We were lucky to catch up with Cindy Dunston Quirk recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cindy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
My legacy. Sounds so ominous. But I already know what it is.
My legacy is helping all of the souls in the animal kingdom live longer, healthier lives. That is the reason I was placed here on Earth. It is what drives me to leap out of bed in the morning. And it all began with my own pups, Zoe and Scout. They both had allergies and I was determined to find products they could enjoy without irritating their allergies. One thing led to another and Scout & Zoe’s was born.
Way back in 2010 when I began my journey as an entrepreneur, I knew this would not be a small venture or a hobby. If you know me, I always go big. Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch! Did I know exactly how I would do it? Not really. I trusted the universe would have my back. And it has.
The innovative treats I have created have not ever been seen in the pet industry. On three different occasions in 13 years, I have brought totally new products to market. I’m pretty darned proud of that because all three of these products are nutritious and help pets.
My company has three tenants we measure everything we do by…..do good for the pet, do good for the Earth and do good for the community. All of our products exceed those expectations.
So back to my legacy. I would love to have a tombstone in the image of a dog, since I am part canine. A German Shorthaired Pointer to be exact because they are joyful, athletic dogs who enjoy the moment. Every day. Every moment.
I formed a foundation called Scouting for the Cure to fund research to find THE cure to canine cancer. Why? Because I lost Scout October 27, 2021 and Schatz in June, 1998 to the same form of cancer……hemangiosarcoma. It is a very aggressive blood cancer and it shows no mercy to the beloved pets who contract it. There is promising research for a cure that has been paused due to lack of funding. I aim to change that. I want to find the cure for canine cancer in MY lifetime. To save the pets from this awful disease and save families from grieving their precious pets when they pass from it.
I love pets…..ALL pets. I develop treats helping pets be the healthiest they can be. To live their longest lives with their families and have many sunrises and sunsets to enjoy together. That’s my legacy. And I am loving and living the dream. Every. Single. Day.
Cindy, 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?
I began Scout & Zoe’s in 2010 when I was trying to solve an issue for Zoe, my German Shepherd. She had allergies and I couldn’t find anything for her to chew on. So I tried elk antlers. Both she and Scout, our German Shorthaired Pointer who also had allergies, enjoyed the antler chews without any issue. That is when I started the company.
I had five sizes of antler chews and the rest is history!
When the Chinese chicken jerky began killing dogs and making others ill, is when I began creating treats. That was way back in 2012 and was the best diversion I could have ever taken with the company. We began with chicken jerky, sweet potatoes and carrots. Those all did so well, I brought in venison jerky, duck jerky and chicken/apple jerky. Treats created using novel proteins now account for 80% of our annual revenue.
All of our ingredients are USA sourced (with the exception of kangaroo) and are human-grade. The treats are produced in the USA in USDA inspected facilities and are so safe, I eat most of them to prove their safety! And that is what sets us apart from every other pet company in the industry.
We have a lot of fun creating the treats and live by three tenants….do good for the pet, do good for the Earth and do good for the community.
The issue we solve is helping pet parents find nutritious, healthy treats that are made in the USA.
I am most proud of the legacy of Scout and Zoe. They were my reason for starting the company and the inspiration for most of the products we have in our assortment. As they both aged, I saw holes in what was available to give them to meet their changing nutritional needs. They showed me the way. Now that they have both crossed the Rainbow Bridge, everything I do is to make them proud. Necessity was the mother of invention and I honor them each and every day helping pets around the world live happier, healthier, longer lives with the families who love them.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Holy cow! Every day is a story of resilience when you are an entrepreneur!
Just starting a business can be daunting, unless you are so completely driven that you ignore everything else and laser focus on the end goal…..launching your business.
Back to resilience….
Logistics has been a pain in my rear end for the entire time I have been in business. But on this one occasion, it tested my DNA for resilience.
SuperZoo, an annual pet industry trade show, is in Las Vegas each August. Mid July is when everything needs to be shipped so it arrives in time for the show. So we shipped both pallets–one with our booth and the other with products for the booth–to the advanced warehouse. I checked about a week after the pallets shipped and only one had been delivered.
So I began trying to track the second pallet down. The logistics company kept trying to locate the pallet as well, but probably not as doggedly determined as I was in finding it. The pallet was ultimately in the wind with two weeks to go prior to the show. I did learn that the pallet that HAD arrived, was the one with the products. So the pallet with the booth was lost. If you are going to a show and have to have one of your pallets lost, it is definitely better to have the booth lost than it is the products. At least I had products I could show. Now I just needed to figure out how to show them.
With about a week to go before the show, I began making plans for our booth and how to show the products without the nice, expensive booth the logistics company had lost. I ordered wooden crates from Home Depot and picked them up in Las Vegas. A friend who had rented a car helped me out by being my runner to gather all of the booth components I ordered and needed to get to the convention center.
On social media, we began trending with #findCindysbooth and actually had pretty good engagement out of that. I also had a sign made from when my dad had a booth lost in transit when he worked for a pharmaceutical company. So I channeled my inner Daddy and made it work.
If you didn’t know the original booth had not shown up, you would have never known. I did a great job pulling things together to make the show a success.
As a side note, the logistics company called me on the final day of the show to tell me my booth was on the dock in Las Vegas. I told them it should have been sent back to Indiana because I no longer needed it. On the way back to Indiana, it got lost again! If only that poor booth could talk! From Indiana to New York, then Last Vegas, then who knows where! The booth finally made it back to Indiana TWO MONTHS after I shipped it.
Be flexible. Never forget how to be resourceful and resilient. Most people will never know any difference if you have the attitude that you pulled it off. And I did!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I have a large personality and over the course of my lifetime have been fired from almost every job I have ever had. The personality wasn’t really the problem; it was my drive that apparently made those in management feel threatened that I wanted their position. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I have always been in sales and wanted to make a lot of money. Every time I got fired, I had to pivot or shift what I wanted to do. Over the years, I’ve been in corporate sales, started an event company, ghost wrote books and was a wordsmith for hire. I was hired and fired by my church.
Ultimately, the shift came when I realized how much I loved my pups and how I would do anything to help them have better lives. That was the beginning of Scout & Zoe’s. Zoe and her allergies and then Scout and his allergies was the turning point to me actually finding my way and why I went through all the bad bosses and corporate jobs.
Having experienced all those situations makes it easier to draw on how to be a good employer, know my business inside and out and keep the pet at top of mind for everything we do.
It’s a dog’s life and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://scoutandzoes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scoutandzoes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScoutandZoes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdunstonquirkleap2008/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScoutAndZoes