VMG Partners’ Post

The Farmer’s Dog:  An idea of value that created an $800 million dollar business.   I’m always preaching how an "idea of value" is the seed of competitive advantage.   The Farmer’s Dog is a perfect example. (not a client)   In the crowded category of pet food, and with look alike competitors, these astute founders carved a big space all their own by representing an idea of value customer’s love, can’t live without, and can’t get from anybody else.   https://lnkd.in/gmRduevH #brandstrategy #branddevelopment #competitiveadvantage

This month, Huntaway celebrates 4 years of bringing quality raw venison dog food, treats and chews to the dogs of America. Cam Mathias, CEO & Founder of Huntaway Inc., took a moment to sit down and reflect on the past four years. He shares FOUR LESSONS he’s learnt during this time in business. 1️⃣ It takes longer than you think - optimism is a great base setting, but patience and perseverance are essential. I’m thankful that we’ve had patient investors, customers and team members, in particular, to see us through the challenges of the past 4 years. 2️⃣ Iteration and product improvement never stops - although we get this great opportunity to reinvent and tweak products, our distance from raw material to market, packaging MOQs, manufacturability and other factors mean that it can't always happen as fast as we’d like it to. 3️⃣ Too many ideas can crowd out the handful of really good ones - Sequencing of effort is everything when you are all busy. Having people around you who can say "that's a great idea Cam, just not right now" is invaluable, and I'm grateful to those people. 4️⃣ Food (whether for humans or for dogs) is miraculous - It's ability to nourish, to satisfy, to heal, to help and to connect people and their pets never ceases to amaze me. Listening to customers talk about their pets, and gaining their feedback on our products is what we thrive on. It helps that we're aligned with the same goal of making great food and treats that dogs love and live longer with. “We have many customers who have followed us from right at the start of Huntaway’s journey, when we were sending sample bags out by Uber in the Bay Area - and that’s a testament to what we are trying to achieve. We will continue to keep innovating and listening to our customers, to develop our product range, to ensure we continue to provide the most nutritious, convenient and sustainable food to American dogs.” Happy 4th Birthday, Huntaway! #huntawaywild #businesslessons #happybirthday #business #nzbusiness #petfoodindustry #dogfood

A hot dog might seem simple, but it's a culinary canvas ripe for intellectual property disputes. From the recipe for the perfect frankfurter to the unique design of a hot dog stand, there are numerous ways that #IP law comes into play. Recipe Rights and Trade Secrets A family's secret hot dog recipe, passed down through generations, could be protected as a #tradesecret. Large hot dog manufacturers might even patent unique processes or ingredients. See: https://lnkd.in/eqqwRtgn. Branding and Trademarks Think of iconic hot dog brands like Nathan's Famous or the unique logos of local hot dog stands. These are all protected by trademarks, preventing others from using their name or likeness. Industrial Designs Ever seen a hot dog stand shaped like a giant hot dog? That design could be protected by an industrial design, preventing others from copying its unique appearance. So, the next time you throw a 'dog' onto the grill or bite into a hot dog, remember, it's not just a delicious treat, it's also a fascinating example of how intellectual property law touches even the most unexpected corners of our lives. #intellectualproperty #foodlaw #hotdogs #trademarks #patents

A dog food company wanted to create the best dog food ever. They made sure this food was super healthy for dogs, covering everything from their stomachs to their hearts, eyes, and even teeth. They also spent a lot of money on making the packaging look really appealing to dog owners, paid extra to get the food placed in the best spots in stores, and advertised it like crazy. But, it didn't sell. ❌ When they tried to figure out what went wrong, they found one big mistake: Dogs didn't like the taste. They wouldn't eat it. So, no matter how great they made it seem, if the dogs didn't enjoy it, it was a no-go. The big lesson here? Always make sure your product meets the needs and wants of the ones using it. In this case, the dogs' opinion mattered the most! 🐶 #marketing #strategy

