Episode 7

EP07: Shattering the ceiling with Rachel Jones, Trill Paws

Welcome to the seventh episode of Mother of Dogs. Tina is joined by Rachel Jones. 

About Rachel and Trill Paws:

Trill Paws was born out of Rachel’s boundless passion for dogs and her love for Pop-Culture. A few years ago, she envisioned a concept for a pet accessories company that would captivate fun and trendy pet owners who adore dogs and appreciate great design. Many pet ID tags available in the market are uninspiring, but Trill Paws tags and accessories are crafted to be unique, refreshingly fun, and perfectly on trend.

Today, Rachel’s dedication revolves around creating relatable and distinctive products for your furry friends, while ensuring every customer enjoys a superb shopping experience. 

Topics Covered:

  • Rachel talks about the challenges of starting a small business, while working full-time to support that dream.
  • Finding validation and confidence collaborating with national retailers, and the surreal feeling of receiving recognition from legends.
  • The importance of organic growth and social media macro/micro influencers. 
  • How the love of her ‘furst born’ influences product development and helped her prepare for motherhood.  

Follow:

Subscribe to Mother of Dogs: https://www.motherofdogs.co/ 

Connect on Instagram: @motherofdogspod // @allidoiswinwithchloe

Trill Paws: https://www.trillpaws.com/

Follow Trill Paws on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Trillpaws

Connect with Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsracheleliz

Additional links:

BeChewy

Nationwide - The Companion

Special Offer: 

Dog licking paws? Dog chewing paws constantly?  Refresh your little bestie’s toe beans and kick the bacteria-caused Frito odor for good by trying our favorite sanitizing paw gel.  https://sleepycotton.com/  Snag 10% off with code: all.idoiswin10

 

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Transcript
Tina:

Hi, Rachel.

Tina:

Thanks for joining me today.

Rachel:

Hello.

Rachel:

I'm so excited to finally be able to chat with you.

Tina:

I'm such a fan of yours and what you've created with Trill Paws.

Tina:

Winnie and Chloe have so many Trill Paws products.

Tina:

I know you've been incredibly busy.

Tina:

You recently welcomed a beautiful baby boy while continuing to expand your

Tina:

business and you just launched some new micro tags for those that are unfamiliar

Tina:

with Trill Paws, can you share what Trill Paws is and what you offer?

Rachel:

Yeah, so Trill Paws is a pet product company.

Rachel:

The bulk of our offerings are pet ID tags, which are heavily inspired by pop culture.

Rachel:

So they're very fun, funny, vibrant pet ID tags that say funny things

Rachel:

like, have your people call my people.

Rachel:

We also have other products that sort of support the ID tags, but the ID

Rachel:

tags are our bread and butter and we have so much fun designing them

Rachel:

and seeing them on our customers.

Tina:

I love that each tag offers some insight into Winnie

Tina:

and Chloe's personalities and they are conversation starters.

Tina:

What inspired you to create Trill Paws and when did you start?

Rachel:

Yeah.

Rachel:

So I, at the time was working as an assistant for an entertainment

Rachel:

attorney, and I loved it.

Rachel:

I loved her, but I knew that, there was a ceiling.

Rachel:

I really couldn't grow in that position.

Rachel:

And I wanted to step out on my own and eventually start something

Rachel:

where I could create my own ceiling.

Rachel:

And so I thought , what is it that I love the most?

Rachel:

And it was dogs.

Rachel:

It's still is.

Rachel:

And I thought about what I could do within the industry.

Rachel:

What I could do and what product can I create that is a necessity.

Rachel:

I thought through the entire process when you adopt a dog or when you purchase

Rachel:

a dog, you need a collar, you need a leash, you need a bowl, you need

Rachel:

food, and of course you need an ID tag.

Rachel:

And I thought about what purchasing an ID tag looked like back then, you'd

Rachel:

go into the big box stores and you'd select a tag from the kiosk

Rachel:

and that was that, but it was pretty underwhelming after you received the tag.

Rachel:

And so I thought it could be really cool to reinvent that product.

Rachel:

And so, yeah, five years later, we're here, we have reinvented the product,

Rachel:

or at least I believe that we have.

Rachel:

It's been, it's been a lot of fun.

Tina:

Love that.

Tina:

That's so smart to think about the necessities and recreating

Tina:

that to make it amazing.

Tina:

Was your family and husband supportive?

Rachel:

Oh my God, absolutely.

Rachel:

So what's funny is he is an entrepreneur himself, in a completely

Rachel:

different industry, but , he's still very business oriented.

Rachel:

And so as I was transitioning out of my assistant role, him and I went on a coffee

Rachel:

date and the goal was, okay, we're going to sit down and we are going to figure out

Rachel:

what this business is, what's the product

Rachel:

? And so we sat down and it's funny, we sat down at The coffee shop

Rachel:

where we had our very first date.

Rachel:

So this coffee shop just has a lot of meaning for me and for us.

Rachel:

But yeah, he sat down and he helped me come up with this idea.

Rachel:

And he was very supportive in helping me build a legitimate business.

Rachel:

Because at the time I really didn't know what I was doing.

Rachel:

So he was very...

Rachel:

Very much on top of accounting and just all the things.

Rachel:

And he's very, technically savvy.

Rachel:

So all of the website things, he sat down with me and helped me with

Rachel:

a lot of it in the early stages.

Tina:

I love that you've had that support.

Tina:

Tell me about your life before Trill Paws.

Tina:

Did you grow up with dogs?

Rachel:

Yeah, I did.

Rachel:

So I was born into a home with dogs.

Rachel:

We have always had dogs.

Rachel:

We've always adopted dogs or if there was a litter outside of a pet

Rachel:

store, like the odds of us taking a puppy home, we're pretty high.

Rachel:

So we have always had dogs.

Rachel:

And more recently, Kevin is now five years old and he is our only, I would

Rachel:

love more, but we also have a baby.

Rachel:

So, um, just one thing at a time, but yeah, I've always

Rachel:

had dogs and I always will.

