Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Boris Chung, founder and CEO of A Better Treat, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
A Better Treat. We are a health-first pet product company that produces high-quality, freeze-dried raw dog and cat treats and dog food with high-protein kibble and freeze-dried pieces mixed in. Our customers are pet parents looking for the same high-quality ingredients they shop for themselves (wild-caught, grass-fed, etc.) for their pets. They tend to be health-focused and ingredient-conscious.
Tell us about yourself
I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit and dreamed about building my own business. I just wasn't sure about what that would look like. Getting my dog, Emi, changed a lot in my life. Having her company and unconditional love made me passionate about providing her with the best quality food so I could have her with me for as long as possible. I did a lot of research and tried many products because Emi had a very sensitive stomach. As I was looking, I was disappointed by the options out there and decided to meld my love for Emi and entrepreneurship and turn it into my company, A Better Treat. Emi 100% motivates me each day to provide the best possible products for my four-legged customers. She is the standard I use when making product decisions. If I didn't want to feed it to Emi, I wouldn't make it.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Crossing the $1 million marker and being able to be with A Better Treat full-time. My mother has health issues, and my fiancé was in between jobs, so I needed A Better Treat to be financially stable enough to do full time.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Being a business owner is incredibly exciting because you have the ultimate freedom of creating something from scratch and deciding how you want to grow it. However, one of the hardest parts is that it can be lonely as a solo founder. It's difficult not to have someone to bounce decisions off of or have to make decisions by yourself. This is why I highly recommend creating routines for yourself to stay on track and, if possible, surround yourself with either a mastermind group of founders or bring on highly motivated individuals to your team to provide a sense of community.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure to get feedback from your target consumer. From when we started to now, I always polled and got feedback on packaging, new products, etc., to make sure what I was creating resonated with my target consumer. Don't be afraid to ask because it'll save you a lot of time and money in the future by taking time earlier on to get it right.
- Take time to network. Learn from others in your industry and make friends with other founders. Help each other out and share resources. You aren't competing against each other. You're competing against the industry giants.
- Don't be shy, and don't take no for an answer! Starting out, you have no name recognition, very little capital to work with, and it can be difficult to get the attention of other companies. Even getting quotes from different sources can be difficult because you are ordering in smaller quantities. It can be difficult getting turned down, but it's a good exercise for resilience. Keep going until you get a yes, and don't let it discourage you too much. It happens to everyone, and you need to start somewhere!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.abettertreat.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abettertreat
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abettertreat/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-better-treat/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.