Meet Doug Kreeger: Creative Artist & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Doug Kreeger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doug, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’ve reframed “risk-taking” as “taking a leap-of-faith.” I’ve failed enough times to know that no matter how far I leap, even if I fall on my face I’ve got a good support system and the thick skin to get up and try again. As a Business Owner, the past year has been a continuous series of leaps-of-faith, including securing long-term funding with the belief the market will rebound, and hoping our clients and employees stick with us. As a Creative Artist I take leaps-of-faith by sharing my art with others, by being vulnerable in a rehearsal room, and by having the faith that the next job is coming so my bills will be paid.

What should our readers know about your business?
I was raised with pets, and I’ve always especially loved dogs. When I was a struggling theatre actor in NYC I had many survival jobs, one of which was: Dog Walker. I revived my NYC side-hustle as a full time business in LA, with a catchy name: “Doug’s Dogs.” After a year, I had more dog clients than I could manage so I got my first assistant. After a few more years, we had amassed a team of Independent Contractors and a growing roster of clients. In early 2020, we converted our Independent Contractors to Employees, transitioned from a DBA to an LLC, and rebranded as “PetProGo.” Then, the pandemic hit and we shut everything down. After a thriving first quarter of 2020 we had a completely silent second quarter. We had to let go of our employees and risk losing long-time clients. We got a PPP Loan. We got an EIDL. We got grants. We reopened in a very small way in July 2020, and we’ve been rebuilding since then. I keep pushing forward because I believe in the business and the services we provide. I try to be a team leader who values communication, accountability, presence, safety, and excellence. I want to keep our employees employed and our clients happy. The way I became a small business owner is relatively simple: Every time I’ve come to a fork in the road where one path diminishes the business while the other path builds the business, I’ve always chosen to build.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Venice Boardwalk for people-watching, Guisados for tacos, Echo Park Lake for a stroll or boat ride, In-N-Out for burgers and secret menu items, Disneyland for a shot-in-the-arm of joy, Silverlake Ramen for… ramen, and so much more. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Back in my days on Broadway, I was introduced to an entrepreneurial mover-and-shaker named Sue Gilad. Sue was the first person who truly opened my eyes to the idea of being an Artist/Entrepreneur.

A wonderful NYC-based director named Shaun Peknic gave me a book called “Turning Pro” by Steven Pressfield (author of “The War of Art”). I often think about how it relates to my life as a Creative Artist.

As a Business Owner, I have learned so much from a pet industry mentor named Kristin Morrison. She helped me go from a guy who loves dogs to having a business with a team of employees that provides pet care to hundreds of clients.

I’m also secretly impressed with the small team of geniuses who created the Client Management Software we use to manage all of our clients and employees. Shoutout to the “Time To Pet” team!

Website: DougKreeger.com

Instagram: instagram.com/dougkreeger

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dougkreeger/

Twitter: @kreegerdoug

Facebook: facebook.com/dougkreegermusic

Other: Pet Business links: PetProGo.co instagram.com/petprogo facebook.com/PetProGo yelp.com/biz/petprogo-los-angeles

Image Credits
Headshot by @stlzphotos