Q+A with Debi Hufstedler

Catapult: What was the breaking point in which you realized it was your time to move out of Catapult?
Debi: I was seriously encouraged by Deb Hurta to build a service and training center and we quickly found a retail space that would be a great fit for us! We felt comfortable that we had established a solid foundation in the community, so we knew we would be well supported.

Catapult: How was the transition from working out of a co-working space to your own space?
Debi: So easy! It’s like Lucky Puppy was born here. After working at a vet clinic for 12 years and in a Lucky Puppy mobile unit since 2011–it was time!

Catapult: What are some wins for your business since you’ve moved into your new space?
Debi: The community is so supportive! For example, we’d been setting up in the Lakeland Pet Supermarket and The Doggie Bag for several years and people were waiting in line for over an hour to get their dogs’ nails trimmed. Now they come into an awesome waiting area, with three Nail Shortening Suites, two-three technicians working at a time, and the waiting is cut in half!

Catapult: Have you been able to hire any new employees?
Debi: We now have two full-time employees working in the shop and two full-time employees that split their time between mobile and the shop. Even with the shop, we plan on keeping our mobile units staffed, it’s a huge benefit to both our employees and our pet owners.

Catapult: Are you seeing an increase in growth each quarter?
Debi: We’ve doubled our income in the last year and a half!

Catapult: What are your secrets to customer growth?
Debi: We offer a clean, all open, interactive space. Our handling techniques combined with our Lucky Puppy Comfort and Shortening Systems makes what we do stress-free, pain-free (for the staff and the pets), fast, and easy–no one else is doing this! We rarely are faced with a dog that we cannot handle and we place high value on customer service.

Catapult: What goals have changed for you from when you first started to now?
Debi: Nothing, actually! We are doing exactly what we hoped to be doing. Now that the shop has been running smoothly for almost a year, we are focusing more of our attention to establishing ourselves within the veterinary community. 

Catapult: Which specific aspect of Catapult can you look back on and identify as the most helpful to your business?
Debi: The diversity! There were a lot of people doing different things with an uplifting and inspiring energy. I also met Deb Hurta and Grant Nieddu a couple months after being a member and they helped me so much!

Catapult: What’s one thing you’ve learned that you wish you knew when you first started?
Debi: I wish I knew how better to market to our target audience. Maintain connections within your community, maintain a solid and consistent social media presence, and be bold in communicating who you are and what you do and why! Above all, get out there and meet people!

Catapult: What would you wish next for your business?
Debi: We want Lucky Puppy to be in at least 1 vet clinic in every city in central Florida! After that, we want to see our system spread nationally. Lucky Puppy truly is Your Pet’s Nail Care Solution!