Seven years ago I launched Rover-Time’s first website. It helped me find four dog walking customers that I serviced while juggling my “bridge job”. By March, that same year, I finally gave notice and became my own boss.

So, the first quarter of every year, has always been a time of celebration for me. Here’s Rover-Time’s best of moments of 2018. Enjoy. And Happy Birthday to us.

2018 HIGHLIGHTS

1. We hosted some great events and gatherings. Rover-Time Collar Club met up for three monthly walks in September, October, and November. And it was awesome. Also great: the Indigo & Violet Studio Craft event, Mutt Jackson Beach Pop-Up, and the Back to School Doggie Swim Pawty.
2. We did some fantastic blogging, hung out more on Instagram, and created a few new partnerships by way of our Business Spotlights Q&A’s.
3. The team created our first running group, Rover-Time Runs, which participated in the PAWS 5K. They hosted an incredible fundraiser at Empirical Brewery leading up to the event, raising a ton of money!
4. Rover-Time organized a very successful donation drive for CACC and the team supported fundraising efforts for Horner Park Dog Park, while participating in their annual Doggie Egg Hunt event.
5. We had some great team outings this year! We got together for the Horner Park dog park pizza party fundraiser, had a team hangout at Replay, grabbed italian ice, and had a super fun Birthday BBQ Bash! The team also came out for each other’s shows, bands, and side projects throughout the year.
6. I graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in April, 2018 and we identified a growth opportunity for Rover-Time! Stay tuned!!
7. We implemented GPS tracking & walk monitoring in our client portal and moved our visit reporting online, improving our training, employee monitoring, and communication with clients.
8. Lauren, our Scheduling Coordinator, welcomed a daughter in June 2018 and I welcomed my second son in November 2018.
9. I was a featured expert in 17 professional articles, published throughout 2018.

I’m anticipating a lot of difficult challenges in 2019, but we’re fighters here at Rover-Time. I’m proud of our hard work that helped us accomplish so much and excited to see where we’ll go in the year ahead.

Thanks, and Happy New Year. We’re truly so grateful for you.

Julia Rohan founded Rover-Time in January of 2012 and received her formal training at FetchFind Academy, a program for aspiring dog trainers, based in Chicago. Julia lives in Irving Park with her husband Mark. Together they co-parent Archer, their 3-year old son, Lou, their 2-month old, and Chauncey Billups Vanderhoff, an over-confident, territorial, and anxious 8lb. Chihuahua-Terrier mix. All the boys do a decent job of melting her heart hourly.