Hemingway's Happy Hounds - Twin Falls
After working in offices for years, Sandie Hemingway decided to create the kind of job she really wanted, and the kind that could be successful in her hometown of Twin Falls.
In 2004, she began researching dog boarding facilities and then she approached the Idaho Small Business Development Center.
“The first day I met Bryan Matsuoka he probably thought I was crazy,” she said. “I was full of excitement but didn’t know the first thing about going into business for myself.” Bryan counseled Sandie on how to write a business plan, gave her the name of four banks to approach for funding, and answered a multitude of questions. He even got the graphics arts department at College of Southern Idaho on board to create a logo for what was to become Hemingway’s Happy Hounds Dog Daycare.
Sandie and her husband opened for business on November 21, 2005, with one full-time vet tech/office manager and four part-time vet tech students. In the first year they averaged 100 new dogs/clients every month. Just 18 months later, they had 1,365 dogs in the system, three full-time employees and 7 part-time people.
The Idaho SBDC provided Web site development through coordinating efforts with a CSI student team and their technology instructor and has also assisted with current expansion plans.
“The Idaho SBDC taught me a whole new set of lessons about going into business for myself. They helped me with the bank and funding and gave me a lot of moral support and encouragement. I know I couldn’t have done it without them. “ — Sandie Hemingway
