The Story of a Brand Show

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

An organic lip care and skincare brand with a Scandinavian twist? That's the goal of Henné Organics, says Laura Xiao, Founder and CEO.

"Sweden is a very big part of my life," Laura explains. "Not only is my husband Swedish, but I used to live there pre-COVID...I became very inspired by many aspects of Swedish culture, especially the love and affinity for nature and simplifying things."

To that end, Henné products feature a "less is more" design that is Scandinavian inspired. Ingredients are pared down as well.

"The time spent in Sweden also helped me become very interested in not just de-cluttering but focusing on very high quality," Laura says.

She traces her interest in organic products to her college days, studying broadcast journalism. An assignment to cover a tomato farm taught her the true meaning - and value - of organic products.

Her move to Sweden - and then to New Zealand with her husband - caused Laura to focus on quality over quantity. A subsequent move to Las Vegas - and its famously dry climate - introduced the couple to problems with their lips cracking and thus was born the need to create a better lip balm.

Henné considered outsourcing the production of products, but visits to possible manufacturers turned out results that weren't up to standard, so Laura and her husband decided to build and staff their facility.

"We started hiring, in the beginning, it was just one employee, and then it continued from there," Laura says. "We still don't have a huge team these days because even up until this point, the bulk of our line is lip products. I think people are often kind of shocked at how many units we can produce because I always remind them like one tiny little lip product is far smaller than a giant bottle of body lotion or dish soap."

In Part 1, Laura talks about:

* Gratitude to her husband for being her "rock" during her career. * How spending time in Sweden has impacted her design and product ingredients philosophy. * The journey of creating the brand's first product. * The dissatisfaction of dealing with outside manufacturers and how that led them to build their facility.

Join Ramon Vela and Laura Xiao as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Henné Organics, visit: https://henneorganics.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.

This episode is brought to you by Mercury.

Like nearly every other business, Travel Cat was impacted by the COVID pandemic, says Emily Miethner, co-founder of the brand. But having a solid business foundation and a good handle on numbers helped guide the company through it.

"We've always had good margins and ... so as things got more difficult and challenging, we had the margin, and we understood the numbers to see how the supply chain issues and mostly the shipping costs were going to affect us to help us make decisions of 'Are we going to airship this or are we going to sell out?' That was a decision I think many people have to make," she said.

Another strategy move: Focusing on community building and other "unpaid" efforts to market the brand. This coming month, Travel Cat is hosting a three-hour virtual "summit" to discuss cat health, cat travel, and how to build your social media accounts.

Travel Cat itself uses its own social media channels to promote the excitement of cat ownership.

"It's exciting for people to get featured on our blog or on our Instagram account, which now has almost 60,000 followers," Emily says. "We have a series called Travel Cat Tuesday where we're highlighting one of the members of our community. So yeah, it's amazing to give a platform for people to get highlighted when they like your brand."

The social strategy has created a very engaged group of customers.

"There's some magic to seeing customers become friends because you connect to them somehow, whether that was through Instagram or a feedback session or having them be a speaker at an event," she says. "It's helpful when you have a good mission and what your product is doing is positively changing people's lives."

The brand's goal is to continue to build its product line to find all the supplies you'd need to travel with a cat.

"We want to continue solidifying our place as the No. 1 cat travel brand," Emily says. "We're mainly in the U.S. and Canada, but we're working on getting distribution and getting into retail customer retail stores in the U.S. and across the world."

In Part 2, Emily talks about:

* How Travel Cat tweaked operations to get through the COVID era. * Why the brand is doubling down on community building and unpaid marketing options. * The brand's "ladder of engagement." * How Travel Cat approaches its own social media channels, which they use to create excitement between pet owners and their products. * How engagement creates loyalty. * How a road trip between New York and Florida fueled ideas for future products. * A new shipping platform that can ship anywhere in the country in two days.

Join Ramon Vela and Emily Miethner as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Travel Cat, visit: https://yourcatbackpack.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Mercury.

Mercury is the banking stack for startups & ecommerce.* Get FDIC-insured US accounts, virtual and physical debit cards, currency exchange, and domestic and international wires.

