We were lucky to catch up with Keelie Armstrong recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keelie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Millie’s Treats is an all natural dog treat business where we make dog treats that have no preservatives, no chemicals, and no artificial flavoring. Our ingredients are, of course, all natural – but not only that, they are dog SAFE and BENEFICIAL.

The idea for this came from me looking into my own dog, Millie, and her health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people had time to learn more about everyday things, for me that thing was the treats I give my dog. I was studying ingredients, and benefits. It came to the point where if I went in a store I would sit in the dog treat isle and study the ingredients of every packaged treat there. I became amazed by certain things, amazed in a good way but also a bad one. Ingredients you couldn’t even pronounce or find any information on was what worried me…and these ingredients were what made up many of the contents of the treats. Ingredients that even caused cancer, heart problems, health failures…these were in the treats I fed my dog! So I began making my own treats for Millie…

One of my very first treats was a frozen one with peanut butter and coconut oil, but then it progressed into baking. I had friends and family who had dogs so I would share the treats and dogs would absolutely love them. So I decided one night “why not turn it into a business”?

I researched ingredients, to make sure we ONLY used ingredients that were 100% dog safe and beneficial. With the recipes I’d create, I tried to keep it to a limited of a 5 ingredient simple list. The more simple the recipe, the better it is for your pup!

We work and strive to always continue to follow our motto by making “Treats you can trust, and your dogs will love”.

Keelie, 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’m Keelie Armstrong, I am the owner and sole runner of Millie’s Treats. I do everything from social media marketing, treat research, creation and making to local doorstep deliveries. I started this business at 19 years old in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic after being laid off from my job (which at the time was bartending at a local entertainment center). I grew up in a small town, and had a mother who was very into marketing and sales, so I was very lucky and fortunate to have help if ever needed, if not from her then she knew someone who could. I always had a love for baking, every holiday our big family would come together and I’d bake something to bring. Even when I was younger I always said I’d own a bakery! Creativity is one major thing I have always noticed can take you a long way with having a business. Sure, everyone can make the same products but it’s HOW you make them and they way you promote them that makes them stand out. I’d say I’ve always had an overly creative brain (in the best way of course), and I think I may have to thank a part of that to my babysitter I had growing up. We’d always be creating something up so I think that definitely sparked the creative switch in my brain.

Millie is my now 3 year old Boxer-lab mix female dog. She is what I like to call a “Facebook Trash Pup”. I saw a post from a relative trying to find a good home for her, and without even meeting her, just seeing a photo I knew she was meant to be in my life. And she came to her fur-ever home that evening. Before Millie I had never really had a dog. I did have a cat, Bucky, who passed away shortly before Millie came into my life and I’ve always said something just felt like that little ball of fur knew to push Millie and I together. Today, Millie is now joined by her best friend Tootie (a cat we rescued) and her kittens, and Odin (my younger brothers dog). Millie has become a some what “influencer dog” I like to say, because we can take her out and there will always be someone who knows who she is and she absolutely loves it and getting to meet new people.

Millie’s Treats launched on Millie’s first birthday, June 27, 2020, and since then the opportunity of growth that we have been given has just been amazing. We’ve been a part of over 100 markets, events and festivals. We’ve shipped to all 50 states in the U.S. We’ve been a part of hundreds of doggie birthdays with our doggie cakes. And this year, 2022, two things I’m most proud of, is we were nominated for Best in Middle Georgia and Best in Georgia as a dog treat business.

Though the rewards are great it’s all about the hard work it takes to get there. The all-nighters, the hard days where you just think giving up would be easier, but above all the ability to believe in yourself and bet on yourself.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

So there are 2 parts to this answer because there were two separate times my side hustle tuned into my full time job… The first time was about 4 months after finally getting back to my original full time job after COVID, and 3 months after launching Millie’s Treats. At the time I was a Bartender and Lifeguard so my days were packed and I had to make a decision on if I wanted to truly focus on my business to help it grow into what I know it could one day be. And so at 19 years old, I took that leap of faith and did just that.

The second time, was this past year in August after my 22 birthday. I went back to bartending earlier this January after missing it and it was amazing. I made so many new supporting relationships and rekindled some as well that will stay with me forever. But, it came back to the whole thought of, what do I need to do to for my business to help it truly grow into what I know it one day will be.

And I won’t lie and say “it was absolutely perfect” because there were and are days that it isn’t. From my experience, it’s all about those you surround yourself with and keep in your corner. There were people who laughed and continued to call my business a “little hobby” and it would constantly bring me down. And those who know me now, will probably tell you I am sometimes VERY picky with who I keep around me in a support way. But I can honestly say without the overwhelming support of close family: My Boyfriend, Mom, Brother, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, and close family friends – I probably wouldn’t have continued to work as hard as I did and do to show that my “little hobby” was so much more than that.

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

My marketing has always been done myself. I’ve always loved just creating on social media. From photography to artwork to now tiktok. So through Millie’s Treats, the only way I can best explain on how our audience was built, was by (in my opinion) being eye catching, true, and colorful. The one thing I’ve learned is people would much rather support a brand with a honest personality than a corporation with a smile. And what I mean by that is, if there’s an issue don’t cover it up, be honest in the most professional way possible. Be open and share behind the scenes, because that BTS work is interesting to many people. Don’t just put your logo on a product to sell it…create a product that wears your logo with pride because you believe in it and others will too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://milliesdoggietreats.square.site/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/milliesdoggietreats
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/milliesdoggietreats
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/Millies_Treats
• Other: Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/milliesdoggietreats