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

Candace, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Finding happiness as a business owner can seem like an easy task. You are working for yourself, making others happy with a product you have created on your own, and you are in control of where you go next with the business. These are also all things that can make it challenging to be happy as a business owner. I have found that in some aspects it has been the most rewarding and, at moments, times of extreme joy. In other aspects, it’s stressful and can add a great weight to your day to day life. For me, it has led to times of working endless hours because I wanted the next big step, the next big sale, the next adventure. I pushed myself harder because not only did I want a great return for me but I wanted all of my customers to truly be getting the best products for their dogs that they can. I had thoughts come and go about abandoning my business and getting a “normal job”. Great things can come from a 9-5 like benefits and stability but there are limits to what it can give. Where I have managed to find balance is having a little of both. I am lucky to have my brother working for me on this journey and has taken over a lot of the aspects that were dragging me down. He runs most events but I am still doing the behind the scenes work. I also work for another company, a start up in Columbus, OH, that has given me some breathing room to take my time. Not constantly stress over what my next big thing is and having it out right away. I have time to truly foster those thoughts and thoughtfully put them into action. I think for everyone in the small business world it is extremely hard to find that balance. When you do, I think you can find you’ll be even more successful than before.

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?

I am a local small business owner of a company called Healthy Pup Stuff. It is a dog supplement and treat company that I founded in August of 2019. I started my journey not to make this a business but to help my dog. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at only 6 months old. The vet gave me many “all natural” joint supplements to help her but upon reading all the ingredients and warnings it just didn’t feel like the best option for my young pup. I dove into research trying to find natural food based ingredients that could help her. From my research I started making mixtures and baking them to give to her like a treat. Not only did she love them but it helped her so much! I decided to move onto my family dog who had had many health problems, especially in the digestive realm. I started creating a mixture for her as well and it helped! I decided, let’s make this a business to help other dogs out there struggling with health issues and lacking genuinely natural and healthy products to help. I now have my product all over Columbus at various events and farmers markets as well as selling online. I now have 5 different supplements all of which can be used just like a treat helping with ailments such as skin and coat issues, joint pain, sensitive stomachs and more!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Last year I decided to take on a large growth phase. I was in over 10 markets and events a week and doing all of the prep of product, packages and business aspects by myself. I did bring on 2 helpers for the events which made some weeks possible. Although this was by far the busiest summer of the business, it was also a big learning experience. Finding out that sometimes being in 10 markets doesn’t immediately equal amazing profit. I found that some markets did well over expectation and on the flip side many that did not. I was prepping hundreds of bags of product a week while also being face to face with the customers any chance I got. This proved to be a bit much to handle. The following year I learned that honing in on the really great markets and cutting down on spreading myself too thin, I was able to profit much more overall and be less stressed in the process and have more time for myself. My brother was able to help me run most events while I still did the behind the scenes. Delegating will always be my biggest challenge but a big lesson in success.

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

The farmers market community has helped me grow so much so fast. Not only other vendors always looking out for one another but it was a great way to advertise and get my product in front of people. Once people buy my product and use it with their dogs, word of mouth has been huge. My product speaks for itself once people are using it and being able to get it into the hands of so many people weekly was amazing. I quickly gained regulars and those regulars telling their friends and family about it help it grow even more. It has opened the door to other small businesses, other events and lead me to branching out into some other big cities!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.healthypupstuff.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthypupstuff/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthypupstuff?modal=admin_todo_tour
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-berry-1a143194