Rachel:

I grew up in Los Angeles and the entertainment industry is

Rachel:

just a major industry out here.

Rachel:

So it was easy for me to get into that world and, working

Rachel:

with this fantastic attorney.

Rachel:

Um, I did not go to a university.

Rachel:

And at the time when I was younger in my early twenties, I felt like the jobs that

Rachel:

I was interested in weren't something that were accessible for me because I didn't

Rachel:

. So I got into roles, like assistant roles and, you know, they were great

Rachel:

and they paid the bills in my twenties.

Rachel:

But I always knew if I wanted success, I would have to start my own

Rachel:

business because the big corporations that I was interested in working in

Rachel:

at the time required you to have a degree and I just didn't have that.

Rachel:

But I didn't want that to discourage me and I didn't want that to

Rachel:

hinder my success in this life.

Rachel:

So I always toyed with different entrepreneurial ideas and I always will.

Rachel:

Trill Paws won't be my last baby.

Rachel:

I feel like I always have ideas and I thoroughly enjoy starting a business.

Rachel:

But yeah, I just knew , in order for me to find success in this

Rachel:

life, I had to start a business.

Tina:

Love that.

Tina:

I love that you took control of your future and didn't let anything limit

Tina:

you or get in the way of that.

Tina:

So it sounds like you always had an entrepreneurial spirit then?

Rachel:

I did.

Rachel:

I did.

Tina:

And so you're based in LA and you grew up there

Tina:

. Rachel: Yeah, I did.

Tina:

I'm born and raised in the city.

Tina:

I now live in the valley, which is like a suburb outside of L.

Tina:

A.

Tina:

But yeah, I grew up in the city.

Tina:

Fun!

Tina:

Has your location influenced the Trail Paws brand or provided tag inspiration?

Rachel:

I think that's an interesting question and it's something I've never

Rachel:

thought about, but I think it has.

Rachel:

I mean, pop culture is very much alive and well out here in LA.

Rachel:

It's everywhere you turn, whether you like it or not.

Rachel:

And I'm very much the person that will send you funny memes at midnight,

Rachel:

when everyone's like fast asleep.

Rachel:

I think between where I live and just the internet I think

Rachel:

it has influenced the business.

Rachel:

And also LA is just such a dog friendly city.

Rachel:

There's inspiration everywhere.

Rachel:

You see all kinds of crazy stuff, like people dying their dogs fur silly colors.

Rachel:

And you just see all kinds of stuff.

Rachel:

But, I absolutely think that LA influenced what the business is today.

Tina:

What was the biggest challenge in initially starting the business?

Tina:

Do you feel like it was mindset, sourcing, financial or time constraints?

Rachel:

Um, I think the biggest issue, I mean, shoot, I'm sure

Rachel:

there are more than one, but the one that comes to mind is financial.

Rachel:

I, I had to continue working in order to support this idea of mine.

Rachel:

So that was a bit difficult because I'd be going into work to assist or, you know,

Rachel:

whatever I was doing at the time, but like, I'd be running to the post office

Rachel:

to drop off Trill Paws orders, before I go into work or I'd be looking for

Rachel:

post offices that kept their doors open.

Rachel:

Meaning if you had a PO box at a post office, they don't fully close the

Rachel:

post office, you can still drop off.

Rachel:

And these are things that I learned early on.

Rachel:

So a lot of it was time management.

Rachel:

I felt like I was working around the clock and I was working around

Rachel:

the clock because I needed money to support this dream of mine.

Rachel:

So I think early on, it was, that was the biggest challenge.

Tina:

Did you do market research before jumping in?

Rachel:

I did not.

Rachel:

I am not one of those like data driven people and I wish

Rachel:

that I was, but I didn't.

Rachel:

I just had this gut feeling and I and I went for it.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

I think that's great.

Tina:

In another interview you did, I love that you share the realness and the

Tina:

things that happen when you're in the beginning stages of starting a business

Tina:

and trying to figure everything out.

Tina:

You spoke about a costly mishap when first starting out.

Tina:

Can you tell us about that?

Rachel:

Yeah.

Rachel:

So I ended up finding a manufacturer that I thought could produce our products.

Rachel:

And so our products are very similar to enamel pins that we put on our

Rachel:

backpacks or hats back in the day.

Rachel:

And so I was looking for an enamel pin manufacturer, not so

Rachel:

much a pet ID tag manufacturer.

Rachel:

And so I didn't really foresee that they wouldn't be able to create the durability

Rachel:

that one would need in an ID tag.

Rachel:

And so I poured everything into this inventory pretty early on, and then I

Rachel:

would receive customer reviews like, oh my god, the loop, you know, that

Rachel:

attaches to the dog collar has broken.

Rachel:

I lost my tag, which was a nightmare.

Rachel:

It defeated the purpose, you know, it's like these products

Rachel:

were created to identify a dog.

Rachel:

God forbid the dog gets out.

Rachel:

But yet, the customers are losing tags like it just felt like a nightmare.

Rachel:

But, we quickly found another manufacturer and did more thorough testing

Rachel:

and ended up having to switch all of our product offerings to another factory.

Rachel:

Which was a hard lesson to learn.

Rachel:

But It was a lesson that I did learn.

Tina:

That's crazy.

Tina:

How do people typically find Trill Paws?

Tina:

Have you done any

Tina:

advertising?

Rachel:

I was doing, um, you know, like Facebook marketing and all of that.

Rachel:

And I did it about three years into the business.

Rachel:

Um, and I really felt like, and I still feel like I don't see the

Rachel:

return that, a lot of my peers in the entrepreneurial space see.

Rachel:

And so I no longer do, digital advertising.

Rachel:

What I felt like our angle is and I've continued to double down on that is just

Rachel:

macro and micro influencer marketing.

Rachel:

It's organic.

Rachel:

It's real a nd I believe it works.

Rachel:

So that's I guess it's advertising.

Rachel:

And it's something I will continue to do.

Rachel:

I feel like it's a proven it's a proven model for us.

