Edmonton Entrepreneur Spotlight: Chelsea Hegarty of Dean & Bella
Who here has lost a fur family member? Or knows someone who has lost a pet? Though loss and grief are a part of life, you’re never really prepared for it. Remembering the memories and the good times often helps us move on. Edmonton Entrepreneur Chelsea Hegarty and her boyfriend unintentionally created a thoughtful keepsake that quickly turned into a celebration of life. Join us while we sit down with this hard-working couple as we chat about how they spread happiness to pet parents through their company, Dean & Bella.
DJ: Tell us a little bit about yourself:
CH: My name is Chelsea Hegarty. I am 27 years old, a pharmacy assistant, and soon to be a mom. I am originally from Charlottetown Prince Edward Island, where I was raised by my mom with 3 other siblings and our numerous fur bundles of joy. Your
DJ: How did you get started?
CH: About 6 months ago my boyfriend and I lost our precious Stafford terrier Bella. My boyfriend then did the first-ever Dean & Bella drawing as a gift to me and I absolutely melted away. We just had to do one for my aunt Tracey who had also lost her Boxer a year ago. After seeing her reaction and the reaction of others we knew pet lovers all over Canada would love these.
DJ: How did you come up with the name for your business?
CH: Dean was the name of my boyfriend’s favourite childhood dog, and Bella was our dog that recently passed.
DJ: Is this your full-time gig?
CH: No, it is not.
DJ: What are some of the philosophies of or inspirations for your business?
CH: We simply want to put a smile on people’s face, and what better way to do that than these absolutely adorable faces hanging on our walls.
DJ: Tell us a bit about your process of making.
CH: Once a customer uploads their favourite photo of their pet out of the 1,000 on their phone or social media, we do a digital drawing of the pet in that picture. We then print and frame the portrait and prepare it for shipping.
DJ: What is your favourite product to make?
CH: The portraits are currently our only product but will be releasing a new product within a few weeks.
DJ: What is your bestseller?
CH: Our 11X17 portrait is our best seller.
DJ: Where can people buy your product? What are your social handles?
CH: Our products can be purchased on our website, you can also check out our Instagram page, and Facebook page.
DJ: What are some of your future plans?
CH: We are working on releasing a new product within the next fee weeks. We are also working on getting Dean & Bella stations in doggy daycares, pet spas, and pet stores throughout Edmonton.
We are also so excited to announce that Chelsea has created a special offer for the Dog Jogs family! Use code DOGJOGS25 for 25% off your entire order. If that wasn’t enough incentive to purchase a pet portrait, Dean and Bella also donate $5 from each purchase to local rescues. How awesome is that?!?
Don’t forget to share a selfie with your pet’s, Dean & Bella portrait on our Facebook page. We would love to see some final products and how they compare to your pups!
Happy tails!