Paws Party, LLC started in May 2010. We have been in business for one year now and it is our own personal business.
I started the business after making homemade treats for our rescue dog, Shadow. Shadow is a huge black Labrador Retriever who was abused and scheduled to be put down. We rescued him and he is our pet and is much loved. We made him some homemade dog treats called “Flea B Gones” that help keep the fleas away. After getting laid off from my job I got involved with an MLM company but soon found that I could not ask people to pay the high prices of some of these products. My husband and I realized that if we make Shadow treats we can do for others. So after this I decided to form my own company and started making homemade doggie treats at prices that are more reasonable to the pocketbook of dog owners. We make the dog treats right out of our own kitchen , which is located in Jackson, NJ. One day we will have the storefront that is pictured in our heads; but for now, our kitchen will do.
The treats are made with tender loving care by my husband and myself. Actually, I give all the cooking credit to my husband. He is the cook. I am the creativity, sales and marketing person. I come up with the ideas and he puts them into action.
Our best seller is our pupcakes. It is similar to a cupcake but only for dogs. They are small and round and come in six different varieis. We have blueberry, banana, apple, sweet potatoe, brownie and carrot. I wanted to take something to a party that had a little more substance to it than a cookie. While making cupcakes one day I decided why not? Let’s do “Pup”cakes and let the doggies get involved in the events. In the meantime, by “cook” my husband does the bacon bonez and the blueberry treats! He loves blueberries and gives one to our dog every morning. We also perfected a Hambarker and hot Dawg for the summer barbque months for our furry friends!
Paws Party decided to advertise pet parties. Some of our customers were interested and so we decided why not cater for their events. If you decide you want to Party with your pet call Paws Party, LLC and we will make you a cake for your dog (the size of how many four legged doggies are coming); as well as doggie treat bags and party favors with balloons for your event. We don’t stay, we just do the catering part for you. The rest is up to you. The other aspect of our parties is having a “Pupperware” Party. Paws Party will come to your house just like Avon or the Tupperware lady and set up our products . You invite the guests to come and everyone has some one stop shopping and the host gets the chance to win some treats and some gift baskets. The host gets a gift basket for hosting the party and a chance to get some free treats if she refers another person that hosts a party.
Paws Party, LLC has a website if you do not want to host a party. You can order online. www.pawsparty.com At this time we do not have online parties set up.
Besides contacting us online we may also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Merchantville social sites. If you do not want to purchase online, you can email me at Bernadette@pawsParty.com. I always tell my customers that are local to please call me and I will be happy to make arrangements for delivery in an effort to save shipping costs. This helps just for the local area.
I was recognized by another blogger last year and as a matter of fact, she actually helped launch me in the business. It was thru her blog that I was able to advertise and get the word out as to who I was.
A year ago, Bernadette Girello couldn’t have imagined she would be spending her days whipping up dog muffins in her kitchen, taking classes in holistic pet massage or hosting dog and cat parties at a local pet grooming salon.
Back then she was busily employed as an administrative assistant, work she had done for years. But in October she was laid off from her job. Then she hurt her back and found herself confined to the couch for four months. And a funny thing happened: desperation mixed with inspiration and a dream was born.
“I remember laying there and doing a lot of soul searching,” says Bernadette. “I was over fifty and didn’t think I was going to be able find another job in my field. I started asking myself what I could do, what I wanted to do. Then one day I looked at Shadow, the beloved Black Lab we adopted from an animal shelter, and thought about the Flea Be Gone treats my husband had started making for him. And I thought, `I can do that’.”
That was in April. Only five months later, Paws Party ― though still in its infancy – is going strong. Because as soon as inspiration hit, ideas started flooding in and Bernadette headed to the kitchen to act on them.
With Shadow as her taste tester and the Internet as her guide, Bernadette began experimenting with tasty dog treats that contain brewer’s yeast and other natural ingredients to fend off fleas and ticks. She convinced her IT-savvy husband to build her a business web site and printed up business cards featuring a picture of her and Shadow. She also signed up as an independent sales consultant for Shure Pet Products to expand her network and product offerings.
To test the demand for her treats, Bernadette took a container of her first oatmeal treats to a local flea market – where they were a big hit with the dogs. From there, she headed back to the kitchen with Shadow by her side, where she developed an entire line of Shadow Treats – including Flea-be-Gone, Bacon Bonz, Cheesy Treats, Chicken Chews, and what has quickly become a customer favorite: Pup-Cakes.
“I just started experimenting with everything,” says Bernadette. “ My husband’s a big blueberry fan and often feeds Shadow blueberries so I decided to make blueberry pup muffins. The dogs love those – a few people do, too. A husband of one of my clients saw them sitting on the counter and devoured them thinking they were for him. I personally think they are a little bland, but I use all natural ingredients and they are absolutely fine for human consumption.”
Along with her line of Shadow treats and a soon-to-be launched line of cat treats, Bernadette has added a full line of pet services to Paws Party – including grooming, day care, dog walking and most recently pet massage therapy, which she took classes for after discovering the healing effect her massages had on Shadow.
In addition to word-of-mouth marketing, Bernadette has employed an “all-over-the-map” marketing strategy that include exhibiting at every animal show she can find, hosting parties at a local pet grooming salon, and sending Shadow treats to animal rescue shelters. She also has Paws Party magnets on her car and says that anytime she sees someone walking their dog, she stops them and hands them a business card.
It’s not that it doesn’t get tough at times. But when it does, Bernadette says she prays, reminds herself of everything and everyone she’s grateful for, surrounds herself with positive energy, and keeps plugging away at her dream.
“You just need to forge on,” says Bernadette. “As Alan Watts says, `The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.’ That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Though still building a customer base for Paws Party, Bernadette is already visualizing the next part of her dream: to open a store. But she also heeds her husband’s gentle reminder that she has to crawl before she can walk.
“When you don’t have money, you really have to crawl first,” Bernadette says with a laugh. “But you know, I know I’ve found IT – the thing I’m supposed to do. And it feels amazing.”
To learn more about Paws Party, go to www.pawsparty.com.
