We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angela Douglas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My experience launching my company came from a deep rooted desperation to start something new that I was passionate about. Most people do not know I was diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy a year and a half ago. I was told I only had 20% of a functioning heart, and my life would be shortened, with no known cause or cure. I remember crying myself to sleep most nights and asking myself the question “why me”?

During the weakest moments of my existence, my mothers health was failing as well. As I was taking care of my mom the last three weeks of her life, I remember some of her dying words reminding me what she always raised me to believe in:
You can do anything you put your mind to
Have a passion with purpose
Always have something to look forward to
Those words some how reignited this deep rooted creative passion I always had inside me since I was a little girl. I started asking myself a different question instead of “why me”, to a “why not me”? What would I do differently in my life if I knew I couldn’t fail?

That was my light bulb moment, I started drawing out design after design for a dog accessory line. I couldn’t stop, it just started flowing.

Considering rescue dogs have been a big part of my family for as long as I can remember, I was tired of compromising on the form, fit, and function, of an everyday walk set. Not only that, there are little to no options of anything fashion forward.

As I started seeing my designs come to life and a few prototypes later, I started feeling really alive again, I remembered in the back of my mind I had told my Cardiologist that I would figure out a way to cure myself within one year of my diagnosis (as he rolled his eyes at me). And almost one year to the day, I did exactly that!

I truly believe in my heart my new found passion for my business, is what has saved my life. It makes me feel alive again and is defining my next journey of my WHY. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself the question, how many summers or Christmas do we really have left?

I officially launched Urban Dog Stars in November 2022 when 6,000 units landed. Although I did farmers markets the first year as I was defining my Proof of Concept. We are scaling pretty quickly and are in numerous retail stores through out Southern California, including a national direct mail catalog and online retailer.

First of it’s kind in the world, we offer a unique plush denim Step-In dog harness with matching walk sets. Currently in production and will be for sale late spring Apple Airtag collars. Several other unique designs are in development as we speak.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Angela Douglas, Founder and CEO of Urban Dog Stars. We design and manufacture Pet Gear for the Modern World.

Let me ask you a rhetorical question, have you ever gone to the store and bought something you needed for your dog, but not necessarily what you wanted?

I know I have, and I know the majority of people have as well.

When I rescued my Jack Russell and Maltese Jackson & Sadie, I knew right away I didn’t want to compromise when it came to their comfort and style. The problem was I couldn’t find anything that offered what I was looking for.

I knew there had to be other pet parents who also cared about the function, quality and style just like me.

All Urban Dog Stars products start with the end in mind. Our belief is an everyday “Dog Harness” and walk set should have four legs to the table, through innovation in Form, Fit, Function and a special emphasis in fashion forward designs.

Features & Benefits
Our Plush Quilted Denim & Plaid harnesses are soft & comfortable yet offer sturdy internal mesh. The easy step-in with hook & loop attachment and secure buckle with a double D-Ring make’s our harnesses a better fit than most adjustable harnesses for small dogs.

Another feature we include is a wider leg opening, therefore, dog breeds that have more of a barrel chest and thicker legs can fit easily and comfortably in our harnesses without causing leg abrasion. (Like Frenchie’s or Pugs as an Example).

The benefit of the No Pull and No Choke and added safety with four strips of high visibility reflective webbing, is not only safer, but a better solution than walking your dog just on a leash and collar that could possibly cause neck, throat, back or spine issues.

To complete your denim step-in harness, we have designed matching leashes, collars and waste bag holders.
Including our patent pending cloud collars, that you can track your pet with Apple’s Airtag technology straight from your Iphone.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

When I first started, it was quite a task finding a manufacturer. Even before a working prototype was created, I ordered samples of a variety of dog products from no less than 10 manufactures to see what the quality was like and if the product was consistent over time.

One big “take away” while learning about manufacturing is the fact that not all companies are created equal just like any other industry. I learned by trail and error,

As an example, one manufacturer I ordered samples from, had great samples, however when I purchased basic inventory from them, some of the inventory was defective and did not reflect the quality I stand behind.

Another manufacturer I ordered specific samples from, sent me random samples that I didn’t request, and then back pedaled on his reasoning why. Obviously, starting off on the wrong foot would never work for me. That showed me dealing with that company would never produce results.

Once I could get a better feel for the manufacturers I was working with, not only did it come down to the quality of the product, but the attention to detail in their communication with me.

Out of the 10 manufactures, I found one that stood out and checked all of the boxes I was looking for. After careful consideration, that was the manufacturer I sent my designs to for the first dog harness prototype. Although the first prototypes didn’t look and feel the way I imagined, it helped me tweak my designs and make them even better.

As they say “Third Time’s a Charm”, it was by the 3rd prototype that we nailed down the right product market fit.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

My all time favorite book is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill.

I came across that book when I was 19 years old in a used book store. It was almost like the universe threw it at me, As I was walking down a narrow path in the store, the book literally fell off the shelf as I was walking by. The moral to the story, has always resonated with me my entire life, “What ever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can be achieved”

Another book that I have read and listened to numerous times on audio recently, is the “The 4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss.
There is so many great informative ideas and concepts in the book. The one I Love the most is, “for all those tired of postponing their life until retirement, who instead want to live life large and in the moment, right now”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://urbandogstars.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbandogstars/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-douglas-490162239/