When Clark County resident Breezy Jackson started to notice that a lot of her friends, family and strangers were getting new puppies and kittens during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, she started to get an idea for a pretty clever business.
“The final inspiration to start was when a girlfriend of mine got a new kitten,” Jackson said. “She had never had one before, so she called me asking what cat things she needs. I suggested food, litterbox, toys, treats … I even had a brand-new cat bed that my cat doesn’t use, so I gave it to her … and the lightbulb turned on.”
Not long after that interaction, Jackson started Just Your Fur Baby on April 1, 2021. Just Your Fur Baby provides customers with the essential items they need when bringing home their new “fur baby.” Jackson said her kits are unique because they are 100% used by the customer’s fur baby – no wasted gift basket or filler.
“We take the worry and scramble out of what you need and eliminate the last-minute stop at the pet store on your way home,” she said. “I have a donation campaign I call ‘Furever Friends’ that has been the most successful part of my business. For every $40 in donations a complete kit is put together and donated to a local animal agency to, in turn, give away to someone in need when adopting. This past January I participated in the Betty White Challenge with a goal of raising $120 equaling to four kits to be donated. Shockingly, I raised $360 and donated 12 kits to two local agencies here in Vancouver and one in Sisters, Ore. This has been a great relationship builder.”
Currently an operations analyst working at Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Jackson said she works full time during the day and uses her evenings and weekends to spend time on her small business. With a background in marketing, she said it seemed natural to get herself out there, but she says things have definitely changed over the years, so there is quite a learning curve.
“I’m not in the starter-kit business to make a quick buck,” she said. “I just want to get pet supplies to people at the most critical time – on day one.”
Jackson said she started the business with just two basic starter kits that included food – The Smitten Kitten and It’s Puppy Love. Since then, she has expanded to no food options, a medium/large It’s Puppy Love kit (for larger breeds), and her newest items, Welcome Home Kitty (two versions), Welcome Home Doggy (two versions) and her On-The-Go Pack (for the active dog/family).
One of the ways that Jackson said she gets the most business is by partnering with breeders to get her kits to each of their customers purchasing and picking up their new puppies or kitties. She also said she’s been working to get traffic to her website for sales, and she did a few events last summer and raffled off her On-The-Go Pack at each one.
As far as the future is concerned for Just Your Fur Baby, Jackson said her immediate goals include getting a few more reputable breeders as regular partners, which would help her get out there and make her more credible; expanding/moving her workspace from her home office into a “she shed/shop” on the side of her home; and, eventually, maybe opening a small shop in town and possibly expanding to “build-your-own” kits for customers and breeders or anyone who just wants to refresh their pets’ toys.
Visit the Just Your Fur Baby website, www.justyourfurbaby.com, to shop for kits and read more about the business.