You can easily create an account from your laptop, and non-US citizens are welcome to apply.

Connect to payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, etc.) and instantly create virtual debit cards for inventory and ad spend.

Customize the banking experience you want with features like read & write API access, custom team-management, and integrations with the tools your startup uses, like Quickbooks and Xero.

And you can keep growing with Mercury, whether you’re meeting investors, mentors, and other founders through Mercury Raise DTC, or getting matched with the right financing options for your business with Mercury Capital.

*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. All banking services provided by Evolve Bank & Trust®️; Member FDIC.

Visit mercury.com/partner/storyofabrand

This episode is brought to you by Mercury.

Travel Cat aims to change the perceptions of having a cat and how cat parents can safely explore the great outdoors with products like backpacks and harnesses, says Emily Miethner, co-founder of the brand.

Emily and her husband brought complementary business skills to the founding of Travel Cat - she with organic marketing while he handled paid marketing.

"We became cat people ourselves on a whim unexpectedly when we rescued a kitten from a family member's backyard," she says. "We realized that there are two big things. ... People think, you know, cats are easy, they sleep all day. But, to have a healthy cat, they need stimulation, enrichment, and movement...and the other thing we noticed is a lack of cat-focused brands. You know, there are so many brands out there that provide products where they're meant for dogs first."

For Travel Cat, it's not just about the products - education is a big piece of the brand's formula, Emily says.

"We're providing the education around doing more with your cat and the community around the joys of being a cat person through our influencer program, through participating in events in person before COVID, and hopefully now that things are settling down post-COVID," she says. "But we've also been hosting virtual events for the past year and a half. So the community, the focus on cats, that's always been our huge focus."

When she co-founded Travel Cat, part of Emily's realization was that cat ownership is growing faster than dog ownership. Yet, pet supply retailers - still likely acting on stereotypes of finicky cats - have been slow to offer quality products for felines.

"We find that with our product, people are becoming more and more serious about their pets and treating them like family," Emily says. "We have people who might regularly shop at Walmart, but they're willing to drop the money on quality products for their cat, maybe not themselves, so we have a pretty broad range of customers that our products appeal to."

Travel Cat's two most popular products are the "Fat Cat Backpack," which holds cats up to 25 pounds, and its "True Adventurer" harness and leash set.

In Part 1, Emily talks about: * Gratitude toward a colleague she met in a networking group who helped Emily before her first pet trade show. * How she and her husband - the other co-founder - married their strengths to make the brand work. * The unlikely impetus that led them into the cat care market. * Why the company focuses on community as well as products. * The surge in cat ownership and the struggle to get retailers to offer more cat-related products.

Join Ramon Vela and Emily Miethner as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Travel Cat, visit: https://yourcatbackpack.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

Episode brought to you by Mercury.

Mercury is the banking stack for startups & ecommerce.* Get FDIC-insured US accounts, virtual and physical debit cards, currency exchange, and domestic and international wires.

Easily create an account from your laptop, and non-US citizens are welcome to apply.

Connect to payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, etc.) and instantly create virtual debit cards for inventory and ad spend.

Customize the banking experience with features like read & write API access, custom team-management, and integrations with the tools your startup uses, like Quickbooks and Xero.

Keep growing with Mercury Raise DTC or with financing options through Mercury Capital. *Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. All banking services provided by Evolve Bank & Trust®️; Member FDIC. 

Visit mercury.com/partner/storyofabrand

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

The social media industry changes constantly, says Katelyn Sorensen, CEO of Loomly and Sendible, two social media management platforms. So education and collaboration are critical for her brands to stay agile.

"Just two weeks ago, a brand new feature came out on Instagram API, and everyone was rushing to be the first," Katelyn says. "I think that Loomly and Sendible were both in the top five or six to release that."

Loomly and Sendible are similar platforms, but they have different audiences. Loomly is targeted toward brands and companies. Sendible is designed for agencies.

Two trends in social media worth highlighting are the increasing importance of video and "authentic connection," Katelyn says.