Tina:

How important is social media to the Trill Paws brand?

Tina:

If it is important, how much of your business you think comes

Tina:

from your social media presence?

Rachel:

It's incredibly important.

Rachel:

It's the tool so specifically Instagram.

Rachel:

It's the tool that I launched the business with and for a long time, I'd like to say

Rachel:

about 80% of our sales came in through Instagram and a lot of it was and still

Rachel:

is that, influencer marketing, that I think sort of capture people, you

Rachel:

know, if they're following the cute dog and that dog posts the tag, they'll

Rachel:

follow us and maybe they'll place an order for a tag whenever they need one.

Rachel:

And so I think a lot of it is Instagram.

Rachel:

Things are changing so much and, you don't really get the

Rachel:

exposure that you used to get.

Rachel:

And so it's almost like you have to work harder and there are other

Rachel:

platforms these days, such as Tik TOK and anything else, but I still

Rachel:

believe in it and it's still something that we spend a lot of time doing.

Tina:

Do you find that you get more orders from a certain region of the country?

Rachel:

Um, no.

Rachel:

It's interesting.

Rachel:

So, I feel like years ago, we received a lot of traffic from major cities.

Rachel:

You know, so, of course, Los Angeles.

Rachel:

New York, Miami, Houston, just big cities, major markets, Chicago, but I

Rachel:

think as time has progressed and we've also spent time, we're in, um, a little

Rachel:

over 200 retail stores and a lot of them are mom and pop stores in smaller cities.

Rachel:

I think because of that work that we've done, we see orders across

Rachel:

the country, which is so beautiful and so awesome because there

Rachel:

are dog owners in every city.

Rachel:

Um, so I do think that it has evolved from, you know, major

Rachel:

markets to just across the country, which is so awesome to see.

Tina:

Trill Paws is carried on Chewy.

Tina:

com.

Tina:

How did that come to be and how excited are

Tina:

you to launch there?

Rachel:

Yeah, so Chewy was interesting because it was as simple as, me

Rachel:

going on their website and submitting myself as a potential vendor.

Rachel:

And, one of the buyers responsible for my category responded.

Rachel:

They were interested immediately and we started onboarding.

Rachel:

And so that was about three years ago.

Rachel:

And I think for me, that was a validating moment.

Rachel:

Um, because prior to that, it was just a lot of direct to consumer, people that

Rachel:

would find us on social people that would find us on Google and so grateful for

Rachel:

those people because they kept us afloat.

Rachel:

We were still learning and growing and learning and growing, but to have

Rachel:

Chewy this enormous company step in and say, yes, we would like to carry you

Rachel:

guys just validated that whatever we were doing, we were doing things right.

Rachel:

And, customers were interested on just a broader scale.

Rachel:

And so it was just a, confidence boost, you know, early on there, there,

Rachel:

there wasn't a lot of confidence.

Rachel:

It was just kind of like day to day.

Rachel:

I don't know what we're doing, but we're doing it.

Rachel:

Things became very real with Chewy.

Rachel:

Um, you know, so it was, it was a great thing.

Tina:

This is the most important question.

Tina:

Can you tell us about Kevin and your relationship?

Rachel:

Yes.

Rachel:

Oh my God.

Rachel:

So Kevin is, I don't know if you can hear him snoring in the back.

Tina:

Unfortunately not.

Tina:

I really want to hear.

Rachel:

Oh good.

Rachel:

Okay.

Rachel:

Thank goodness.

Rachel:

Oh my God.

Rachel:

He's been snoring the entire time.

Rachel:

He is.

Rachel:

He is my heart.

Rachel:

I call him my first born.

Rachel:

I am now a mother of a human child, which has been incredible.

Rachel:

But Kevin is my first born, my F U R S T born.

Rachel:

And, um, he is just...

Rachel:

He means the world to me.

Rachel:

I feel like we have a a real bond, a real connection.

Rachel:

I work in office most of the time.

Rachel:

Today I'm working from home, but like we go to work together.

Rachel:

We will take a walk daily, although now he sits in the bottom of the

Rachel:

stroller and is pushed around and my neighbors think it is the cutest thing.

Rachel:

Um, but he is just.

Rachel:

I don't know.

Rachel:

He's my, he's my baby.

Rachel:

He is my world.

Rachel:

I will do anything for him.

Rachel:

He was having back issues a couple years ago and I found,

Rachel:

an acupuncturist for dogs.

Rachel:

And so he was getting acupuncture quarterly and I've never had

Rachel:

acupuncture, you know, but whatever he needs, whatever I can do to make

Rachel:

his life the most comfortable life.

Rachel:

You know, possible I will do for him.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

How did Kevin prepare you for motherhood?

Rachel:

I think Frenchies specifically very, very heavily contribute

Rachel:

to prepping you for motherhood.

Rachel:

They are a special breed, as you know.

Rachel:

Um, they've just got, or at least Kevin, I can't speak for all

Rachel:

Frenchies, but like Kevin's got...

Rachel:

This interesting energy where, he's he'll be sleeping the entire day.

Rachel:

But if someone comes to the door, he is insane or, he's like very

Rachel:

curious if I'm running out to the store, he'll run out of the house and

Rachel:

like, want to join me and I will take him, he's just, he's very needy.

Rachel:

Um, and it's probably.

Rachel:

a bit of my fault, but I feel like because I have to tend to him and he's

Rachel:

five years old, but he still will like get into things and like chew on them.

Rachel:

And it could be like a lip gloss or it could be a battery.

Rachel:

I don't know.

Rachel:

I'm hyper aware What's on the floor and, I'm always closing doors and I feel like,

Rachel:

as my 10 month old is slowly starting to stand and he'll be able to walk soon.

Rachel:

I feel like I'm already programmed to keep things off of the ground

Rachel:

and so it's just been a very smooth transition going from Being Kevin's

Rachel:

mom to being my son's mom, they both require a lot and that's not a shock.

