250. Wealthy Pet Owners Pay Premium For This

0:00Dr. Stacey McFarland:If you're a pet owner right now, here's how it usually goes. Step one, your dog's birthday comes around. Step two, you grab whatever treat looks cute at the grocery store, not thinking twice about what's actually in it. Step three, you find out later it's packed with fillers, salt, and sugar that's doing more harm than good. Dr. Stacey McFarland is a veterinarian who got tired of watching that cycle play out, first with shelter dogs in the Caribbean, then with her own client in Miami. So she did something about it. She built a pet bakery from scratch using her veterinary expertise to create treats and cakes that are actually science-backed and safe.

0:38Dr. Stacey McFarland:Today, she's going to walk us through exactly how she built it, from donating treats to shelters, to landing celebrity clients, to building a luxury brand in one of the most competitive markets in America. I'm Ryan Atkinson, and you're listening to The Uplit Podcast, where we interview entrepreneurs to hear their advice on how you can start a business too. I am so excited for today's episode. This is a topic we have never had on the Uplit podcast. Dr. Stacey McFarland, thank you so much for being here today. No, thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be able to share experiences from day one to today as well.

1:06Dr. Stacey McFarland:It's going to be so great. I'm so excited to cover your story, but let's first lay the baseline of like what you do and like really how big this is. So first question, what do you do? Tell us at a high level what you do. So, I mean, we do everything from treats all the way from training treats all the way to like hotel revenue, celebrity VIP dog parties, right? I mean, We can do weddings. We can do quinceaneras down in Miami. I mean, we do the whole thing. So it goes from something as simple as a small birthday cake to if you want balloons, you want, I mean, mariachis, the whole nine, we're taking care of you and your dog for their birthday.

1:41Dr. Stacey McFarland:It's so crazy. And just to clarify, this is for the dogs. This isn't birthday parties for people. Oh, yeah. This is this. Well, there are fur babies. So, yeah. Fur babies. That's right. And then tell us like the operation, like how long you've been doing this and like what's the revenue at today? Yeah. So we started about five years ago. We finally hit our first$10 ,000 a month. So we're definitely, yeah, super excited to get to these numbers. But yeah, I mean, we started from scratch, from nothing. Just an idea that came from seeing dogs that had nothing, really. Yeah. And$10 ,000 is like, it's such a milestone to like hit.

2:10Dr. Stacey McFarland:Like it is such like a good feeling. But obviously, there's a lot of steps to get there. So let's really wind it back. You were in vet school in the Caribbean. Take us through like what you were doing there and like what you were seeing with dogs that were coming in. Absolutely. So yes, I am a veterinarian by trade. baker by passion. So I went to Cornell University, graduated from there. Then I went to Ross Veterinarian School in the Caribbean. And so while I was there, we're going through nutritional courses. And we just had like a program where you could adopt dogs. It was like a two-year program.

2:40There was just shelter dogs all the time. The other thing about the Caribbean is that there's a lot of strays. So there was not a lot for them to have in terms of resources, you know, tables, crops at the most. So I started kind of baking some treats and it became kind of like a project where we would donate to the shelter. Some of my classmates would buy some of the treats to do the same, to give it to the shelter dogs or some of like their local, like little dogs that lived around the homes. And then professors started to buy. And it kind of went from there where these treats became something that was just something that came from giving to the homeless dogs to helping the shelter dogs, giving them a treat when they would go on walks.

3:18And then clients started buying it for their own dogs.

3:21Dr. Stacey McFarland:Wow. Well, take a snap moment. what was like that first request like is like you said you're doing this just for like free for like homeless dog and like shelter dogs being take me back but like that day that had been such a mind twist for you yeah well once we started with like people buying it for shelter dogs i'm like well that's such a great gesture like we were giving them and now like i had some colleagues were like hey let's buy some we want to give some too and then one of the students that was donating to the shelter dogs had a dog of her own she's like i want some for my dog and that's where i was like wait, really?

3:51She's like, yeah, absolutely. And at that time, it was the beginning, right? I didn't know a lot about the processes yet. So the treats didn't last more than a couple days before they bolted, right? So they're like, they need to refresh. But there's a lot more to just making treats and making sure that they can be without preservatives without all these other things. So that's where the goal, like the idea started forming, like I made treats, they had to be given that same week, the clients were like, hey, we want some, we want some. And I'm like, okay, So that's where things started to kind of click.