"How do you not just use ads…when you're coming up with ads using real content, highlighting things customers say about you or highlighting members of your team and showing who you are as a brand," she explains. "That's something that I think, especially during the last two years with COVID, that people have been craving - that one-on-one connection. How do you create that as a brand and show up as authentic as possible?"

Content continues to be king in social media. That's why Loomly works with customers with post ideas and provides hashtag monitoring and trending so they can point out topics that people are searching for right now.

Sendible, on the other hand, is built for agencies - a business-to-business solution. To that end, it includes features such as bulk management and brand customization.

Approaching new social channels is another advantage of using a management platform like Loomly and Sendible.

"It is essential to understand how the different channels work for you and at least give them a try and see if it works," Katelyn says. "There are some things that are a bit of a no-brainer - TikTok just shared that they just had a billion users, faster than any other social platform before them. Loomly was the first social media management platform to have indirect TikTok scheduling."

Katelyn urges brands not just to tell their story but also to respond to what people are sharing. Engagement with customers is the ultimate goal.

In Part 2, Katelyn talks about:

* Why agility is a critical skill in the social media industry. * The difference audiences for Loomly and Sendible. * The growing importance of video and authentic connection in social media. * The challenges of creating and organizing content. * Sendible's services and how it differs from Loomly. * How to approach new social mediums.

Join Ramon Vela and Katelyn Sorensen as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Loomly, visit: https://www.loomly.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

If all DTC companies were forced to turn off Facebook ads, they'd be dead on arrival. Why is that?

They over-invest in paid acquisition and under-invest in retention.

Luckily, Sendlane makes it easy to solve this problem. Sendlane is an E-Commerce Customer Experience Platform helping hundreds of DTC brands to tighten their existing customer relationships.

Sendlane automates personalized customer experiences through Welcome and Abandoned Cart workflows, SMS, Deep Data Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, multi-store functionality, and much more.

Plus, they don't stand for lazy customer support. Their San-Diego-based team has an average 1-minute response time from a live human, making sure you never get stuck in a chat queue ever again.

Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story 

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

How do you best tell your story on social media? That's the goal of Loomly and Sendible, two social media management platforms that allow you to manage all your different channels from one place.

The platforms are led by CEO Katelyn Sorensen, who cut her teeth in software testing after college before setting out into sales and marketing and then management.

"I did lead generation - so cold calling for over four years - and you build a bit of a tough skin doing that," Katelyn says. "I learned a ton talking to people, understanding what they were looking for."

For those looking for lessons from her success, Katelyn recommends two things. First, participate fully and approach all projects with curiosity. Second, ask for what you want - especially if you're a woman. That doesn't mean you'll get it right away.

"That doesn't mean that you'll get it right away," she adds. But ask yourself how you get there. Where are the gaps? What do you need to work on?

"It all allows you to understand what you need to do to exceed expectations and deliver value," she says.

Likewise, the skills needed to be a great leader aren't exclusive to any particular gender. A phenomenal leader should hit and exceed goals and drive value for customers, Katelyn says. Having tough conversations is part of the winning strategy, and as a society, that quality is typically associated with males.

"There's a shift for all leaders to move away from that, and there are degrees to which our society accepts that," she says. "I think it's cool to have the opportunity to show that I can be successful, that women can be successful ... and driving the same results that maybe take a different tactic."

In Part 1, Katelyn talks about:

* Gratitude toward a boss for believing in her potential and encouraging her to advance at the company. * How her career path took some unusual stops on her way to becoming a CEO. * How cold-calling helped her better understand what people are looking for. * Advice for those seeking a path forward in their careers. * Why being a great leader isn't determined by gender.

Join Ramon Vela and Katelyn Sorensen as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Loomly, visit: https://www.loomly.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.

If all DTC companies were forced to turn off Facebook ads, they'd be dead on arrival. Why is that?

They over-invest in paid acquisition and under-invest in retention.

Luckily, Sendlane makes it easy to solve this problem. Sendlane is an E-Commerce Customer Experience Platform helping hundreds of DTC brands to tighten their existing customer relationships.

