The DhK in Blog Form

On the 21st of February I blogged about Michael Keenan's heroic story--how he saved a dog from a burning building.

It's with sadness that I update you on Michael's passing on June 18th. The details are here.

I have always wanted a photo that shows a person and a dog digging into The DhK treats together, sharing a moment....
Now I've got one.

A: Baxter and I

I was glad to be interviewed for this past Tuesday's Press Herald article regarding entrepreneurship in Maine, Local resources nourish entrepreneurial spirit, however it is strange to be talking dog treats when no one can buy them. This should soon change, and I'm still completely optimistic.

As for starting a business here, I still feel as though it's a strange topic for me to speak to. I haven't started one anywhere else, so I have no real clarity on what the advantages of Maine for start-ups might be. All I know is that I like being here, I've always found people to talk business with and get information from, and I tend to run into a lot of people who work for themselves.

As one friend suggested, what would most people do if they didn't work for themselves in Maine? These businesses seem to be created out of the necessity to have work!

When things don't seem rosy it can be difficult to write. We've been undergoing a transition period, during which, as some of you are aware, we've been unable to produce treats.

If you're at all disappointed when you don't see us on the shelves, then we're in the same boat. However, I'm an optimistic person, and though I don't see exactly when the shift will occur for us, I do see light at the end of the tunnel.

This is a particularly ironic time to be in this position, as the pet deaths related to tainted food ingredients (read ALL about this in many of the recent posts here and on many previous posts) have helped propel the growth of the organic food and treat market. It is, of course, sad that it took thousands of deaths to help catapult our industry.

1. As a dog lover, I feel horrible for the people who have either lost dogs as a function of this tainted food or have dogs that are in a state of sickness or discomfort.

2. As far as dog products go (and cat products are being recalled as well), over 50 brands have items affected by this. What does that mean to me? A few thoughts, in no particular order:

• Big brands are interested in offering cost-effective products, regardless of the quality or individuality that exists (or doesn't) within the product.
• How often are we sold the same thing under different names?
• Many stores must have had numerous products on their shelves, all produced by the same third party, all sold under different brands. So a company like Menu Foods Income Fund (yes, the full name) controls a significant amount of shelf space.
  
• In this particular case, when a customer chose a national brand over a store brand, they theoretically did so as a function of either marketing or brand loyalty. And in either case, the customer was buying the same product regardless!
  

3. Get a feel for your food producers. The Doghouse Kitchen is putting it all on the line to continue to flourish. Our company--and many companies like us--are only focused on feeding you or your dog the best quality foods they can create. We sweat and struggle to gain some of the market-share that is clearly occupied by multiple huge brands who all, ultimately, are selling you the same thing.

A basic Q&A about the recall is here, and the details of the recall are here.

Over the past few months I've put a lot of time into reviewing the plan for The Doghouse Kitchen. Plans are supposed to be living documents, but as many of you know, the plan gets shoveled into a drawer, not to be seen again for many years. Or worse (and we were guilty of this), you start your business without a clearly defined plan.

A couple of years ago I put one together. I found a few templates (online and through a business advisor) and filled in the content under each heading. There was no cohesive direction, in many places the content was either disjointed or repetitive, and--and this is probably most important--the plan didn't do a good job representing The Doghouse Kitchen. Though I didn't realize this at the time, I was not connected to the content of the plan.

All that has recently changed. I have a new plan that has re-charged my confidence and re-aligned my thoughts on the business. It was a lot of work, but the results are refreshing.

This story has already received national and local (because of his ties to Maine) press, but I thought it could use more because I believe that the more people sending positive thoughts to Michael (and the dog) regarding recovery, the greater the liklihood of it happening.

The story is here.
The blog about it with recovery updates at bottom is here.

Here's an interesting article reviewing how the baking industry is looking at Wal-mart's entrance into organics, or what actually symbolizes the expansion of organics in general.