4:20And then the learning began because now treats are not lasting long, but now I have more clients. And that's where it all started to kind of piece together.

4:27Dr. Stacey McFarland:Yeah, but it all starts just like being an entrepreneur. I feel like and like actually like just taking that step, be like, oh, like I'll do it. Like I'll kind of just figure out. I'm sure like there's so many learnings from like those early days as well, where it's just like, oh my gosh, I have no idea what I'm doing. Like, I don't know how long these treats are going to last, but I'm just like going to do it. Right. Just the things you don't think about, right? You just kind of go with it. And then it just becomes something that people want. And I'm like, oh, my God, let's go. You want some?

4:50Sure. You too. Let's go.

4:51Dr. Stacey McFarland:Yeah, I like that. And then there's a birthday cake moment as well, I believe, where a client asks you to create like a birthday cake for a dog. You said, yes. Yeah. Tell us about that story, like what happened and how that like got things started as well. It was maybe eight months later where we were trying. So I was trying to refine like getting these treats that last a little longer. I just found out some trial and error. This was one of my go to like treat clients back in the States because I brought the idea with me to the States after I left the Caribbean. still finishing vet school. So it was kind of a side project while I could.

5:21And this client was like, hey, my dog's birthday's coming up.

5:23Dr. Stacey McFarland:Can you do a birthday cake? I said to her, well, I can try. I sure can try. I haven't made one, but we're going to give it our best. And then research kicked in, started putting together things that I did with my treats and kind of combining them and forming some sort of cake at that point. That's crazy. So tell us about like the ingredients, though, because I think that's like one of your big differentiator is that like every product is formulated like by a veterinarian like you're not just throwing in like the crappy product so tell us like the ingredients and like how that was like your differentiator and for the cake specifically like did you do that from day one as well yeah the goal of the company is to make sure that what we're doing is always to have some benefit factor for the dogs right because there's treats everywhere but once you start making things you realize how expensive it is to do organic how expensive it is to use other you know, local eggs from farmers, you know, so it started with using things that were organic, that were natural, things that I would want to feed my dog.

6:19So we try to make, you know, using what I've learned in vet school was really the biggest piece, making sure that these fruits and veggies we're giving have antioxidants. The pumpkin is good for dogs that either have diarrhea or are constipated. So all of the ingredients have some sort of benefit for the dogs are not just fillers. It's cheaper to do fillers, of course, but that's not who we are. That's not our goal. So I want to make sure like if we're going to go grain free, we're going to use oat flour. We're going to try to stay away from high allergens. So we start with what is fruit and veggies for our clients.

6:50And we've had great success because right now a lot of dogs, especially in South Florida, have allergies to a lot of the bigger proteins. So that's where we are. Just making sure like, yeah, we're not against the proteins. Absolutely. Dogs need it. But to make sure that they're having what's the safest, we try to shoot for something that's more fruit, veggie, less protein, less allergies, and something that's going to be beneficial for the majority of the canines.

7:11Dr. Stacey McFarland:Yeah, absolutely. And so yeah, because that's the differentiator from like normal dog food stores are probably like filled with like salt and like additives and stuff. I'm sugar and I'm just mind blown. It says it there. But obviously with the organic, obviously you have to price this correctly. Like you're not just going to do this for free or like lose money doing it. So yeah, how does that like infect pricing? And let's just talk about like, how do you think to like price this competitively add a profit. Yeah. So, I mean, you know, in business as an entrepreneur, the first year is always going to be a loss, right?

7:39You're going to, you're going to try your best and do what you can, but you got to get your product out there without having clients. Like you need to do samplers or whatever it is that you do to advertise. So I just looked at what we were doing, what our costs look like. And then I did compete with other either storefronts, seeing what their ingredients were like. Obviously we were, there's no way we're going to compete with something that has fillers, but it did give us a price range on like what our minimum would be if they were able to charge X amount of dollars for something that they made for five cents, then there's no way I could do that and actually profit or make a business.

8:12So it did take a while to kind of get gauge back and forth what numbers to actually go for that made sense to us, to my clients, because the goal for us also is to make sure that they're getting what's beneficial. It's not really how much can I get off my client. It's like, I want you to understand what we're doing and I want all the dogs to be able to have a safe birthday.

