Jamie Cohen has been running, All Around Pet Care, a successful dog grooming and pet sitting business for the last 17 years right here in Clearwater at 1268 S Highland Ave. She, like many businesses, found herself in a jam when everything got shut down last March.
Fortunately, Jamie wasn’t about to give up hope even after the past due bills began to pile up. After attempting to take advantage of federal grant and loan programs she was initially left feeling discouraged, until the city of Clearwater launched their Back to Business Grant and Professional Services program.
“$5,000 makes a huge difference for a small business like myself. I am not a big corporation, so while my bank and other institutions appeared to be ignoring me, the city of Clearwater made it possible for me to get my doors open again.” – Jamie Cohen, Owner, All Around Pet Care
On top of helping cover past due rent and utility bills, this grant gave Jamie the opportunity to invest in marketing tools which otherwise would have been cost prohibitive. 
“The most impactful thing I was able to do was set up signage in a parking space and on my door. This situation has forced me to do business differently where people who used to come into my shop now have to drop off outside. It might seem like a small thing, but the opportunity to have attractive signage was immensely helpful.” – Jamie Cohen, Owner, All Around Pet Care
When you are a small, family business marketing ideas tend to fall by the wayside unless they have a direct correlation to ROI. Jamie was also able to invest in some promotional material to provide to clients as a gift, such as disposal bags and inflatable dog bowls.
“I never would have pulled the trigger on stuff like this, and now after such a great response from my customers, it has given me the courage to step out and give other ideas a shot.” – Jamie Cohen, Owner, All Around Pet Care
The way we do business has changed. We must make modifications in our thought process and business models if we are going to not only weather the storm but come out the other end in a better situation than we started.