#FunFoodFactFriday On June 14, 1892, Nathan Handwerker was born. He was the founder of a small hot dog stand that became Nathan’s Famous. Handwerker immigrated to the United States from Poland with his family in 1912. One of his first jobs was slicing bread rolls for a restaurant in Coney Island.   The restaurant, Feltman’s, served hot dogs for 10 cents each. Legend has it that two of the singing waiters at Feltman’s, Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante, talked Handwerker into opening a competing hot dog stand at 5 cents a frank. In 1916, Handwerker started a small stand with $300 in savings. His wife, Ida, created the hot dog recipe using her grandmother’s secret spice recipe. People initially were skeptical of the cheaper hot dogs, but Handwerker had an idea to fix that. He invited workers from the nearby Coney Island Hospital to eat for free as long as they wore their hospital uniforms to do so. The ploy worked. People perceived the new food as “healthy” when they saw healthcare workers eating them, and the business took off. The original Nathan’s Famous still stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island and is open 365 days per year. The company now grosses over $100 million annually. Other Fun Facts: *** Handwerker termed his all-beef dogs “Kosher style” because they weren’t made from pork or other meats. However, the meat wasn’t technically rabbi-supervised Kosher. *** One of Nathan’s biggest promotions is their 4th of July hot dog eating contest, which began in 1972. It happens every year at the original Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island, and is even televised by ESPN. *** In 2017, Nathan’s Famous officially became the hot dog brand of Major League Baseball – the first time the MLB had named an official hot dog sponsor. #foodmanufacturing #cpgindustry #forhireresults #nowyouknow

Dirt Dog (adj, v, n): A true Deal Junkie. Won't stop until they have found the opportunity. Loves Beef Jerky. Enjoys long, long road trips. 3.5 months in to me introducing the world to the Dirt Dogs of Forza Commercial we have received our 1st ground lease from McDonald's. Yes, you read that correctly. We just received a DRAFT lease from McDonald's for a property that was sourced through the Dirt Dog social media program. The Dirt Dogs and I started telling the word we needed high quality drive thru sites. We did this through X & LI posts. March & Apr brough us several hundred sites. Most of them had more cows than people on the aerials from the flyers / packages. They were not that great. What was interesting though is we started getting the attention of various national retailers. Then we had the following groups reach out to us to meet at ICSC in May. Dutch Bros Coffee McDonald's Chipotle Mexican Grill Dave's Hot Chicken Burger King Oil Changers Heartland Dental Qdoba Restaurant Corporation 5 Guys Burgers & Fries The market is starved for new sites right now. I think this is prima fascia evidence of that. In anticipation of meeting with these retailers the Dirt Dogs and I again hit social media with posts on X & LI and told the world we were meeting with them. May / June brought us well over 500 sites. But this round it was much better. High quality sites. Excess property. On any given day we are researching 15-20 sites. It is a lot and it is very involved. The hardest thing is matching what is an available good property with which retailer it best suits the needs for. We have been asked many times if this program is working. TBH we still don't know. All we do know is that today we are u/c on a property to ground lease to McDonald's and we just received the DRAFT lease. LFG! Long the dirt dogs Dirt Dogs [at] Forza Commercial [dot] com Alex DeBry

Unlock the secrets to understanding your pet’s behavior with our expert tips! 🐾💚 #Kutiepaw #Petproduts 🐾 Your go-to source for all things pet-related! 🐾 🛍️ Shop quality pet products at www.KutiePaw.com

Unlock the secrets to understanding your pet’s behavior with our expert tips! 🐾💚 #Kutiepaw #Petproduts 🐾 Your go-to source for all things pet-related! 🐾 🛍️ Shop quality pet products at www.KutiePaw.com

When it comes to the Pets of Chewy, all we see are green flags. 🤩 In honor of #NationalPetDay, we wanted to share some of our pack's unique traits and talents that add so much to #LifeAtChewy. Watch this video and let us know what your pets' green flags are in the comments! 👇 #RunWithThePack

The magic of drool range of pet food that will make your pet drool over it