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9:08Dr. Stacey McFarland:And like, how has that changed from, you know, you're five years in the business. So what was your pricing like when you, like year one, like what has it grown to? Yeah, so we started about, I think our small cake was about in the 30s. Back in the day, before I even knew you had to include, you know, pricing of like, I don't know, the oven. and all of the things where you're like, just... It's how you get started though. It's how you get started. And then, so now I think our smallest cake is running for about$55,$60 for the smallest. So it's probably doubled at the least in the last couple of years.

9:40But then again, so has product.

9:42Dr. Stacey McFarland:That's the caveat there is like, so has product. I know for my own company, like when we started, like we're in the video marketing space, we used to do 10 videos for 12 ,000. That was three years ago. Now it's six videos for 29 ,000. like it's just you just learn like the product gets so much better and so tell about the clientele as well because someone's listening they're like i would never spend fifty dollars on my dog for a cake but you they're not your target client so who is like your target client like video that's yeah who's your target client it's hard to say and i've learned that over the years because i always thought like okay so we are not for everyone right not everyone is for everyone but we have a realm of clients i have clients who ask if i they can pay on thursday when their check comes in or clients who don't even ask me what the total is.

10:26So I can't even tell you that there's a pinpoint client for us. It's really if it fits for you, if you're looking to give your dog the best with what you can. We are pricey, but I think it's only because we are giving you the best quality. We are making sure that everything you're getting is backed 100%. We're not giving you any of no fillers. I mean, I can even show you here like ingredient wise, you'll see here like oat flowers, eggs, olive oil, Everything you can read with no sugar, no salt, no fillers. There's not things on here that you can't pronounce. And that's really our goal. So in terms of clients, they range from standard, just going to work every day to penthouse, you know?

11:04Dr. Stacey McFarland:Yeah. Oh, I'm sure. Yeah. I can't even imagine. Miami's like so competitive. Like that's just like, I mean, that's a tier one city in America. Like that is a competitive market. Like how did you go about getting like your first 10 to 20 clients? social media and really just connecting with people. So I built I've been able to build a community within the bakery itself. We have amazing supporters, amazing fans. I do a lot with the with the community in Miami. We go to dog park grand openings. I work with a lot of the police canines. We celebrate the retirement. So it's really just showing people what your product is about, who you are.

11:42Putting a face to the company is so important. And I think that all entrepreneurs order to know, like, just put your face out there, let people know who you are. And then it's showing them that your product is trustworthy. They know what they're getting. There's no, you know, whatever questions you have, ask me, we will lay out. So you are comfortable with what you're getting. And we always, every time you order from us, there always be a question like, how was everything? Because I want all the, I want all the bad, all the feedback, good, bad, whatever in between. So it's really that.

12:11Dr. Stacey McFarland:Yeah. I feel like a lot of it too. Cause like, obviously you really, I mean, you can kind of get the dog's feedback if they like eating it, but like the dog's not going to speak up and say that was incredible. Give me more. So is it like really making that connection with like the parent of the dog to give them like a great experience as well? I would say the dog has to eat the whole thing, but like, is it like really providing a great experience? Yeah, it's of course. So, I mean, the dog can't really tell me the favorite color, right? So we go through that, like, what would your dog like? You give me a theme.

12:38I'm connecting with the parent. Whatever question you have, we're open about everything. Whatever it is, ingredients wise, what they do for your dog, why you shouldn't give other things to your dogs. Monthly, we'll do like a it's called like a vet talk. So I'll bring on one of my colleagues and we talk about whether it's ingredients, whether it's just different nutritional things or just anything about dogs, really. So our goal is to always make sure that everything is like a safe space for our clients. Questions, anything vet mad, we just try to shoot it and kind of tie it all together, which I think is nice because I can put like my expertise between like my passion and then get to know everyone.

13:10Dr. Stacey McFarland:That is incredible. So how are you guys like getting your leads? Because obviously leads are the heart of like every business. So you need to have a great product. But like, yeah, can you tell us more about like, how are you getting your leads? And if someone wanted to start a similar business, like how should they go about getting their first few clients? Definitely social media has been like our biggest platform, right? Whether it's Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, like just getting it out there. You can start without doing any ads. We did no ads for years, really. I wasn't into, didn't really know much about it to begin with, but I was also just trying to see how social media worked.

