MARCH_NEWSLETTER
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Robin MacFarlane<br />
That's My Dog! Inc.<br />
5110 Wolff Rd<br />
Dubuque, IA 52002<br />
How long have you been in business? 20 years<br />
What led you to start the business you’re in?<br />
I saw a need in the community. I was working as a<br />
Vet Tech and saw there was a lack of behavioral<br />
resources for dog owners to turn to in our community.<br />
That lead to a few years of doing it part time<br />
(starting in ‘94) and then deciding to go all in and<br />
open a training business in ‘98.<br />
What is the best part of owning your own<br />
business?<br />
The ability to follow your heart and gut<br />
and do what you believe is in the best<br />
interest of your clients without the<br />
need to work through red tape to<br />
gain approval of superiors.<br />
What’s one leadership lesson you’ve learned in<br />
your career?<br />
Make a decision and then go with it unabashedly<br />
while remaining flexible enough to adapt on the fly<br />
if needed. I believe adaptability is the key to thriving<br />
if one chooses the life of an entrepreneur.<br />
In a male dominated workforce, how do you<br />
distinguish yourself as a woman and as a business<br />
owner?<br />
It took me a few years to give up "trying" to<br />
compete in my arena. This is a very male<br />
dominated industry in terms of acknowledgement<br />
and financial compensation.<br />
Once I stopped worrying about competing<br />
and "proving myself" I put my head<br />
down full bore into being the very best<br />
I could be (which means continually<br />
learning and challenging myself to<br />
expand my comfort zones) everything<br />
fell into place. Business took<br />
off, my confidence to put myself<br />
out there grew and the acknowledgement<br />
followed.
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