Client Spotlight: BabyDog's Journey with Avalon

Ever wondered how having Avalon as your financial partner can truly shape your business journey? 

We decided to answer that question in the most authentic way possible—by inviting one of our valued clients to share their story.

Today, we're unraveling the story of Aviva, co-owner of BabyDog, TomeyK9 Services and ReadyDog. 

Can you tell us about your business journey at BadyDog? 

My journey at BabyDog began in 2014 - I initially joined the team as a dog trainer and quickly learned the ropes of the business. 

In 2016, I finally took the reins of the company and eventually partnered up with Dave Tomey from TomeyK9 Services. As a new business owner, I was now filling in a role that required full dedication and implied so many more responsibilities. 

Dave and I were really focused on offering top-notch in-person dog training. We were lucky to be able to connect with so many incredible dog owners, both in a 1-1 setting and in group training. 

Fast forward a few years and business was booming - We now had 10 members to the team, including other trainers and support staff. We were hosting classes all over the city and had more demand than we could keep up with. Then, Covid hit and everything came to a halt. At this point, we had one of two choices:

1. Close down the business, not bringing in any profits from not being able to offer in-person training. 
2. Make the best of a shitty situation and diversify our offer. And that’s exactly what we did. We shifted our services online, providing support and guidance to dog owners through our online learning platform ‘ReadyDog’. 

ReadyDog played a crucial role in enabling us to continue supporting dog owners until we could bring back in-person support. We now offer a blend of in-person and online training to help out as many people as we possibly can. 

How did Avalon come into the picture?

It all started with word-of-mouth. Another local business owner raved about Avalon's services, and the timing seemed just right as the business kept on expanding. We had an incredible bookkeeper who was doing a great job of keeping our books up to date, but we now had so much more financial responsibilities to think about.

As a small business owner, learning on the go is inevitable. And I got used to it for the most part. But as I was diving more and more into the financial matters of the company, I realized that we didn’t have enough knowledge to take care of everything. 

So we decided to meet with Joe, co-founder of Avalon to chat about our needs and ended up hiring Avalon as our financial partner. It turned out to be just what we needed - a hands-on team taking care of all of our finances and providing proactive guidance along the way. It felt like our financial wellbeing was totally taken care of, and I could finally check that off my list. 

“I love that I no longer have to think about this stuff, partnering with Avalon gave me the space to focus on what was most beneficial to the company.“ 

Can you tell me a bit more about ReadyDog?

ReadyDog is a subscription based learning platform designed to teach dog owners how to build an unbreakable bond with their dog. 

Our certified trainers and professional video editor crafted a diverse library of training videos  that tackle all sorts of issues as well as the fundamentals of dog training. Members can track their dog's progress through our programs, accessible via membership or a single lifetime payment. 

Our goal is to provide round-the-clock support for dog owners who prefer getting things done at home and at an affordable price.

We are dedicated to continuously improving our online experience and we’re still investing considerable efforts in creating content that provides value to our dog owner community. 

How did Avalon assist you in your process of building ReadyDog? 

Avalon has been an incredible partner in this journey of building ReadyDog. 

The Avalon team initially helped us budget for the development of our online platform and provided us with comprehensive reports to help us keep track of the profitability of this new revenue stream. Their creativity and deep understanding of our business helped in building a solution that would provide us with valuable insights into ReadyDog’s performance.  

These services combined with the team’s honest feedback and ongoing support allowed us to make informed decisions about the business. 

It was nice to be able to check-in every once-in-a-while to say: “This is what we're doing. Does this make sense? Is it financially feasible? Is there a more profitable way to get there?

"It really felt like the team was with us along the way, and they were always very professional and caring." 

How would you describe the collaborative process with Avalon? 

Honestly, everyone that I've worked with at Avalon has just been so easy to talk to and just a pleasure to work with. 

I really appreciate the transparency and the dedication of the team. Everyone is just so reliable, the work is really well done, and I don’t have to worry about deadlines because everything is done in time. It’s nice to know that we have a whole team that’s going above and beyond for us so that we don’t have to worry about anything.

“ Avalon is a culture of really great, really professional people, and it feels so fantastic to have them on our side. “

We hope this article gave you a taste of what's it's like to hire Avalon as your financial partner. As dog enthusiasts ourselves, we really appreciate working with Aviva and the rest of the BabyDog, ReadyDog and TomeyK9 team, and are thrilled to be a part of their journey.
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If you're a dog owner in Victoria, BC, check out BabyDog's in-person training! 🐾

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For those considering a remote option, dive into ReadyDog's online training sessions. Trust us, it's a journey worth barking about! 🐾