We recently connected with Coco Quill and have shared our conversation below.

Coco, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

When setting a budget, save four times the amount you think you needed. The pandemic came six months after I had launched my business. I was getting into a rhythm, going to my first markets. The costs rose on inventory which became harder to find and restock.

Be ready to test and pivot. Once you launch a product into the market place consumers will give you feedback you didn’t anticipate for better or worse and you have to learn which feedback is valuable enough to take on board.

In D2C, there will be a lot of advice by people who have no experience in launching a business including coaches. Find professional communities to learn from and ask questions. Finding peers even across verticals and reading about other start-ups is invaluable.

It took me 3 years to find a business mentor. It’s essential to have an outside experience business person to pinpoint pain points. A mentor is not there to resolve those issues magically, but highlight them so they can be addressed. It can be hard but asking the tough questions will keep the business on track.

Make sure to take the proper steps like deciding if the business is an LLC or A corp (etc.), is this a trademark opportunity, certifications needed, trends, making a full business plan and setting up a separate bank account and credit card.

Coco, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was living in London and came back to visit with my Frenchie, Elle. We had our dog mom group meet us at a whiskey distillery. It was there I realized that many of them had similar experiences i.e. being whiskey fans. I was part of the British Bourbon Society as well as working in tech where often times in both situations I was the only female in the room. That meetup at the distillery had me thinking how this had informed my personal tastes.

At the time I had been through a break-up and was trying different activities like riding ATVS and took a candle making class in East London. Elle was also growing a micro influencer audience on Instagram with many fans asking when she would come out with a line of clothing of her own. I knew too many talented artisans in London that gave her beautiful clothing and accessories. It did not feel as if that was a road to pursue.

When we moved back to Brooklyn, I was working at an agency. I began attending creative panels. I had two or three projects I had mapped out and was deciding how to combine my passions into one. It wasn’t what the entrepreneurs were saying as much as the message driven home that the hardest part is starting.

I realized scent could become my method of storytelling. For instance my No. 2 Elle is inspired by walking over to a beach, as you pass rose bushes, you can see waves gently lapping while you follow paw prints in the sand to driftwood up ahead. It’s an ocean rose scent blended with musk and driftwood. These moments could be captured into scent.

After hiring a graphic designer to make my logo, even supplying exactly which font I wanted to use and the color scheme, she ghosted me for months then came back having added an extra color as if it was a gift. As a creative leader, I had to step back and ask myself what was missing. How had I failed to communicate here? It had already delayed the launch by two months. At this point I rediscovered Canva. It’s a creative platform with templates from business cards to presentations and social media.

Looking over the brand deck, it hit me to go back to the K.I.S.S. rule- keep it simple stupid. Canva had many whiskey design elements. To represent Woof – it could only be a Frenchie silhouette. After experimenting with different combinations the logo was ready. It felt very gratifying to have made the logo myself. It evolved over time and the frustrations turned into a learning a new skill set.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

During the pandemic lockdowns I was too accommodating about requests. This lead to spending money and time on extra sizes of candles which also meant wicks, waxes, vessels, bases and extra packaging.

From May to November 2022 I was part of the USA Women’s Entrepreneurial Cohort. It’s a five month program for female small business owners that provided deep dives into specific topics for a month at a time, peer groups and keynote speakers on the topics. During this time I could see how boundaries had to be drawn especially with custom clients and how I had to scale back the sizes I was offering to clients.

Being a creative, it is challenging to not create. Not every idea is worth pursuing and the costs that go with them have to be mapped.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the last few years I’ve had to pivot when supplies were not available. II will test out a new solution and introduce a special in order to liquidate the existing stock that no longer will be carried.

Buying in bulk when it’s down season from vendors can be a good investment to plan ahead for seasonal needs and it’s also a gamble. That’s when specials can help move products. The last couple of hours of a market offering bulk buying discounts is a good way to move product. Being flexible to turn a profit without compromising the value of the brand is easier in person as opposed to online.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whiskeyandwoof.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiskey_and_woof
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiskeyandwoof
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenquill/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/whiskeyandwoof_
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/whiskeyandwoof/

Image Credits
The last photo with Elle and the flowers was taken by David Bowles.