I started this post with the title and a basic idea of what I might write a bit about. Then did a quick google of "sourcing for business" (without the quotes). I found this page on the RBC Financial Group site. I think it's worth reading their short page, especially because of the 5 notes at the bottom, but if you don't, consider their intro:

* Purchases of outside goods and services can consume as much as 60% or more of a business' revenues.
* Just 50% to as little as 15% of these expenses are closely managed in many companies.
* A mere 10% reduction in outside purchasing can increase profitability from 20%-60%.

As I'm looking to expand and create new product offerings, sourcing (ingredients, packaging, knowledge, expertise) is becoming a core part of what I do. I'm definitely getting better at it. There are clues finding what you need everywhere. Some are hidden (but I ask a lot of questions) and some are slightly hidden (for example, industry words that, as a beginner, you might not be familiar with but can discover during the search and q & a process). One method that has helped me source has been approaching problems with this mindset: someone, somewhere knows what I need to know or has what I need to have.

I could tell you all the reasons why posting has been non-existent, but no one likes hearing excuses. Instead, I'll provide a comedic (for some of you, I hope) link. It's to the Small Business Administration--the page where they list the size standards for every type of *small* business. It's clear to me from that link that I do not have a clear understanding of which businesses classify themselves as small. As a Dog and Cat Food Manufacturer, The Doghouse Kitchen is still small so long as it has fewer than 500 employees.

I pledge this to you: our 101st hire will occupy the position of blogger.

I've spoken with a number of potential suppliers (packaging and ingredients) over the past couple of weeks and my experiences have been quite varied. Here are two situations that stuck out to me, one negative and one positive. I should note that both individuals I spoke with have been very knowledgeable about their respective products and industries:

Situation 1: I received samples but didn't receive the requested price quotes. This person insinuated that I didn't receive the quotes because some of this person's co-workers are incompetent. The comments are still ringing with me; I am concerned; I am more inclined to look elsewhere to source this product.

Situation 2: Near the end of our initial phone conversation it was explained to me that this company makes a report on each potential customer that is then shared with everyone at the company so that each person can be on the same page regarding serving the customer. The conversation ended with me feeling as though I would be in extremely competent hands.

The week after Thanksgiving shipper boxes of our treats hit the floors at 100 Hannaford Supermarkets (store list posted below). Suffice to say that this is a large and exciting order for us. And it will be very interesting to see how the sales are progressing. Right now, the treats are selling for $6.99/bag which is comparable to other area stores.

In their Nature's Place sections Hannaford stocks a couple of other quality treats, but as far as I can tell, this is the first time a treat that uses only certified organic ingredients is standing in their pet aisles. (I'll post a photo of the display within the week.)
Athol
MA
01331
150 New Athol Road

Hudson
MA
01749
213 Washington Street

Kingston
MA
02364
182 Summer Street

Leominster
MA
01453
927 Merriam Ave, Twin City Plaza

Lowell
MA
01852
777 Rogers St.

Lunenburg
MA
01462
333 Mass Avenue, Lunenburg Crossing

Marlborough
MA
01752
193 Boston Post Road West, Route 20

Norwell
MA
02061
Queen Anne Plaza, 10 Washington Street

Uxbridge
MA
01569
158 No. Main Street

Waltham
MA
02453
55 Russell Street

Auburn
ME
04210
95 Spring Street

Augusta
ME
04330
29 Whitten Road

Bangor
ME
04401
653 Broadway St.