Sendlane automates personalized customer experiences through Welcome and Abandoned Cart workflows, SMS, Deep Data Integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, multi-store functionality, and much more.

Plus, they don't stand for lazy customer support. Their San-Diego-based team has an average 1-minute response time from a live human, making sure you never get stuck in a chat queue ever again.

Curious about how Sendlane can help your DTC brand grow? Schedule a demo with a Specialist. Visit https://www.sendlane.com/story 

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

Getting HighKey's products in people's mouths is driving the velocity of the brand's success online, says Joe Ens, CEO of the brand that creates snacks low in carbs and sugar.

HighKey had the No. 1 chocolate chip cookie on Amazon within the first several months. That incredible customer loyalty helped sales explode in grocery retailers when HighKey's products hit their shelves.

"At one of the largest national retailers, we accounted for 53 percent of their better-for-you growth the year we entered," Joe says. "That's a wonderful story to get to sell behind because now we can show up to a retailer and say, 'Look here, it's the most loyal brand in the world.' "

Joe spent the first few decades of his career with a Fortune 200 big food company, but he wanted to break free and build something new.

"The wonderful thing about my experience that I'm very fortunate and grateful for is that I've got that fundamental training in a large food company. I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I've been able to transfer it to the startup world because of my orientation," Joe says. "Living on that razor's edge is a different thing. The decisiveness, the agility, the way you move. It's not for everybody."

These days, HighKey has 11 different flavors - with the chocolate chip being the preeminent product - but they've entered the cracker market and mini treat space.

Joe's advice to other startup entrepreneurs isn't complicated: Do your hard work upfront and make sure you have a business model that you can scale.

"For those that think they have that internal intestinal fortitude, bet on yourself and go for it," he says. "If you're not comfortable, you can find somebody who's done it, and you can partner with them and bring them something that they don't have. But it's still the same decision. It's a decision to bet on yourself."

In Part 2, Joe talks about:

* How HighKey leveraged the online market space first before tackling the retail space. * The strategic questions on where to present their snacks on retail shelves. * How the company has built on its early success in the retail space. * How he transferred the skills and fundamentals he learned working for a big food company and used them to help build HighKey. * Why he calls his career change "Project Timberlake" (and eventually "Project Jay-Z.") * HighKey's continued plans to expand its retail footprint. * How the brand tackled the pandemic and economic downturns. * Advice for other entrepreneurs considering startup brands.

Join Ramon Vela and Joe Ens as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on HighKey, visit: https://highkey.com/ 

For more on the Institute for Mindful Leadership, visit: https://instituteformindfulleadership.org/

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

It’s time to let your customers enjoy the products they love without the friction of reordering...

That’s why innovative brands like Peet’s Coffee and Il Makiage rely on Ordergroove’s subscription solution to build long-lasting relationships that drive recurring revenue.

From enrollment incentives to churn-fighting AI, Ordergroove gives your business the tools it needs to be a subscription success story.

Book a demo today and receive 2-months off your contract. Visit https://www.ordergroove.com/story/ 

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

HighKey's mission is to drive sugar out of the American diet, says Joe Ens, CEO of the brand that creates snacks that are low in carbs and sugar but taste as good as the original treats.

"There is a seismic shift that's going on on the American diet where people, whether it be because of biotechnology, wearing a watch, wearing a ring or even a glucose monitor, I think they are now starting to realize how much sugar is not hidden maliciously but embedded within their food," Joe says.

The reality is that people realize consuming too much sugar has had real consequences over the past few decades.

"It's not political for us. We're a sassy brand. We're kind of light-hearted. We don't take ourselves too seriously," he says. "We just want to make sure people have the options to make better choices."

The tale of HighKey is culinary-inspired, Joe says. One of the company's co-founders ran a James Beard Award-winning restaurant and had the background to find just the right balance of natural sweeteners - like monk fruit, stevia,, and erythritol and other ingredients that proved key to baking their goods.

