We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mabel Rodriguez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mabel below.

Mabel, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Growing up, I was the kid that always brought home stray dogs, or volunteered at the animal shelter. I love dogs and I’m still that kid in many ways. Being a designer and someone who’s always had one or two dogs, I taught myself how to make a lot of accessories for them. I love making things that are a little different from what I see in the marketplace, sometimes taking inspiration from the fashion world to make trendier pieces. My current dog Charlie is a big inspiration for my designs. One day, I decided to cut the collar off a man’s dress shirt to put it around his neck and the rest is history. I hadn’t really seen anything like that for dogs and he got compliments everywhere we went, so I decided to start making more. I make lots of other accessories now too but the shirt collars are really what started it all, combining my love for designing and creating with my love of dogs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My background is fashion design but I’ve always enjoyed crafting and creating in general. As a creative, I’ve always had a full time job designing, but I haven’t given up on the idea of doing something for myself and owning my own brand or business. I started taking my hobby of creating dog accessories and apparel more seriously and started thinking of it more as a business. I started on Etsy and now I sell on my own website and local markets. I feel that my dog accessories are unique because I create things that are practical but also kitschy or trendy. There’s a lot of competition out there but I still really love what I’m doing and I think that reflects in my products.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve had to pívot in my career and side hustle many times, sometimes because I felt that I strayed too far from my goals and others because I just wasn’t enjoying what I was doing. As a creative, finding joy in what you’re working on or creating is a big part of the process. Before I focused on dog accessories, I tried a few different things and although I enjoyed the process and learned a lot from it, I just didn’t feel like I was succeeding at any of it. When I finally found my niche organically, it just felt right and I’ve been laser focused on making it work.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Selling at local markets and pop ups has helped grow my business a lot. Being able to physically try on the product and see it in person makes a big difference even in an e-commerce driven world. I only participate in dog-friendly events because it helps me interact more with my customers and their dogs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sircharlesprovisions.com
• Instagram: sir_charles_doggy_provisions