The Foureva Podcast
Welcome to The Foureva Podcast, where we break barriers and redefine success!
Join host Jamar Jones, a dynamic entrepreneur, national speaker, and author of "Change Your Circle, Change Your Life," as he takes you on an extraordinary journey of inspiration and motivation.
In each episode, we bring you an impressive lineup of star-studded guests, each with a unique voice and a wealth of insights to share. From industry leaders to renowned experts, we uncover their secrets to success in personal, business, and marketing domains. Prepare to be captivated by their stories, strategies, and experiences that will empower you to reach new heights.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a marketing professional, or simply seeking fresh perspectives on life and business, The Foureva Podcast is your ultimate destination. Discover the transformative power of changing your circle and unlocking your full potential. With each episode, we delve into the minds of the most influential voices in the industry, providing you with the tools and inspiration you need to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness.
Don't miss out on this dynamic podcast that will fuel your ambition, challenge your limits, and propel you toward success. Tune in to The Foureva Podcast and join a community of driven individuals who are ready to make an impact. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and 'foureva' transformed!
The Foureva Podcast
Turning Strays Into Stars: How Sherri Built a Life-Changing Service Dog Empire
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Sherry, the founder of Service Dogs Inc., who shares her remarkable journey from a successful trial lawyer to leading a nonprofit organization that transforms lives through service dogs. Sherry opens up about the pivotal moments that led her to leave her legal career behind and follow her passion for helping others in a deeply meaningful way.
We explore how she built Service Dogs Inc. from the ground up, creating life-changing programs for people with disabilities, stroke survivors, and first responders. Sherry also dives into her innovative approach to events and fundraising, including world-record dog walks, and shares the strategies she’s used to grow a mission-driven team that’s committed, compassionate, and effective.
Listeners will gain practical insights on nonprofit growth, ethical business practices, and fostering a culture of curiosity and continuous learning. From overcoming challenges to celebrating successes, Sherry’s story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when passion meets purpose. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or someone looking to make a difference, this episode is packed with inspiration, actionable tips, and heartfelt stories that highlight the incredible impact of service dogs and dedicated human effort.
People really, really, really love their dogs and they love taking them to somewhere that's catering to the dog. We're like, it's the best day of your dog's life. Your dog will never forgive you. So it's very dog centric.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_04:Um, so there's a lot of booths they visit, they get free things for their dogs. We have games the dogs can play, like Safari, where it's they it's like an airport security dog. We have suitcases, they have little teeny hot dogs. The dogs try to find the hot suitcase, the suitcase with the hot dog, and clean up your room, children's toys, there's little hot dogs. It's really the way drug sniffing dogs start because they use their sense of smell so much. So it's a lot of games for dogs.
SPEAKER_02:I think we're in. We're live, everybody. What's going on? What's going on? We got Sherry in the building. How you doing?
SPEAKER_04:Hi, Jamar. I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you so much for having me on your wonderful podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'm I've I feel like our prep call, we got so much. Um, there's so much to talk about. So I'm super excited for for this conversation. Um, what's first of all, before we kind of let everybody know what you do and all that stuff, um, what's what's on your mind today?
SPEAKER_04:I think gratitude and not in that annoying way, but uh there's a uh phrase, the the beauty of ordinary things or the beauty of ordinary days. So I'm grateful because that's my way of mental health, that my community is safe. I'm able to pursue a uh a job or an avocation that that's meaningful to me. I have a staff that's cooperative and doing their best. And sometimes when I get, we just had a big event a week and a half ago or big dog walk that won uh Guinness World Record for biggest pajama party with dogs. We even had Navy Seals parachuting in at the beginning, so it was quite a hullabaloo. 2,000 people in their pajamas walking their dogs, or as I like to say, the airport. And putting something together like that is a lot. And when I get frustrated, I would I've improved. So I just think you know, everyone's doing their best, and then it helps me handle the situation without being upset or angry or or anxious, and and so I'm just grateful to be here right now talking to you. Not to mention you're very good looking, so just keep smiling, and I'll the time will just fly by.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you, thank you. I get it all from my mom. Um, my dad had nothing to do with this. No, I'm just kidding.
SPEAKER_05:I'm sure that's what she says. That's what she's saying.
SPEAKER_02:I'm just kidding. I like give my daughter my dad a hard time. Um, no, I I appreciate you being on the podcast. So let everybody know uh who you are and what you do.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I'm kind of a cat lady running a dog business. So I once upon a time I was a trial lawyer and tried a bunch of civil cases in Houston. My stomach started hurting, which is the divine discontent. Like, I'm unhappy. What shall I do? And I stumbled on this industry that was new then in '88, where it was a kind of a riff on guide dogs. These are hearing dogs that work for deaf people. They alert them to sounds, they touch them and take them to the sound. And service dogs that work for folks with mobility issues, like they're in a wheelchair or they've had a stroke. And at the very end of this article, it said that some of the groups use dogs from animal shelters, which appeals to me as somebody who's wanted to rescue everything. And I started doing that a little bit at a time, and now it's been 36 years. We provide the dogs completely free of charge. We do get them from shelters, and in addition to training them to alert deaf or hard of hearing people to sounds, to help people with mobility issues like opening doors, picking up things you drop. We train dogs that support first responder communities. Um, their suicide rates are now 50% higher than the general public. So the dogs are a big tool to help them build resilience and uh get access to more tools to support them. And then we train dogs that work in courthouses. We were just in a neighboring town doing that yesterday. When there's a child victim that has to testify about trauma, they can have the dog with them behind the witness stand. And also when they're interviewed by the courthouse staff, and that helps them tell their story better and supports them. They open up a lot more, and then you can uh do a lot better job of supporting them in the judicial system. So basically, we're turning strays into stars, and and it's very, very satisfying.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that sounds absolutely amazing. And and you also um were a former trial and uh an attorney, right?
