We had the good fortune of connecting with Bianca and Derek Carlson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bianca and Derek, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We both work from home and looking for another way to make a side income. We also were thinking about getting a pet and thought, why not make money from watching other people’s pets. We started watching dogs for our family and friends, and thought there was a demand out there for dog boarding and dog daycare. When we started our Rover profile, we were swamped with requests! We really enjoy having another companion at home with us during the work day, it makes it a lot more fun and enjoyable.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Derek works is an analyst for an alcohol distribution company and Bianca manages sales for 7 hotels. We are both very lucky that we get to work from home in our positions. We have worked very hard to get to where we are today, but work isn’t our life. We really enjoy our free time and the ability to watch dogs while we work at home. It makes the day much more enjoyable and forces us not to be trapped at our computers all day long. Work/life balance is the most important thing to us and feel it makes us better employees as our overall happiness is increased from the fun things we do outside of work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love taking people to Lost Dutchman state park to hike and take in the amazing views. We also enjoy trying new food places in Downtown Mesa and have recently enjoyed 12 West Brewing and Tacos Chiwas. Our favorite breakfast place is in Scottsdale called Butters Cafe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We can’t thank our friends and family enough for letting us watch their dogs to jump start our business.

Website: https://www.rover.com/sit/biancc96305

Instagram: carlsonk9camp

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.