Bangor
ME
04401
1133 Union St., Airport Mall

Belfast
ME
04915
93 Lincolnville Avenue

Biddeford
ME
04005
299 Elm Street

Brewer
ME
04412
383 Wilson Street

Brunswick
ME
04011
35 Elm Street

Damariscotta
ME
04543
469 Main Street

Ellsworth
ME
04605
225 High Street, Suite 1

Falmouth
ME
04105
65 Gray Road

Farmington
ME
04938
131 Hannaford Drive, Suite 1

Gorham
ME
04038
99 Main Street

Lewiston
ME
04240
692 Sabattus Street

No. Windham
ME
04062
797 Roosevelt Trail, Windham Mall

Old Town
ME
04468
500 Stillwater Avenue

Oxford
ME
04270
1603 Main Street

Portland
ME
04101
295 Forest Avenue

Portland
ME
04103
787 Riverside Street

Rockland
ME
04841
75 Maverick Street

Saco
ME
04072
532 Main Street

Scarborough
ME
04074
31 Hannaford Drive, Route 1

Skowhegan
ME
04976
100 Fairgrounds Marketplace

Standish
ME
04084
Colonial Market Place, 111 Ossipee Trail

Topsham
ME
04086
49 Topsham Fair Mall Road, Suite 1

Waterboro
ME
04087
20 Sokokis Trail

Waterville
ME
04901
140 Elm Plaza

Waterville
ME
04901
190 JFK Plaza (Kennedy Memorial Drive)

Westbrook
ME
04092
7 Hannaford Drive

Yarmouth
ME
04096
756 Route #1, Shopper's Village

York
ME
03909
5 Hannaford Drive

Alton
NH
03809
80 Wolfeboro Highway

Bedford
NH
03110
5 Colby Court, Bedford Grove

Claremont
NH
03743
220 Washington Street

Concord
NH
03301
73 Fort Eddy Road

Derry
NH
03038
35 Manchester Road, Route 28

Dover
NH
03820
833 Central Avenue

E. Hampstead
NH
03826
305 Sandown Road

Franklin
NH
03235
952 Central Street, Route 3

Gilford
NH
03246
1458 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 16

Hudson
NH
03051
77 Derry Road

Keene
NH
03431
481 West Street

Londonderry
NH
03053
6 Hampton Drive

Manchester
NH
03103
201 John Devine Drive

Manchester
NH
03104
79 Bicentennial Drive

Manchester
NH
03104
859 Hanover Street

Manchester
NH
03102
605 Mast Road

Nashua
NH
03063
175 Coliseum Avenue

No. Conway
NH
03860
Mountain Valley Mall, Route 16

Plymouth
NH
03264
Route 25, Hatch Shopping Plaza

Raymond
NH
03077
2 Freetown Road

Rindge
NH
03461
752 Route 202

Rochester
NH
03867
290 North Main Street

Rochester
NH
03867
11 Milton Road

Albany
NY
12206
900 Central Avenue, Century II Mall

Clifton Park
NY
12065
Village Square, 9 Clifton County Road

Colonie
NY
12205
96 Wolf Road, Windsor Plaza

E. Greenbush
NY
12061
596 Columbia Turnpike, STE 17

Glens Falls
NY
12801
175 Broad Street

Glenville
NY
12302
262 Saratoga Road, Route 50

Gloversville
NY
12078
235 Fifth Avenue Extension

Herkimer
NY
13350
401 East Albany Street

Kingston
NY
12401
100 Plaza Road

Kingston
NY
12401
1261 Ulster Avenue

Latham
NY
12110
579 Troy-Schenectady Road

Middletown
NY
10941
30 Tower Drive

New Hartford
NY
13413
4593 Commercial Drive

New Hartford
NY
13413
50 Kellogg Road

Niskayuna
NY
12309
3333 Consaul Road

Oneonta
NY
13820
705 State Highway 28

Pawling
NY
12564
162 Route 22

Plattsburgh
NY
12901
7 Pyramid Drive

Queensbury
NY
12804
190 Quaker Road

Saratoga Spring
NY
12866
95 Weibel Avenue

Schenectady
NY
12303
1400 Altamont Avenue

South Glens Falls
NY
12803
27-41 Gansevoort Road

Troy
NY
12182
Nine 126th Street

Valatie
NY
12184
2967 Route 9

Wappingers Falls
NY
12590
1490 Route 9

Wynantskill
NY
12198
40 Main Avenue

Barre
VT
05670
456 South Barre Road

Bennington
VT
05201
141 Hannaford SQ Ste. 2

Brattleboro
VT
05301
896 Putney Road Unit 5

Burlington
VT
05401
1127 North Avenue, Suite 11

Essex Junction
VT
05452
21A Essex Way

St. Albans
VT
05478
277 Swanton Road, Highgate Shopping ctr

Williston
VT
05495
78 Marshall Avenue

The following 3 things are all worth your while. I figure that they're worth posting because each one affects me, albeit in distinctly different ways.

