What does it take to lose the business you built from scratch and then come back to create an even bigger success? This week, we sit down with Hailey Seidel, the founder of Calgary’s luxury pet hotel, The Petropolitan, for a masterclass in resilience, branding, and grit.
For 20 years, Hailey has been a force in the pet care industry, but her path was anything but straight. Her journey started by accident when she launched a simple dog walking business to solve a personal need. That small venture quickly exploded, leading her to take a massive risk at age 25: signing a lease on a 20,000-square-foot facility. But just as her business thrived, her personal life entered a period of turmoil that ultimately resulted in her being forced to sell the company she poured her life into. Instead of walking away, Hailey channeled that experience into a new vision, identifying a gap in the market for high-end pet care and building The Petropolitan from the ground up.
In this episode, you will learn:
• How to turn a personal problem into a viable business idea without a formal plan.
• The mindset required to take massive risks, like when Hailey leased a giant warehouse as a 25-year-old entrepreneur.
• The unfiltered story of navigating the sale of a business during a difficult personal separation and how to pivot from rock bottom.
• Why finding and dominating a niche—like creating "The Fairmont for Dogs"—is a powerful strategy for standing out in a crowded market.
• Hailey’s "Choose Your Own Adventure" philosophy for embracing wrong turns and building a career on your own terms.This is a raw and honest conversation about the un-glamorous reality of entrepreneurship and what it truly means to have "Calgary Grit".
How To Connect:
Jeff Humphreys - https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca
Hailey Seidel - https://www.thepetropolitan.ca
Podcast Location - https://www.modelmilk.ca
Podcast Production - https://www.shortlinecreative.com
