Story

 

Cosmodoggyland was born when our love, respect, and appreciation for Emma, the canine member of our family, as well as a set of dreams and emotions found a channel through which to flow. It was the year 2012 and we were still adapting to living in a new place with the challenges and expectations that that implies. With a family life demanding most of my energy and time, I decided to accept the position of full-time mom and I returned to university to, with the excuse of studying marketing, practice English and French in the real world. Joining the workforce was not as easy as feeling frustrated was, especially if I focused on everything I lacked to meet the requirements of those job ads that seemed destined for Wonder Woman. Out of the workforce, with a reduced social life and overqualified to simply devote myself to the development of new mopping techniques, writing was a practical way to practice languages.

After a trip during which it was impossible to find a pet-friendly beach, complaining about this issue triggered the need to make my opinion public. After pouring my anger on the keyboard, I focused only on the positive side of the story and decided to start a blog to advocate for the value and importance of dogs in our lives and society. However, since the heart is stronger than we think and can guide us when we are brave enough to follow it, I embarked on a project that inspired me and what seemed an unproductive stage in my life became an enriching experience. That practical approach allowed me to concentrate and appreciate everything I could do instead of what I could not do. Thus, the idea of having a blog turned into a different way of joining the labor force with a personal brand, a proposal and a concrete product that showcased what I could, knew and wanted to do.

The universe conspired to accelerate the process. Thanks to my eldest daughter, Cosmodoggyland barked her first “Hello World” and from there, after some basic explanations and many tutorials, the blog began to take form, personality and content. Suddenly new jargon was part of the conversations at dinner time and slowly, as each member of our family felt inspired, Cosmodoggyland became a space for experimentation, active learning and collaborative work. Sometimes, we managed to publish on a regular basis while others, life got in the way. Often, it was necessary to stop and devote time to learning about what was necessary to achieve the goal, always balancing time with work and school.

A blog was, without a doubt, a tool to put ideas into action at a low cost and with tangible deliverables. More importantly, it was the perfect platform to develop our creative and entrepreneurial spirit, which allowed us to acquire skills that could be transferred to any initiative. Along the way, each one of us was able to make use of the acquired knowledge, both as freelance workers and as employees. Scattered in different projects, it was possible to design, produce, translate, and edit content for presentations, websites, blogs, social networks, marketing materials for companies and startups as well as educational materials to teach languages and business.

During the process, we dared to trust ourselves, create, learn, develop a venture, and build a team around shared values that today are reflected in the mission, vision, and values that guide Cosmodoggyland.

With a new format and Emma as our Editor-in-Chief, Cosmodoggyland is the trilingual canine magazine created not only to inform and entertain, but also as a resource for learning, connecting, inspiring, and encouraging entrepreneurship.

Continue reading: Mission, vision & values