1. CENTER a studio and spa, is having their open house on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm at 194 Main Street in Freeport, ME. Formerly Skin Therapy by Hillary (the same Hillary who co-founded DhK and acts as creative director), CENTER is Hillary's expanded spa and movement studio. It's beautiful, calming and just plain good. Basic details here.

2. The Animal House, A Boutique for Pets, (and a great customer of ours) will be hosting a Grand Re-Opening Party on Saturday, December 9th from 10am-4pm at the new Main Street, Damariscotta location. To celebrate the new store, there will be several exciting events on the agenda. The party begins at 10am at the new store, located next to Big Dave's in the space formerly occupied by Damariscotta Auto Parts. Leashed, well-behaved pets always welcome. For more information, please contact The Animal House at 563-5595 or info (at) theanimalhouse (dot) net.

3. For those of you who don't live around here, or for those of you just looking for a moment of joy (versus an entire afternoon), swing by almost any Hannaford and pick up a bag of our Reindog Rewards--the perfect holiday dog gift. (More on this later.)

Right now, visibility is really important. People have to know we're out there; they have to know that they can buy a dog treat that isn't full of junk. They have to be able to try us out and see if their pooch will be hooked.

A few weeks ago we were introduced to independent pet and natural food stores in the southwest southeast :-). We started a relationship with the truly quality folks at First Choice Pet Products who have begun distributing our treats in Florida, Georgia, & Alabama.

A real interesting test for us, especially since I haven't yet been able to visit their stores in person. I hope to do that in early 2007. So if you're in that area, ask your local shop to give our treats a try....

Ahh, the heat sealer. A metaphor for progress? Not really. Rather, an example of what it means to progress.

The situation: I needed a new one to begin sealing a whole lot of bags. It should go without saying that budget was limited.

What kind to get? And from whom?

The web is always my first resource and, as usual, options are endless: impulse, direct heat, food pedal, table top, band sealer... The nitty gritty of the process wasn't interesting, but it was time consuming: product research and price quotes. It eventually became evident that direct heat (or constant heat) with a foot pedal was my best bet for now. I went with this one:

It's nice, and capably sealed thousands of bags. It would be ideal if you could make it taller and still press with your foot resting on the ground.

The next step (quicker, better step) would be a small band sealer. Too expensive for now. However, when you're filling thousands of bags, you begin to truly understand seconds as dollars.
---------
The advantage of not having specific job responsibilities (job responsibilities = almost everything) is that you learn something about all things. The disadvantage is that learning takes a lot of time, and you may make some inexperienced decisions that prove to be mistakes.
---------
Happy Thanksgiving. :-)

It's been weeks. Maybe just 3 weeks since I've posted, but weeks since I've posted consistently. I've either held back, been too busy, thought that my days haven't been interesting--you name it, it's been an excuse for not posting.

Then there was Colleen's blog today regarding her departure to a new job. It was a reminder that Colleen encouraged my blogging in the first place. I believe, in fact, that Colleen encouraged all the blogging that you now find on Mainetoday.com. But with The Doghouse Kitchen she put her time in, videotaping me baking, asking about the business, setting up the scope of what I was to be doing. She was interested and inspiring.

But this is not an obituary for Colleen, this is a blog about The DhK. So it is with these words that I'll be encouraging my posts about the business. I'm going to try to go a bit more *day to day* in style--trying to make sure the blog, though not just notes, isn't spending its free time entering essay contests. We'll soon see where that takes me.

For instance (for next time), did you hear the one about the heat seal machine...?
----
Thanks for everything Colleen.

