About 18 months ago, I was walking my little dog, Frankie, at Sydney Park and my friend said he had a birthday party to go to. But it wasn't for a human, it was a doggy birthday party.

I said to him “So do you take something for the dog and something for the owner to this party?”

It was this conversation that was very thought provoking to me. For me, my dog is my family and I spoil her all the time. We really care about our animals here in Australia. My friend ended up getting a cake from a local dog bakery. I never even knew that dog bakeries were a thing! But it turns out that doggy birthday parties are a huge thing!

I found myself deep diving into the world of business name availability and possible products that I thought would be cute packaged up in a gift box.

Naming the business was quite hard. And I am not a fan of the 'pun' type words, such as 'Pawsome' or 'Bone Appétit'. So I started thinking about what pets are to me. The word Companion seemed the most appropriate. And 'Gifts', because... well, its a gift store!

Soon I had a business name, domain and a business plan. But you can’t start to do anything until you work out what your brand is.

I believe my brand is:

• Thoughtful
• Practical
• Cute
• Tasteful

I also like it to. be reasonably priced while supporting local business. And so far, I believe I've managed to do that.

I’ve wanted to create a small business for a long time . One that I was passionate about and related to my own interests. And my interests are most certainly my pets.

Companion Gifts has been a labour of love over the last 12+ months and its now officially launched. It's scary and exciting all at the same time.

I hope you like my small business idea. I guess time (and orders) will tell...