Small Town, Hot Idea

Before starting Aunt B's in 2000, Liautaud traveled the country in search of the best pet lodgings. She even went to Hollywood to see where celebrities took their dogs. Yet she didn't encounter a pet spa experience quite like the one she created for Aunt B's. "[Competitors] try to duplicate the beauty and the structure of Aunt B's, but what they cannot duplicate is the incredible energy and karma that's in my place," she says.

Helping create that energy is a 12-acre lot, complete with a wooded, five-acre Sniffin' Park, where dogs can run free for the day, Marley's Swimming Hole and the Poochie Jacuzzi. Owners can be assured that their pets will get the royal treatment, including a full-body massage, a private play session, dinner and a movie, and gourmet treats.

Being located off a major interstate has attracted press and people passing by the town. "Because I was so passionate about this career, I knew I could make it work anywhere," says Liautaud. "But this turned out to be the best location I could have ever had."

As these entrepreneurs prove, starting a business in a small town can eliminate the dog-eat-dog mentality and allow the owners to focus on their products and services. And being passionate about their businesses has helped them prevent their ventures from becoming short-lived fads.

"What we carry is all of our favorite things that we've used over the years," says Stephanie Mara of O2 Fresh. "We can't really sell it if we don't know about it, so these are all of the things that we love."