Katie Spies's guest appearances

Katie Spies

The Modern Retail Podcast

Female Startup Club

OwlTail

Maev is a startup that believes dogs should be eating as well as humans.The company first hit the market in 2020 and has been steadily growing ever since. For its first year in business, it was faced with the problem of selling out of products. This led it to bulk up its manufacturing and raise a $9 million round of funding. Now, Maev founder and CEO Katie Spies says the company sees sales growth of about 15% month-over-month. She joined the Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the company's growth and the overall premium pet food market.Spies doesn't have a background in pet nutrition, but she did work as a dog walker to learn the ins and outs of what pet owners need."I spent a year as a dog product dog walker," Spies said. "And I was getting to know a lot of consumers and figuring out what their headaches were."This time on the street with dozens of dogs helped Spies coalesce on a business plan for Maev; the company would sell human-grade dog food online. After two years of beta testing and figuring out the proper product line and formulas, Maev hit the market in late 2020.It was a good time to launch a dog food brand. During the first year of the pandemic, one in four Americans got a dog, Spies said. "Pet ownership skyrocketed, and more and more people started purchasing pet products and grocery products online," she said. So Maev didn't so much have a problem finding customers. Instead, the problem was in making sure it could keep its supply chain going and get products to customers."The trouble was really just keeping inventory on the shelves in our facility and running a facility to continue producing product, despite Covid happening in the world," Spies said.This meant that Maev had to go from working in a test kitchen in New York to expanding to a contract manufacturer who could handle its demand.Now, Spies says the plan is to grow even more. While Maev is still only available online, Spies has her eyes on some new retail channels. "We started with just our own e-commerce site," Spies said, but "moving into [online] marketplaces is next on our list."

Maev is a startup that believes dogs should be eating as well as humans.The company first hit the market in 2020 and has been steadily growing ever since. For its first year in business, it was faced with the problem of selling out of products. This led it to bulk up its manufacturing and raise a $9 million round of funding. Now, Maev founder and CEO Katie Spies says the company sees sales growth of about 15% month-over-month. She joined the Modern Retail Podcast and spoke about the company's growth and the overall premium pet food market.Spies doesn't have a background in pet nutrition, but she did work as a dog walker to learn the ins and outs of what pet owners need."I spent a year as a dog product dog walker," Spies said. "And I was getting to know a lot of consumers and figuring out what their headaches were."This time on the street with dozens of dogs helped Spies coalesce on a business plan for Maev; the company would sell human-grade dog food online. After two years of beta testing and figuring out the proper product line and formulas, Maev hit the market in late 2020.It was a good time to launch a dog food brand. During the first year of the pandemic, one in four Americans got a dog, Spies said. "Pet ownership skyrocketed, and more and more people started purchasing pet products and grocery products online," she said. So Maev didn't so much have a problem finding customers. Instead, the problem was in making sure it could keep its supply chain going and get products to customers."The trouble was really just keeping inventory on the shelves in our facility and running a facility to continue producing product, despite Covid happening in the world," Spies said.This meant that Maev had to go from working in a test kitchen in New York to expanding to a contract manufacturer who could handle its demand.Now, Spies says the plan is to grow even more. While Maev is still only available online, Spies has her eyes on some new retail channels. "We started with just our own e-commerce site," Spies said, but "moving into [online] marketplaces is next on our list."