I spent a few hours on Tuesday bagging (weighing and heat-sealing) 4 oz. portions of our treats for a co-branding partnership that we just began.

My tools were a scale, small bags with one end sealed, and small hand-operated heat seal machine. I guess you could say that I just can't help myself, but I had to discover an option that would make this less time and labor intensive. Here's a video of what the future could look like.

Bagging can become a meditative task: it's repetitive and simple. In that sense it's nice, however it always inspires thoughts of "what better way might I be able to utilize my time?"

I don't want to make it sound too special, but the way you have to encourage people when they're questioning whether or not you're serious about eating dog treats has its nuances. It's in the tone, the facial expression, the confidence. Sincere and straightforward, but with just the right amount of humor. Sometimes we get it wrong and sometimes people have no interest. But last week at the fair over 200 people decided to jump in.

We salute you!
(Link to photos is at top of page.)

Getting ready to drive up to Unity for this year's fair. I'll leave by 10 tomorrow morning, earlier if possible. For the past 2 years I've intended to leave early and have left quite late, setting up in the dark. Our first year we left pretty early, but our booth "design" was so complex (read: I had the brilliant idea to make our booth taller than everyone else's, the result of which was (a) a failed experiment and (b) tension with our neighbors over the possibility of the booth falling down on them) and I had never set up for a show before, so we ended set-up in the dark.

Not this year. I'm leaving early, I more or less know what I'm doing, I have a skilled helper and I have lists. Possibly a few too many lists, but it's so far making my prep and packing much easier. And again, this year, I'll make a list at the fair of all the things I forgot and wish I could do next year (i.e. have bumpers stickers to give away).

In the meantime, the list is king. Blog before the fair, check.

Maybe its fall, or maybe it's because I'm around them all the time. All I know is that I, too, have been eating more treats. In the past it was always a joke; people asking me "You taste test 'em, right?" But more and more I am taste testing. I've always run into dog store owners who tasted the treats before purchasing from any new company, and I've always liked that attribute.

For me, of late, I'm just drawn to them; it brings me close to the product, which seems like it would always important be important in any industry. It might also be because our 4th year at The Common Ground Fair is coming up. As many of you know, we have a booth there in the *Maine Marketplace* and we ALWAYS encourage people to eat the treats. We take photos of it, too.




On Saturday I also tasted another company's treats. Decent ingredients, and a really nice smell. I pictured myself as the intended animal recipient and I chomped down. Then, to double check my initial reaction, I chomped again. Cleaned my palette and bit off a piece of one of our Spice of Life treats. The critique: They used a natural *flavor* which gave the treats a great smell but didn't hold up in the taste. Also, for some reason, a strange (and unfortunate) aftertaste. So it made me wonder: do the dogs have similar reactions?

I haven't had to deal with too much of what I'd call traditional customer service. I talk to my wholesale accounts and try to be very responsive to them, but I don't have too many individuals contacting me with questions, concerns or comments. On the other side of the coin, I have spent a fair amount of time contacting other companies regarding business products and supplies. I'm usually quite satisfied with the phone interactions that I have.

People in my family have been know to write letters (actual letters, not emails) to companies when they have an issue. These notes seem to often be met with adequate responses. Since the letters are always to large companies, I have assumed that the fact that they wrote (versus emailed or called) might carry some weight with the response team.

I never write letters to this effect, until a week ago. I finally took the time to write to Timberland regarding a change I think they should make to a coat of theirs that I own. I even sent a photo illustrating my point. It was easy, took about 10 minutes, and was an experiment. I wrote because I like the coat and I like the company (click here for a link to their corporate social responsibility page), and I wanted to see how far a letter would take me.

Here's the reply received (email):

Dear Aaron,
Thank you for taking the time to contact The Timberland Company. We at Timberland greatly value your feedback and appreciate your time and your insight.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or comments and again, thank you for contacting The Timberland Company.
Sincerely,
Beth

Nice note, but it didn't say anything. A letter didn't take me very far.