Young Entrepreneur Spotlight: Max Lee

Date: August 02, 2016

Pet-sitting business offers above-and-beyond service.

Young Entrepreneur Spotlight: Max Lee

Max Lee’s concierge pet-sitting business, “Who Let the Dogs Out? Max!”, started after his sister decided to hang up the leash, so to speak.

“My sister had the business first,” he said, “but she just had a few customers. One of them had a dog that she just couldn’t handle and she got frustrated and decided to stop pet sitting. So I decided to start where she left off.”

When Lee—the winner of the NFIB/Phyllis Kennedy Endowment Young Entrepreneur Award—took over in July 2014, he had six customers. Now, he has more than 65, and on holidays, he has to have a waiting list.

In the fall, Lee will be commuting two days a week to H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College, about 40 minutes from his home in Troy, and he plans to continue running the business while in school.

Long term, however, he would like to find someone like him and train him or her to take over the business when he finishes at Trenholm.

“I am getting my welding and automotive manufacturing certificates, and I would love to work at the Corvette manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky,” Lee said. “But I also have 65 families that have come to depend on me. So I don’t want to leave them without someone to look after their pets. But it would have to be the right person—not everyone can do this kind of work.”

The job description includes working nearly every weekend and all holidays, he said, so he’s had to learn to accept that when other people have time off, that’s when he’s working. But he’s supporting himself well with the money he earns, and he knows he’s helping people.

“Many dogs and cats don’t do well when they are boarded,” he said. “It is always best if they can stay in their own environment and I can come and let them out and feed and play with them.”

Lee texts his customers each day they are out of town with a photo of their pet so they know everything is OK, and at Christmas, he and his mom bake homemade dog biscuits to take, along with little packets of catnip, to customers. With this kind of service, it’s no wonder that nearly all his business comes as a result of word-of-mouth recommendations.

For other young entrepreneurs, Lee offers this advice: Do what you say you’re going to do. Be dependable. Give your customer more than they ask for by delivering beyond their expectations. And don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty!

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