These days, competitors are beginning to catch up on the no-sugar campaign. But that's not necessarily bad news for HighKey. The brand can now approach manufacturing partners more quickly than in the early days.

In Part 1, Joe talks about:

* His appreciation for the person who introduced him to the power of gratitude and the role gratitude plays in becoming a successful entrepreneur. * The brand's goal for 2025 is to drive 10 million pounds of sugar out of the American diet. * Why taste is so important in the natural food space. * The culinary inspiration behind the company's formation. * The brand vision is to be the leader in low-sugar snacking.

Join Ramon Vela and Joe Ens as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on HighKey, visit: https://highkey.com/ 

For more on the Institute for Mindful Leadership, visit: https://instituteformindfulleadership.org/

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Ordergroove.

It’s time to let your customers enjoy the products they love without the friction of reordering...

That’s why innovative brands like Peet’s Coffee and Il Makiage rely on Ordergroove’s subscription solution to build long-lasting relationships that drive recurring revenue.

From enrollment incentives to churn-fighting AI, Ordergroove gives your business the tools it needs to be a subscription success story.

Book a demo today and receive 2-months off your contract. Visit https://www.ordergroove.com/story/ 

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Launching a beauty brand can be overwhelming and expensive, so Beia Beauty decided to focus on a single "hero product," says Brittany Lo, the brand's founder and CEO.

"I luckily had a few mentors, and one of them she said, like, 'I would rather see you put all your energy and effort in creating one amazing product versus you spending all this extra money and time on, say like five products where maybe four of them will be fine and only one will be good because you still don't know who your true customer is,'" Brittany says.

After talking to her hair and makeup clients, Brittany decided the product should be a daily hydrating setting mist.

"It does seem random where there's no sex piece involved in it, but that was very deliberate, knowing that we needed people to feel comfortable talking about our brand or product," she says. "And once they loved the quality of our ingredients and the packaging, we could launch these new skincare products with this sexual wellness component."

The hydrating mist received great support right from its launch, thanks to a glowing review in "Cosmopolitan" magazine. With that victory under the belt, Beia is moving faster into the sexual wellness part of its brand. Refresh wipes are the first of those products.

"Our whole initiative for this year is starting to have more conversations around this category because no matter who you are or where you come from, most people do have sex," Brittany says. "So why is it this shady, dirty thing that no one likes to talk about? ... It's all about being relatable and lighthearted and playful and having some fun as we talk about it more."

With the pandemic, people realize they have more time to take care of their bodies and skin. The result: The sexual wellness space has grown by triple digits.

"I just think that the level of education will expand for all of body care, intimate care, and ingestible health as well," she says. "And I'm excited about that because it shows that we are investing in ourselves more and more, which means the transparency of ingredients is becoming more readily available for consumers to educate themselves on."

Her advice for entrepreneurs who embark on similar journeys: "You're going to hit road bumps, you're going to have challenges, and it's going to feel like it's never going to work out. ... My coach always said, 'How do you eat a watermelon, bite by, by bite, by bite?' Don't focus on that end goal. What's that next step? One step to get you a little closer to that goal and just focus on that."

In Part 2, Brittany talks about:

* How she came to decide on Beia's first product. * The testing and research regime in the development of Beia's products. * The joy of the success of the first product - a hydrating mist - thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations. * How her brand approaches the sexual wellness conversation - by making people feel more comfortable talking about the category. * The company's priority is to build communities. * The next product coming up: a body and intimacy serum. * Advice for other entrepreneurs who are considering a change in direction.

Join Ramon Vela and Brittany Lo as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Beia Beauty, visit: https://beiabeauty.com/ 

Note: The Story of a Brand listeners get a 20% discount with "Ramon20"

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.

This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.

Beia Beauty's ultimate mission is to make women feel comfortable in their skin as it relates to their sexual being and physical beauty, says Brittany Lo, the brand's founder and CEO.

It's a mission Brittany has been on since the second grade when she first told her father she wanted to have her own beauty company. She started her first company - offering hair and makeup services for weddings and events - straight out of college.