Maev founder Katie Spies on going from dog walker to pet food CEO

Today on the show we’re learning from Katie Spies, founder of Maev.Founded in 2020, Maev started as a collective of dog parents who wanted better for their dogs. After Katie’s adopted dog George experienced a health scare, she turned her focus to nutrition to keep him healthy and happy. With help from her pet parent community, she began conducting deep research into the modern dog’s biological needs and the shortcomings of products we’ve been told to trust. Fast forward to today Maev has raised $9 million dollars and is on a mission to disrupt the industry.In this episode, we talk through the origins of the story, when Maev was 1-2 people sitting in a WeWork in Soho, hand-making food, and doing things that no one really understood. Encountering every problem that could happen. To have now raised $9M and nailing the customer satisfaction and finding some great businesses to partner with. One thing that makes the journey with Maev a little more difficult than usual, is the fact the product is shipped as a frozen good. In Katie's words, "I've aged 15 years since shipping frozen food." It’s really logistically difficult. We were lucky enough to be able to learn from her mistakes, and she delved into some tips that make the process a little easier for others looking to get into frozen food. Firstly, you need to make sure your AOV is high enough to cover the costs of shipping. Secondly, you can benefit a lot from finding ways to fit more in the shipping boxes. And finally, finding those innovative partners is absolutely key.Aside from that, I loved hearing about Katie's approach to her customers in this episode. It's incredibly inspiring. It's the kind of thing every company knows they should be doing, but it often gets left behind on the list of priorities. And that's that she takes five customer phone calls a week, and has since the beginning of starting the business. The customers or potential customers chat, and she just gets to absorb. There's so much to learn here. If we can understand the customer better than anyone else, you will literally be able to build any product. It’s so fulfilling, and humanizing is great. People want to buy things from people, not faceless corporations. Sometimes they’re a highlight, sometimes they’re a distraction, but they’re always useful.Besides that, we also get into some nifty little tips when it get's to e-mail marketing and some guerilla marketing tactics that have proved successful since the early days of Maev, and helped them build up those initial 100 customers.If you love this episode and learn something, please do share it on Instagram tagging us or by leaving a review to help other ears find us.LINKS WE MENTION:Maev's InstagramMaev's FacebookHigh Growth Handbook (Elad Gil)Female Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokIn sponsorship with Zyro, easiest to use website builder and eCommerce platformIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we’re learning from Katie Spies, founder of Maev. Founded in 2020, Maev started as a collective of dog parents who wanted better for their dogs. After Katie’s adopted dog George experienced a health scare, she turned her focus to nutrition to keep him healthy and happy. With help from her pet parent community, she began conducting deep research into the modern dog’s biological needs and the shortcomings of products we’ve been told to trust. Fast forward to today Maev has raised $9 million dollars and is on a mission to disrupt the industry. In this episode, we talk through the origins of the story, when Maev was 1-2 people sitting in a WeWork in Soho, hand-making food, and doing things that no one really understood. Encountering every problem that could happen. To have now raised $9M and nailing the customer satisfaction and finding some great businesses to partner with. One thing that makes the journey with Maev a little more difficult than usual, is the fact the product is shipped as a frozen good. In Katie's words, "I've aged 15 years since shipping frozen food." It’s really logistically difficult. We were lucky enough to be able to learn from her mistakes, and she delved into some tips that make the process a little easier for others looking to get into frozen food. Firstly, you need to make sure your AOV is high enough to cover the costs of shipping. Secondly, you can benefit a lot from finding ways to fit more in the shipping boxes. And finally, finding those innovative partners is absolutely key. Aside from that, I loved hearing about Katie's approach to her customers in this episode. It's incredibly inspiring. It's the kind of thing every company knows they should be doing, but it often gets left behind on the list of priorities. And that's that she takes five customer phone calls a week, and has since the beginning of starting the business. The customers or potential customers chat, and she just gets to absorb. There's so much to learn here. If we can understand the customer better than anyone else, you will literally be able to build any product. It’s so fulfilling, and humanizing is great. People want to buy things from people, not faceless corporations. Sometimes they’re a highlight, sometimes they’re a distraction, but they’re always useful. Besides that, we also get into some nifty little tips when it get's to e-mail marketing and some guerilla marketing tactics that have proved successful since the early days of Maev, and helped them build up those initial 100 customers. If you love this episode and learn something, please do share it on Instagram tagging us or by leaving a review to help other ears find us. LINKS WE MENTION: Maev's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meetmaev/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Maev's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meetmaev/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://growth.eladgil.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">High Growth Handbook</a> (Elad Gil) Female Startup Club's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/femalestartupclub/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Doone's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dooneroisin/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Doone's <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dooneroisin?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TikTok</a> In sponsorship with <a href="https://zyro.com/fsc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zyro</a>, easiest to use website builder and eCommerce platform In partnership with <a href="https://www.klaviyo.com/fsc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Klaviyo</a>, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses. Female Startup Club's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeqjd6tglzJ_jP2ZQkWYKQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/femalestartupclub" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Female Startup Club’s</a> Private Facebook Group Say hello to Doone: <a href="mailto:hello@femalestartupclub.com">hello@femalestartupclub.com</a> Female Startup Club + Clearco: <a href="http://clear.co/partner/female-startup-club" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clear.co/partner/female-star</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

