Ground Floor: Cedar Rapids pet service spreading smiles

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jamie Hoovik said that back when she was trying to decide if she was ready start a family, a friend told her, 'You're never going to be ready; you just have to take the plunge.'

Hoovik applied that same advice to her new baby, Piles of Smiles Pet Services, which she decided to start on March 8 of this year.

'I decided this is what I want to do, I left my job, and I went to the recorder's office and registered my business,' she said. 'On March 9, I was a business owner.'

Piles of Smiles Pet Services provides pet-sitting and dog-walking services to Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas. Other services include dog park days, poop-scooping, cat litter box cleaning, transportation to and from vet visits, and other help clients may need in caring for their pets.

'My motto is to make happy pets and happy people,' Hoovik said. 'My clients know their pets are being cared for in their own home and not uprooted to an unfamiliar place where they are scared, stressed, and could get sick. When their pets are happy, they are.'

A life-long animal lover, Hoovik had been providing pet sitting services for her friends and family for years.

'I didn't even think of it as being something I could do as a full-time job,' she said. 'It's a dream come true to be able to play with animals for a living.'

Hoovik has a business degree in accounting and human resources management and extensive customer service experience. She said this background has proven useful in establishing her own business.

'I've been working in customer service since I can remember,' she said. 'That sets me apart. My clients will always get the services they've asked for and more.'

To get the word out about her new business, Hoovik has been doing a lot of footwork — leaving business cards and flyers in high traffic areas around town — and seeking cross-promotional opportunities with local pet-related organizations and veterinarians. She tracks her efforts and results with an Excel spreadsheet.

'Although it's been only three months, I've been happy with my success so far,' she said. 'It's slowly growing, but it's growing.'

Hoovik offers new clients a free initial consultation, or 'meet and greet,' to make sure that they and their pets are comfortable with her. She provides them an additional level of comfort in the fact that her business is bonded and insured.

'It's insurance for them, too,' she said.

Looking back, Hoovik said there is only one thing she would change about her plunge into business ownership.

'I would have done it 10 years ago,' she said.

At a Glance

Owner: Jamie Hoovik

Business: Piles of Smiles Pet Services

Phone: (319) 899-7850

Website: www.pilesofsmilesps.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pilesofsmilesps

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com