Meet Diamond Alexander | Pet Care Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diamond Alexander and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diamond, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I didn’t really think it through in the beginning. I started pet sitting 4 years ago during the summer before I started law school. I had gotten some estimates about the cost of books and I kind of panicked about how I would make extra money before school started. I took my very first pet sitting client on Rover.com, and that client is still one of my regulars to this day. After working on Rover for about 8 months, I decided to branch out on my own and created Diamond’s Doggy Daycare. I decided to start my own pet sitting company because the more I learned about pets and animal care, the more I felt like providing my services through a third party wasn’t enough. I couldn’t take as many dogs as I wanted, I was paying 20% of my profits to them, and I didn’t feel like I and the pets I was caring for were protected enough. Most importantly, I hated when people called me their “Rover.” I understood why people did it, but I didn’t think of myself as just another sitter on the app. I loved my clients deeply, and I put a lot into my work. I decided to take the money I was paying to the app and invest in myself and my own name. Diamond’s Doggy Daycare was formed that same year.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The idea behind my business is to provide pet care (daycare, boarding, walks, and grooming) in an environment that is as similar to “home” as possible. Often times, when we think of boarding pets, we think of these huge warehouse type facilities with dogs in kennels the majority of the day. This isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with those facilities, but not everyone wants that type of set-up for their animals. Some animals react negatively and struggle to adapt in those settings. At my daycare, they have a “home” environment to settle into, they are allowed to nap on the couch, go out into the backyard and have the neighbors wave at them, etc. I loved the idea of providing that for people’s pets. A lot of my growth business-wise was through my own research and investing in myself. I spend hours just reading about animals, learning their behaviors, learning how to care for them, and how to make them comfortable. I also requested a lot of feedback from my clients to help me learn and grow. I remember when I first started, I would always ask people to please leave me a review. I almost always got stellar reviews, but every once in a while, someone would tell me something they thought I could improve on. Those were actually the reviews that led me to where I am today. It wasn’t easy by any means. Many days I felt like I was going nowhere fast, but that’s okay. Every time I thought about closing my business or even when I thought I would never be good enough to offer my grooming services, my client’s would always be like, “No, if you quit I’ll have no one to care for my pet.” That motivated me more than they’ll ever know. That made me want to be better and keep going.
I want people to know my business and why we’re here. We have so much love for the animals that we care for, and we embrace the fact that our model and method isn’t your standard “doggy daycare.” Getting to a place where I can embrace the fact that there is no blueprint for what I’m doing, and that I don’t need someone else to have done it first so I won’t make any mistakes, has been my biggest lesson in this journey. I’m grateful for it in its entirety.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite spot in the city to eat is Two Urban Licks. I absolutely love to eat there any day of the week and any time of the day. I would also want to take them to some of the really cool food court spots we have here like Chattahoochie Food Works and Politician Row at Colony Square. Definitely the rooftop of Ponce City Market. Five Daughters Bakery is hands down some of the best pastries around! I’d also recommend checking out the Chastain, which is an amazing new place here in the city. For brunch, I love a small business, like Nana’s Chicken & Waffles in Conyers in one of my favorites. I would say for daytime fun, we could visit the Beltline, Historic Fourth Ward Park, and Poncey Highlands. I can never walk through Historic Fourth Ward without stopping at at least one of the food trucks. There’s always something cool parked out there.
I am also a sucker for a good diner. I’m originally from the Midwest, so I love a good diner. One of my favorites is Metro Cafe Diner, and I also really like Landmark Diner. Both are great for a late night bite.
As far as attractions or things to see, I feel like there’s so much! You have to do the usuals like the aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN and the Sky View. I also really enjoy visiting nearby parks for hikes and nature site-seeing. Absolutely love Amicalola Falls State Park, Tallulah Falls, and the mountains in Elijay, It is all so beautiful and actually just an hour or two outside of the city. I’d definitely take a friend there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This one goes without saying, but my husband, Terrence. When I first told him that I wanted to start pet sitting in our home, he thought I was crazy, but he went along with it. Two years later, I told him I wanted to spend hundreds of dollars from our savings to go to grooming school. I was literally already in law school at the same time. He not only supported me through both, but he purchased my first grooming table, dryer, and basically all of my equipment for me. He has having things delivered to the house for me to groom and I did not even notice because I had homework assignments up to my eyebrows. He set up my grooming area for me in our house. He keeps the yard clean for the dogs to play in, and he is even currently allowing me to teach him to bathe dogs for grooming. He has been absolutely amazing and extremely supportive of all of my wild dreams. I would not be who I am, and my business would be nowhere near where it is without him.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/diamondsdoggydaycare

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/diamond-alexander

Facebook: www.facebook.com/diamondsdoggydaycare

Other: TikTok – @diamondsdoggydaycareatl

Image Credits
Terrence Alexander – Alexander Aperture Photography