Hi Palace Squad, it's Ava.
I usually write about pets. Today I'm writing about me, because October is National Women's Small Business Month, and this is one blog I really want to get right.
I'm 19. I'm the founder of Ava's Pet Palace. My mom, Ina, is our President. We're a teen-led, family-run company, and our official taste tester is a rescue pup, Lacy.
When people hear the word founder, they usually picture someone older. I get it. Here's what I've learned so far. Age doesn't build a business. Rules do.
These are the five rules I run Ava's Pet Palace by. You can steal every one of them, whether you're 19, 49, or somewhere in between.
Rule 1: Draw one line and never cross it
Every business needs one thing it won't budge on. Ours is the ingredient list. Our treats have seven ingredients or fewer. That's the line, and it doesn't move.
Your line might be a price, a promise, a way you treat customers, or a thing you'll never sell. Pick it. Write it down. Don't cross it.
Rule 2: Compete where you can win
Big pet brands have big ad budgets, and a lot of them shout about protein. I can't outspend them. I can out-care them.
When I say quality, here's what I mean. Our baked treats are USDA organic. The lists are short. The ingredients are things you'd find in a regular kitchen. You can check it yourself on the back of the bag. Quality you can check is the only kind worth talking about.
Ask yourself where your business can be the best, even if it's a very small corner of a very big market.
Rule 3: Let the real customer test it
Lacy's a rescue dog, and she tests our treats. A dog can't be tricked by a pretty logo or a clever slogan. Either the treat is good, or it's not.
Find your Lacy. It might be a real customer, a friend who tells you the truth, or a tiny test group. You need someone who isn't afraid to say the product needs work.
Rule 4: Make the label do the talking
My favorite line is this one. You read labels. We make them worth reading. We also use a simple test for everything we sell. If we wouldn't eat it, we don't sell it.
Whatever you sell, your label, your website, and your packaging should tell the truth in plain words. A customer who understands you trusts you. A customer who trusts you comes back.
Rule 5: Keep your people close
Family-run means the people who check my work love me and still tell me the truth. My mom is our President, and that mix of love and truth is a gift. Find your version of it. Your people might be family, a mentor, a business partner, or a group of other founders. Don't build alone.
Bonus rule: Move at 70 percent
I don't wait until I'm 100 percent sure. At about 70 percent, I test it small. Three emails before a full campaign. Five customers before a whole program. Small tests teach you fast and cost you less. Waiting for perfect is just a slow way of not starting.
If you're thinking about starting something
You don't need permission, a fancy title, or a certain age. You need one line you won't cross, one person who tells you the truth, and one small test you can run this week. That's a real start.
Your five rule worksheet
- What's the one line we never cross?
- Where can we win, even in a small corner?
- Who tells us the truth about our product?
- Does our label say what we mean in plain words?
- Who are our people?
Palace Squad, thank you for supporting a small, family-run business. Every order, every share, and every label you read helps me keep doing this my way.
"Nobody starts with a big company. You start with one small rule you refuse to break."
with love, Ava