Rachel:

It's not shocking to me, you know, to have to tend to a human because

Rachel:

this dog here is like, well, he's a full time job for sure.

Tina:

Some people say that the relationship changes

Tina:

when they have a human baby.

Tina:

Has that shifted at all for you?

Rachel:

You know it is interesting, that was my biggest fear.

Rachel:

Um, before I got pregnant and while I was pregnant, because Kevin is

Rachel:

my world, I did not want him to feel like too much has changed.

Rachel:

And you know, that could sound a little crazy because everything really changes

Rachel:

with a human, but I didn't want Kevin to feel like he You know, was going to

Rachel:

take the backseat and so I would talk to different moms who are also dog moms

Rachel:

and I would hear all different kinds of things, but the overall response

Rachel:

that I would hear is, Oh, no, no, no, no, like your dog becomes a dog, you

Rachel:

know, and you just can't tend to them as much and I hated hearing that.

Rachel:

And it also frightened me.

Rachel:

So I made it my priority from the moment my child was born to

Rachel:

prioritize Kevin and the time that he gets and, our relationship.

Rachel:

So yeah, naturally, you know, Kevin doesn't get my one on one attention

Rachel:

24 hours out of the day, but his life has not changed at all, you know, and

Rachel:

it's because I feel like I'm working overtime to make sure he's happy,

Rachel:

but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tina:

Thanks for sharing that.

Tina:

I'm always curious how that shifts for people.

Tina:

And so it is reassuring you say, I have two French Bulldogs,

Tina:

so I feel very worried.

Tina:

They're definitely my babies too.

Rachel:

Yeah, no, you'll be fine.

Tina:

What is the dynamic between Kevin and the baby?

Rachel:

So the baby Loves Kevin.

Rachel:

Every time Kevin walks in the room, Elijah, my son's name, his face

Rachel:

lights up and he like shrieks.

Rachel:

Just pure joy.

Rachel:

And Kevin could care less.

Rachel:

Kevin's just unbothered by him, and I think that, um, Kevin, you

Rachel:

know, loves toys, loves chewing on things, he loves playing, tug of war.

Rachel:

And so I feel like when Elijah gets a little bit older, and he's

Rachel:

old enough to actually play those games with him, I think Kevin will

Rachel:

find him a bit more interesting.

Rachel:

But Kevin is very friendly, he knows how to turn it down when Elijah is around,

Rachel:

so we've never had a single issue, but Kevin just could care less at the moment.

Tina:

I love that your son loves him so much and that gives him something

Tina:

to look at and entertain him.

Rachel:

It just makes me so happy.

Rachel:

Um, you know, because it was a frightening thought when I was pregnant.

Rachel:

Like, what's the dynamic going to be like?

Rachel:

You know, I love Kevin.

Rachel:

He's my firstborn.

Rachel:

And to see my son, love him just as much as I do makes me so happy.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

Has motherhood shifted the way you approach business?

Rachel:

Yes, yes.

Rachel:

Um, I just don't have the same time I had prior to giving birth.

Rachel:

And so that has been a real adjustment.

Rachel:

He's 10 months old and I feel like I am just now getting a grip.

Rachel:

I truly commend mothers that are able to work and work from

Rachel:

home and have a young baby.

Rachel:

It is the most difficult thing I've ever done.

Rachel:

It's not easy.

Rachel:

So I really commend women that can do it with ease because I'm

Rachel:

just not one of those women.

Rachel:

But I'm figuring it out.

Rachel:

We have help from our families, which has been Awesome.

Rachel:

Um, but it's just figuring out how to extract more time for work out of the day.

Rachel:

But Trill Paws is another baby of mine that I have to see through.

Rachel:

And so it's just figuring out how to find that time and , you

Rachel:

know, manage my time a bit better.

Rachel:

So everything can get watered and taking care of because I can't neglect a thing.

Tina:

Yeah, I can imagine.

Tina:

Also taking care of yourself.

Tina:

We just spoke about taking care of all the things, everyone else, but

Tina:

feeling like a human besides all of the other roles that you play every day

Tina:

. Rachel: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Tina:

It's, it's a balance and it's challenging, but I look around at all of the mothers

Tina:

around me and I see that they're doing it and I'm sure, they've had

Tina:

challenges, but they're doing it.

Tina:

And so I am inspired by other women that, have somehow figured it out.

Tina:

How has the business evolved over time?

Tina:

New products, the different relationships I have a dog mom sweatshirt from you.

Tina:

So yeah.

Tina:

How has that evolved and the new products, the micro tags.

Rachel:

Yeah.

Rachel:

So.

Rachel:

As I mentioned, the ID tags they are our bread and butter and that was the case

Rachel:

for a while, but I, I wanted to create products that would support the ID tag.

Rachel:

So, we've got leashes and collars, and it just feels

Rachel:

like they all go hand in hand.

Rachel:

And then I.

Rachel:

I'm just a fan of merch myself.

Rachel:

Every time I go to a concert, like I've got to buy the t shirt.

Rachel:

I don't know if I'll wear it, but like I've got to buy it.

Rachel:

You know, maybe I'll sleep in it.

Rachel:

Maybe I'll give it to my son.

Rachel:

I don't know, but I've got to have it.

Rachel:

So with Trill Paws it was like, okay, you know, why don't I create some kind

Rachel:

of merch that You know, you put it on and you feel like it represents you well,

Rachel:

and I feel like being a dog mom is a role that I take very seriously and I think

Rachel:

that my peers take it very seriously.

Rachel:

So it'd be cool to put something on and represent that role

Rachel:

that you love so dearly.

Rachel:

So that's where the merch came from.

Rachel:

We are phasing out that merch and we're working on a new collection that

Rachel:

I'm really excited about m ore hats, more socks, more t shirts, but a more

Rachel:

evolved version, an updated version.

