We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Breed recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

Working from home has been a blessing for me. I prepare everything for my workers, provide all the supplies they’ll need, and send them home with a bin of work to complete in their own time. These individuals are also parents staying home with their children. This has worked wonderfully to allow them to make an extra income from home. With the rising cost of, well, everything, I’m proud to be able to offer some income to other families.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well I’m 32, married to the most wonderful and supportive man, and a mother to my two sweet little girls. We live in a small remote town, New Bothwell, hence the name Bothwell Pets. Our home is filled with love, laughter, and a little chaos. What else would you expect with 2 kids, 3 cats, a puppy and one set of parents all under the same roof?

After the birth of our first daughter I returned to my 9-5 office job. With my commute I would only see my baby girl for an hour or two a day, 5 days a week. When Christmas came around, I had to ask her daycare provider what she was interested in because I spent so little time with her I had no idea what kind of gifts to get her. This was the moment I decided I needed to make a change. I stayed at work just long enough to qualify for my second maternity leave and I never looked back. I tried a few different options to make money, but nothing stuck.

In 2019 we adopted our first 2 cats, Baloo and Gizmo. We went through toys like crazy, so I decided to make some myself. I grew catnip in a pot on our deck and made a few toys for our furry boys. They loved them and they lasted! I proposed the idea of selling some to my husband, Mike, and he agreed I should give it a try.

We had no extra money to start up a new business. My maternity leave had run out and we were just making ends meet on a single income. So my first toys were made from the fabric scraps I already had. My business started slow, I would put the profits from each sale aside and slowly would have enough to buy new materials. As time passed I slowly started making enough to help support our family financially. My toys constantly change and evolve, I expanded to make dog tag silencers and small treats for rabbits and guinea pigs in the summer. Quality has always been my #1 priority and it has paid off. Customers keep coming back and new customers feel confident to make purchases because of the abundance of positive reviews.

My rabbit fur toys are by far my best sellers. Real fur toys are simply hard to find. When I first started selling them I got a lot of kickback about animal cruelty and upset individuals who didn’t approve of me using the skins. I understand, I love animals and don’t support any type of cruelty towards them. However, these furs come from rabbits who are raised specifically for the food industry, just like cows and pigs. Instead of these furs being tossed in the trash as a byproduct I purchase them and turn them into toys, reducing waste. Cats have been domesticated, but they are still hunters who love fur. It entices them naturally to play and “hunt” so it’s no wonder they’re incredibly popular.

I have also converted a portion of our property into catnip gardens and maintain two grow hutches in our home for a yearlong supply. I harvest my catnip at the perfect time in the grow cycle to ensure the most aroma. It’s a matter of pride to me that I routinely have customers tell me my catnip is far “stinkier’ than any they’ve purchased before. And make no mistake, it really isn’t the best smell. But cats love it, so I’ll grow it!

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

My business is still small, and everything is made by hand. I taught myself to sew with some help from my mom and a lot of practice. I started sewing at a young age, but was never very good as a child. When I moved out of my parents’ home my mother gifted me a sewing machine. My first projects were as you’d expect, hemming pants and sewing curtains. Over time I expanded to making quilts and even a winter jacket for our dog.

I design all my patterns and create all my products by hand. To be the most efficient with my time I assemble items in an assembly line style. Completing one step for a large number of toys before moving to the next. I’m a busy mom, and my time is precious, so working efficiently is important.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Consistency, and quality. Every single toy is inspected for quality before its listed for sale. As I make sales customers leave me positive glowing reviews. New customers then see those reviews and feel confident making a purchase. My products are sold entirely online so customers can’t see and hold the product before they buy. Those positive reviews are invaluable to helping others make an informed purchase.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BothwellPets.Etsy.com
• Instagram: bothwellpets
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BothwellPets

Image Credits
Veronika Berg (Profile and room photos) Amanda Breed (Last 4 pictures of products)