"My bigger vision has always been (a) product," she says. "But as we all know, there are a lot of beauty brands out there, and I wanted to take the time to figure out where is the white space and where can I thrive in that industry? And so I thought the best place to figure it out was creating a product or a service company where I was constantly talking to women and understanding their pain points to then figure out what this next step would look like."

Brittany found some exciting synergies between perceived beauty and pain points from these discussions with other women.

"It's all about feeling comfortable in your skin, right? So whether that is getting intimate or using beauty products or taking care of your body by eating healthy, feeling comfortable correlates very strongly with your confidence level," she says.

The COVID pandemic - when weddings and events were suddenly postponed indefinitely - caused Brittany to switch her focus from a service-first company to a product-based brand.

"As traumatic as it was, it has been a turning point in my life," she says.

In Part 1, Brittany talks about:

* Gratitude for a sixth-grade teacher who first gave her hope in pursuing a career in business. * When she got her initial inspiration for starting a skincare brand. * How the anxieties associated with the dating scene in New York City drove her direction. * How using her mother's makeup at a very early age changed her confidence. * The COVID pandemic's effect on her original service-oriented business and her subsequent shift to Beia. * How she leveraged her team of hairstylists and makeup artists - and their experience in skincare products - to help with market research for Beia.

Join Ramon Vela and Brittany Lo as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Beia Beauty, visit: https://beiabeauty.com/ 

Note: The Story of a Brand listeners get a 20% discount with "Ramon20"

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This podcast is supported by Yotpo, the leading eCommerce marketing platform for brands looking to drive customer loyalty.

As I’m sure many of you know, customer retention is the new acquisition. With Yotpo, brands can provide value through a strategic loyalty program — and ensure shoppers come back time and again.

Want to know more? Visit https://yotpo.com/storyofabrand 

And turn your one-time shoppers into lifelong brand lovers.

This episode is brought to you by Mercury.

WashBar's product is a soap bar, says Louise Knight, owner of the New Zealand-based brand that produces all-natural skin and coat care products for pets.

Unlike liquid dog shampoos, WashBar isn't poured onto a dog's coat - it's used with water to create a lather. It's also easier to hold so a pet parent can clean all the hard-to-reach areas on a dog.

"It's just a generally more enjoyable experience for everybody," says Louise. "That's something that we were interested in, making people's lives a little bit easier so they can get on and get out and enjoy their walks with the dog and throw the stick or throw the ball or whatever it is the dog's into."

To that end, all the ingredients used in WashBar are safe, non-toxic, and human-grade. The brand's relatively new website takes the time to explain the soap's components. It also features blogs that answer common questions from pet parents.

Future plans include the development of a gentle wash bar, which is intended for use on younger dogs and puppies.

Something not in her plans: returning to the corporate world.

"Sometimes you look at other people, and you think they've got it all or everything's all the boxes are checked, and everything appears perfect," she says. "Nothing is perfect ... we've all got our challenges. But if you dive into the bits (and) pieces of your life that you're good at ... there are a lot of benefits. You'll get a lot of love."

In Part 2, Louise talks about:

* How the bar of soap is designed mainly for dogs. * Why the customer base is so strong in New Zealand and her desire to grow a similar community in the United States. * Taking a tour through the website, which is relatively new. * The brand's various products, including a beeswax-based balm. * Advice for others on the entrepreneurship journey.

Join Ramon Vela and Louise Knight as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on WashBar, visit: https://washbar.com/ 

Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.

*

This episode is brought to you by Mercury.

Ecommerce founders from around the world use Mercury for FDIC-insured U.S. bank accounts, with no visit to a physical bank branch is required.

Get physical & virtual debit cards, domestic & international wires, and integrations with essential payment processors, from Amazon to Shopify to Etsy and more. Plus, access the best-fit financing for your company with Mercury Capital, available just for Mercury customers.

Apply from anywhere in minutes and receive $100 when you make your first deposit. All banking services provided by banking partner Evolve Bank and Trust."

Growth-accelerating products for startups, ecommerce stores, angel investors, & more. Visit https://mercury.com/storyofabrand