Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Clark.
Chloe, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the owner of Simply Sage Dog Treats. Simply Sage Dog Treats started off as an experiment. I never imaged that it would grow into an online dog treat bakery.
Two things that I love the most, besides my husband is a good cup of tea and dogs. Dog of all ages. December of 2015 I adopted a 2-month-old Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix name Sage from the Atlanta Humane Society. Like most new pet parents we bought tons of dog treats, even the extremely popular ones and she was always sick.
Months after adopting her we discovered that Sage had digestive problems. Sage suffered from bad gas, runny stool, and even blood in her stool. It seemed like we were at the vet almost every three weeks.
I began researching various types of herbal teas and their health benefits for dogs. Also, I started reading the labels on the pet treats that I bought for Sage. This was something that I did for myself and the food I ate but never thought for once about what was in my puppy’s food. Like many of the foods we eat, there were loads of preservatives, additives, and just plain old junk. This was the source of her problem. Sage’s tummy was so sensitive that she just couldn’t properly digest any those treats.
So I set out on a journey to create dog treats for my puppy that were all natural, tasty and actually had some nutritional value. After many sad attempts and many months of encouragement from my sweet and supportive husband, I finally created a recipe that my dog could and would eat. These treats are so much better for her tummy and she loves them.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I didn’t have a budget to work with, so I had to do everything on my own! For months straight I spent 9 to 12 hours a day working on the website, social media, photos, logo, business cards. Package design, I mean everything you could think of, I did it.
There were challenges with learning what licenses and permits are needed to start a Specialty Pet Treat business.
I spent months researching Georgia’s rules and regulations, often I thought about giving up. There are tons of dog treat companies and I didn’t think anyone would be interested in purchasing outside of close friends and families.
Most of my sales came from friends and family, which I really appreciated. The shop didn’t do well at all. I found it hard to stand out on the online platform I was using. It seemed as if no one was interested in my products. I decided to focus on social media, Instagram in particular. This is where I began to see some growth and interest in my products. We received some awesome reviews from people all over the USA and it helped increase direct sales.
Simply Sage Dog Treats – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We make all-natural dehydrated herbal tea-infused dog treats and herbal tea-infused paw balm.
Our treats are truly one-of-a-kind. They are dehydrated not baked to retain more nutrients from the ingredients and are infused with Chamomile and Rooibos herbal tea. Only five simple ingredients (Sweet Potato, Oat Flour, Banana, Olive Oil and Chamomile Tea) and (Carrot, Oat Flour, Banana, Olive Oil and Rooibos Tea). All-natural and made from whole food, we even make our oat flour in-house.
We are all about tea and its healing benefits. Recently we introduced a new product which is an herbal tea-infused paw balm. Five is our magic number, we like to be able to count all the ingredients on one hand. Our Peppermint & Lavender Tea paw balm contains white beeswax, olive oil, raw shea butter, Peppermint EO, and Lavender Tea, it’s safe to lick and made with food-grade essential oils.
What sets us apart from others is that we believe in feeding our dogs the same quality food that we would eat. Everything you will find in our treats people eat on a regular basis. It’s made with the same quality ingredients that you would use to cook with. In fact, I’ve had a few people enjoy these treats right along with their doggies.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I use to define success by the number of sales, but I’m learning that it’s not all about money. I’ve met some really awesome people and created some pretty great relationships. I believe success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. This is a quote I love from Maya Angelou. I truly believe it. I feel successful! I wake up every day happy to spend time with Sage and make awesome pet products. I spend my time tinkering around the kitchen. I’m able to spend more time with my family. I’ve become really good friends with some of my customers and we collaborate on various projects. I have time to help other small business owners with their social media marketing. I feel really blessed to have a simple life that brings me so much joy.
I am looking forward to having our products sold in holistic and natural grocery and pet supply stores through Georgia and within the United States.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.simplysagedogtreats.com
- Phone:7702568892
- Email:simplysagedogtreats@gmail.com
- Instagram:@simplysagedogtreats
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/simplysagedogtreats/
- Twitter:@ssdogtreats
Image Credit:
Chloe Clark Photography
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