Who is the dynamic duo leading a phenomenal team of pet sitters at Weather or Not? You know them as Lisa and Mike McGrath. Do you know how this pair of animal lovers became inspired to leave the corporate world to launch Wilmington, Delaware’s premier pet sitting service? Once you know their story, you’ll garner a deeper appreciation for why the McGrath’s do this work and for the services they provide for your family pet.
One Dog Inspires a Work-Life Change
Both Lisa and Mike began their careers in the information technology industry. Lisa as an entry level customer service tech on the help desk, and Mike as a help desk analyst. Both quickly rose through the ranks of the corporate info tech world: Lisa, a master multi-talker, was promoted to team leader and upper management roles managing multiple teams and over 35 employees.
She balanced managerial duties with customer account management and all the reporting and analysis that goes along with such roles. Mike took on higher levels of responsibility as a quality analyst, managing several teams including a team of employees on the Autism spectrum.
“We both were working so many hours...it felt like our dog, Stark was spending more time with his dog walker,” Lisa says.
With a yearning to leave the corporate world, Lisa began exploring how she could make a career shift that would allow her and Mike to pool their talents, ignite their passions, and provide the work-life balance they desired-- not only for themselves, but also for Stark a black lab who is now 6.5 years old.
“I gave my employer notice and set to work on my initial plan for a specialized facility for pets. We weren’t able to get that off the ground back in 2016...I had already given notice and knew I wanted to be in the pet industry. I also wanted something different for Stark, and for other pets whose owners worked a lot of hours each week. So Stark is what inspired us to launch Weather or Not.”
No Matter the Weather, Pets Need Loving Care
Lisa and Mike put a plan in place and within 5 months Lisa was operating WoN with enough clients to keep the family afloat financially. Within 8 months, she had to hire her first employee. Very quickly pet walking and sitting services expanded to include boarding and daycare, which was not part of their original plan.
“Because of the training we provide and expectations we have of our employees, and the way we assign staff to be a caregiver for each pet--not rotating different staff in out of client's homes at random, we were able to quickly add on pet sitting and boarding options for dogs and eventually cats, too.”
Now in business for nearly five years, Lisa and Mike manage a small team of employees, recently hired an office manager, and are still hands-on with the business. Mike is a bit more behind the scenes on the technology and operations side, while Lisa is more involved in day-to-day client relationship management.
“As owners, we manage client relations, scheduling, daycare and boarding dogs, and interacting with potential new clients. I oversee marketing and community relations as well.We both help our clients and staff optimize their use of our pet scheduling technology called Time To Pet. Most importantly, we still do home visits for the clients who first started with us. I enjoy all the pets I get to meet--and their owners too!”
Meet the McGrath’s Canine and Kitty Crew
Stark, a labrador retriever, is 6.5 years old.
Thorin, a pittie mix rescued off the streets of Wilmington, is 2.5 years old
Natty, a mix breed, is about 2 years old and is a pet Lisa and Mike rehomed for a former client.
Spike, a Black Cat, age 13.
Some Pets are Full of Surprises
We asked Lisa about one of her funniest or most unusual pet sitting moments.
“Well, to my great surprise, it wasn’t a dog or a cat but two talking parrots that provided the funniest pet sitting experience!” Check out her videos to see what we mean...
Learn More about Personalized Care for Your Pet
Will your pet be home alone when you return to commuting to the office? Or maybe your children are going back to school and your pet will miss their caring attention and frequent walks during the day. No matter the reason that you are away from home and from your pet, Weather or Not has a care option for your pet. From walking services to sitting and boarding, we are here for you. Contact us to day to learn more about all that we offer for all types of pets: (302) 304-8399
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