key takeaways
- Sternlieb spent nights and weekends researching the business idea that would become her favorite wellness brand.
- Meeting other business owners and asking questions was an invaluable part of the process.
- Now, Under the Weather is seeing annual sales of $10 million and “significant growth.”
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kayla Sternlieb, 52, of Williston, Vermont. Sterlieb is the founder of a pet wellness brand under the weatherResponses have been edited for length and clarity,
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What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your job?
I was a founder/partner of a fundraising firm called Giving Tree. We help nonprofits achieve their fundraising and board management goals.
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When did you start your side and where did you get the inspiration from?
Entrepreneurship is like a piece of sand in an oyster. Once an idea takes shape in your mind, it will continue to haunt you until one day you wake up and decide that a big change is about to happen in your life. For me, the idea came on a very hot August day in 2012 when my dog, Raffi, was sick, and the vet told me I needed to cook him a normal bland diet of chicken and rice. Knowing that it is so hot that it is not possible for me to go to the grocery store to go home with her in my car made me realize how often vets tell people to cook this diet and how inconvenient it is. Especially if you have a sick dog and a busy life. There had to be an easier way!
I enjoyed my job raising funds and working for non-profits in and around the state of Vermont, but I never really liked it. There was always something missing. After several months of careful research, I realized I had something special. Suddenly, the stars came together and the cosmic pearl was born.
“There is nothing more important than surrounding yourself with people who have been there before.”
What were the first steps you took to get your cause off the ground?
In the beginning, I spent my nights and weekends carefully researching the pet space and deciding if what I wanted to create was really needed. This included reading countless articles, perusing pet products online and on the shelves, traveling to trade shows, and studying the competition.
Once I decided it was really needed, I needed to choose a name and design my logo. Aside from airfare, trade shows, and attorney fees it took me to find a name that wasn’t already trademarked, the initial costs were very manageable.
Are there any free or paid resources that have been particularly helpful to you in getting this business up and running?
For me, the best free resource was meeting other business owners and asking questions. There is nothing more important than surrounding yourself with people who have been there before. I feel very fortunate to live in Vermont. Burlington is a small town, but it has some very well-known brands, so there were a lot of talented people there that I could learn from and eventually hire.
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If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you had done it differently?
If you plan on doing your own warehousing and shipping, find a space large enough to grow. If you have to rent out a portion of your space, rent it out. If your business is successful, you’ll outgrow your space every year, and moving is too disruptive.
When it comes to this specific business, what is something that you have found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but perhaps aren’t?
To become a very successful brand, you can’t have just one product. I thought my chicken and rice and other types of bland diets were actually a business. I was wrong. Most large chains and distributors will want you to have a complete health and wellness line for both cats and dogs in order to partner with you.
These new products should be launched every year, should be innovative and should be better than the currently existing products. Under the Weather specializes in soft foods as well as soft chews, powders and gels in all health categories.
With sales doubling year over year comes a whole new set of challenges. Warehousing, trucking, inventory, staff growth and competition! Once your ideas become products and your competitors see your products taking off, you quickly gain followers, and companies, some even larger than you, will create similar products.
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“We put every dollar of revenue back into the business.”
Can you remember a specific example when something went horribly wrong? How did you fix it?
Over the past few years, we have faced many supply chain issues. During the pandemic, it was chicken and beef. The war in Ukraine created a shortage of sunflower oil, an essential ingredient in soft chews. The tariffs raised our packaging prices. Once on the way, I contracted pumpkin disease due to which I had to stay awake the whole night. You fix these issues by watching the economy closely to help predict these disruptions and calibrate your inventory levels accordingly.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue?
Since the day we officially launched at the Global Pet Trade Show in Orlando, Florida in 2016, we have seen consistent and monthly revenue growth. As the saying goes, we put every dollar of revenue back into the business, which still holds true today.
“I realized early on that we weren’t just a favorite company.”
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
I have been an animal lover my whole life. I have fostered and adopted several dogs and also serve on the board of a local humane society. We are not only helping the pets, but we are also helping their owners. Some of our products are designed to help animals who aren’t eating, are experiencing cancer or are simply getting too old.
Our team at Under the Weather is made up of animal lovers, and we know that having a sick dog or cat can be devastating. Our customer service team doesn’t just deal with product related queries. They deal with some people who are very scared and call or email us seeking relief for their beloved pet. I realized early on that we were not just a favorite company. At the end of the day we know that by helping a pet, we are also helping that pet’s human. Hence our tagline: Healthy Pet, Happy Home.
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What is your best specific, actionable business advice?
Find the right manufacturer to go with – one that will allow you to place small orders to start with. There will be mistakes in the beginning, so always choose the smallest quantity when ordering products or packaging.
If you plan to sell on Amazon, pay attention to Amazon fees as they are based on weight and dimensions, which should influence your product development and packaging design.
key takeaways
- Sternlieb spent nights and weekends researching the business idea that would become her favorite wellness brand.
- Meeting other business owners and asking questions was an invaluable part of the process.
- Now, Under the Weather is seeing annual sales of $10 million and “significant growth.”
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kayla Sternlieb, 52, of Williston, Vermont. Sterlieb is the founder of a pet wellness brand under the weatherResponses have been edited for length and clarity,
Want to read more stories like this? agree money makers, Our free newsletter is full of creative side hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.
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