Meet Naomi Fukuta | Owner of Dulci Paws

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

Hi Naomi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started, I had just quit my job in eCommerce. I was spending a lot of time with my dogs, trying to decide my next steps. I made a lot of new friends at the park and noticed there was a need for reliable dog walkers and pet sitters. They had many horror stories which was upsetting. I started by partnering with a friend who had the same ideals as me. We did a lot a research by looking at the market as well as talking to our potential clients about their expectations and needs when it came to their pets. It was important to us that our future clients could trust us and know that their pets would be taken care of as if they were our own. As we went along, my partner decided to move forward in another direction. After amicably splitting, I saw the potential of this business and continued on with the research we had done. I gave myself milestones to meet and eventually, I was able to hire incredible staff members. Now, most of our clients come from word of mouth.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Dulci Paws sets ourselves apart by treating our client’s pets as if they were our own. We know that our clients treat their pets like their own children and we understand this. We also provide our clients with the best solutions based on their needs. When we started, potential clients did not know if they could trust us so finding clients was difficult. Luckily, we had clients that gave us a chance and we made sure to prove they picked the right people. Like every business, we made mistakes and have had challenging clients. We’ve learned and adapted as needed and our clients have been amazing! They always refer us to their friends and family which shows us that we are on the right track. Every staff member we have hired has proven their love and care for the pets and our clients see it too. We have learned that we cannot make everyone happy but we can do our best to help make sure their pets are safe and are given the love they deserve. We dedicate ourselves to our clients and their pets and we strive to not only meet but exceed expectations on a daily basis.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Hollywood, Disneyland, and Universal Studios are great places to start. One of my favorite things to do is play tourist so I would take them on a Hollywood tour. I would also take them to The Grove and visit the Farmer’s Market. Some places I love to eat would be Korean BBQ in Korea Town, Chinese food in Monterey Park, Brazillian BBQ in Downtown LA and Asanebo in The Valley.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to all the people I met at the park who supported me when I started this business. Everyone was so encouraging and helped me by being my first clients. I would also like to dedicate this shoutout to my current business partner, Michael Farrell. He has done a phenomenal job of streamlining this business and has worked hard to keep this company thriving. This business would not be the success it is without all my clients and my partner.

Website: https://www.Dulcipaws.com

Instagram: @dulcipaws

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dulci-paws-north-hollywood

Image Credits
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