently I’m running a fundraiser, “Wool Play Ball for Figaro”, for a family who unfortunately lost 3 cats within 2 months. Not only do I sympathize with the loss of a cat, but I can only imagine the devastation of losing 3 in such a short time. Plus, the amount of vet bills for all that, so I decided to start a fundraiser, to try to help out with the expenses. Anyone who donates, gets a wool play ball with either a heart or a paw print on it, to show my thanks for donating (minus shipping). All the donations will be transferred, and I hope it helps relieve some financial burden.
I have some very exciting things on the horizon, which will be released soon, maybe even before this article is published! I’ve been working hard on Catnip & Lemon Balm tea! Catnip has a lot of positive qualities for humans as well, such as; a calming effect, digestive health, mental health, reduces anxiety and nervousness. I’ve also gotten a lot of requests for Big Moo apparel, so I’ve been working on designing t-shirts, and working with a printing company to be able to print and ship orders on-demand. I have many other ideas and things I would like to do and hope I get the chance to.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Before starting Big Moo’s Catnip, I worked in an office setting where time management, organization, and customer service was key. All of those have helped with running Big Moo’s Catnip. Being able to manage your time and be organized when you are in charge of a whole business is important because you wear many different hats. Having good customer service is also so important, and when you really care about what you’re doing, it’s easy to connect with your customers. Having Moo answer emails and messages on Facebook/Instagram, or just creating and responding to Instagram posts is so much fun. Being engaged with the cat community, who I feel truly are my friends, is really important to me. Not all of them are customers, and I don’t push my products onto them, that is why I have two IG accounts, one for fun (big_moo_and_friends), and also a business account (bigmooscatnip), so no one feels pressured. I feel that if you’re genuine and have a good product(s) with the intended audience, it will happen organically.
I also worked in the culinary industry for many years. That gave me a lot of insight into growing all my products organically, handling, and processing everything properly. It’s been many years since I’ve been in that field, but I still maintain and stay current on my Food Safety Manager certificate through the state, so my customers can feel at ease knowing that not only the catnip, but also my upcoming Catnip & Lemon Tea is handled safely.
My advice to anyone who is early in their journey, is to stop and think about what you’re good at, what you have experience with, what your past jobs have taught you, and see how you can utilize those skills, or areas of expertise and put to good use for what you are truly passionate about. When you’re struggling with a new product, or a new idea, a simple “pro’s and con’s” list will really show you if it’s something you want to move forward with, or pursue.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Getting overwhelmed can happen before you even know it! I personally keep a lot of spreadsheets and lists of ideas, tasks, deadlines, upcoming events, etc. Sometimes just looking at my lists gives me that feeling.
Around the holidays is my busiest time with orders, it can get hectic quickly, especially making lots of toys. It’s really easy to get behind, but due to the nature of my small business, I don’t like to keep a ton of inventory on-hand, some items are made-to-order, and since I ship all over the world, I can get orders in the middle of the night, and wake up to already being behind.
Luckily, my husband will help me with order prep like, creating shipping labels, printing label tags, stickers, and cards. He does the graphic design and makes the Moo stickers that everyone loves so much. I come up with what I want the image to be and he brings it to life. I’m also lucky that he is in cyber security, so my customers can feel safe on our website, and giving us information for orders. I make the toys, do the sewing, and do all the communication on Instagram, FB and emails. In the summer I’m busy watering, harvesting, and processing catnip daily.
My best advice would be to get your processes down, and prep things during down-time. Again, a lot of my stuff is made-to-order, but I always need stickers, labeling, packaging, etc so when I don’t have orders to fulfill, I try to get ahead on some staple things I’ll always need. It can become very chaotic if you don’t have processes for making items, or fulfilling orders.
Luckily, cats are great stress relievers, and I have 4 of them! Just taking a break, petting a cat or two can really help relax and de-stress!
Contact Info:
- Website: bigmooscatnip.com
- Instagram: @bigmooscatnip
- Facebook: fb.com/bigmooscatnip
- Other: Personal IG @big_moo_and_friends