Key Takeaways
- Sternlieb spent nights and weekends researching the business idea that would become her pet wellness brand.
- Meeting with other business owners and asking questions was an invaluable part of the process.
- Now, Under the Weather is seeing $10 million in annual sales and “generating significant growth.”
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kyla Sternlieb, 52, of Williston, Vermont. Sterlieb is the founder of pet wellness brand Under the Weather. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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What was your day job or primary occupation when you started your side hustle?
I was a founder/partner at a fundraising firm called Giving Tree. We helped nonprofits achieve their fundraising and board management goals.
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When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
Entrepreneurship is like a piece of sand in an oyster. Once an idea takes form inside your mind, it will irritate you endlessly until you wake up one day and decide your life is about to take a drastic turn. For me, that idea hatched one very hot August day in 2012 when my dog, Ruffy, was sick, and the vet told me I had to cook her the common bland diet of chicken and rice. Knowing it was far too hot to hit the grocery store on my drive home with her in my car, I realized just how often vets tell people to cook this diet and what an inconvenience it is. Especially when you have a sick dog and a busy life. There had to be an easier way!
I enjoyed my job as a fundraiser and working for nonprofits in and around the state of Vermont, but I never truly loved it. There was always something missing. After many months of careful research, I realized I had something special. Suddenly, the stars aligned, and the proverbial pearl was born.
Nothing is more important than surrounding yourself with people who have been there before.
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground?
In the very beginning, I spent my nights and weekends carefully researching the pet space and deciding if there was actually a need for what I wanted to create. This entailed reading countless articles, perusing pet products online and on shelves, walking trade shows and studying the competition.
Once I decided there was, in fact, a need, I had to pick a name and design my logo. Aside from the airfare to the trade shows and the lawyer fees to help me find a name that wasn’t already trademarked, the initial costs were very manageable.
Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business?
For me, the best free resource was meeting with other business owners and asking questions. Nothing is more important than surrounding yourself with people who have been there before. Being in Vermont, I feel very lucky. Burlington is a small town, but it has some very famous brands, so there were plenty of talented people 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’d done it differently?
If you plan on doing your own warehouse and shipping, find a space big enough to grow into. Sublet part of your space if you have to. If your business is successful, you will outgrow your space yearly, and moving is very disruptive.
When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t?
To be a very successful brand, you can’t have just one product. I thought my chicken and rice and other variations of bland diets were actually a business. I was wrong. You need a full health and wellness line across both cat and dog for most larger chains and distributors to partner with you.
These new products must be launched yearly, be innovative and be better than what is currently out there. Under the Weather specializes in bland diets as well as soft chews, powders and gels across all health categories.
With sales doubling year over year comes a whole new set of challenges. Warehousing, trucking, inventory, staff increases and competition! Once your ideas become products and your competitors see your products take off, you have fast followers, and companies, some much bigger than you, will create similar products.
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We put every dollar of revenue back into the business.
Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong? How did you fix it?
Over the 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, which is an essential ingredient in soft chews. The tariffs raised our packaging prices. There was a pumpkin blight once along the way that kept me awake at 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?
From the day we officially launched in 2016 at the Global Pet Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, we have been seeing consistent and increasing monthly revenues. That said, we put every dollar of revenue back into the business, which is still true today.
I realized early on that we aren’t just a pet company.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
I have been an animal-lover my whole life. I have fostered and adopted many dogs and also served on the board of the local humane society. Not only are we helping pets, but we are also helping their owners. Some of our products are designed to help animals that might not be eating, facing cancer or simply growing very old.
Our team at Under the Weather is built 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 questions. 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 aren’t just a pet company. We know at the end of the day that by helping one pet, we are helping that pet’s human, too. Hence our tagline: Healthy Pet, Happy Home.
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What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
Find the right manufacturer to grow with — one that will let you place small orders to start. There will be mistakes in the beginning, so always choose the smallest quantities when ordering products or packaging.
If you plan to sell on Amazon, pay attention to the Amazon fees because they are based on weight and dimensions, which should influence your product development and packaging designs.
Key Takeaways
- Sternlieb spent nights and weekends researching the business idea that would become her pet wellness brand.
- Meeting with other business owners and asking questions was an invaluable part of the process.
- Now, Under the Weather is seeing $10 million in annual sales and “generating significant growth.”
This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Kyla Sternlieb, 52, of Williston, Vermont. Sterlieb is the founder of pet wellness brand Under the Weather. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Want to read more stories like this? Subscribe to Money Makers, our free newsletter packed with creative side hustle ideas and successful strategies. Sign up here.
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