Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chloe Clark. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chloe, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Simply Sage Dog Treats started because of a dog named Sage I adopted six years ago from the Atlanta Humane Society. I spent so much money in the first two years of her life at the veterinarian. Every two weeks, we were making vet visits. Sage had problems digesting her food. Also, she had itchy paws and skin, watery eyes, sneezing fits, and soft stool. It was hard watching her suffer, especially during the Spring and Summer months. I spent so much money on dog food and treats; because of her allergy and sensitive stomach problems.

Many of the products suggested by Sage’s Veterinarian didn’t work or were expensive. I wasn’t happy with the idea of giving my puppy prescription medication for the rest of her life. I started researching plant-based diets and other types of holistic treatments for dogs. I became a label detective. I studied the labels and dissected the ingredient list. That is where I started to make the connection. There are loads of additives and preservatives to enhance the flavor and appearance, and those things are the number one reason why dogs suffer from allergies, stomach and skin problems.

I switched Sage’s food; started making her homemade plant-based dog treats using five or fewer ingredients from fruits, vegetables, and herbal teas. After receiving good feedback, I decided to offer these treats to other dogs suffering from the same problems. Since then, we have pivoted from plant-based dog treats to other pet wellness products such as paw balm, skin salves, and shampoo. I found a niche of pet owners who needed all-natural herbal topical pet products to soothe their dog’s allergies and skin issues due to canine atopic dermatitis. Animals with atopic dermatitis will usually rub, lick, chew, bite, or scratch their paws, flanks, ears, armpits, or groin, causing patchy or inconsistent hair loss and reddening and thickening of the skin. The skin itself may be dry and crusty or oily depending upon the dog.

I began offering topical products to other pet owners and received raving reviews. Two years later, I decided to scale the pet wellness line and increase the production of the balms, salves, and shampoo. Now Simply Sage Dog Treats offer dog and cat paw balm, skin salves, and shampoo bars for pets with allergies and skin issues.

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

Before I entered the pet industry I worked as a graphic/website designer and Food Photographer. I spent about ten years working in the creative field as a service-based business. I enjoyed every moment of it, but I was interested in building a product and selling it in stores and online. I spent a few years researching various industries trying to find the right one for me. I adopted a dog and she was the reason why I decided to sell pet products. In 2016 I started Simply Sage Dog Treats.

I sell pet wellness products such as paw balm, skin salve, and shampoo for pets with allergies and skin issues. You can find the products online on our website, Etsy, Amazon, and Walmart.com. Also, I offer wholesale and private label products to businesses.

I enjoy spending time with my family and Sage, at the local dog parks. In my spare time, I love to read books for entertainment and education. For people who are interested in starting a business, I recommend these two books; Stop Acting Rich And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire by Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D. and The Million-Dollar One-Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt .

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started out making small-batch dog treats and decided after two years of business that I need to make some changes. I will be honest with you. In the beginning, I didn’t do thorough research on my competitors. It wasn’t until after I launched my business that I found a plethora of similar businesses, some in my backyard that I had no clue they existed. Once I created my social media pages on Instagram and Facebook I found my competitors. Also, I learned how the low barrier to entry for pet treats was hurting my business.

Another problem I ran into was scaling the business. The cost of Georgia Dept of Agriculture permits, guarantee analysis for each label, commercial kitchen space, and hiring additional hands to fulfill orders. It seemed as if every day there was an emerging handmade dog treat business. I felt as if my slice of the pie was getting smaller and smaller.

I needed to find a niche within the pet industry that wasn’t saturated. Also, I needed to sell products that were easy to scale with a growing audience. After launching the pet wellness products and seeing the success with that, I decided to remove dog treats from my product line. The business has grown tremendously over the last three years and our customers are helping to spread the word.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

From the beginning, I knew how important it would be for me to create brand loyalty. I didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing, things like email marketing and only posting on social media. I made a commitment to send a handwritten thank-you note to each customer (online, wholesale, and private label customers). This was something I picked up while working in real estate. I want each customer to know I value them. I achieve this by sending un-branded thank-you note cards. Why unbranded? Because you never receive the same card from a friend or love one. They never look the same! That’s the exciting part of receiving a card. By doing this it deepens the connection with our customers. They know we aren’t trying to promote the business, bringing recognition to us by showing off branded marketing materials.

I make a habit of purchasing a variety of designs so that hopefully, the customer will end up with several different thank-you cards. Our customers like to collect them, which I think is really sweet. Now, whenever they need pet wellness products we are first on their mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.simplysagedogtreats.com/
• Instagram: @simplysagedogtreats
• Facebook: @simplysagedogtreats

Image Credits
Photographer: Robert Clark