We profiled an unusual small business today: Bone-A-Fide Dog Ranch in Snohomish, where at any given time, more than 100 dogs are roaming a five-acre lot while their owners work or take vacations.
The dog ranch is under new management. Former New Yorker Lauren Rick bought the business in January after a two-year search for just such a facility.
When I talked to Lauren last week, she had some advice for business owners and other management types taking over an existing company.
In short, she said to take things slow and do your homework.
“Take your time,” she said. “Get to know everything before you make any changes. Get to know your staff, get to know why they do things the way they do. I didn’t make any changes the first few months here.”
Rick started with a few big but obvious changes at the dog ranch. She hired a few more employees to help keep an eye on the dogs. She cleaned up the property. And she made meal-time less of a free-for-all — and a less stressful time for her 14 employees.
When hiring new employees, she said she watches how applicants relate to the animals, then mostly follows her gut.
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