13:42Social media is a huge platform for people to just jump on, take pictures of the product, showcase what you do every month, get reviews. just people talking about it and post it, I think are really just really good ways to go ahead and get your product out there. And word of mouth is still a thing. I mean, who you know helps a lot. Giving people little perks to refer you is also something that helps a lot too.

14:05Dr. Stacey McFarland:Yeah, I feel like the leads are just part of like every like business. It's interesting that, so are you guys running ads like today then or? Yeah. Can you give us like a super high level of like what your ad strategy like is today then? Obviously you don't have to give us like the secret sauce. I'm not asking for that, but at a high level, like, what are you guys doing for ads? We don't run a ton either right now. Honestly, we do have a lot of organic trends right now, thankfully. Also, it's just more of still people not knowing that our, I guess our niche is there because we have people who will reach out a couple days and say, hey, I didn't know this was a thing.

14:36So first, organic is such a good way to do it. But if you are trying to shoot for ads is finding your perfect client, really. And I do think it takes time to find who that person is or that group of dog moms, dog dads for us. Right. Like that's who we shoot for. Dog moms, dog dads kind of in certain age ranges. And then, of course, because our cakes are currently local, I do shoot for what is Miami. I'll go north of Miami, south of Miami, go into Broward, too. But we've had people drive down from Orlando and that's. Wow. Yes, we have. And I am super grateful. I mean, I know there's bakeries from Orlando to Miami, but we're here.

15:13We're here and we are going to make it work for all the clients. So it's really finding the people that you think are going to really invest in your product, what they want, age range, that type of thing, and then shooting the ads for that area. And if you can ship, then you have way more ad space to do.

15:29Dr. Stacey McFarland:How is like scaling this going? Because obviously you're like not mass producing this. Like you've been like very mindful about building this. So talk to us about like the operation side and like, you know, what does that look like behind the scenes for you and the team? In terms of the treat piece of it, we've definitely had a lot of work because once people start to mass produce, they get away from their like their purpose. We've had a million offers of like, well, white label, we'll do all the things for you. We'll just put a sticker on it. And it sounds great and easy and all. We could probably be making a lot more money, but that's not our goal.

16:01So we do have our treats that are produced all the time. We've just had to hire more people who are willing to put in some hours. And the bakery is seasonal, like a lot of other jobs. So the seasons for the rest of the year are our biggest time in terms of like of treats, in terms of seasonal cookies, in terms of just getting a lot of more content out versus like most stores where the summer is a little bit on the slower side.

16:24Dr. Stacey McFarland:So I want to talk about you personally as well. Obviously, you mean you're going to like vet school. So I like, did you plan ever to like be an entrepreneur or like, yeah, I want to hear just about like your personal growth from this as well. I've always loved the idea of it. I've always loved the idea of at least down the line, owning my own veterinary hospital of some sort was maybe a plan. But never did I expect to have a dog bakery and be a veterinarian at the same time. But it came and I ran with it. And I do want to tell people that are listening, like, it's hard in the beginning, but keep going.

16:57Like, just keep going because you never know.

17:00Dr. Stacey McFarland:Was there a moment where, like, you ever did think about, like, quitting? I mean, for my own personal journey, there are multiple times, especially in that, like, first year. It's awful. It's the worst thing. Everything, you know, you have a bad week and then everything just comes down and everything sucks and it's like, we're done. And then we're like, no, we're not. No, we're not. No, when it rains, it pours when it comes time from your show. But tell us about just like getting like through that. Cause I feel like the first year for so many people is just like, frankly, like when they quit, just cause it is so hard.

17:27Dr. Stacey McFarland:So like, what advice would you have for people that are listening right now and getting through that first year? The point is just keep going and don't give up because it's going to be hard and you're going to have amazing time. an amazing time at some point. And then you're going to have a time where things just start flowing your way, no matter how hard you try. But don't give up. That's the key. Yeah, it is like really the key. And it's so easy to like potentially give up when it comes like it can really be like so, so hard. I've been through the valleys of valleys, but not like entrepreneurship, like the absolute valleys of valleys.