SPEAKER_04:I I used to try cases, I would win, the judge would say, Well, the jury got it wrong, I'm gonna flip it, and then I became an appellate lawyer because then we'd run right back and do an appellate case. And I got into that because an undergrad I just did liberal arts. Like, I'm gonna analyze that poem and I'm gonna look at a microscope because that's cool. And that doesn't prepare you for anything, liberal arts much. So law school will take anybody. So I did law school, and then my parents apparently thought I should like go be a lawyer after getting a law degree, so I did that, and they were hiring trial lawyers the day I went in, and they said, How long have you wanted to be a trial lawyer? And I was like, Five minutes, and that's what y'all do. And I did well at that, but it was making my stomach hurt because they threw me in the deep end a lot. Like, usually you just follow someone around and don't even talk in court for four years. And I tried 13 cases by myself in year one, and I remember one case they said, Okay, you're gonna meet the client tomorrow at eight, the trials at nine. And I said, You said you'd help me this time. And they said, Well, it doesn't take two of us to go lose it. So hilarious, and I won that because I was darn earnest, but that got flipped also, so we had to do a pellet case, but it settled it. It was fine. But sincerity goes a long way when you still are not quite knowing what you're doing, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, that and and so you went from that into really helping people, empowering people, but really into the service dog business.
SPEAKER_04:Correct, and unlike trial law, everybody wins, yeah. Everybody wins don't hold back if you're not qualified and know nothing about your dream industry. Do it anyway. Actually, it it's relatable because as a trial lawyer, civil, I don't know anything about criminal um, because I haven't been an attorney or defendant, but you're the spoke of the wheel, you're the hub of the wheel, and you don't have to know anything. You get your experts in each topic, like your medical expert that says how the person got hurt, and your economic person that talks about lost wages, and your mechanical guy that says why the wing fell off the airplane, it's all their fault. So doing the dog thing, I didn't have to know anything, I just did the same thing. I got people that knew each thing I needed to do and just you know made a team out of them, and that's that's helpful for anybody. So if you don't know it, someone else does, or someone's acquaintance or you know, friend does, and and I like to say enthusiasm is the universe's way of showing you you're on the right track. So you're you're enthusiastic, people stupidly go, how's it going? You tell them everything, and then they'll know someone that you're looking for and and you have a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_02:And I always like I you know, I'm always the the change your circle, change your life guy. So I I believe in that. Um, a hundred and ten percent of asking for what you want, and usually people in those uh in their circle, they're gonna know somebody, they're gonna know somebody to move you forward, or that somebody's gonna know somebody that's gonna know somebody. So everything that you want is on the other side of connecting with people, like you you have to. I mean, there's actually, I don't think there's anything in this world you can get uh solely by yourself. Um, maybe just self-love, that's about it. Um, everything else like has to come from somebody if you're trying to progress, if you're trying to live, if you're trying to get your dreams accomplished, it's somebody else has what you want, and you gotta ask. You gotta ask. Not enough people ask.
SPEAKER_04:And you're giving them a gift when you ask because you're giving them your trust to be vulnerable and saying, I have a need, I have an empty space, and then they're they they get to be the hero and help you, and that feels good.
SPEAKER_02:So everybody wins. Yeah, everybody loves helping everybody.
SPEAKER_04:Well, most people, like Shakespeare said, I don't know the quote, but the quality of mercy is like the rain, it blesses those who give it and those who receiveth. So yeah, we always think we should do it by ourselves, we don't want to impose, but when we let someone help us, we're giving them a gift of being the hero.
SPEAKER_02:100%, 100%. So, what is it like being because you're an entrepreneur? So, what is it like being an entrepreneur? Uh, going from law to the wild, wild west.
SPEAKER_04:That is so fun because I never think of myself as an entrepreneur. I think of everyone else as one, and I just think of me trying to make my way through the world like uh there was one of those pilot guys that got shot down and they made a movie about him, and he was brave, but he said I just felt like this little mouse hiding because he got shot but behind enemy lines. And so I'm I do a lot of nonlinear stuff. So I write in a journal and I sort of try to manifest what I want and I sort of go, yeah, good karma, and then things work out. But I think it's if when I'm enthusiastic, it's contagious. And if I get resonance where the other person's enthusiastic, then they want to help. So I think for me it's been finding good ways to tell our story, and then other people want to contribute to the story because it makes them feel excited and and good as well.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Um, as I've grown, it's certainly shown me what I'm not good at, that either I have to learn it or or except I'm not good at it and add teammates that are good at it. Like managing people isn't my forte. I've always been a solo person. So when we have a bigger staff, I did a terrible job of managing everybody, but apparently you can go to school for that. So the people on the staff that have been trained in management know how to give constructive feedback and whatever it is that you coach your staff and get them to be more successful. I just am vulnerable and try to do my best, and it resonates luckily with the other leadership on the staff, so then they can do the stuff they're good at. So being an entrepreneur also is is humbling because you certainly, yeah, yeah, I'm enthusiastic, but this calls for 10 skills, and I'm naturally good at two of them. So now I have to find the other people, but it means becoming more comfortable with holding people accountable. And um, today, these these days I'm practicing not criticizing other people, so I don't criticize myself as much, which I usually flail out, flame out on that immediately. But um it's it's good like everything, it's holding a mirror up to yourself. And yeah, whenever you're feeling whenever I feel anxious or frustrated or angry or resentful, I can dig down and see what I can learn from that. This is an unpleasant uh feeling. So let me study it a little bit and see if I can figure out what why it's here and and get through that. And on the other side, there's some sort of solution.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And what's what's been uh the toughest challenge that you've had overcome within the uh the years that you've been doing this?