Rachel:

But yeah, ID tags will always be our priority, but I'm also very much

Rachel:

interested in other products and like the mini charm, for example, I was

Rachel:

seeing a lot of customers that would want to engrave words like microchipped or

Rachel:

needs meds on the back of their id tag along with all of the other information

Rachel:

they wanted on the id tag and I just thought You know, why don't I allow

Rachel:

customers to put all of the information they need on the back of the tag,

Rachel:

whether that's their address or a second phone number without them having to,

Rachel:

think something's got to be left out.

Rachel:

And why don't I create this other product that they can attach to their ID tag

Rachel:

that also communicates whether the dog is blind or, you know, whatever it is.

Rachel:

And so that's how that product came about.

Rachel:

And it's, I mean, we released it.

Rachel:

It's been two, two and a half weeks, almost three weeks, and customers

Rachel:

absolutely love it, which is so great.

Rachel:

Um, and of course, I'm like, okay, what else could I do?

Rachel:

Do we need more colors?

Rachel:

So eventually at some point, I want to log onto Instagram just

Rachel:

to get some feedback from customers to hear what they want to see.

Rachel:

Do they want more color, whatever it is, I want to dive in because,

Rachel:

they're pretty well received.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

That's so smart that you're learning from the information that people

Tina:

are giving you to put on the tags.

Tina:

It is limited because obviously you can't put everything.

Tina:

And so that's a really great option to add that, make that an accessory

Tina:

and something that you can sell.

Tina:

That's really cool.

Tina:

So I know every day probably looks really different at this point, but what is

Tina:

the day to day look kind of look like?

Rachel:

Yeah, every day does look different But if I can think about

Rachel:

the like the perfect day where I have a help and I can sit down for

Rachel:

eight hours a lot of it is just going through emails and correspondence

Rachel:

with the customers and to your point, it's listening to the customers.

Rachel:

We have a ton of retail partners.

Rachel:

So it's also listening to different store owners and the feedback

Rachel:

that they are sharing with us.

Rachel:

So a lot of it is just making sure that everyone is happy.

Rachel:

Another part of the day is thinking about the future.

Rachel:

What products can we create, talking to different manufacturers, sampling

Rachel:

different products, um, I spend a lot of time on social, answering direct

Rachel:

messages, finding influencers, getting inspo, you know, just online in general,

Rachel:

looking at different reels and how people are structuring their reels

Rachel:

because that's so important these days.

Rachel:

So my day is absolutely all over the place, but I try to structure

Rachel:

it as best I can to make sure I'm checking all of those boxes.

Rachel:

Um, but yeah, I feel like that's, that's the ideal day.

Rachel:

If I've got the help that I need with baby.

Tina:

Do you have a busiest time of year?

Rachel:

Yeah, so it is definitely the holiday season.

Rachel:

And then it's a bit after the holiday season.

Rachel:

So let's just say from Black Friday.

Rachel:

So end of November through early January.

Rachel:

We've got sales going.

Rachel:

And so the traffic is a bit higher.

Rachel:

So naturally, we're a bit busier and then when going into January, I'm trying my

Rachel:

best to think about the following year.

Rachel:

Sales have slowed down a little bit, but I feel like the work has picked up and

Rachel:

that I'm looking at next holiday season and what products can we come up with?

Rachel:

And what partnerships can we work on?

Rachel:

And so I would say November through January are the busiest time of year,

Rachel:

but it's pretty consistent year round.

Tina:

Can you share some of your favorite tags or best sellers?

Rachel:

Yeah, I feel like my, my favorite is ball is life.

Rachel:

Um,

Tina:

I have that one.

Tina:

So good.

Rachel:

Yeah, I mean, not all dogs, but some dogs are very ball driven.

Rachel:

And, you know, I just think it just makes sense.

Rachel:

It's a tennis ball in my, yes, ball is life.

Rachel:

And I love, um, basketball, you know, so it just kind of all ties in.

Rachel:

I love how bright the, the neon green is on the tag and just how

Rachel:

it really pops on a dog's fur.

Rachel:

Um, so that by far, I think is my favorite tag.

Rachel:

I also really love cuddly as fuck.

Rachel:

I love the bright red the gold detail.

Rachel:

I think it's really beautiful and it feels to me like a piece of

Rachel:

jewelry, but then when you look at the actual text, it's like kind

Rachel:

of silly and it'll make you laugh.

Rachel:

Um, and so that one is another one of my favorites.

Rachel:

Um, we have a tag that says call mom and it's on like an old, Nokia

Rachel:

flip phone is what it feels like.

Rachel:

And so that feels like very nostalgic and cute.

Rachel:

And also, you know, God forbid your dog out gets out like.

Rachel:

Call mom, you know, and like, here's here's mom's information on the back.

Rachel:

Um, so I would say those are my three favorites.

Rachel:

And then we are working on five new collections now and one of

Rachel:

the five I'm super excited about.

Rachel:

Um, and so who knows, you know, maybe my top three will change

Rachel:

once this collection is released.

Rachel:

But yeah, it's always changing because we're always releasing new tags.

Tina:

I'm so excited.

Tina:

What tag represents Kevin the most?

Rachel:

Oh my god.

Tina:

I know.

Tina:

It's impossible.

Rachel:

So like, yeah, it's impossible, but cuddly as fuck

Rachel:

I think is a good one for him.

Rachel:

He is never too far away from me.

Rachel:

And if on a couch, his, his butt is like pushed up against my thigh.

Rachel:

Are your dogs like that?

Tina:

Yes.

Tina:

Yeah.

Rachel:

Well, I don't know what it's about, but like, I support it, you know,

Rachel:

if this is what makes you comfortable, cool, he's got to like sleep in the bed

Rachel:

with us and his head will end up on my pillow, you know, and it's like, fine.

Rachel:

So I, you know, he's very, you know, cuddly.

Rachel:

So I would say that's one that represents Kevin, but also

Rachel:

cute, but psycho, but cute.

Rachel:

You know, like when someone comes to the door, he loses, he turns

Rachel:

into a different dog, and it's almost like embarrassing, you know?

Rachel:

I don't know, he's just, he's, he's a little crazy sometimes,

Rachel:

so I feel like that's another one that represents him well.

