We recently connected with Naiwa Alynn and have shared our conversation below.

Naiwa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea to start my own gourmet dog bakery fell into place when I brought home my dog, Dante. He was three months old at the time and with his fuzzy pointed ears and playful personality, he charmed his way into my lap and my heart and brought me a newfound feeling of purpose and unconditional love. I felt like a new mom and only wanted the best for him so I was always on the hunt for quality treats that did not contain any harmful additives. I realized pretty quickly that finding dog treat brands with ingredients that I could trust was a lot more difficult than I anticipated, so I started baking my own treats for him, using only simple, quality ingredients. Dante loved them so much that I began handing some of my treats out to friends, who also had dogs of their own. The positive feedback I received had me thinking about turning my love of baking for Dante into a business so I could share my dog treats with other dog parents like me. Once I began my new endeavor, my creative side took over and I expanded my product line to not just dog treats, but extravagant dog cakes, hand-decorated cookies, doggy ice cream, and even Puppuccinos! I remained true to always keeping my ingredients simple and natural, while creating works of art to celebrate the special relationship between dog moms and their pups! In the process, I have continued to receive positive feedback from happy customers who appreciate the loving detail that goes into every treat and who feel good about feeding their dog healthy ingredients.

Naiwa, 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?

My main mission with my brand, Dante’s Doggy Delights, is to make it easy for dog parents to provide their dog with quality treats that are simple and natural. I only use quality ingredients that are natural and organic and refrain from adding any harmful ingredients like soy, corn, and preservatives. I also believe that a dog’s life deserves to be celebrated and that dogs are not just pets- they are family. That belief is part of the driving force behind creating products that are not only healthy, but fun, too! My product line has expanded over the years from dog treats to extravagant doggy cakes, hand-decorated cookies, luxury doggy ice cream, gourmet macarons, and even Puppuccinos! I realized early on that many dog parents want to go the extra mile for their dogs in celebrating special occasions like birthdays and including their pups in special holidays, too. I have had the joy of creating many custom cakes and cookies for dog birthdays and pet events and have even created special treats for some celebrity clients, too! I am most proud of how much I have grown and learned from where I first began and how many pups I have had the pleasure of creating something special for.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I first launched my business, the only capital I had was my income from my full-time job at the time. I probably started with about $500- just enough to purchase some baking ingredients and small tools to start creating my first line of products. Building my company was a slow process. I had virtually no money for any extra advertising or baking machinery so I created everything by hand and relied mostly on word-of-mouth to get my business going. I launched an Etsy shop and while my sales were minimal at first, I worked hard at improving my products, becoming more visible to potential customers through SEO, and slowly investing more money into my business to buy more baking equipment, improve my branding, and create a small advertising budget. If I wanted to purchase a new piece of equipment or start a new product line, I would work extra hours at my regular job so that I could invest more money into my business. As I started to grow, my client base did, too and more opportunities for catering to big events or getting my products into stores began to open up for me. One thing I have learned from the small beginnings of my business is that as long as your endeavor is fueled by your passion and hard work, you can start from anywhere and grow. You just have to be patient, willing to learn and adapt, and believe in what you are doing.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

My dog bakery business first launched within the walls of my one-room 250 sq ft apartment in 2016. I had one small oven, which was just big enough to fit a small cookie tray and one counter top, just big enough to roll a small amount of dough on. I had always loved baking as I was growing up, but did not have a lot of experience and when it came to the business side of things, I virtually had none. The thought of any lack or inexperience somehow never crossed my mind, though. I was entirely driven by my passion and desire to learn both the art of creating my own products and of developing the skills to market them. My journey has been lead by a lot of trial and error. I started by doing a lot of my own research into the dynamics of baking, focusing on what ingredients were most beneficial to a dog’s health and which ones were harmful. I developed my own recipes and tested them, ensuring they could not only pass a taste-test to dogs, but also have a stable shelf life without preservatives. I stocked up on business books and even purchased marketing textbooks that I would read every morning and I took notes, as though I was a student in class. I found an affordable online marketing class that I enrolled in and developed my skills for creating a quality brand that people could connect with. I always welcomed customer feedback and used that to further develop and improve my products.
Eventually, I upgraded to a bigger apartment with a bigger kitchen space and around the same time, I started receiving my first large wholesale orders for stores and big events. Manufacturing my own products meant knowing how to allocate my time properly to meet deadlines and utilizing the space I had so that I could take on bigger projects. There have been times where I have worked day and night for weeks on end to finish large orders for clients and while it has been exciting and rewarding, one lesson I have learned is that while it is important to be willing to put in the hard work to have a successful business, it is equally important to set aside time to care for yourself, too. I have always been known to be a workaholic, and while I still push myself hard during busy peak seasons like the holidays, I have also become more conscious of finding time in between to make sure I am eating a decent meal or having at least an hour to unwind at the end of a shift.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DantesDoggyDelights.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/dantesdoggydelights
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/dantesdoggydelights
• Other: Etsy: www.Etsy.com/shop/dantesdoggydelights

Image Credits
Main Photo: Pin Up Perfection Photography/Makeup & Hair by Kara Dafnis Photo of Cookies in Bakery Case: Photo by Dream Dog Boutique