Pets Episodes

Pet food looks like a food category, but it behaves like a trust category and nobody understands that better than Michael Meyer. Rose Hamilton, CEO of Compass Rose Ventures and co-host of The Story of a Brand Show, sits down with Michael for an operator masterclass that goes far beyond pet food into the deeper mechanics of how premium consumer brands get built, scaled, and sustained...

Ramon Vela sits down with Mahsa Vazin, PhD, Founder & CEO of PawCo, for a conversation that's as much about love and purpose as it is about pet nutrition. Mahsa didn't set out to disrupt the pet food industry — she set out to take better care of her dog, Paco. What follows is...

Scaling a company is hard. Changing behavior is harder—and that’s exactly what this business is doing. In this episode of The Story of a Brand, host Rose Hamilton, CEO of Compass Rose Ventures, sits down with Joe Spector, Founder and CEO of Dutch Pet, Inc., for a fascinating conversation about building not just a company—but a completely new consumer behavior. Joe had already built a billion-dollar company with Hims. But instead of staying, he chose to...

I had the chance to sit down with Steve Booher, the founder and CEO of Always Full, and what an inspiring conversation it was. Steve’s entrepreneurial journey spans decades, from walking away from a “lifetime” corporate job to building multiple companies across engineering, manufacturing, and ag-tech. Along the way, he learned hard lessons about...

I had a blast sitting down with Dan Schaefer, Founder & CEO of Native Pet.  We kicked things off with gratitude. Dan shared how his wife was his “first angel investor,” backing his leap from BCG into entrepreneurship while raising a young family. From there, we got into the big idea behind...

In this episode of The Story of a Brand, I sit down with Gary Redmond, co-founder of BusterBox, a subscription box that delivers joy straight to your dog’s doorstep.  What started as three friends looking to create something fun and meaningful quickly became one of the fastest-growing...

In this episode, I sit down with David Hartigan, Founder and CEO of Hemp Heros, to talk about the real story behind his mission-driven CBD and functional mushroom company. From managing MMA fighters to becoming one of the few B Corp-certified hemp brands, David shares how...

Renaldo says, “we actually put heart and soul into every product that we develop. And again, we think about this as if we were making a product specifically for our dog in our kitchen. In the same way, you would make food for your child or your spouse. That's how we want you...

Tom says, “we didn't want to create a company just to be in the pet space. I wanted to create a company that really affected the lives of people and the animals inside the home through great fresh nutrition. And I knew if we could...

Dog food that's safe and healthy enough for humans to eat? That's what Wag Tantrum is offering its customers, says Barbara Marshall, founder of the all-organic, human-grade dog food company. "You can truly, truly eat it if you...

“What's right for the family pet - that's what is important for Whisker all the time,” according to Jacob Zuppke, President and COO of Whisker, previously known as AutoPets. In the second part, he says it's nice to go through a rebranding, but people won’t notice as much when you don't have anything other than...

“To solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents,” that’s the mission of Whisker. Today we have Jacob Zuppke, President and COO of Whisker, previously known as AutoPets, a brand that provides endlessly better pet care. Jacob interviewed for ...

“Little things can go a long way,” Joe Spector, Founder and CEO of Dutch, said in the second half. He understands that how his kids are growing up is different than him, but he wants them to help others too. Joe says the pandemic has forced a change in health care. But he says change can be challenging as well as scary. For Dutch, pets are...

To put out a product that consumers will use in their everyday lives - that's been the dream of Joe Spector, Founder and CEO of Dutch, the first and so far the only fully digital telehealth veterinary brand. Joe came to the U.S. with his family when he was 10 years old. He saw entrepreneurship as...

“Try to hold on to as much equity in the business,” says Alex Waite, Co-Founder of Shameless Pets, as she talks about ways through which a network, friends, and expertise can help in handling the potholes on the road to business success. She mentions that many...

“All-natural, clean labeled health-supporting fun little treats,” that’s what you’ll get at Shameless Pets. In the first half of this Feature, we have Alex Waite, Co-Founder of Shameless Pets, a brand that uses a sustainable solution called upcycling that rescues and transforms misfits and surplus food into high-quality treats for...

“Having self-awareness of what you're good at” is a belief of Trevor Crotts, the CEO and Founder of Buddy Brands. In part 2 of this feature, Trevor continues the conversation by focusing on the idea of the Unique Selling Proposition, which is about reaching out to the audience and learning what they...

Improving the lives of pets through innovation and integrity is the mission of Buddy Brands. In the first part of this feature, we sit with Trevor Crotts, CEO and Founder of Buddy Brands, a brand that provides a collection of solution-based pet product companies that solve real problems for pet people. Trevor started ...

In the second half of this feature, Alexandria Jarrell, Co-Founder of Nom Nom Now, continues to share the inside story of this different type of pet food company that's backed by science and made with love.  In Part 2 of this episode, Alex discusses when she knew they had a real...

According to Alexandria Jarrell, Co-Founder of Nom Nom Now, they had to exist. They were making such a big difference in the lives of pets that their mission was to feed every dog and cat in the world. Huge dream but after their experience providing fresh food to their...