Rachel:

Um, what else?

Rachel:

I would say those are the two, the two big ones for Kevin, for sure.

Tina:

We have both of those and Chloe always has the cute

Tina:

but psycho, but cute one on.

Tina:

And it totally represents her.

Tina:

And also I love most is the spicy as fuck one.

Rachel:

Oh, yes.

Tina:

Um, that one is amazing.

Tina:

The vet always loves that one.

Rachel:

That makes me, okay.

Rachel:

If you don't mind me asking, so I thought, so I don't engrave the tags anymore.

Rachel:

I have someone in office, she is incredible, that handles all fulfillment.

Rachel:

But back in the day, I would be, engraving the tags.

Rachel:

So I would see all of these dog names that were so funny, so fascinating.

Rachel:

Like Sushi, and I'm engraving a tag.

Rachel:

I'm like, oh my God, someone named their dog Sushi and I would see it, you know.

Rachel:

A dozen times, two dozen times, and then I'm like, I've got to do a sushi

Rachel:

tag, or I'd see a sriracha, so that's where spicy AF came from, but I'm

Rachel:

curious, because you have the tag, what personality trait does your dog have that

Rachel:

made you feel like that was a good fit?

Tina:

I think she's a little feisty, she's super in your face and it's just

Tina:

to smell you and to lick your face, but it just comes off as a little spicy.

Tina:

She's very extroverted.

Tina:

She's a dog that will run to danger and Winnie will back up.

Tina:

So if I get a vacuum out, Chloe will run to the vacuum and Winnie

Tina:

will follow behind me and he'll be scared, but she'll start attacking.

Tina:

So she's just fearless.

Tina:

And it inspires me to be like that.

Rachel:

I love that.

Rachel:

I had a friend over last weekend and it sounds like

Rachel:

Kevin is very similar to Chloe.

Rachel:

And my friend was like, he's like a security guard.

Rachel:

If we are doing anything, he has to run full force to investigate

Rachel:

and I can't unhear that.

Rachel:

And now every time, like I'm going to do something like at three in the

Rachel:

morning yesterday, I had to get up, go outside, turn landscape lights off.

Rachel:

And he was there, like security guard vibes.

Rachel:

I can't unhear it.

Rachel:

It's every time I see that.

Rachel:

I'm like, you're a little patrol cop, you know?

Rachel:

So funny.

Tina:

That's so funny.

Tina:

That's so Chloe.

Tina:

My husband is pretty clumsy . He hit his foot and Chloe will come to rescue him.

Tina:

And he's like, she's the only one who cares about me around here.

Tina:

She's the only one who listens..

Rachel:

She's on the job.

Tina:

Totally.

Rachel:

You know?

Rachel:

It's so funny.

Tina:

If you could dress any Frenchie or dog out there, a celeb dog, is

Tina:

there somebody that you have in mind?

Rachel:

Oh, it's ever changing.

Rachel:

I mean, there's so many celebrities with dogs and, you know, every

Rachel:

season, I'm like, oh my God, we've got to get so and so tagged.

Rachel:

Um, but Paris Hilton, to me, right now, She's just the ultimate dog mom.

Rachel:

And so I would love to get her tags.

Rachel:

And she recently posted on threads that she, I think she got a new dog.

Rachel:

And so, I would love to, get her tags to put on her new dog.

Rachel:

But what's also wild is we were in a store in L.

Rachel:

A.

Rachel:

called Kitson.

Rachel:

And she frequented that store, and she actually purchased It was like

Rachel:

six tags from us, um, not too long ago, which was so crazy to me.

Rachel:

You know, it's like Paris Hilton and this legend out here in LA.

Rachel:

And so she saw the tags, loved them and purchased them herself.

Rachel:

Um, but that being said, she's got a new puppy that needs a Trill Paws tag.

Rachel:

I don't know how I'm going to pull it off.

Tina:

Were you ever surprised over the popularity of certain tags?

Rachel:

I guess, yeah, so have your people call my people has

Rachel:

been our best selling tag from the day that we launched the business.

Rachel:

And I guess I am a bit surprised that it has remained consistent

Rachel:

over the past five years.

Rachel:

Um, I think it's a great tag.

Rachel:

But I feel like we have so many other great tags.

Rachel:

So it's just interesting to me that this has remained our best seller by far.

Rachel:

Um, so I, I, that is a bit of a surprise.

Rachel:

I mean, I didn't see that coming when we designed that tag.

Tina:

That's so funny.

Tina:

I think I have that one too.

Tina:

I also have, for Winnie, Bitches Love Me.

Rachel:

That's a good one.

Rachel:

That's a good one for sure.

Tina:

One of the reasons I wanted to create this podcast was to

Tina:

highlight diversity in the pet space.

Tina:

Have you seen or noticed any shifts in the pet space since you've entered?

Rachel:

Um, so during, 2020, and that sort of, um, I guess you can

Rachel:

call it the Black Lives Matter movement that we experienced.

Rachel:

I think what was interesting to me was a lot of, black e ntrepreneurs in the pet

Rachel:

space were highlighted, you know, they had always been there, um, but they were sort

Rachel:

of highlighted and brought to the surface.

Rachel:

And so it was really fun to be able to connect with all of these like

Rachel:

minded people across the country that were in, you know, I mean, whether

Rachel:

you own a pet shop or you have a pet, um, like a pet treat line,

Rachel:

we're all sort of in it together.

Rachel:

And so I thought it was really cool that that movement.

Rachel:

Allowed us to connect with one another.

Rachel:

And so, you know, it's sort of like put us on a map of our own.

Rachel:

And , now I have connections with people that I don't think that I

Rachel:

would have made these connections with if it wasn't for that movement.

Rachel:

Um, so it's good to know that, that, yeah, there are, you know, there are

Rachel:

black people that love dogs just as much as I do, just enough to start

Rachel:

a business and support their dreams.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

You're featured in Z's entrepreneurship music video.

