Southern Utah Small Business Spotlight

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am very passionate about small businesses! Before I was a dog trainer (and at some points during) I also worked on a family farm, at a farmer's market microgreen and culinary mushroom business, and more. I've also worked a step above that as a general manager for a small chain pet store, so I've seen a pretty good range of how businesses can work.

Having a small business, while challenging, has been one of the greatest honors and challenges I have ever had. After having such a rewarding experience, I have developed a firm belief that small businesses are essential for thriving communities and that those who are interested in having one get a fair shot at their dream. I've come to see dreams as hugely important- each person should have the right to reach their very fullest potential!

For over a year now, I have been actively networking with other small businesses in the area to get support, swap knowledge, and basically sustain the thriving community culture values we all seem to share. I have learned so much from these peers, and more than ever I believe in the power of small business and staying productive and involved on a community level. I've been watching so many brilliant people whip their best lives into reality as they have grown from just a vague idea of something into a thriving business.

The most important thing small businesses like these need is to be known so that their community members can support them. I thought it would be fun to start spotlighting and supporting some small businesses in Southern Utah to help them get visibility, as others have done for me as I was getting established as a trainer. Here are a few of the standouts that have wowed me over the last year: Noisy Bird Digital Marketing

Run by Tommy Gilmore and Robert Smith, this company is for you if you need to get your website tuned up, social media ads dialed, understand marketing trends, etc! I've personally learned a lot from Tommy through all of the value he provides for free on the NBDM Instagram and Facebook feeds. Not only that, Tommy has been an active part of the Cedar City Small Business Networking meetups and has donated presentations to small business owners. It has been great to get to know him personally and understand what drives his work. Through this kind of community work, Tommy and Robert have really grown to understand the needs of the small business owner and are innovating ways to help simplify the often daunting task of marketing in an ever-changing new digital landscape. It has been truly inspiring to watch this company grow, evolve, and succeed.

Saint George Roof Coatings

I've never really given much thought to various aspects of homeownership because I have always rented, but lately I have been thinking ahead to all that could be done with dog training in a home setting such as boarding, board and training programs, day training, dog sports, special events and classes and more. I've been dipping my toes into the waters of home ownership, property care and maintenance, building or home improvement, leasing commercial spaces, etc. While it's definitely fun to dream about what color I would love to paint the rooms for my future group classes, etc, it's also been a lot to think about how to protect the investment of either a brick and mortar or home business location. From outdoor substrates and turf to plumbing, there is so much to think about maintaining. As I have been researching different options for the future of the Mindful Canine education center, whatever that ends up being, I've discovered that a lot goes into all of this! Even the type of roofing we have apparently is going to affect the longevity of our future building, just depending on the geography. Obviously Cedar City gets plenty of snow, but Saint George buildings face the extreme UV impact of the hot climate. At Mindful Canine, we're passionate about thoughtful living and sustainability, so doing things in such a way that protects our assets and minimizes construction waste is going to be important. It's been really fun to learn about all of the ways that home based and commercial businesses need to be maintained. Check them out!

3 Ropes Painting

As I mentioned before, I've spent a lot of time fantasizing about how our canine learning center will look sometime in the future. I know that I want a lot of color, and for things to be uniquely bright and fun. I have visited some truly beautiful training centers in the state of Utah, and I've been getting some great ideas as I have found photos and videos of similar centers through social media. We try to keep the lowest overhead possible so that training remains accessible to members of our community. We will for sure be DIY-ing as much as possible, but I think as far as paint goes we are going to go the professional route. As Mindful Canine has grown we have really come to appreciate how much of a difference it can make to delegate certain things to qualified people. We're all about the training and dog whispering, so things like construction, digital marketing, etc would be better in a specialists hands! This is definitely one of the top choices we are considering to paint our future center! One of the things I love most about this business is that it is a family business.

Stay on the lookout for more small business spotlights in Southern Utah! As we make new friends out in our community, we'll definitely be introducing them! If you know of a small business that you'd love to spread the word about, reach out and let us know about it. Keep Calm and Support Small in Southern Utah!