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

Heather, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I like this question because I think society tends to assume that success means the same thing for everyone; make a lot of money. In reality, success is incredibly different for every business owner.

For me, success means I am creating balance in my life while pursuing something I enjoy. It means I am creating connections & relationships, taking care of my customers, and creating products dog lovers will swoon over. Success for me is not a financial destination nor the reason I started a business. It is to enable myself and family to live a comfortable lifestyle while being able to save for the future.

Aside from that, I do think there are some characteristics that inherently make a business owner successful. It’s hard, for one, so being flexible & adaptable to constant change is crucial. Being an excellent listener whether that’s to a customer, industry trends, or financial advice is important to aid in growing your business. Getting comfortable being uncomfortable and with failing is something I think keeps people from reaching success. Often times we give up before we reach the other side of our failures. I believe all of these and more contribute to a successful business.

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

I am a born and raised Minnesotan living in the Twin Cities area with my husband and dog. I’ve always had creative outlets in my life and various hobbies to keep myself busy. I never saw myself as a business owner, but after we got our first dog, things quickly changed.

We adopted Missy in 2020, and 4 months later I opened an online dog boutique. At the time, I was searching for accessories and gifts for her and for myself, but I wasn’t really finding what I was looking for. I wanted classic & timeless designs that were simple, yet stylish. Items that would be in style for years to come.

I have always loved shopping at boutiques and thought there could be an opportunity to bring that approach to the dog community. In November of 2020 I decided to take a chance and I opened our online shop. I named it Missy Pup & Co, after Missy of course. Our focus is apparel, decor and accessories for dogs and dog lovers. We source & design one-of-a-kind, small batch goods and nearly all of our products have the hands of other small businesses on them. The small business community is vibrant, and we try to support them as much as possible in our own product development. I think that is one thing that does set us apart, and something customers frequently mention to me as something they enjoy about our shop.

I’m most proud of our community. Our customers are the life blood of our business and between social media, local pop-ups & word of mouth, they’ve done so much to help our brand thrive. I’ve worked hard to ensure they get to know Missy and I well and that the two of us are seen as the face of the brand as often as possible.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I started our social media (specifically Instagram) with 0 followers, just like many of us do. The best advice I can give to people is to be 100% yourself, show up for your brand & authentically connect with others. People can tell if you’re just looking to grow your numbers or wanting to build a relationship. I started by following other businesses/influencers in the same industry as me, as well as other connections I had made in the dog community. Getting to know the trends and conversations happening in your industry helps. I showed my face & Missy’s face as often as possible so our audience got to know us. I try to keep our photos to real life ones vs. stock images.

Engaging with others is critical. Social media is a two-way street. Gone are the days where you can simply post and the people will come flocking to you. You have to create connection back, comment on other’s posts/stories, get to know them, learn about them, etc. As time went on, I gained a loyal community of customers and I opened an ambassador program. That has helped me not only reach new people, but maintain loyalty with our closest fans.

Patience & consistency is my best advice. And remember, follower count is just a number. If you’re constantly trying to gain more, you’re neglecting the active audience you currently have engaging with you.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As an e-commerce business, selling solely online can be challenging. I learned this quickly in our first year of business and realized if I wanted to grow, I had to start showing up in my community at events as well.

In early 2021, I began signing up for pop-ups, markets, etc. Fortunately, the pet community is strong in the Minneapolis area so there are a lot of pet-centric events. Over time, I learned which ones worked for us, tried new markets that were out of my comfort zone, and met a lot of new people who brought opportunities to our business I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Now, it’s a significant part of our business strategy. It was a pivot I wasn’t expecting to do when I started our store, but making this change has impacted our business for the better.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.missypupandco.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/missypup_co
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/missypupandco

Image Credits
Main Photo Credit: Scruff Life Photography (Lauren Joarnt)