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

Hi Ellen, what is the most important factor behind your success?
My attention to detail, and my attentiveness to my clients’ needs. Pet care is a business in which you need to create trust between you and the pet parent. They’re handing over care of their loved one, a member of their family, to a person and a company they often don’t know. They need to feel that their needs, as well as the needs of their pet, are being met at all times. I feel this is one of our strengths as a company and has directly led to our success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I spent the first part of my career as a lighting designer for theatre and live events. That was incredibly rewarding, but also a challenging path, especially for a woman working in a male-dominated business. I decided after nearly 15 years of doing lighting design that I wanted to try my hand at something else, and make lighting a part-time career. I had always loved animals, so I started working with a local pet sitting company.  I eventually became their manager, and in 2015 I went out on my own and formed Highland Bark.  We started off slowly, but when the company I had been working for closed up shop, I absorbed their clients and got a big boost.  I was able to hire a few employees and a manager to help with the workload, while still keeping the business intimate to our pet parents.  Often local pet care businesses are wary of hiring employees, but my pet sitters’ hard work and dedication have given the company the consistency in service and care for which we are known.  Keeping our team small enough so that all of our pets and their parents know us well separates us from the big app-based pet care businesses.  Our clients are devoted to us, and we take their trust very seriously.

We have been through a lot, and maintaining the business has required an enormous effort, especially during the pandemic. We lost 80% of our clients in the first 48 hours of lockdown.  But with the help of some of our wonderful pet parents who continued to support us, and some government-sponsored loans and grants, we were able to push through that difficult time. The Writers’ and Actors’ strikes of last year further impacted our business, as so many of our clients work in entertainment, but we’ve been able to come back from that as well. We’re now going strong and Highland Bark was recently given an official Certificate of Recognition by State Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo.  It’s taken a lot of perseverance, but we’re happy to say that we are thriving after nine years of business!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I was born and raised in Southern California, and I love L.A.! There are so many wonderful places to see here.  A trip to the Getty Museum is a must, with the Broad Museum a close second.  The art and architecture at both museums is fantastic. I love taking people to Griffith Observatory as well. The views are breathtaking, and the exhibits inside are fun and informative. You can even see the Hollywood sign from there. Speaking of the Hollywood sign, another easy spot to see the sign is from a trail at Bronson Caves, which is also where the Batman tv show was shot in the 60’s. Of course, a trip to LA isn’t complete without going to the ocean and taking a stroll down the shore. Checking out the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, which is underneath the pier (I was the Shark intern there for a while and I fed the sharks!) is also fun, especially for kids. LA now has so many fantastic dining options as well: in Silver Lake I love going to Bacari in Silver Lake to have dinner under the stars and the canopy of their giant tree.  In Highland Park Ramen of York will satisfy your ramen craving, and Joy on York has amazing Asian fusion food.  And for dessert, Donut Friend and Magpies can’t be beat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Highland Bark wouldn’t be the success it is without the wonderful support of my pet sitters. We have an extraordinary team of people who give so much of themselves to this work every day.

Website: highland-bark.com

Instagram: highlandbarkla

Facebook: HighlandBarkLA

Yelp: Highland Bark

Image Credits
All images by Ellen Monocroussos

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