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First and Last Name:
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McKenna Roberts
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Name of Your Business:
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Red Hills Animal Reproductive Specialties
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Phone Number to Contact You:
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2293553022
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City and State:
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Thomasville, Georgia
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How many years have you been in business?:
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6
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What animals do you work with?:
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Cattle, Dogs, Other
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What services does your business provide?:
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Red Hills Repro offers mobile and in clinic Canine Semen Collecting, Freezing, Storing, Domestic and International Shipping, On Site Progesterone Testing, Bull semen storage and AI services.
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Explain your background or how you got interested in your chosen field?:
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I am third generation AKC breeder/owner/handler and have been showing since 2002. Breeding quality champion bloodlines has always been a goal of mine. I attended the University of Georgia and studied to apply for Veterinary school. After working at a Vet clinic while attempting to apply for the Vet program, I had worked under a Vet which their clinic had extensive reproductive services for small animals. It became an interest and I quickly dove into the science behind breeding dogs.
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What do you think helped you the most to make a career as a woman? What is the biggest factor that has helped you be successful?:
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Aligning myself with good people with similar goals and interests. My family has definitely helped push me to become better as a business owner, a better person and being a business owner has pushed me to become more confident in myself, I stay focused on future goals and am more driven now than ever before.
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As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?:
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Our company started in the midst of Covid-19. We succeeded thru everything that was supposed to push us down and our clientele list kept growing and growing. Our business name has spread thru the dog community quickly as many companies had shut down. Despite the shutdown, we attended events and kennels (with proper precaution) and pushed thru the roadblocks.
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What mistakes have you made along the way and what did you learn from them?:
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I would say I am very busy minded and I may not get to everyone's emails or messages right away. We have people text, call, email, Facebook message, website message, etc and because we have so many modes of communication, I may fall behind in staying on top of everyting. Just know that your requests are very important and I try to get back with everyone as soon as I can. I have learned to take a breath, relax, don't get overwhelmed and think everything will be ok. Because in the end, they will be!
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Do you or did you have a woman leader as a mentor or are there specific women who inspired you and why?:
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I would have to say my mother had inspired me the most, as she was a very successful business owner in a very male dominated field (Ag). My mother always taught me to never back down and never give up. "Stick to your guns and never waiver" when you know you did what is right. She had been there for every event, every dog show that I attended and entered in, even after I was "aged out" of Junior Showmanship, competing as an adult.
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You are a busy woman. What do you do to relax and maintain good mental health?:
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I love to horseback ride, fly fish, bake sweet treats, learn new recipes and tend to my garden! All of those ease my mind after working in a somewhat high stressful environment.
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To help other women starting out, Tell us how you advertise your business. Do you use social media marketing, website, facebook? What provides the most value to your business?:
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I primarily use Facebook. You have to know your algorithms! Follow similar groups, follow pages that you are interested in learning more about. Don't be afraid to stick yourself out there and just ASK! Most people will love that you have taken interest in whatever it is and are willing to share their passion. Majority of our clients are older and use Facebook. I would like to put small informative videos on Tik Tok for the younger crowd.
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Please provide any additional information you would like included in your profile. :
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We specialize in Canine Fertility & Reproduction but we also work with Bulls for semen collections, freezing, shipping and AI's.
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