Tina:

How did that come to be and how did it feel to be acknowledged, celebrated and

Tina:

be someone that is inspiring others?

Rachel:

That was, um, a surreal moment for me, um, just because it was

Rachel:

pretty, I want to say it was about two and a half years into the business.

Rachel:

And, you know, so I was still figuring it out and still, you know, had a little bit

Rachel:

of insecurity about like, what am I doing?

Rachel:

Am I doing it the right way?

Rachel:

Um, and so to receive, I received an email from the director of the music

Rachel:

video from his production company.

Rachel:

And when I saw the email, I Did not think it was a real, I shared it with my fiance

Rachel:

now husband and he was like, yeah, no, this is like, this is legit, you know?

Rachel:

And so I, yeah, I mean, we just obviously like went through the

Rachel:

entire process, but to see the video actually come to life was so surreal.

Rachel:

Jay Z is someone that I have looked up to since I was, I don't

Rachel:

know, 10 years old, 11 years old.

Rachel:

I was not really the kid into like the poppy stuff.

Rachel:

I was like a rap heavy child.

Rachel:

And so Jay Z was always it for me.

Rachel:

So to be able to be featured in a music video where he's on the song

Rachel:

talking about Being an entrepreneur was just a full circle, incredible

Rachel:

moment for me that I will never forget.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

That's so great.

Tina:

It's such a moving video and yeah, it's amazing.

Tina:

What are some of the biggest challenges as you've continued to grow the business?

Rachel:

Uh, I would say the biggest challenge for me right now is, um, being

Rachel:

a mother and running a business, you know, just finding the time to create

Rachel:

the products and The campaigns and, you know, just all of the things that I want

Rachel:

to do while having a very young child.

Rachel:

I feel like that has been the most challenging, part about

Rachel:

growing this business by far.

Tina:

Do you ever think about, like hiring more?

Rachel:

Yeah.

Rachel:

I just don't feel like I'm in a place right now to be able to hire.

Rachel:

So we have so I have a fulfillment at someone that solely handles fulfillment.

Rachel:

I have someone that solely handles customer service.

Rachel:

I've got freelance people in place.

Rachel:

But, um, I feel like for for the role that I have taken on, which is

Rachel:

product development and marketing.

Rachel:

It's something that I can't let go.

Rachel:

And, you know, maybe sometime down the road I, I could, um, but right now I feel

Rachel:

like that's my role and I'm not really willing to hire out, but I could, you

Rachel:

know, I could be hindering my growth.

Tina:

And we touched on this.

Tina:

There are so many skills necessary in entrepreneurship.

Tina:

Do you love doing it all or excel in specific areas?

Rachel:

I don't love doing it all, and it's funny, pretty early on, I

Rachel:

learned that I am not a photographer.

Rachel:

Like, I would try to capture images of the tags and put them on the website.

Rachel:

It would take me all day for me to hate the photos, and I would do

Rachel:

that over and over and over again.

Rachel:

And finally, I think I learned, you just need to pay someone.

Rachel:

So, you know, I'm not a photographer.

Rachel:

I'm also not a content creator I feel like Instagram has evolved so much and

Rachel:

it's you have to be a content creator to sort of get the exposure that you

Rachel:

want You know, had just posting photos and I have not evolved with the time

Rachel:

like to put a reel together, you know, it take for me it takes three hours.

Rachel:

Who has time for that?

Rachel:

You know, so those are the areas where I feel like I need help

Rachel:

or it just takes a bit longer.

Rachel:

Whereas product development comes very naturally to me.

Rachel:

Talking to the manufacturers, t he correspondence and receiving

Rachel:

the samples and all of that is something that I can do.

Rachel:

And I feel like I do well.

Rachel:

Um, and also just working as a team.

Rachel:

I have a really great, um, email marketing guy.

Rachel:

And I think as a team, we work flawlessly.

Rachel:

If I had to handle all of it on my own.

Rachel:

You know, who knows, like who knows what that would look like.

Rachel:

And so, yeah, it, it has been a journey sort of learning what I'm

Rachel:

good at and what I'm not good at and what I really need to hire for.

Rachel:

Um, but it's just all, you know, it's all been a learning process.

Tina:

How do you deal with uncertainties and pressure of entrepreneurship.

Rachel:

Absolutely.

Rachel:

Yes.

Rachel:

And some, you know, some quarters are better than others.

Rachel:

Um, you know, it's like if, if we have a fantastic sales day.

Rachel:

Great.

Rachel:

But if for some reason, we're not performing well on another day.

Rachel:

I'm like, Oh my God, you know, like the sky is falling like,

Rachel:

you know, business is over.

Rachel:

And I need to get out of my head because we've been Pushing through

Rachel:

and persevering despite a pandemic and despite, me forcing maternity leave and

Rachel:

we're, we are fine and we are thriving.

Rachel:

So yeah, I, it is like that negative self talk that, um, I have to sort

Rachel:

of combat to just keep it going, but you know, we're, we're in it

Rachel:

and I love, I love the business.

Rachel:

I love our customers.

Rachel:

And so I, you know, every morning I wake up and I try to figure out

Rachel:

how can I get back to Trill Paws.

Tina:

What do you do to get yourself in a better headspace when you feel that way?

Rachel:

I love walking, you know, so if I feel like I'm, in my head or I

Rachel:

can't seem to make sense of a certain issue, if I take a walk, no air pods,

Rachel:

no music, just walk, you know, with the intention to sort of gain peace

Rachel:

and clarity on whatever the issue is at the time, that absolutely helps.

Rachel:

And so I do, I do walk a lot for that reason.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

Are there still times that you question whether or not to continue?

Tina:

And when did you know this would work?

Rachel:

I, I no longer question, you know, whether I should continue or not.

Rachel:

Our customers show up for us, you know, we might have a slow day or,

Rachel:

you know, a slow week, but ultimately, if we create a product that our

Rachel:

customers find appealing, they show up.

Rachel:

And so without our customers, you know, we wouldn't be here.