SPEAKER_04:The two things, the first one is always fundraising because we're one of the few groups that provide the service dogs 100% free of charge. So some years it was fundraising, some years it was hiring somebody in a leadership role because I was sort of desperate to fill the position, and then that person wasn't the right person, and and then it dawned on me hey, they don't agree with the mission or with me as a leader, they're kind of out to get me, but it took me a long time to figure that out. Oh, this person's gaslighting me, this person's circling the wagons against me, and that happened a couple of times and it was painful, but I got through it and now um I'm more resilient, I have better allies, and I can when I have to um face a situation reminiscent of that, either I'm more experienced in not letting it happen, or I'm better at handling it without being as upset about it. Yeah, the first time I had to fire somebody in a key position, it was I was like shit literally shaking, and then it's gotten better the couple of times after that. But it always the most painful thing is feeling like you're having a betrayal. That feeling of betrayal is like one of the least feelings, yeah. And I've faced that a couple of times in 36 years. So these days I'm very thankful because the staff is all emotionally and and work-wise supportive of the mission and supportive of me. So that's I'm very grateful for that because I've been on the other side and it's no fun.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. The people part of business is uh is honestly the toughest thing. I think it it goes uh probably people and then sales or marketing, um, because you know, just continually always driving traffic, making sure that you stay in business. Um, and then it's probably unless you love this stuff, it's probably like systems, processes. Um just like how do I set up something where I can actually scale it? You know, I think that's like the third thing. And then the fourth, I would say, is is uh depending on your business, is is the legal piece of it because there's just so many things, and then as you grow, you're tacking on new things that you have to learn about, or say, Oh, I didn't realize that that was a thing, or I have to get this, I have to get that in place, and just just making sure that you're you're making all the right steps. Um, it's extremely hard running a business. Um, extremely hard.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, every time Rihanna or somebody's like, we're gonna rule the city, I'm like, good luck with rule in the city. It's not as much fun as you think it is, Rihanna. You're gonna have complaints about the um potholes and you know stuff rusting, it's not just wearing shiny stuff and singing about it.
SPEAKER_07:So right, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Um and I will say every now, every song where they're like, I have my mind on my money, whatever. Um, that's important because the frigate accounting, um, when you A, it's hard to do yourself, B, like you you have to pay taxes when you're talking about systems, yeah. Get a good accountant because my job is to bring the money in, but but my forte is not counting it and tracking it. So I just do psychic accounting, but we have an audited financial statement every year. We turn in a tax return, but that has to be accurate just so we're sustainable. And whether it's an investor or donor, they want to know you're sustainable and growing. They don't want to give to a sinking ship or invest in a sinking ship. So, like we just had this big event two weeks ago, this big dog walk. So, I wanted to know what we spend on it, what we earn on it, what's the net profit? And I got the answer. But if I didn't know the answer, it's not just numbers should be correct. It's like, what am I putting my energy into? Is that what I should be or not? Is it stupid? So, all of us are gonna invest in advertising and product development or travel or hiring, and we need to know if it's gonna pay off or not.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's so important. So let's talk about a little bit about the uh the events. Um, the events that you've thrown. First of all, why did you go into this saying that hey, I'm gonna do a massive event um and get it or even get into the event space? Um, why did you why did you come to terms that that was a good decision to go into? And also for the audience, can you just describe one of your events? I know you you kind of brushed over it earlier on in the conversation, but I want you to describe it. I mean, you you did have a lot of people walking around with their dogs and pajamas, um, but there's a lot of other stuff that's going on at these events as well. You're breaking world records. Um, but what first of all, why did you decide to do the event? And then second of all, just describe what the experience is.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, well, if you've ever heard of the five pillars of hip hop, like entrepreneurial, mc, blah, blah. There's like three pillars of nonprofit shenanigans. There's individual donations, grants that you write, some kind of fill out a written form, and something's going to give you money, and special events. So a lot of charities do special events. Typically, it's the old dinner and silent auction, they're pretty par. Another group in Connecticut was doing a giant dog walk where they were trying to win a world record for the most dogs walked. And when I heard about that, I uh start decided we should do one in Austin in 1999. And it's fun to make it a world record because it upscales it from just a charity dog walk. It's it's bragging rights, it's like pro wrestling, like, let's win this.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And we beat England the very first year for most dogs walked. And and after a few, we kept we won that a couple of times, and after that, so it was like 2,000 and something dogs, whatever it was. And and uh we would the two halves of the dog walk are the people that buy a ticket to walk their own dog, and then the sponsors that want to be there to market to all the dog people, which are the dog food companies and the local veterinarians and dog training, dog boarding, and then family business is like a car dealership. So it's like a farmer's market and a parade. So you walk your dog, and then there are you visit all the booths that have all the and they're giving you free stuff. So it's to the guests we say there's lots of swag, or I call it instead of a gift bag, you get a wag bag, you get a t-shirt, and uh I was gonna show you, but it's a podcast. But um, and you get all tons of freebies.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, you can still show us, we're on video, yeah. It's all good. Yeah, you can still show us.
