Little things can make a big impact. For your pet business, it can be the difference between you standing out or just blending in with everyone else. What are those little things we’re referring to?

They are the traces of puppy love you spread throughout your business.

Let’s look at it this way. Rover.com reports they have over 65,000 sitters who list their services on the website. All of them love dogs just as much as you do. So, the key to standing out is to focus on the little details that others may simply glaze over. As John Wooden stated…

It has been proven that people make purchase decisions based on the emotional connection they feel about a product or service. Identifying the little things that work for you and your customer will definitely help you build that emotional connection.

1. FOCUS ON PUPPY LOVE – Put love into everything that you do for your business. That’s how you’ll build that emotional connection.
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE – Focus on one (or two) little things you can do well. That’s how you can stay focused.   Trying to do everything all at once can just become too much to handle.
3. ADD THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE – Adding a nice gesture like a gift back or remembering a dog’s birthday is a nice element of surprise for your customer. Everyone loves surprises, and that’s how you can get your customers talking and sharing what you’ve done.

Surprises come in several different forms and can really help you emotionally connect to your customer. For instance, I literally remember sitting right by Mom’s side with my paw on her hand when she got sick one night. She was so surprised and touched that I sat with her that I got 2 pupcakes the next day.

These Blueberry Carob Pupcakes With Blueberry Frosting are dedicated to the little things.

And of course, we believe that every pupcake has a love story. So, while your favorite pup is PUPPY LOVIN’ on these pupcakes, we’d love to hear from you.

How do you spread puppy love in your dog business?

Please share your pupcake story in the box below.

And, after you’ve tried this recipe please share it with us @pupcakesugar on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or all three. We’d love to see how they turned out for you.

Ingredients

Carob Blueberry Pupcakes

• ½ Cup Brown Rice Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Carob Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ⅓ Cup Plain Yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons Blueberries
• 1 Egg

Blueberry Frosting

• 2 Tablespoons Blueberry Powder (Made with Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Blueberries)
• ⅓ Cup Plain Yogurt
• ½ Cup Brown Rice Flour
• 12 to 16 Fresh Blueberries for Garnish (Optional)

Instructions

Yields: 12 to 16 Mini Pupcakes

For Carob Blueberry Pupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350° Line 12 to 16 1.75-inch mini-muffin pan with paper bake cups and set aside.
2. In small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and carob powder. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl add olive oil, yogurt, blueberries, and egg. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients into the mixture and blend for approximately 2 minutes until well mixed.
5. Fill each cupcake liner with 1 tablespoon of pupcake mix and bake for 12 minutes. Pupcakes are done when you can stick a toothpick into the cake and it comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
6. Spread or pipe blueberry frosting onto the pupcakes.
7. Add a blueberry on top of each pupcake for garnish (optional).

For Blueberry Frosting

1. In a blender, blend freeze-dried blueberries for approximately 1 to 2 minutes until they become a powder.
2. In large mixing bowl beat yogurt, flour, and blueberry powder together on medium speed. Mix until creamy. Frosting should have the consistency of whipped cream.
3. Spread or pipe blueberry frosting onto the pupcakes.
4. Add a blueberry on top of each pupcake for garnish (optional).

Notes

• This recipe is for a fun treat ONLY. It should not replace your dog’s regular meals. Please consult with your vet on the best plan for your dog’s diet.