Liz Illg started her first business in 2013, a pet grooming storefront. She had no idea what she was doing but Liz was determined to make it happen.

In only eight years, she scaled that business to six locations. She has scoped out new territories, reviewed partnership proposals, hired and trained hundreds of employees, and mastered delegation.

Q: What's your background, and what are you working on?

I've been an entrepreneur for eight years and I've started and scaled several businesses since I bought my first brick and mortar business in 2013. My first business was my pet grooming shop, Puff & Fluff Spa, here in Arizona. In 2020, I expanded Puff & Fluff to its sixth location. I became a business expert and started helping other companies grow when I began consulting in 2019. My consulting business, Liz Illg Consulting, has also grown dramatically in only two years, and I was able to expand it into a full-service creative agency this year.

Q: What motivated you to get started with Liz Illg Consulting?

I'd been successful in starting and growing my grooming shops in such a short period of time so other business owners would ask me how I did it. I'd really created a recipe for success with my methods and I knew I could share those insights with other companies that needed it. So I started working with business owners to help them structure their companies, grow their teams, and scale their businesses. Because I'd created success for my businesses, I wanted to help make that happen for others.

Q: How have you attracted clients and grown your firm?

I'm very honored to have such a loyal client base and community. My clients always refer me to their friends and colleagues and that's one of the major ways I've been able to gain recognition. I also have an incredible team of marketing experts that help me reach more audiences with press relations, social media advertising, and digital messaging that attracts clients to my work.

Q: What are your goals for the future?

Whether it was because of the pandemic or not, I know so many people started or shifted their business in 2020. I'm really excited to work with business owners that are ready to level up in 2021. I fine-tuned my consulting call offerings this year to fully support entrepreneurs at any phase in their journey and so my goals are to help them plan for a brighter and successful future in their business.

Owning six brick-and-mortar shops is a huge accomplishment and I'm not opposed to seeing Puff & Fluff grow even more soon.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you've faced and obstacles you've overcome?

Especially with Liz Illg Consulting, the digital world changes so much and so fast. I've really had to keep my ear to the ground to plan for industry changes and prepare for evolution before it even happens. I pride myself in continually learning and behind ahead of the game when it comes to business strategy and planning but it can be quite challenging to keep up with the digital world. There's always a new platform to master, a new change in technology, a new social media tool, or whatever the case is.

For some business owners, the ever-changing industry can be overwhelming and unsettling and so they give up or lose their momentum.

I really strive to leap over challenges and help my clients do the same in their businesses.

Q: What's your advice for female founders who are just starting out?

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give to new founders is – there will always be people that doubt your business, don't let one of those people be you. I had to deal with a lot of nay-sayers when I bought my first business. People doubted that a pet grooming shop would be a good business and they doubted my abilities to make it succeed. But I never gave in to anyone's doubt. I trusted myself and my abilities and grew the business in record-breaking time.