SPEAKER_04:Uh, so this is this year's nice. Um, so this was originally an Aztec throwing a girl into a volcano, but now it's called sleeping beauty because it was pajamas and it's a dog carrying a sleeping beauty. Yeah, and we have an uh artist that does that that's amazing, Moro Garza, that does great art. So you make it competitive because and people want to do it. Um, my favorite world record, and then after a few years, it was hard to win biggest dog walks, so we changed out the records. We beat Ireland for biggest cake for dogs. It was 315 pounds. We um created a new world record, unchallenged world's biggest fur ball, where we uh had a loose site clear sphere, and we had a red carpet we bought from Party City for$3. And we would walk down the red carpet, brush the dog, and put its fur in the sphere and then weigh it. We went to all the dog grooming places in town and collected dog hair out of their vacuum cleaners and confused. And I know there's no cat hair because we're very ethical, so it was only dog hair, and uh, you know, it's simple, it's visual, it's slightly disgusting. So we had um over 300 pounds of dog hair in a big snow globe situation. Who wouldn't want to see that?
SPEAKER_02:It's kind of shocking though. All this is very shocking, and that's that's um something I want you know the the audience to take away with. Like when you're ro when you're hosting an event, it sounds like and really quick, what what attracts most people? Is it the shocking value that they want to have the bragging rights and be a part of this kind of bigger, bigger thing that you're that you're working towards? Is that really the draw? Is it simply just community of uh dog lovers and people that want to help support? Is it people that want to support um people that need service dogs and and the the overall mission, or is it just simply to have a great time as like uh kind of like the the festival vibe uh festival type, you know, um event?
SPEAKER_04:Like what's what's the I think it's well Austin's known as Austin, whatever isn't Texas is known as the number one dog loving city in the country for true or not. So I do think most of the people in the comments they love their dog and they want to have a festival experience that's tailored to their dog. So we also call it Disneyland for dogs. I'm hoping they sue us. Good PR, not yet. Someone's like, that's trademarked. I'm like, good, please sue us. Anybody? One year we did a Scooby's haunted carnival, and uh someone said that's a trademark. And I was like, Yeah, notice us and sue us, please.
SPEAKER_01:But this is going for the lawyer, people.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, well, it's PR. And yeah, please, Disney, sue a baby charity. That'd be awesome. Um so far, we're not on their radar, but I think people really, really, really love their dogs and they love taking them to somewhere that's catering to the dog. We're like, it's the best day of your dog's life. Your dog will never forgive you. So it's very dog centric.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_04:Um, so there's a lot of booths they visit, they get free things for their dogs. We have games the dogs can play, like Snafari, where it's they it's like an airport security dog. We have suitcases, they have little teeny hot dogs, and the dogs try to find the hot suitcase, the suitcase with the hot dog, and to clean up your room, children's toys, there's little hot dogs. It's really the way drug sniffing dogs start because they use their sense of smell so much. So it's a lot of games for dogs.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_04:And then they get the t-shirt and they get the freebies and they they get the world bragging rights. And we've added a costume contest, so we have very tall, over-the-top, gaudy trophies that they can get. So they're more and more learning it's about the charity, but the the event's better known than the charity. Yeah, yeah, and it's still good, it's good. PR. We get a lot of we get a lot of earned media for oh, I'm sure most world records. The very first year we got most dogs walked, we had um our member of Congress said they were in Japan and saw it on international news. So that was 99. The internet wasn't as robusted as it as it is now, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But there's so many learning lessons from it. Um, I we got a comment here that uh somebody says, uh, curious about the dogs helping with stroke patience in a wheelchair. I don't know if you wanted to comment on that.
SPEAKER_04:Of course. Um, hey, curiosity is a sign of intelligence. So we train the service dogs to do some basic things, and then we can train them to custom behaviors that person wants. So uh surviving a stroke can lead you in a lot of different kinds of ways. The dog could um pick up something you drop, tug open a door, tow tug open a refrigerator and get you like a bottle of water or a little pre-pack kit, go across the house and get you a pre-pack kit, like a meds. Maybe you can boost on the dog if you need uh you fall in and or you're on the floor, you're on a chair and you want to transfer. Some people who have uh paralyzed limbs, they're they'll have a muscle spasm and their arm will flip off the arm of the wheelchair or their foot will flip off the foot rest, and the dog can nudge the limb back into position. So um, if I knew more about what the your your person is asking, what their condition is, I could address it more. But we talk about that when we're interviewing the person to see um how the dog can help them. We had one guy that used to, he had different uh tumors that would be near his spinal cord, and if he twisted a certain way, it would press on the spinal cord and he would pass out. And the dog could go get help if he was unconscious. One time it happened when he was filling a bathtub full of water and he he passed out in the bathtub, and the dog pulled him out of the bathtub without anybody asking, because he was he had lost consciousness, and it was a big deal for the dog because we hadn't trained him and he was actually very afraid of water. We think when he was before the shelter got him, someone used to probably tie him up and spray him with a hose to be mean to him. So he overcame that because he had such a bond with his his buddy, his partner.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, so it's pretty cool. Like someone's in danger and to pull them out.
SPEAKER_04:Ray was he was still this gentleman was a pastor, and he said he was still dressed, but he just was leaning over the tub and fell into it. And he said, The next thing I could feel was the dog pulling me out, pulling on my ankle to get me out of the tub. And then the dog whose name was Excalibur, a black lab we got from the city shelter, went and found his cell phone and brought it back to him.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, dogs are incredible, absolutely incredible. Technology you can hug, yes, technology you can hug. Oh my god. So so going back to the event really quick, I I really want to break this down for people so that way they can also uh know what was the successes from your your events, um, but also so they know how they can throw their own events in the future because I know a lot of our audience um are p are businesses and people that are building their own brands and their own businesses, and oftentimes we want to host our own things, right? For to showcase our service or our products. Um and we're really ambitious, we're really excited about it in the beginning, and then um we get hit across the face um with the reality of running your own event. Um, because a lot of times you're sitting there with an empty venue. Um, you did all the marketing and promotion that you possibly thought that you should do, and you don't have that many people coming by. Um, or you have a great event, but you definitely overspent on your event, and it's definitely not a cash positive event, and and it doesn't have the ripple effects. But I feel like you have boiled this down into this science of really how to host an event where you have the attraction piece, you have um earned media that comes comes into place, you have a great community and mission aspect around it, you have um camaradery and community around just dogs and and people that love dogs, you're in the number one city of dogs. I mean, I it's just like the perfect. If I had to box it all together, it just sounds like the perfect scenario. Um, what has been the biggest challenge for you so that way people can know like, hey, how did you get here? Um, was it all you know, roses and rainbows to get there? And but what was the biggest challenges you had to overcome?
