Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Elena Nones.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Victoria Elena. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my pet care business with my meager savings of $1,000, a vision to be my own boss doing something I loved, and by sleeping on friend’s couches. I turned that $1,000 into a 6 figure business within just 2 years and it is still thriving and growing. What I am most proud of about this is that I have no formal business education, did not know anyone in the pet care industry while competing with over 1200 other companies in Chicago providing the same services, and did not have a previous expertise in this field.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. There were lots of learning lessons along the way. I think one of the most difficult things has been realizing that I have a talent for sales, marketing, and business, but not having the financial means to apply all of my ideas. I had to constantly be resourceful, bootstrap, and put money back into my business every time I made money. When I was first starting out, I didn’t have money to go out with friends to a movie or drinks. I barely had grocery money and sometimes friends would send me gift cards for food or my mom would help here and there when things got tight. I even rented out my apartment and slept at friend’s in order to survive the first year. Even now, as the business expands, it continues to surprise me with setbacks and challenges all along the journey. Yet, this is what I love about entrepreneurship – the ability to be a creative problem solver. I wouldn’t trade where I’ve come from or how I’m getting to where I’m going, because my background gives me character, empathy, and a deep sense of pride knowing that I have a successful business to fall back on 5 years later.
Please tell us about SIT Social: A Dog Lounge.
SIT Social: A Dog Lounge is Chicago’s only 5 star rated, intimate, 700 square foot dog living room. We provide small batch dog daycare, cage free boarding, and BYOB dog friendly events and venue rental space by night (Dog Birthdays, Paint Your Pet’s Picture Class, Yappy Hours, Private Birthday Party Rentals and more!)
We are proud of the unique pet focused events we offer and the fact that our doggie daycare is dog daycare 2.0.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood have to be the costume parties my mom would throw for my birthday. My birthday falls exactly one week before Halloween and we always got to have fun, large gatherings with friends and dress up. She always planned unique relay type games for us to play and one year in middle school she even turned our whole historical home into a haunted house. Having those parties was a great way for my classmates and friends to get more use out of their Halloween costumes, that’s for sure!
Pricing:
- A La Carte Full Day of Dog Daycare $40 (Up To 12 Hrs) and includes a “Pupdate” – photo/video of your doggie with caption and behavior
- Paint Your Pet’s Picture Class $65. Includes a custom pencil outline from a photo of your pet, 3 hours of instruction, and all material. Art studio is BYOB.
- Dog Birthday Party, Puppy Showers, & Private Rentals $70/hr. Includes private use of the space for you and up to 20 of your human friends as well as 10-15 of your furry friends.
- Cage Free Boarding $65 per 24 hrs
Contact Info:
- Address: 3920 North Ashland Avenue
- Website: www.sitinchicago.com
- Phone: 773-661-9336
- Email: info@sitinchicago.com
- Instagram: @sitinchicago
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sitinchicago
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sit-social-a-dog-lounge-chicago-2
Image Credit:
Headshot – Gregory Rothstein
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
