Tell us about your company and role.
I’m the founder and CEO of The Foggy Dog, a pet lifestyle brand based in San Francisco, CA. I started The Foggy Dog to bring beautiful, well-designed products to our favorite family members: our dogs! For every order placed, we provide a pound of food to rescue shelters. You can find us online at thefoggydog.com and we’re also in over 800 stores across the U.S.
How would you describe yourself?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved dogs and design. So I guess it made sense that I would one day start a pet products business! I would describe myself as an executor (I can never stay still and have a bias for action), and an optimizer (there are always things that can be improved!).
What qualities does an effective marketer need to have?
A deep understanding of your customer, creativity, and a deep love for analytics and data.
What has been your biggest professional success so far?
It’s been incredible and so fulfilling to see The Foggy Dog grow – it’s really a dream come true. Personally, it’s been an amazing learning experience: I’ve been to business school but launching a company has been a crash course that school can never quite prepare you for. The company has become a huge part of our family life: my husband now works for The Foggy Dog as our CFO after being in finance for over 10 years. I have twin daughters, and I’m really proud that they can see a female role model who is a founder and CEO – they’re learning they can do anything they put their minds to!
What causes are you most passionate about?
Animal causes, of course! I’ve been donating to the ASPCA since I was 12 years old, and when I started The Foggy Dog, I knew I wanted to make it part of our mission to support animals in need. That’s why we provide one pound of dog food to rescue shelters with every order placed. I’m so proud that since launch, we’ve been able to give almost 500,000 pounds of food to dogs in need.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing eCommerce brands?
It’s easier than ever to start a new eCommerce company now that we have tools like Shopify and a myriad of choices when it comes to apps to help with returns processing, merchandising, order fulfillment, etc. The challenge is – how will your brand stand out from all the others? To succeed, brands today need to have a relentless focus on their customer and a differentiated product that drives repeat purchase. As an example, at The Foggy Dog we know that our customer values design, so we launch 12-14 fresh seasonal collections each year featuring unique artwork from independent artists.
What's your favorite loyalty program or subscription offering from an eCommerce brand?
Probably the free samples from Soko Glam!
What do you geek out over?
Jigsaw puzzles! It’s like meditation for me. My record is a 1000-piece puzzle in 4 hours.