SPEAKER_04:We've done the dog walk for 24 years since 99. It's obviously outdoors, so weather is a challenge. Yeah, both rain and because it's dogs, you want to make sure it's not too hot because for uh dogs it's always 10 or 15 degrees hotter to them, everybody. Yeah, so for any special event, the most boring part is the budget. So you want sponsors, you want to figure out your overhead, like how much is all this stuff gonna cost, and you want your sponsors to be enough to completely cover your overhead. That way, tickets is all profit. So and it's a little bit of you're telling the sponsors there's a big crowd, and you're telling the crowd there's cool sponsors, so you have to sort of finesse it a bit.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, isn't that kind of funny? I all the events that we've thrown.
SPEAKER_02:I'm like, you you gotta you gotta add that hype on both sides, especially when it's your first one, because you really don't actually know, right? Um, but you have to paint the picture, right? You gotta sell the story.
SPEAKER_04:The first time you might get sponsors because they believe in your business or your nonprofit, so they're sympathetic.
SPEAKER_03:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:So shop around, be original, try to get everything, try to get sponsors to be in-kind sponsors and donate. We have a sponsorship package where at different levels of money they give us, they get different perks. So they get their logo on something, or or we mention them, or they get more space in the event. And uh, we've kept that pretty much the same since day one. And a lot of times, if you don't know what you're doing, find a model, find another event, whether it's in your community or not, and just use that as a template. That's helpful. So we built ours a lot after marathons and fun runs because we did a lot of those in Austin. So it helped us get kind of a template for that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. What is uh how do you how are you getting sponsors? Or I guess maybe now it's a little easier because you're established, but in the beginning, if you fast forward or if you rewind um 20 years, right? How was it getting sponsors?
SPEAKER_04:Um, I'm trying to remember. Uh, then we would do we would start off with local people who were already interested in what we were doing in some of the Sponsors were doing in kind, which just means they give you something instead of money.
SPEAKER_03:Yep.
SPEAKER_04:So they we used to do a golf marathon back in the day before this. And the country club back then was you would get the golf course for free because they would have it on Monday when they're grooming the course. So start with your network again and see who in your network might have a connection of something you can get donated. And that may influence the kind of event that you do. Not everyone has to do a friggin' gay lata hotel with a lame catered dinner and a lame silent auction. It's the same stuff. So you may know someone who's a musician or some kind of performer that will do something. Or um somebody was working on something for us that hasn't happened yet. But it was celebrity DJs and those little tattoos you get at parties because you just think that's a great idea, and whatever that scene is, that hasn't happened yet. But the main thing here was people like in '99, they we had a local restaurant and they helped us. It was just who is sympathetic to you and what skills or what assets do they bring? So I ran for political office a couple of times and I didn't even win my primary, but they told me the same thing. Start with your your circle where it's your friends and family, and then your a little bit bigger circle of people you know, and see who they know and what they might have that they could offer you just as a friend. So that's again, what do I need? Oh, um, the catering is just gonna be these people, a restaurant I've been going to for years, and they like it, and they'll let us do a night at their restaurant, or they'll bring the food to our thing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Or sometimes stuff is free, like like here at the Austin's the Capitol, the Texas Capitol. You can it's run by their parks department, so you can do stuff on the Capitol steps for free. So one time we had like a press event there. We were trying to be England for the biggest dog walk, and so I dressed up as like a duchess and trash talked the Austin dogs, and then the Basset Hound Club kind of attacked me, which just meant they waddled over and I fell down, haha. And they, you know, they had protest signs like down with England and yeah, tea's bad, and down with tea. But it was stupid and funny, and and back then when TV mattered, we got a lot of TV stations that covered it. It was the Duchess of Dorky or something, and uh so being humorous, being creative, fake trash talking is fun. Yeah, like I was just kidding about Disney, you know, come get us. But if you can sort of have a playfully combative relationship with somebody, people like that.
SPEAKER_02:Yep, people like to be a little nosy and uh and get into drama, don't they?
SPEAKER_04:Right. Um, and it's play again, it's playful. Winning away, yeah, playful. Playful, trash talking in other country. We beat China for biggest coloring book, and we had a bill, one of our clients works for a billboard company, so they printed this giant coloring book out of billboard vinyl.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_04:So it may be before you decide anything, decide who you know, as they say, what levers to pull. Who's my sister dating? Um, who does somebody know from school? Yeah, and yeah, what oh, so and so works for a big deal company and they can help us in this way. So I would comb comb your um your phone for all your contacts and see who knows who and what's what can they what assets do they have?
SPEAKER_02:Which is great advice. It's uh fantastic advice because a lot of people, when they do these events, then they try to go to some of the biggest companies or some of the biggest brands, or like, oh man, Microsoft should totally sponsor this, or you know, um Nike needs to be a part of this, and they're hard to reach if you don't got direct connections. Um, and also they're a gigantic organization where the right person, this is I've learned this the hard way, the right person that's gonna make that decision to sponsor your unique event, you might be spending more time just trying to find the person than actually just going close to your proximity and saying, Hey, who around me that I already know, or could you know, at least one degree of separation could I actually go to in person and have a conversation with and see who would be a part of this event because they're more likely to endorse or sponsor, in kind sponsor your event than a gigantic brand will, because even if you go find the right person at the big brand, then they have to go through all their politics and all their stuff of like, hey, you know, if it's four weeks away, uh the chances of you getting anything from them is very slim because they got everything earmarked.
