As a trauma survivor, I have found healing and hope through dogs and other service animals. Creating a product that can help both dogs and dog owners has been a way to give back to a community that has given so much to me. In service of that goal, we donate a portion of our proceeds to Pet Partners, an organization dedicated to the training and placement of therapy animals. Our goal in working alongside Pet Partners is to fund courtroom therapy dogs, a deeply personal mission for my daughter and me.

I started out my career in sales at Gallo Wine Company, and this experience was followed by a stint in sales training for cookies, crackers, and other savory snacks for Nabisco. Then finally, I fell into the world of genetics. Or, more specifically, the sale of genetic tests. After starting with a company called Myriad, I worked for a long list of powerhouse genetics companies before I finally decided enough was enough; I was going to start the journey to become my own boss!

For more than 20 years, I’ve dreamed of being an entrepreneur, and I’ve had ideas for inventions or services that could be helpful to others, but I never really ran with one of them. Spleash is the realization of a longtime dream, and I’m thrilled that I get to share the entrepreneurial experience with my daughter!

Our product, Spleash, is a hydration solution for dogs and their loving owners. A couple of years ago, my daughter and I were walking our dogs, and I realized what a process it was to bring all the gear (leash, water bowl, water). It was exhausting! I thought, “there has to be a simpler way to do this!” I searched online for a product that would meet our needs, and when I didn’t find one, I decided to create it myself. I ran this idea by my daughter, and with her support, we brought Spleash to life. Spleash is a handle that attaches to any standard rope, leather, or nylon leash and holds 12oz of water.

Many years ago, after a tragic event in our lives, my daughter and I made a promise to each other. We pledged that one day we would do something good for this world, something that would offset all the negative experiences from our lives. For a while we weren’t quite sure what this ‘something good’ would be. That is until 2019 when we came up with the idea for Spleash!

Why would we consider inventing a product like Spleash ‘something good’? Well, we decided early on that not only would our product be a tool to help make pet-owners lives easier, it would also be a platform for helping others. That’s why a portion of our proceeds is dedicated to PetPartners.org and their Therapy Animal training programs. Because what they do is important to the world, and to us personally.

More than anything, I want people to know that our company isn’t just about selling an admittedly very unique dog product. It’s about the bond between myself and my daughter. Our struggles, our hopes, our fears, these are all things that were built into the very foundations of this company. It’s a part of us and we hope you all enjoy what we’ve worked so hard to create.

Since beginning this journey, I believe it has been a story of resilience. From the moment I first decided to become an entrepreneur and pursue the potential within my idea, I’ve come up against challenges, big and small. The very act of starting a small business during the pandemic was itself a challenge beyond any other. Because the pandemic isn’t just one static thing, it’s hundreds of small challenges that pile on top of each other and grow into bigger, more difficult hurdles in your path. It’s a complete shift in the very landscape of business in America. We entrepreneurs have had to navigate that landscape with an outdated map and a compass that only points north. The fact that we’re still alive and kicking is a monument to that resilience we’ve counted on from the beginning.

The most essential skill for any entrepreneur to possess is the ability to pivot, to make quick, heat-of-the-moment decisions that will change everything in an instant because that’s what it takes to run a small business. You need to be flexible, think quickly on your feet, and be both innovative and improvisational.

In the years since we started our business, we’ve had to pivot many times, and each instance was an opportunity for growth. One of the clearest examples of this was when we were forced to change the very design of our product. Originally, Spleash came with a brilliantly colored grip along the handle that was intended to provide comfort as well as a bright pop of color.

However, this grip proved challenging to install without upsetting other more delicate and integral aspects of the product, so we had to decide between functionality and aesthetics. We, of course, opted for functionality, so we had to shift our marketing and production to accommodate this decision. It was a difficult moment, but we believe this allowed us to focus more on the user experience rather than the look.