Meet Nancy Hassel | President and Founder, American Pet Professionals

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

Hi Nancy, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think the success behind my business, American Pet Professionals, is consistency, providing value to our members and the industry, and being innovative with what we have offered since day one. Staying ahead of the curve and trends, paying attention to what is going on in the pet industry and outside of it to bring up-to-date education and information to our members. We also align with other pet companies, organizations, and find the best experts to bring in to help educate our members.  I also personally vet every single person or company that wants to ‘sell’ something to our members, i.e. their service, platforms, and expertise. Being in business for so long I can spot a red flag from a mile away (or in an email), and am always protective of anyone we bring in to educate our members. Our members often tell me how much they appreciate that – as we are here to help pet businesses be successful, so making sure anything we present is going to add value to our membership so that they can prosper.

What should our readers know about your business?

Being an entrepreneur is definitely not for the faint of heart, and when I decided to start our organization, I had already worked in a few different areas of the pet industry. I did pet sitting for years, created a pet product, worked in a pet boutique, researched and visited many different areas of the industry to figure out what business I wanted to do. But none of them really aligned with what I loved about the industry, not just working with pets, but the business aspect of it.

When I started, my main goal was to unite pet professionals from all areas of the industry, locally, and show them that it’s not about competition – but working together so we can be a stronger industry, be taken more seriously. As many people outside of our industry didn’t even consider pet business owners to be professionals. (Which still boggles my mind!) All of the different areas of the pet industry, and outside of the pet industry that I worked, (TV Producer for 10 years, Public Relations professional), prepared me for creating this organization. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time!

Starting a business from scratch, that there was literally no blueprint for, no platforms to run it on, was definitely not easy. But after hosting our very first networking event in February of 2009, where 55 people came from 3 different states, all 5 boroughs of New York City, and from all across Long Island came to attend, I thought, “Wow this was needed,” more than I knew. And after the 3rd event, when people were asking, how do I join? How do I become a member – I knew I had to get serious, and that is when our business formed.

Some of the lessons I have learned along the way, is that big scary hurdle that presents itself to you, is not as scary after you get over it. Any bump in the road when running your business is a lesson, and the next time a bump comes along, you know how to handle it, or how to be better prepared so that fewer hurdles come your way.

When I started another goal was to help those who perhaps were in corporate life or just decided to start a business, by continually providing them with education, not just about starting a business, but specifically about the pet industry. I myself went to a few different business coaches outside of the industry when I was starting out in 2003, and none of them knew anything about the pet industry and couldn’t help steer me in the right direction, or offer a connection. I wanted to bridge that gap that can be overwhelming if you have never been in business or in an industry that has very specific business models.

I made it a point to attend nearly every type of pet industry conference: dog training, grooming, veterinary, social media for the pet industry, blogging, all of the big pet product trade shows, smaller distributor events, and many more. So I could be well educated and informed in different areas of the industry so that I could help our members, bring back information, and also be able to point out to them individually what conference they should attend that would be worthwhile, and what they shouldn’t spend money on. I still attend multiple conferences in the industry every year, and also have been fortunate to be a speaker at many of the conferences across the country, in the pet industry since 2009.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am not in Denver, and can’t wait to visit, but locally to me, I would take them to the Hamptons in the summer, not the glitz and glam of it, but the back roads the hidden gems that most people don’t know about. The beautiful bay beaches, farms, and stunning landscapes just as you are driving to your destination. Or to the North Fork, wine country so that they could see the beauty of Long Island’s wineries. We are surrounded by beaches, and have so many unique, historic, and stunning areas – there is a lot to do here all year long. Most people who have never been here, think Long Island is just an extension of NYC, and while there are areas that are more city-like, we have farmland, horse country, beautiful hiking trails, and did I mention surrounded by beaches? Any direction you go in, you will eventually land at a beach! We even have multiple castles here – and dog-friendly historic homes that you can visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to give a Shoutout to all of our members of American Pet Professionals, we have members who have been with us since 2009 and those that have just joined, and without them our business would not be what it is today. Many of us have grown alongside each other and seeing their accomplishments and when they connect with the right person they met through our organization always makes me so happy. In addition, there are so many people in the industry who have made an impact, whether it was someone who I hosted an event with, that sent a introduction email, or connected with me on LinkedIn – we would be here for months naming so many incredible people in this industry. Our common denominator is our love for pets – and that unites us more so than any industry I worked in prior.

Website: www.AmericanPetProfessionals.com

Instagram: @AmericanPetPros

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyhassel/

Twitter: @AmericanPetPros

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanPetProfessionals

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/americanpetprofessionals

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nancyhassel