SPEAKER_04:Let's start a year to nine months to a year at least ahead of time, everybody. Yeah, yeah. If it's four weeks, you're gonna come across like an amateur, and that's or you're already telling them you don't know what you're doing. So none of that. There's a rule about it's a rule that one person told me that I agreed. No, no good ideas 30 days before the event. So we're not changing up anything, like no good ideas. So I did do that with the parachuters, but I broke my rule. But we Navy SEALs parachuting and what's not to like. So I didn't think it would work because it was four weeks, which was less than 30 days, but we got it sponsored, blah blah blah. But look at who you know and where they've got four years of experience. Also, everybody has everybody has a restaurant that they love. And if you a family restaurant where you know the owners, because it's a family restaurant, ask them who else comes over there. Who who do you're who who else eats there that loves it that might want to help you with this thing you're gonna do?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. It's such good advice, such good advice. So, what what can we expect for for next year?
SPEAKER_04:Well, our theme is Renaissance. We're going the other end of the dog walk, the theme is Renaissance. So we're gonna have 2,000 people dressed up as the Renaissance Festival walking their dogs. And my staff keeps going, yeah, like like nights. And I'm like, that's medieval. That's and like let that go. So Renaissance it is, and in Texas, we have the Texas Renaissance Festival. And I don't know about other parts of the country, but it's popular, so that'll be fine. Uh, we're just finishing building a third kennel on our training campus in the Austin area. So we're gonna be able to rescue and train 25% more dogs. We're gonna hire some more training staff to do that, get people their dogs sooner. Uh, we're gonna stick with the training programs we have now. Um, but sometimes people ask me if the staff is volunteers. Oh no, they are paid and they get full health benefits, including dental and uh vision. So your staff is your core. Do not go, do not cheap out on them. Make sure you're paying them and you're taking care of them. And when you try to be understanding, still hold them accountable, but when you're kind of kind to them, they'll go the extra mile for you. And yeah, that's true of everybody. Like when we set up the dog walk, we have a company that sets up like all the tables and it kind of like roadies, but when you're just like I learned in court, when you're nice to everybody, no one's invisible, that they will help you and they're gonna make a big difference sometimes when you really need something, or they're gonna say, Oh, you dropped it's dark, you dropped your phone in the grass over there. Here it is, where if you were not if you did not buy them lunch when nobody asked you to, um, maybe your phone wouldn't have gotten found.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. Noah's great, great tips. Uh, I want to talk real quick about uh your what's your philosophy and business?
SPEAKER_04:Uh oh, I know what my philosophy is because I never think of term in term those terms. I'm usually like, what am I gonna eat later? It's about and what are my bangs too short? The answer is yes, they are, but we'll get there. Um, that's okay. My philosophy and business, right? Um, what was it? Oh, I know. If you make the small decisions ethically, if you make your small decisions with ethics, then the big decisions sort of take care of themselves because sometimes we're talking about some, like we were deciding, hey, we need to do a fundraising letter for the last part of the year. And in my industry, there was a meeting, and somebody else was talking about their fundraising letter that says, People are waiting. People can wait up to eight years, they're waiting for you, and they're not going to get their service. It's all fear and sad and blah blah. And I don't like that. I think that's and I was like, they said it really works, but and I thought, I don't want to do that, I don't want to manipulate people's emotions to get them to do something. Fear cells, we've all just been through an election, and all no matter what who you're into, all the communications you get for donations are for sort of fear-based, and they weren't wrong, but I don't like that. I don't want to do that to other people, so we don't take that note. We take we're growing, this is great. Look at the great stuff, be part of it, blah, blah. That makes you happy. And so that's a small ethical decision. I don't want to trigger people's unpleasant feelings that I know will pay off. I don't even have to know how it's gonna pay off. I just know if I make the small decisions ethically, the bigger ones will take care of themselves, and that's a really good place to start because that hits you at every level.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's that's great. It that's great advice. Um, it it's kind of like um, I mean, it it's it's the cliche saying, like, you know, treat others how you would want to be treated. Um I think that if you just do the right thing, um, it will come back to you, even though sometimes the right thing may hurt at times. Um but it usually always pays off um by doing the right thing and just having those uh integrity ethics in in what you do. Um, because as somebody else told me that if you don't have integrity in your business and and what you do, then like you're not gonna be in business for long. I mean, you you may get you may get somewhere, but you won't be in there for long because eventually the word's gonna get out, it's it's just gonna come back, it's gonna bite you, and it's just best to run with those best practices in mind.
