Q&A Interview with Michelle Lonergan, CEO, Tabby & Jack’s Pet Supplies and Holistic Services

Tell us how your career path led you to Tabby & Jack’s. 

I grew up in an animal-loving family. My mother had a pet grooming business in our basement, and taught me how to groom when I was 12 years old. She also started Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Rockford, IL in 1978 and is still acting President today! I spent many weekends as a teenager volunteering at Noah’s Ark caring for the animals. After receiving my Accounting Degree and CPA designation, I took up a career in banking for 15 years. As a commercial loan officer, I studied hundreds of business models and analyzed their chances for success. All the while, striving to start up my own business. In 2007, I took the leap, combining my love for animals with my business training and opened the first Tabby & Jack’s.

Professionally, what makes the pet industry a good fit for you? What do you enjoy the most about working in pet? 

I really enjoy educating and helping pet owners find the best solutions for the pets’ health, quality of life, and longevity. I also enjoy working with so many like-minded animal lovers.

How would you describe your leadership style? How are you mentoring your team members to develop and flex their leadership skills? 

I’m very lucky to have such an amazing team that all take pride and enjoyment in their jobs. We are a holistic business with high expectations for maintaining a positive, fun and uplifting work environment. As a result, the environment is a happier place for the TJ team, customers and their humans! Because I hire quality people that share the same values as I do, I can be very hands-off. I give my team the autonomy to be creative and implement their own ideas. At the same time, I make myself accessible as needed to ensure everyone has the support they need to grow professionally and be successful.

What aspect or aspects of your personal work ethic have helped you most to become successful? 

I’m very motivated, disciplined and driven to be successful. During the first two years in business, I maintained my bank job full time while running the backend of Tabby & Jack’s at night and weekends. While maintaining my banking career, I was Tabby & Jack’s accountant, marketing manager, and buyer. I was also handling shipment issues, researching products, creating displays, payroll, taxes, banking, etc. On weekends, I was on deck as a retail clerk! I have always been passionate about feeding a balanced healthy whole diet, and talking to pet owners has always been the most enjoyable part for me. I believe that passion resonates with customers and led to my success.

At this point in your career, what are your professional goals, and what opportunities are there in the pet industry to help you achieve them? 

Our focus at Tabby & Jack’s is to refine the presence we have right now. We now believe we have a good presence in the Madison, WI area with nine stores strategically located to better serve the whole community. We are planning on expanding and renovating a few locations to better accommodate the demand for our holistic grooming practices. We also remain open to offering additional services such as holistic veterinarian services to further serve our community that demands healthier alternatives.

How would you describe the current state of the pet industry? 

The industry is strong, but its delivery channels are quickly changing and higher-quality services demand is increasing. If brick-and-mortar pet stores are to survive, they have to understand current consumer behaviors and demands. The way we advertise, deliver our products, educate our clients and book grooming appointments have all changed. We need to evolve to continue to provide the best products through popular delivery channels that are easy to order with fast delivery. Our services need to be easy to book and our locations need to be convenient for customers.

What is the role of retailers in the pet industry? 

It has always been a big role to be well educated in all the products we sell. Our goal is to be able to help all pet owners find the best diets tailored to their pet’s specific needs. We also need to be the experts in harnesses, toys, chews and bedding so we can better match a dog’s size, energy level and personality to their accessories and toys!

How has demand for in-store services such as grooming, boarding and behavior training evolved in recent years? 

Pets in our homes are a big part of our family, and increasingly we are pampering them more. Touch-ups between grooms and short-hair baths services are certainly on the rise. Pet owners are also demanding higher quality care and healthier products in a less stressful environment. It is essential for brick-and-mortar retail to offer services to increase traffic and synergies across the departments.

What are some of the conversations you would like to have with pet parents? 

We strive to educate pet owners on feeding a more biological diet with fresh, balanced foods vs. highly processed dry food. As we educate ourselves in the health benefits of eating fresh, whole foods, we need to also be applying the same principles with our pets. Canines and felines have shorter digestive systems and they need fresher foods that are rich in nutrients that can be more readily available and absorbed into their bodies.

What are some of the recent developments unfolding at Tabby & Jack’s? 

We continue to grow our grooming operations between the nine stores, and we are in the process of expanding the grooming operations at a few of the locations. On the retail side, we continue to grow our frozen raw food lines and minimally processed diets that are shelf stable. We continue to attend tradeshows to ensure we are offering the most innovative products for all pet owner lifestyles. We are currently exploring new locations in areas that are underserved.

What are your goals for Tabby & Jack’s? 

We are refining our nutritional training program, ensuring retail staff and groomers are certified with the knowledge to help pet owners looking for solutions. We have also identified underserved markets and are looking to expand to help pet owners in nearby communities.

What do you attribute to Tabby & Jack’s continued success? 

Our largest reason for success is having team members that are highly motivated, passionate and really enjoy helping pet owners find solutions for their pets. Also, I attribute much of my early success to my strong grit and determination to be successful. Sometimes ideas didn’t work out, but we recognized them early, and made changes quickly to accommodate consumer demands. I have a strong financial background with an Accounting Degree and CPA and have always been diligent with the numbers. Prior, I was a commercial lender for 15 years, and have a good understanding of what makes a company successful or unsuccessful.

Given the highly competitive nature of the pet retail channel, what is the company’s strategy to stand out from the crowd? 

You have to have a good team in place with high standards for customer service and satisfaction. We have to build relationships and a community that enjoys bringing their four-legged family members into a fun and friendly place to socialize. We need to keep our prices competitive and offer options for delivery. We also offer a great rewards program and frequent buyer programs to promote loyalty. We also have a strong niche in our holistic grooming services with a one-on-one method, working each dog straight through. The grooming services naturally translate into conversations about healthier whole food feeding, healthy chews, dental products, etc. Our retail staff is highly trained in nutrition and recommends solutions for common ailments, such as allergies, obesity, digestion and skin and coat health.

How do you create a memorable in-store experience for pet parents? 

We greet every client with a smile, and make a conscious effort to remember their name and pet’s name. Our pet-loving team naturally fawns over their pets, and it brings a smile to any pet owner’s face when their pets put smiles on our faces! The store atmosphere is fun, friendly, helpful, caring and loving. Providing grooming services also provides interactions and discussions between customers, creating a TJ community.

What can we expect from Tabby & Jack’s in the near future? 

Tabby & Jack’s is interested in expanding into other markets. We have a strong foothold in the Madison, WI area, with nine stores all within a 30-mile radius. We believe that after over 18 years in business, we have developed an infrastructure and business model that has been refined and proven to be successful. It has been a lot of fun watching Tabby & Jack’s grow in the wonderful Madison community, and opening a cluster of stores in another market could be the next step.