Rachel:

And so I feel like I show up for them, you know, I'm developing

Rachel:

these products, you know, for them.

Rachel:

I'm like, okay, they like this.

Rachel:

Okay.

Rachel:

I'm hoping they'll like this, so it's just always trying to understand

Rachel:

our customer and understand how to best show up for them.

Rachel:

And I think that keeps me going.

Rachel:

It keeps me motivated.

Rachel:

It's the reason I Sit down at the desk and show up as often as I possibly can.

Rachel:

So no, there's no, no stopping at all, anytime soon.

Rachel:

I think about two years in, it was probably around the

Rachel:

time of the Chewy partnership.

Rachel:

Um.

Rachel:

And also around the time where we really started to partner with retail mom and

Rachel:

pop stores and we would receive a lot of feedback and, um, store owners are really

Rachel:

excited to place our product in store.

Rachel:

I think that for me was a validating moment where, you know, I knew that

Rachel:

this product was not only something that I liked, but that, you know

Rachel:

customers across the country would like.

Tina:

Can you share a proud Trill Paws moment or a moment

Tina:

that made you feel fulfilled?

Rachel:

Yes.

Rachel:

So I want to say earlier this year, sometime in February or March, I

Rachel:

received an email from Petco , you know, Petco from my perspective is a

Rachel:

massive, massive corporation that I don't know, for some reason, it was

Rachel:

just like this, this corporation, it was like, very intimidating.

Rachel:

And I didn't know if my product would be a good fit for them.

Rachel:

Um, but they reached out to me because they were opening a

Rachel:

flagship store in New York, and this store is a different concept.

Rachel:

It's more about local vendors.

Rachel:

They really tried to highlight small businesses.

Rachel:

And, I think they did a beautiful job at the assortment, just looking at my

Rachel:

peers and the offerings at this store.

Rachel:

Um, but they reached out to us and wanted to place an order.

Rachel:

And that was such a huge, huge, huge opportunity and just a huge moment for

Rachel:

Trill Paws just because, you know, as I mentioned, Petco is a massive store and

Rachel:

to know that they saw us and not only did they see us, but they wanted to carry

Rachel:

us was just such a, a beautiful moment.

Rachel:

And, um, yeah, that was definitely the highlight of the first half of this year.

Tina:

Amazing.

Tina:

Congratulations.

Tina:

I love that for you.

Rachel:

Thank you.

Tina:

What are you excited about right now?

Rachel:

I am excited about the new products that we are working on.

Rachel:

I, as I mentioned, we have a lot of new tags coming out, but we also have

Rachel:

the merch that I'm very excited about.

Rachel:

I wear it every chance that I get.

Rachel:

And so I hope that customers will enjoy it as much as, as I do.

Rachel:

I'm very proud to.

Rachel:

Put it on and, um, so I'm very excited about that and just other new products

Rachel:

outside of the pet ID tags, that I've been working on and I hope will be well

Rachel:

received, I'm excited to freshen the site up and, get new products out there.

Tina:

I'm so excited.

Tina:

When do you think those things will drop?

Rachel:

Yeah.

Rachel:

So the first tag collection will probably be released in a month.

Rachel:

And then every month after that, there will be another drop, whether

Rachel:

it's another tag collection or it's the human merch or the other new

Rachel:

products that we're working on.

Rachel:

So, starting next month, we'll have something out every

Rachel:

month, which is very exciting.

Tina:

I'm so excited.

Tina:

So what is the ultimate goal?

Rachel:

That's a good question.

Rachel:

I'm so in it, I haven't really taken a step back to look at

Rachel:

what the ultimate goal is.

Rachel:

Um, but I think to continuously expand the product line, create

Rachel:

new tags that resonate with new customers, with our current customers,

Rachel:

additional retail partnerships.

Rachel:

Different partnerships that, could potentially support

Rachel:

our growth and our exposure.

Rachel:

So just growth, ultimately, you know, taking this thing that was, you know,

Rachel:

just an idea at a coffee shop to, an actual, business that is, recognizable

Rachel:

to dog parents across country.

Tina:

I love how much you adapt and listen to the feedback that you're

Tina:

getting and not necessarily even feedback, but you're seeing the trend.

Tina:

You have a really good, understanding of what's next.

Tina:

That's a really important trait to have, especially as an entrepreneur.

Tina:

And I feel like that's what makes people successful when

Tina:

they have that gut instinct.

Tina:

And you definitely have that.

Rachel:

Awesome.

Rachel:

That makes me so happy.

Rachel:

It's, it's, um,

Rachel:

Yeah, I feel like it's what I spend most of my time doing is , listening

Rachel:

to the feedback to the customers.

Tina:

How can we support you in your work?

Rachel:

I mean, following us on Instagram, which is the, you know,

Rachel:

the platform that we post on the most.

Rachel:

Liking photos, commenting.

Rachel:

Um, if you have a dog and that dog needs an ID tag, purchasing a tag

Rachel:

on our site would be incredible.

Rachel:

And just, yeah, I think more than anything, following us on

Rachel:

Instagram and just sort of waving and saying hello is awesome.

Tina:

I love that.

Tina:

Thank you so much, Rachel.

Tina:

I've had so much fun talking to you.

Tina:

It's been such a pleasure.

Rachel:

Awesome.

Rachel:

No, this has been so much fun.

Rachel:

Thank you so much.

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Mother of Dogs

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Tina Krupczak

With the delightful antics of her French bulldogs, Winnie and Chloe, always close by, Tina embodies the spirit of modern pet parenthood. As the dynamic host of the "Mother of Dogs" podcast, she navigates the beautiful tapestry of stories that spotlight the transformative power of our four-legged companions. Tina's episodes weave tales of creativity and innovation, featuring everything from pet photographers to brand founders, all of whom owe a part of their success to their beloved pets. Beyond the airwaves, Tina champions holistic wellness, founder of a private practice that nurtures both mind and body. Dive into a world where pets inspire, with Tina as your guide through the heartwarming narratives of the pet-loving community.