"A Chamber Member's Story - Winning In a Dog-Eat-Dog World" (February 2007)

Christine Hutman provides online reviews of pet businesses.

Christine Hutman is not one to let a lack of technical know-how and a major national competitor get in the way of operating a successful business geared toward her love of pets. After her first venture failed, and with little knowledge of the dot-com world, Hutman a year ago started PetServicesReview.com, a consumer-based Web site for reviews of independently owned pet-related businesses within a 50-mile radius of Chicago.

Hutman's journey to becoming a Web entrepreneur began when, as a busy graduate student, she needed day care for her two dogs, Pepper and Nikita. Unable to find a facility in her area, Hutman opened her own. But shortly after the national chain store PetSmart opened a PetsHotel nearby, Hutman was forced to close. "The store had a huge advertising budget, colossal facilities, and cheaper rates," she says.

Hutman came up with the idea for PetServicesReview.com when a former client said that he wished there was a Web site for local pet services. After finding that there were no sites focused exclusively on reviews of pet-related businesses, Hutman set out to create one. "I had no previous Web experience," says Hutman, who has a military and physical fitness background. "But I knew something about the pet industry and thought that this was something I would use."

Hutman started PetServicesReview.com with $20,000, using the funds to hire a Web development company to design, create, and advertise the site. Since its launch, PetServicesReview.com has grown from reviews of 5 pet service industries to 35, including vets, pet chiropractors, dog walkers, groomers, and breeders. Customers can rate a listed business on five categories, including cleanliness and customer service. Approximately 1,000 customers have subscribed to the site for free to review or read about local businesses.

Hutman offers direct advertising to businesses listed on the site. The listing fee ranges from $49 to $149 per year. The price determines the type of information displayed, such as business hours, contact information, links to the Web site and coupons, and customer reviews. There are currently 1,900 companies listed, with 5% of all monthly revenue going to a "featured shelter" of the month.

PetServicesReview.com is now fairly self-sufficient, but Hutman is always adding new features, including a message board for lost and found animals. She is also thinking of adding a second city, probably Atlanta, this year.

Hutman says, "I'm really grateful. If it wasn't for PetSmart, I wouldn't be doing this now. I get to help so many people on so many levels with this site."