For the last 17 years Ray and Linda Sugars of Meaford have been quietly growing their business, and this month their years of hard work have been recognized with three very special awards.
What began as a part time business in 1994 providing dog owners with the Invisible Fence brand protection for their pets, morphed into a full time occupation in 2001, and the Sugars have seen their business grow by leaps and bounds ever since.
This month they announced that they have received three awards from the Invisible Fence corporation.
The first award called the “Over the Top” award, is in recognition of an increase in sales of 40 percent last year. The second award named the Sugars' “Regional Dealer of the Year” for Central Canada.
While those two awards are major achievements, the Meaford-based business can also now proudly state that they are the 2011 International Dealer of the Year after receiving a third award from Invisible Fence.
Invisible fence has 305 dealers around the world, with the bulk of those dealers serving North American Markets.
Asked why she feels their business has been so successful, Linda Sugars told The Independent that it is all about their focus.
“We've always focused on providing solutions for pet behaviour problems. We've never focused on selling a product,” offered Sugars.
Sugars says that by putting customer service first, and providing timely responses and meeting the needs of their customers has built trust and respect for the company in the community.
While it is no accident that the Sugars' have had incredible success by putting the needs of their customers first, the fact that they started into the business at all can only be described as a happy accident.
“We were actually about to open a store in Collingwood, we were looking at retail floor space,” says Sugars, “It was a very scary prospect, opening a retail store.”
Their plans changed after a visit from a cousin whose husband happened to be a veterinarian.
“We had a little Beagel puppy, and he took a look at our puppy and said that he was a dominant dog, and that we should get an Invisible Fence. We thought it was a joke,” recalls Sugars, “For two hours he explained to us what an Invisible Fence was, and we didn't believe a word he said.”
Following that visit the veterinarian sent them an Invisible Fence to try for themselves.
“We put it in and it completely changed our lives,” says Sugars adding that it also changed their business plans.
“So a ripple changed our lives,” says Sugars after a thoughtful pause.
Sugars believes that for any business to succeed, belief in your product or service is critcal.
The more than 2,000 clients that have been served by the Sugars and their Invisible Fence dealership have directly benefited from that ripple, as has the community of Meaford.
The Sugars' and their Invisible Fence product have been visible supporters of a wide range of community events, not the least of which has been the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society and their annual Autumn Adventure. The Sugars' also maintain six 'doggie bag' posts throughout the municipality which ensures quick and easy access to plastic bags for dog owners who enjoy parks throughout Meaford.
There is an old piece of advice that we have all at one time or another been offered. 'Do what you love, and success will follow.' The Sugars' have proven that advice to be worth listening to.
“As Ray says, he doesn't go to work, he gets to go and play with dogs.”