SPEAKER_04:I will also say that you know how we all say treat other people the way you want to be treated. I will say, um, not always, only because these days our staff, it's very interesting. There's a new fancy term, neurodivergent. So people learn to a lot of our staff has some level of autism, which I've learned autism is a very there's a lot of variation in what that means. So you're like they're kind of quiet or whatever, and it's like, oh, they have an autism. So I'm also learning to slow down. My sense of humor doesn't apply to everybody. Some stuff people are sensitive about that I'm oblivious to. That's my superpower, besides being like water, like Bruce Lee is being oblivious. But so um, as that, and people are gender identification, uh, learning divergent, every other category, a lot of diversity. So I get a chance to learn too. Also, cultural stuff. Have lunch with people that are 40 years younger than you every darn day. Because I would today I was like, I get 10 minutes to go downstairs and listen to cultural references. I don't understand, but I miss learning stuff. So yes, do treat people the way you want to be treated, but also realize not everyone's the same. And and so if it doesn't bother you, it might bother them. But again, part of the ethical decisions. Like when we started hiring people who um were non-binary, I just was like, I know about the pronouns, but I just Googled how to make a non-binary, someone who's non-binary, feel uh welcome at your business. And it was like gender neutral bathrooms. So we immediately peeled off all of our boy girl stickers and got gender neutral uh S. It's there could have been cuter ones, but it's so um because they say stuff like navigating restrooms is difficult, like at the airport, blah, blah, blah. I wouldn't have known about that, but I just researched it because I'm a good egg. And yeah, uh later when I shared that, somebody that's gender neutral said, if that's even the right term, said, Oh God, that's really we appreciate that. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. So just just taking the extra, extra steps and always and always learning. It sounds like you know, just just always put yourself in that in that curiosity mindset, always learning. You don't know everything, and also just because you have a view of the world, especially when you're building a business, you're building a team, you're you're bringing others into your world, and you may need to expand your perspectives, um, because they're all coming from different backgrounds, lifestyles. Um, and and we have to just, you know, always be learning and saying, okay, um I was I was doing this way for a very long time, but I may need to change because you know, I'm trying to grow, I'm trying to scale, and I want this to be an amazing place for anybody, you know, that wants to come work here. So I think that's a that's a great uh great mindset. Um and honestly, you know, it it's gonna help people that is we have a lot of leaders that listen to this podcast, um, executives. So it's great to just take that and say, maybe this is a checkpoint for you, and say, What am I learning right now? Am I what things can I at least learn about instead of maybe shut off or um I don't understand it, so I don't I don't want to learn it. Well, why don't you just learn a little bit first? I I always go into the mindset of anything that I don't know, I try to seek to understand before I'm understood. So I'm trying to understand whatever I don't know, even if even if I'm like whatever in every bone in my body is like, I don't want to do anything with what's over there, but I will still shut up and just listen and learn. And oftentimes there's a middle ground, always there's a middle ground. Every single time, if you just shut up and you listen and you learn, there's always a middle ground. Um, when you shut yourself off, and this is from like anything, you know, not even just what we were just talking about. I'm saying this is as you're growing and scaling, you're going to have to constantly be learning these things. Um, and so it's great to consistently like just have that mindset and expand your mind, you know, again and again. So that's great. That's that's fantastic advice.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, fantastic advice. So we got um someone in the chat, so they're everybody's itching right now, so they they keep messaging.
SPEAKER_04:So good, that's fine. I don't see that, so you just see it, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I just see it. It's on Instagram live, so I'm that's why I keep turning.
SPEAKER_04:I mean Instagram not alive.
SPEAKER_02:Well, you're on Instagram live right now with a ton of people in here.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, so um they they're just itching.
SPEAKER_04:Well, the sign language for sign language for being embarrassed is this because it means your face is getting red. Look how adorable. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Well, everybody, um, I guess there's a couple people in uh Texas area, and so they said we would love to get more information um and find out about the service offerings and all the things. So um where can people find you at and how can they get connected?
SPEAKER_04:Um, our website is servicedogs.org. So that's the best way to find us. We're on Instagram and Facebook under service dogs inc. So any of that. And if you just want to email me, um, I have memorized my email address. Are we ready?
SPEAKER_00:Okay, go for it.
SPEAKER_04:It's my first name Sherry, S-H-E-R-I at servicedogs.org.
SPEAKER_02:Awesome. And what what should they uh what should they say? Hey, I heard you on the podcast and they want to learn more.
SPEAKER_04:Whatever they're interested in.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. No, that's sound that sounds good. And guys, we're gonna put everything in the show notes once this releases. Uh, everybody on the live, you are getting the sneak peek preview of of the podcast. So uh we will have this posted out on on all streaming platforms uh once this officially releases. Um, so you can definitely uh find everything out in the show notes over there. So I just wanted to ask this. So I'm gonna uh ask you one last question. Um as far as with a nonprofit, um and it it you've been able to grow and scale your nonprofit, and there's a lot of nonprofits that are really struggling, um especially the smaller ones, but they're doing great work, great mission work, and they're making their own impact in everything that they do. How can what's one tip that you have for the smaller nonprofits as far as how are they able to grow their nonprofit to be more um just to have more success and not? I mean, everybody's issue is fundraising. I mean, it it just is. I mean, they're always asking, asking, asking, you know, asking all the time. And and some of them are like, you know, do they go down the grant route? Do they just go individual donors? Do you um do you try to get your board to be as active as possible to get your donations? Do you uh host events? Do you, you know, do you do things online? Do you launch your own brand? I've seen people do that where you launch your own brand and they you know, you kind of create a uh a business within the nonprofits and you start to run that with merch and that type of stuff. So, like what tips do you have for those smaller nonprofits that are that have been going, they're chugging along, but they they really want to grow.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, I'm gonna tell you the broad tip and then the actual role tip that I really wasn't ever gonna tell, but you asked, and I have no filter.
SPEAKER_00:Go for it.
