Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephen Ryan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Stephen, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Starting Fetch The Sun was a real leap of faith. We weren’t just launching another pet brand—we were intentionally creating a new sub-industry and positioning ourselves as one of the first true lifestyle brands for dog owners who love the outdoors. That meant taking on significant financial risk upfront: trademarks, original designs, initial inventory, professional photoshoots, advertising, PR—the list adds up fast. On top of that, I made the decision to go all in full time, knowing the business wouldn’t be profitable in its early stages and that there were no guarantees it ever would be. We also chose to fund the company 100% ourselves, without angel investors or loans, which raised the stakes even higher. But that risk gave us complete creative and strategic control, and it forced us to build thoughtfully, intentionally, and with long-term vision rather than short-term pressure.

Stephen, 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?

Fetch The Sun was born out of a passion for dogs, adventure, and creating gear that inspires more people to get outside with their pups. Based in sunny San Diego, we launched the brand in 2019 after realizing there was a real lack of high-quality, stylish outdoor clothing that truly reflected the way dog lovers live and explore. What started as a side hustle swiftly transformed into a full-time mission to design eco-friendly, thoughtfully crafted apparel for both dogs and humans who share a love of the outdoors. We focus not just on making great products but on encouraging an active lifestyle, celebrating the unique bond between pets and their people, and giving back through animal shelter donations. Every piece we create is rooted in our own experiences hiking trails, catching waves, and sharing life with our dogs.

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

We built our social media following the slow, organic way. At first, we leaned heavily on social media ads to reach our target audience, but it quickly became clear that approach wasn’t creating the genuine connection we wanted. So we pivoted. We started showing up where dog owners already were—engaging authentically in dog-focused social groups, attending local dog events, and having real, face-to-face conversations about the brand. We also added inserts to every order, inviting customers to connect with us on social media and become part of the Fetch The Sun Pack! From there, we leaned into user-generated content, hosting monthly contests where customers tagged us in photos of them and their dogs wearing our gear for a chance to win. That sense of community changed everything. Within two years, we grew organically from just over 1,000 followers to more than 15,000, built almost entirely through trust, consistency, and real relationships rather than paid reach.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

We didn’t start out as manufacturing experts, and in many ways that worked to our advantage. In the early days, we kept things simple: we sourced blank dog shirts from one vendor and human shirts from another, then brought everything to a local printer to apply our designs. That setup was perfect while we were testing the market and selling through channels like Amazon, Etsy, and our own website. As demand grew and we began moving into wholesale, it became clear that this model wouldn’t scale. That growth gave us the confidence—and the justification—to invest in building proper supply chains. We eventually established two: one in China and one in Bangladesh, partnering with contracted factories that could meet our exact design specifications, eco-friendly standards, and ethical requirements. Both facilities are certified by organizations like the International Labor Organization and WRAP, which was non-negotiable for us. The biggest lesson we’ve learned is that manufacturing is a long-term relationship, not a transaction. Today, those partnerships allow us to produce up to 250,000 items per month and ship directly from factory to retailers’ warehouses almost anywhere in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fetchthesun.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fetch_the_sun/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/76237976

Image Credits

Sara Brant