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

Natalia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge to profitability in my industry in my opinion is knowledge. There are media sources and articles that claim to know what’s best for your pet. With the way information is delivered today, people are interested in snippets that appeal to them. For example, the best food for your pet in 2023, or the best toys for an overactive chewer. Everything is rated from the best to worst, which makes researching a product minimal.

Trying to find your audience for your product is a challenge in itself, but you know they believe in the product you’re selling. Trying to educate others outside of your audience is even more challenging when it’s a local product from a small business. People trust the name stores and their brands. It’s difficult to reach this type of audience when they look for what’s mainstream. It’s an uphill battle, but that’s the beauty of small business. The opportunity for intimate connections with your buyers and knowing they believe in the quality of your product.

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?

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to work with animals. I can remember being eight years old and my mom had printed out the word “veterinarian” and put it on my bedroom wall, so I could learn how to say and spell it. All of my schooling focused on Biology and anything pertaining to animal sciences. However, there were some hiccups in my college career and I switched course. That didn’t mean I still didn’t want a career with animals, but I had to go a different route. During my last year of college, I was hired at an animal hospital as a Kennel attendant. I had this job for a couple of years after graduation. Since it was a smaller practice, I worked closely with the rest of the staff, including the veterinarians.

I worked in the veterinary field for nine years starting as a Kennel attendant all the way to Veterinary Assistant/Inventory Manager. I built a great career with different hospitals taking what I learned with me. I loved every aspect of my job; the good, the bad, the sad, and the ugly. One of my favorite parts was connecting with pet parents and helping them feel comfortable with their pet’s care in my hands. I was able to form bonds with their pets and earn their trust so I could take care of them when they needed to stay in the hospital overnight. Everyone thinks the job is only about puppies, kittens, or death, but it’s not. The job is about forming these relationships and being the comfort pets and parents seek during the good and scary times.

I dedicated a lot of my time to the last clinic I worked at before finally resigning. I had no work-life balance and I lost myself in my work. I felt like I didn’t have an identity outside of my job title. I decided to resign and take a completely different job not related to the veterinary field. I’ve been working at my current job for 2 years and have made strides to better my work-life balance. In that effort, I went on a health journey as well and changed the way I was eating. I learned to read the ingredients of the food I was eating. Since I was doing it for myself, why couldn’t I do it for my dogs? The treats I would buy had eye-catching packaging and tasty flavors, but it was chock full of artificial flavors and preservatives. So I decided to find a way to make healthier treats for my dogs and then made a business out of it.

I bake homemade, all-natural dog treats. I provide two flavors; peanut butter and grain-free pumpkin. The ingredients used are simple and on the label so you know exactly what you’re giving your dog. There is nothing I use that cannot be pronounced. I use two different types of flour, but they are made the same way. It is stone-ground flour, so its natural ingredients are preserved. I also use organic peanut butter and organic pumpkin. The pumpkin treats are grain-free because the flour I use is chickpea flour. It’s made of legumes instead of wheat. I hope to add more flavors such as sweet potato or blueberry in the future.

I am most proud of the products I provide. I believe in what I bake and love to promote it. Humans and creatures alike deserve to eat healthy foods that will benefit their lives. I take pride in educating pet parents and providing healthier treats to pets in my community.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Selling dog treats is my side hustle. It is my top priority to turn it into my full-time business. I’m learning that it doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a lot of building and networking that takes place. It’s hard to juggle a side business, a full-time job, and being a parent. There are a lot of pieces that need attention, some more than others. Every day is a different challenge. Keeping my goal of turning this into my full-time business is what drives me to take on these challenges and balance as well as I can. There are times that I have to slow down or re-assess, but it’s part of the learning process.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Starting my own business, I thought the main goal was the make money. I’ve had to unlearn that it’s not always about the money. I don’t have to always focus on the bottom line. It’s possible to be kind and courteous to people and still build the foundation for a profitable business. Kindness and good customer service can bring repeat business, whereas trying to make a quick buck only makes you that quick buck.

Contact Info:

• Website: fredostreatsllc.square.site
• Instagram: fredostreatsllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552024354207