SPEAKER_04:So, one thing is you can research similar nonprofits or any other nonprofit that you think has something in common with you, like the same people might like your nonprofit. And those websites will often list their donors, and then you go contact their donors, and and sometimes the donors will say, How did you find me? And they'll you'll say, Well, I know you're interested in helping children, groups that help children in the community who've survived trauma. So I thought you'd be interested in what we do. Is this a good time to tell you really briefly, or could I send you an email? Here's my actual real secret tip. Um, so let's borrow from our political friends. When people donate, that is public record. Um, donations in any level of presidential to local. You can I have someone that helps me, but they're willing to take on other clients since or know people. So a polit someone that does fundraising for candidates, basically you can look up, sort it by zip code, and then you can see, oh, Bob Smith gave$5,000 to ex-candidate. So you and then you they can use their white pages connection thing and look up their phone number, and you can call them and say, uh, and you can research them online. So I this is called call time. So you used to hear Obama talk about it a lot, or President Obama or whoever. You candidates will spend hours calling people, and your person fundraising, you're on a Zoom with them, they have a spreadsheet of all of the donors, what they gave, maybe what they learned about them during research. Like they love children, they love cooking, they love the arts, they donate to XYZ. You you call and because I just did this for two hours today. You go, so the cold calling part is you say, Hey, um, is this so-and-so? Yeah. Um, hi, I'm Sherry with Service Dogs Inc. Um, I'm calling because I know you really support groups that help children. And I thought you might be interested in our courthouse dog program. Would it be all right to briefly tell you about that? And sometimes they say no, or or you go, would it, or would you prefer I email you? And instead of saying what's your email, you go, what email would you prefer I use? The other way is if anyone is nice enough to donate, please write them a thank you letter before the check is deposited. And you can also call them if they're donating to you online and thank them. So it's really easier to cultivate people who've already supported you. But if you I have someone that I think would probably take on some other clients, they do a lot of political fundraising, but have started been helping me with for four years, and it's been enormous how much better we've done with call time, which is unfortunate because I don't like doing it, other than now I I'm sorry, I love doing it because it helps me build relationships with the people that are donating. So they're just not some empty space and they're all it's only transactional. I can follow up with, oh, since you donated last year, we've done this, this, and this. Thank you so much. I hope we earn your support again. Or I say, I hope we're on your we're on your nice list again, because I'm kind of shy about that. But leveraging the way that politicians fundraise is something any nonprofit can do also if you just have a couple of the know how to get through a couple of the gates that get you all that free information.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, it's so good. So good. You just dropped a gem right there.
SPEAKER_04:It is a gem.
SPEAKER_02:You just dropped a diamond, just took it right out your pocket.
SPEAKER_04:And look, none of the other service dog groups or other charities I know about really do it. Um, yeah. And it's good for a baby organization because uh you're gonna find somebody in there that has something in common that you can spark that enthusiasm. And some people are gonna not be interested, or you leave a lot of messages, but um, it's paid off uh very significantly for us. It's really been amazing.
SPEAKER_02:I oftentimes tell people you only need one yes.
SPEAKER_04:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And every no is a close is a is getting closer to the yes.
SPEAKER_04:Einstein said, No means try again. Yeah, you apparently want me to continue calling you. You have to work on your self-care because it is gonna be rejection.
SPEAKER_02:Oh man, it's gonna be brutal.
SPEAKER_04:But like I'll even show you why we're doing it today. Um, we do it for two hours once a week. So um right right there is where I'm I'm having time to go and I'm subtracting from the two hours, 20 minutes to go, an hour and two minutes.
SPEAKER_00:Oh wow.
SPEAKER_04:So I don't like doing it, but now that I'm getting to know our donors, a lot of them have you find something you can invite them to, or whatever, or you send them a recent news article, or you send them a picture of something you did. And you it actually again, what we're talking about at the beginning, you're building relationships with people. So they're no longer this vague entity that you're trying to just get them to do something for you. It's you're giving something to them too. So now a lot of them might know their dog's name. I am happy to talk to them because I know they're gonna be nice to me. Yeah, a lot of times I'm not even asking them for anything, I'm just telling thanking them for last time and telling them what we've done and what our next project is. So yeah, if you would like to know how to get into call time, feel free to contact me and I will um refer you to someone wonderful.
SPEAKER_02:Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Sherry. I really appreciate your time on this podcast. Uh, this has been very insightful. I know um a lot of people in the chat really enjoyed this. So once this actually gets uh released and and pushed out to the world, I know a lot of people, other people will enjoy it as well. Um, and what you're doing is just so important. And I feel like there's just so many learning lessons through this of how to host an event, how to grow your nonprofits, um just kind of the trials and tribulations of of being an entrepreneur. Yes, you are one, you are an entrepreneur, so I want you to get that through. Um, that you are an entrepreneur and you started this thing and and now look what it's what it's become. Um and and honestly, you're you got you got the marketing gene. I would say that you you are you are a marketer. Like you, though you, you know, you went into law and you went, you know, you had some other paths that you've gone down. Uh you through and through are a marketer. Um, just your your the way you your mind works and how you implement and execute on these things is absolutely incredible. Uh, we could have gone way deeper into the science of the event because there's just so many layers to it of why it's successful, um, of why it's successful and why you're able to get 2,000 people there in the pajamas. There, there, there's a reason why. Um, and it's it's a compounding effect as well. You've been doing it for a long time, and you've been doing it for a long time, and it keeps getting better and better, and you just but you're still using the same system that you're that works every single time, you're just doing it as a different theme, um, which is which is very smart because it's predictable and you can keep continue to do it, but it's new for everybody else, um, which is awesome. So hats off to you for that.
SPEAKER_04:Thank you. My cats are gonna love you as their new dad.
SPEAKER_02:The new cat dad?
SPEAKER_04:Oh, your cats, your your guests get crushes on you.
SPEAKER_02:Not all of them, no, not all of them.
SPEAKER_04:ABC, always be closing.
SPEAKER_02:Always be closing, always be closing. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast. And um, everybody listening, watching, please like, comment, share uh this podcast episode. We're streaming on all platforms. And don't forget, if you can change your circle, you can change your life. So until the next time, guys, we're out. Peace.
SPEAKER_01:Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. And don't forget to hit that notification bell for more amazing content that we're gonna be putting out. And don't forget, you can change your circle to change your life.
