Sleepy Hollow Small Business Spotlight: Treat Worthy Pet Creations

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY — Our Small Business Spotlight shines a light on local businesses we may not know that well.

• Business: Treat Worthy Pet Creations, LLC
• Owners: Serena Fiorella, LVT
• Website: treatworthypet.com and www.etsy.com/shop/TreatWorthyPet
• Address: Sleepy Hollow NY

1. What business are you in? You can say I’m in the business of making pets and their people very happy! I make the first (and only) customized, arranged treat gift baskets for dogs, cats and ferrets, for all occasions and holidays. They are arranged in an aesthetically pleasing design (like the human version of fruit bouquets) and are customized and personalized for each and every pet. The treats I use are all natural and made in the USA.
2. How did you come up with the name? It wasn’t easy since the original name I started with was actually trademarked. With a little help from my friends, I decided on Treat Worthy Pet Creations…after all, isn’t every pet Treat Worthy?
3. Why start a business in this town? I run my business out of my home and I am a lifelong resident of Sleepy Hollow.
4. What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner? By far the most difficult challenge is having enough capital to grow and market the business. As a small business owner, there is always something to spend money on especially when you are just starting out. Last year, with a lot of bootstrapping and help from friends and family, I reached my goals of having a professional business plan written, getting my LLC and filing for a non-provisional patent. I have a pretty successful etsy shop and website. Now it’s time to move forward. I have many goals to reach this year including finding packaging and manufacturing so I can pitch my baskets to major pet stores. That requires funds ... and herein lies the challenge yet again.
5. What’s been your proudest achievement since opening? It’s hard to just pick one thing. I think my proudest achievement is that I was featured in an article on Inc. online. It was an honor to be considered a killer startup (even if they thought it was weird — haha).
6. How does your business give back to the community? I really appreciate and love service dogs so I am proud to donate baskets to them when I can to honor their service. I have also made basket donations to local pet rescues. My goal is to be able to donate a portion of every sale to shelters and local rescuers.

If you are a small business owner and would like to see your business in the spotlight, go to this link, answer the questions and send it to Patch. Make sure you send a high-resolution jpeg photo with your answers.

Photo credit: Submitted.