t’s always been puppies over profits at Magnolia Mutts Boarding & Daycare located in Fultondale, Alabama. But almost as soon as they opened their doors, they found their niche and the profits followed.

Kaylin Harris and Lauren Startley did not originally set out to open a woman-owned-and-operated pet care center. Even though they both had plenty of love for and experience in working with animals through their own dogs and during their nine years of volunteer work at the local humane society, they had other plans for their future. Kaylin and Lauren both became nurses.

Kaylin gave it her best effort, but she was unhappy and ultimately realized that a nursing career was not for her. Her longing to work with animals was always there, and she wished she could find a way to make it happen.

She and her wife, Lauren, have several dogs of their own. And when an old John Deere repair facility came up for lease near them, Kaylin joked that they should open a daycare and boarding facility there.

Soon after, they watched the movie We Bought a Zoo and heard the quote, “All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and something good will come of it!” which was all the couple needed to hear to take the plunge into entrepreneurship in the pet care industry.

“It feels impossible until you do it,” Kaylin shares. “It was such an overwhelming idea when I first had it. I was not a business person; I was a nurse and pet parent. But, I had a great support system. My wife, Lauren, was fully onboard with it and said ‘Yes, let’s do this!’ So, we made up our minds that we were going to do it and we hit the ground running. We found our building in the spring of 2022 and opened in October of 2022.”

For Kaylin and Lauren, the toughest part of starting a business was acquiring financing. They found that most places want you to have two years of business operation and business ownership experience before they will loan you money. So, they took out personal loans and used credit cards to open Magnolia Mutts.

“We started out really small; actually on a shoestring,” explains Kaylin. “We started with crate boarding. As we got more reservations, we got more crates. Our business is daycare based and all of our boarders receive daycare at no additional cost. The pups enjoy being in the play groups all day and we put them up at night.

“People tell us it’s like dropping their dog off at a fun Aunt’s house,” she continues. “They are going to have fun and get loved on. I think we have a softer kind of energy that’s comforting and reassuring.”

With a motto of “It’s all about the ball pits and bubbles,” Magnolia Mutts’ only focus is on the dogs having a good time. They don’t provide any training services, but there is plenty of playtime and enrichment activities. They also offer add-ons, like reading the dogs bedtime stories and preparing treats for them. However, all of this individualized attention for the dogs wouldn’t be possible without their staff.

“Our staff is fantastic,” Kaylin shares emphatically. “We have a great team of ten of us now. We use the PackPro training videos and handbook to train our team members. We educate our staff members on enrichment procedures and how to take terrific photos of the pups.”

Magnolia Mutts has indoor and outdoor play yards. They focus on small play groups of 15 dogs or less and do hourly enrichment activities that are very interactive with the handlers and personalized for the dogs. They offer daycare packages, multi-dog discounts and run occasional specials.

“Every decision we have made for Magnolia Mutts was made as pet parents,” says Kaylin. “For example, in the past, every time I went on vacation and had to put my pets in a kennel, I would wonder what my pets were doing—having fun or hiding in a corner. I paid for add-on services and always wondered if they were getting them.

“I wanted to structure Magnolia Mutts so that the owners knew their dogs were getting the services they selected,” she continues. “So I came up with the idea of taking photos of the dogs having fun and participating in the activities their owners requested, then sending the photos to the pet parent. It has been a bigger hit than I ever expected.”

Another thing the owners really like about Magnolia Mutts is that they post a lot of photos each day on social media. It helps them feel like they are included in their dog’s experience, and the owners are almost guaranteed to see their dog in at least one of the photos.

“This works better than report cards for us,” Kaylin admits. “It has been one of our best marketing strategies. The owners share the photos with family, friends, and co-workers, and that brings more business to us. Word-of-mouth advertising is priceless.

“We know our customers by name and build relationships with them,” she adds. “We have formed a little community and many of the pet parents have become like family.”

At Magnolia Mutts they have a dog of the month, which their staff votes on. The winner gets a toy and treat and the dog’s photo is featured on the board in the lobby. The parents also receive a discount on future packages.

Capitalizing on birthdays is another opportunity for fun. The birthday dog gets a party, complete with a pup cup, birthday hat, decorations and a birthday photo. Additionally, they do craft activities. For example, on Mother’s Day they made cards with the dogs’ nose prints on them, which said, “Mom nose best!”

Magnolia Mutts has enjoyed steady growth since they opened and are now operating at full capacity.

“We just now passed our two-year mark,” Kaylin proudly shares. “We are in the process of deciding whether to do a big renovation at our present location or buy a building that will accommodate our growing customer base.”

Magnolia Mutts Boarding & Daycare was built on the premise of puppies over profit, but through hard work and “insane courage,” they have both!