Barking Mad Podcast

In this episode, Whitney Russell and Dr. Frank Niles talk with Ava Dorsey, founder of Ava’s Pet Palace.  Ava founded Ava’s Pet Palace when she was just 8 years old.  In this episode, they talk about how Ava’s Pet Palace got started, how Ava balances being a business owner and a teenager, and what her vision is for her company and the Pet Industry overall.

Links Mentioned In the Show: 

Ava's Pet Palace Website: https://avaspetpalace.com/

Ava’s Pet Palace on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/avaspetpalace/

Show Notes:

(03:00) - How Did Ava’s Pet Palace Get Started

(04:00) - What Else is Ava Working On

(05:02) - Ava’s Advice to Other Young Entrepreneurs

(07:12) - Who inspires Ava

(08:10) - How Ava Keeps Going When Times are Tough

(09:22) - What is Envision Lead Grow?

(10:47) - How Ava Helps Animal Shelters

(11:39) - How Ava Connects With Her Followers

(13:13) - Which Big Brand Stores Sell Ava’s Treats

(14:04) - What is Ava’s Biggest Challenge

(15:07) - What Accomplishments is Ava Proud Of?

(16:25) - How Ava Balances Being a Business Owner and a Teenager

(16:47) - What’s It Like to Have Mom as an Employee

(18:06) - What Else is Ava Passionate About?

(19:07) - Ava Shares Her Vision

(20:57) - How a Family Pet Inspired Ava to Start Her Business

(22:36) - How Ava Does Research On Cat Treats

(24:19) - What Helped Ava Get Followers On Her Social Media

(26:15) - How Ava Found Other Black-Owned Brands in the Pet Industry

(27:06) - How Ava found the right Co-Manufacturer For Her Pet Treats

(28:32) - Ava’s Vision For Her Company

(29:28) - The Secret Pet Ava Would Love To Have

In this episode, board-certified nutritionist and veterinarian Dr. Renee Street chats with Dr. Megan Sprinkle and Steve Cauthern.  In this episode, they cover what a pet nutritionist is, the basics of pet nutrition, and thoughts about nutrition in the Pet Industry going forward.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://bsmpartners.net/

Show Notes:

(01:31)  Why Dr. Streeter became board certified pet nutritionist

(05:41)  How leveraging other people’s knowledge helps with achieving success

(06:48)  How Dr. Streeter worked with Dog Food to make it healthier

(08:16)  Why continuing education is important for Nutritionists and Veterinarians

(11:34)  How learning dog nutrition basics is helping understand chicken nutrition basics.

(12:23)  How Dr. Streeter balances her challenging work with her personal responsibilities

(17:35)  How Dr. Streeter makes the best of a challenging situation

(22:43)  Thoughts about the Pet Industry Going Forward

In this episode, Dr. Megan Sprinkle and Steve Cauthren speak with Sean Conlon, the co-founder of Nashies Dog Treats.  During their interview, they talk about Sean’s early adventures in entrepreneurship, how Sean got into the Pet Industry, and how a simple question sparked the idea for Nashies Dog Treats.

For more information about BSM, visit their website here: https://bsmpartners.net/

Links:

Thrive Foods:  https://www.thrivefoods.com/

Show Notes:

(01:26) What started Sean’s entrepreneurial journey

(03:41) How Sean met his wife

(05:07) How Sean found his business partner

(06:14) How a pivotal moment changed Sean and Christina’s life

(09:20)  Adventures in volunteering

(11:02) Leaving the wedding venue business for the human food industry

(13:02)  Thrive Food enters the pet industry

(15:06)  How Nashies Dog Treats was born

(16:27)  Why Nashies dog treats took off

(17:47)  What trends does Sean see for the pet industry?

(19:05)  The importance of future casting.

(21:23)  Why the process is more important than the end result

(22:36)  How self-work revealed opportunities for self-improvement

(23:41)  What tool Sean uses to help find personal blind spots

About the Episode:

While at SuperZoo, Dr. Megan Sprinkle and Steven Cauthren had the chance to interview Caitlyn Dudas.  Caitlyn is the co-founder and executive director of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. 

In this episode, they talk about:  What is the purpose of the Pet Sustainability Coalition; what are the opportunities for the pet industry to embrace sustainability; How the pet industry is benefiting from more female leadership. 

Links from this episode: 

Pet Sustainability Coalition: https://petsustainability.org/ 

https://bsmpartners.net/the-pet-industry-podcast/

Show Notes:

(4:18) How a chance meeting with Hunter Levins changed Caitlyn’s life

(4:49) Why consulting for businesses fits better with Caitlyn’s work

(5:22) How the Pet Sustainability Coalition was founded

(6:56) How consumers are impacting the Pet Industry

(8:11) Some unique sustainability challenges to the Pet Industry

(10:04) How big is the Pet Industry vertical?

(11:08) How a big market translates into big opportunity

(12:14) What is a big opportunity for the Pet Industry to focus on

(13:31) How the pet food space is changing

(14:41) How traceability and transparency are becoming mainstream

(15:52) Why transparency is important to the consumer

(16:27) How a lack of trust in corporate America drives corporate responsibility

(18:47) How to know if a company is really supporting sustainability efforts

(19:30) Why standardization of certifications is required

(20:01) Why the PSC created an accreditation program

(22:26) How sustainability can impact the bottom line for businesses

(23:58) Organic versus non-organic: which is more sustainable?

(24:43) What is regenerative farming?

(26:21) Why the recycling system is broken

(26:49) What is “circularity” and how it can help with recycling

(28:09) Why PSC focuses on helping businesses with sustainability

(30:47) What drives Caitlyn to continue her mission

(32:53) What Caitlyn sees is happening in the industry right now

(33:22) What is the financial impact to the industry within 5 years

(35:08) How women are impacting a male dominated industry

(36:46) How the industry is changing what is acceptable business behavior

Episode 01: 

About the Episode

Welcome to the Pet Industry Podcast!  In this inaugural episode, hosts Dr. Megan Sprinkle, DVM and Steve Cauthren are joined by Nate Thomas and Seth Kaufman, the co-founders of BSM Partners.  The conversation includes the history of BSM Partners, Why the pet industry needs this podcast, and BSMs’ responsibility to change the pet industry for the better.   

Please subscribe to follow the conversation about an industry near and dear to our hearts. 

Links: 

BSM Partners Website:  https://bsmpartners.net/ 

Show Notes: 

• (01:28) How two executive operators built their own dream instead of working on someone else’s 
• (02:22) How to quit your 9 to 5 and build a consultancy realistically 
• (03:38) What it’s like to work with clients and a team you love 
• (04:27) The History of BSM Partners 
• (07:38)  How advice from Warren Buffet influenced the founders 
• (08:34)  How BSM Measures Success 
• (12:40)  The high standards BSM uses to hire employees 
• (14:10)  How the right employees help a company to succeed 
• (15:01)  Why BSM decided to start a podcast 
• (17:51)  Pets, Passion, and Podcasting 
• (20:56)  The special bond between owners and pets 
• (24:07)  Why one veterinarian gave up her clinic to work with BSM in the industry 
• (25:53)  How BSMs’ cutting-edge research helps the pet industry 
• (26:39)  Closing thoughts about BSM and its responsibility to the pet industry