We were visiting the place for the first time, meeting the owners to learn about their business, hoping we would feel good about trusting them with our dog. We were outside in the open yard. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

I forgot, how exactly he phrased it, but it went something like this:

There isn’t anything magical about what we do. We spend time with the dogs. We feed them regularly, we play and interact with them and we make sure, they have quiet and peace at night and when they are tired.

It has been more than ten years since that first conversation, but it has obviously stayed with me. The initial great impression was reaffirmed numerous times over the years.

Simple

Of course, lots of different things go into the logistics of making their business work. However, the principles the owners articulated to explain how to ensure a successful stay for a dog are strikingly simple.

The principles governing a system are often simple and relatively straightforward to communicate. Simplicity is a desirable characteristic. It lends beauty, elegance.

Not easy

Simple is often not easy at all. In fact, it can mean a lot of hard work. Anything of real value probably does.

During the decade since that first meeting, we have seen that business get established, grow and thrive. The owners work hard and from what we are able to tell, the employees are committed and care. Year after year – regardless of the covid pandemic, macro-economic struggles, the ups and downs of life – now more than ten years later. A seemingly simple service, done well, over time.

It is no small feat.

Magic

At its core, it is perhaps simple to them, then well executed, repeatedly over time. Magic or not, a matter of perspective.