We were lucky to catch up with April Spurlock recently and have shared our conversation below.

April, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

To understand our customers’ success stories, you need to fully understand the nature of our product, Flea Treats. Flea Treats is a safe, natural alternative to most flea and tick medications available today. The insecticides and hormones found in today’s chews and topicals are under scrutiny – many are believed to contribute to seizures and other neurological responses. Our family discovered Flea Treats in the 1990s because our mom’s cat was not able to tolerate topical flea treatments – she panted and foamed at the mouth for hours, and got worse after every monthly application. Clearly the poisons in the topicals didn’t agree with her! We’re lucky Mom’s research led to Jeff Gilmore selling his Flea Treats at the Orange County Fair – our pets have been loyal and happy Flea Treats customers ever since!

It’s heartwarming to receive feedback from customers letting us know how Flea Treats have helped their pets, and it means so much more given our own past struggles. This success story from Shira of Port Townsend, Washington really hit home:

“Our beautiful black lab, Shooshi, started having very scary head tremors at about 1-1/2 years old. We had her DNA tested for genetic markers for epilepsy & seizures, but it came back negative. Her vet could not figure out why they came and went without any observable trigger.

Then I did some research and learned that commercial flea and tick formulas contain toxins that may cause tremors in some dogs. One of the more susceptible breeds is Labrador Retrievers. We had tried every kind of flea treatment: internally with Bravecto, the Sorresto collar, and Advantage & Frontline topical. These products claim to be safe for pets, and our vets buy into that as well, but the fact is that these are poisons that we are adding to our dogs’ diet and skin. Shooshi continued with the head tremors no matter which product we used.

I did some research online and found Flea Treats, a totally non-toxic solution basically made up of vitamins! It seemed almost too good to be true, but I really needed to try something other than poison on my sweet pup. I’ve been using Flea Treats ever since. Shooshi is now 6-1/2 years old. Although she has free reign of our rural 2-1/2 acre grassy, wooded property, she’s never ever had fleas.

The amazing thing is that, starting from one month after we started Shooshi on Flea Treats, SHE HAS NEVER AGAIN HAD ONE SINGLE TREMOR OR SHAKING INCIDENT in over 5 years!

I cannot say enough about how Flea Treats have changed our lives and the life of our beautiful girl. I am a devoted customer for life! (Not to mention that fact that their customer service is amazing!) THANK YOU SO MUCH APRIL, AMBER & JIM (And Jeff & Jeanie before they sold the company)!”

Success stories like this keep us motivated and inspired. It’s a great feeling to be able to help people and their pets!

April, 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?

Prior to purchasing the business in January 2023, I was an elementary school teacher for 24 years! When the opportunity for early retirement came along at the same time I learned the old owners were selling the Flea Treats business, it seemed meant to be. Although I was dedicated to my teaching career, I had always had a passion for animals, ingrained in me as a child by my mom. Our myriad of family pets are part of my earliest childhood memories. In addition to the more traditional pets, we had rabbits, a goat, chickens, quail, pheasants, turkeys, ducks, guinea pigs, rats, mice, lizards, frogs…even tarantulas! All in the heart of Garden Grove, California – by no means farm country! Having pets is a great way to teach kids about responsibility, and the value of all living things – I’ll always be grateful for the lessons my mom, and our pets, taught me!

I really feel a connection with our Flea Treats customers because when it comes down to it, we have one very important thing in common – WE ALL LOVE OUR PETS! It’s so rewarding to offer a product that’s an effective alternative to insecticides and hormones at repelling fleas and ticks, and is actually good for your pet! The B-complex vitamins in Flea Treats support a healthy coat, skin, and nervous system. They’re safe – any excess is eliminated, so your pet can’t take too many even if they ate the whole bottle. And they’re incredibly cost-effective – our 500 tablet bottle will last a cat or small dog over 8 months for only $42.95!

I’m really proud of the improvements my brother, sister, and I have made to the company, most notably our website and ordering process. If you want to get a feel for what Flea Treats is all about, all you have to do is visit FleaTreats.com! We love interacting with customers and are always happy to help answer any questions!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In addition to working on growing our clientele, we’ve been reconnecting with long time customers who believed Flea Treats were no longer an available product. When we purchased the company, Flea Treats had already been on the market for over 40 years, and had a large database of loyal customers. Unfortunately, due to personal and health issues, the original owners were unable to keep pace with demand, letting orders go unfilled for weeks or months. They were also unable to have a booth at the three local county fairs, where they gave out samples, explained how Flea Treats work, and had giant binders of customer testimonials – not to mention people buying cases at a time! In fact, it was because we couldn’t find them at the Orange County Fair that I placed an order online. After a few weeks, I called to follow up on my order and learned they wanted to retire and sell the company. Customers have been thrilled to learn Flea Treats are available again, and they are once again placing orders and telling their friends.

As far as reaching new customers, we have used social media, networking with current customers to reach out for wholesale opportunities, and have attended several pet events. I also walk the beach near my house and give out samples to people walking their dogs. You never know where you might bump into someone with a pet who is interested in going all natural. I’m so glad we have our Flea Treats clothing to wear when we are out and about promoting! My brother is a golfer and his Flea Treats golf shirts have helped us reach new clientele. Good thing there is room in his golf bag for samples! Our money back guarantee allows people to try Flea Treats risk free, so anyone who wants to get their furry family members off the insecticides and hormones have nothing to lose!

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

I wouldn’t say I have much experience buying businesses as this is the first one I’ve purchased, but I’d love to share the story!  We bought Flea Treats on January 3, 2023 – what would have been Mom’s 79th birthday. Despite fighting with all her might, Pancreatic cancer stole her from us on June 6, 2022. We went to the Orange County Fair for the first time without her in July. It was an emotional day and to top it off, we couldn’t find the Flea Treats booth to stock up on our supply. As the story goes, I called to follow up on the online order I placed to learn they wanted to sell the company and retire. After freaking out a bit about possibly not being able to get Flea Treats, Jeanie suggested we buy the company. I called Amber and Jim that evening and we were thrilled at the possibility of owning Flea Treats and working for ourselves. It would take the money Mom left us, our savings, and money from my sister’s HELOC just to cover half the price. Jeff and Jeanie agreed to take interest free monthly payments for the next ten years. Everyone advised us against it. But we believed. We believed in the product first and foremost. We believed in ourselves. We met with Jeff and Jeanie and spoke on the phone for weeks until we had an agreeable contract. We met with a notary, wired money and here we are!!! We had our 1 year anniversary and are very happy with our decision to buy Flea Treats!!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fleatreats.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleatreats1980/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FleaTreats/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flea-treats/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FleaTreats
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/flea-treats-aka-fti-pet-products-garden-grove

Image Credits
April Spurlock Amber Spurlock Jim Spurlock Phyllis Cox