We were lucky to catch up with Emma Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
In 2013 I broke my back after a horse trampled me. I was centimeters away from being paralyzed. I went through an emergency spinal fusion surgery and a year long recovery. During that time I had extensive nerve and muscle pain. My brother has a cannabis delivery service, called Flower Market, and suggested I try cannabis to help the aches and pains. It brought me so much relief! The nerve pain used to make me cry, but in a few months it was gone. Cannabis also got me off the opioids prescribed to me. I credit a lot of my recovery to that plant. Soon after my wolf dog was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer–hepatocellular carcinoma. He was give three months to live. This was at a time when no one was doing CBD for pets. I dosed him with a tincture just as I did myself because we were the same size. That was the only treatment I did. He ended up living four more years. The vets were absolutely astonished, given his initial prognosis. He lived a normal and healthy life doing all the things he loved!
Both of these experiences made me realize there was something special to cannabis. I joined my brother and became the COO of Flower Market for many years. At the same time I started Mikko’s Choice. I went with a horse product first because my rescue wild mustang, Mikko, was extremely anxious and I wanted something to help him—I also knew there were thousands of horses like him that needed the same help and it wasn’t available. So I decided to do something about that and Mikko’s Choice came to life.
Emma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always been a lifelong animal person and for most of my life I wanted to be a Veterinarian. However, when I got to that stage I realized it might not actually be for me. I was frustrated with the abundance of cancer and other common ailments in our pets and how my professors normalized it. That was about the time I had my accident and discovered the healing benefits of cannabis. I switched career paths and I don’t regret it one bit! I love helping people improve their animals health and wellness through a different lens. I am constantly amazed at the issues people present and how my products help alleviate them. There are many CBD products for animals on the market these days, but I do believe customers see the difference and value in Mikko’s Choice. Mikko’s Choice is backed by science and real world experience. I used my animal science degrees and life in the animal industry to create the products. The result is a high quality line of products that actually work for your pet.
I’m really proud that I can say I’m helping animals and their people on a daily basis. I know of many animals who were on the brink of euthanasia, but my products brought back their comfort and therefore their chance at life. I’m humbled by it daily and it is the reason I keep going. I want people to know that Mikko’s Choice will always have their animals best interest in mind, if I don’t think our products can help your animal I will tell you that. I pride myself on honesty and transparency and bring those values into all aspects of the business.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Not too long ago my manufacturing partner went out of business and didn’t tell me. I placed the largest order I had ever done and paid for it. I waited and waited as my inventory declined. I either got no response from them or one that was clearly a delaying tactic. I held strong and worked my way up to talking with the CEO directly. He also flooded me with false promises. I knew he was lying because people in the industry knew what was going on with his business. Yet, I felt trapped because he kept promising my order would be fulfilled. I knew in my gut it wasn’t going to happen and his business was headed for disaster. I needed a refund of my order and a new manufacturing parter—quick! After weeks of back and forth, In the bathroom, during a holiday dinner, I demanded he send my money back and got lawyers involved. A few days later I got the check and never heard from him again. Now his business has officially gone under. I was soon 100% out of product with no manufacturer. Business was dead in the water, but worst of all, I knew how many animals were now without the relief they needed. That drove me to pivot. I found a trusted manufacturing partner who helped me formulate and launch a CBD tincture–The All Animals Tincture. This new product can be given to horses, but also any other animal. Now I can help small and large animals—expanding the reach of animals who can benefit from a high quality CBD product.
I have since also found a manufacturing partner to bring the CBD horse pellets back to the market and they are almost ready! That was a highly stressful time, but it completely changed my business for the better.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Starting from scratch is a slow and steady process. It takes patience and out of the box thinking to get things going. Initially I started with just a horse product. As a life long equestrian I naturally formed many connections in the industry–anyone from a back yard horse owner to Olympic riders. I leveraged my network to create brand exposure and awareness. Growth was 100% reliant on word of mouth because it is difficult to advertise CBD products. I believe word of mouth referrals are the strongest marketing endorsements because it means people truly believe in and love the product. People often heard about my product and then visited the website for more information. I share the brand story, background and CBD education on the Mikko’s Choice website. That combined with referrals made people trust the brand. When the product actually helped their horse they soon became devoted customers and the cycle repeated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mikkoschoice.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikkos_choice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mikkoschoice
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/briankangal/?hl=en
Image Credits
Holly Casner