6 Quick Questions with Katie Spies, Founder of Maev (part 2)

Today on the show we’re learning from Katie Spies, founder of Maev.Founded in 2020, Maev started as a collective of dog parents who wanted better for their dogs. After Katie’s adopted dog George experienced a health scare, she turned her focus to nutrition to keep him healthy and happy. With help from her pet parent community, she began conducting deep research into the modern dog’s biological needs and the shortcomings of products we’ve been told to trust. Fast forward to today Maev has raised $9 million dollars and is on a mission to disrupt the industry.In this episode, we talk through the origins of the story, when Maev was 1-2 people sitting in a WeWork in Soho, hand-making food, and doing things that no one really understood. Encountering every problem that could happen. To have now raised $9M and nailing the customer satisfaction and finding some great businesses to partner with. One thing that makes the journey with Maev a little more difficult than usual, is the fact the product is shipped as a frozen good. In Katie's words, "I've aged 15 years since shipping frozen food." It’s really logistically difficult. We were lucky enough to be able to learn from her mistakes, and she delved into some tips that make the process a little easier for others looking to get into frozen food. Firstly, you need to make sure your AOV is high enough to cover the costs of shipping. Secondly, you can benefit a lot from finding ways to fit more in the shipping boxes. And finally, finding those innovative partners is absolutely key.Aside from that, I loved hearing about Katie's approach to her customers in this episode. It's incredibly inspiring. It's the kind of thing every company knows they should be doing, but it often gets left behind on the list of priorities. And that's that she takes five customer phone calls a week, and has since the beginning of starting the business. The customers or potential customers chat, and she just gets to absorb. There's so much to learn here. If we can understand the customer better than anyone else, you will literally be able to build any product. It’s so fulfilling, and humanizing is great. People want to buy things from people, not faceless corporations. Sometimes they’re a highlight, sometimes they’re a distraction, but they’re always useful. Besides that, we also get into some nifty little tips when it get's to e-mail marketing and some guerilla marketing tactics that have proved successful since the early days of Maev, and helped them build up those initial 100 customers. If you love this episode and learn something, please do share it on Instagram tagging us or by leaving a review to help other ears find us.LINKS WE MENTION:Maev's InstagramMaev's FacebookHigh Growth Handbook (Elad Gil)Female Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramDoone's TikTokIn sponsorship with Zyro, easiest to use website builder and eCommerce platformIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club’s Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.comFemale Startup Club + Clearco: Clear.co/partner/female-star Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we’re learning from Katie Spies, founder of Maev. Founded in 2020, Maev started as a collective of dog parents who wanted better for their dogs. After Katie’s adopted dog George experienced a health scare, she turned her focus to nutrition to keep him healthy and happy. With help from her pet parent community, she began conducting deep research into the modern dog’s biological needs and the shortcomings of products we’ve been told to trust. Fast forward to today Maev has raised $9 million dollars and is on a mission to disrupt the industry. In this episode, we talk through the origins of the story, when Maev was 1-2 people sitting in a WeWork in Soho, hand-making food, and doing things that no one really understood. Encountering every problem that could happen. To have now raised $9M and nailing the customer satisfaction and finding some great businesses to partner with. One thing that makes the journey with Maev a little more difficult than usual, is the fact the product is shipped as a frozen good. In Katie's words, "I've aged 15 years since shipping frozen food." It’s really logistically difficult. We were lucky enough to be able to learn from her mistakes, and she delved into some tips that make the process a little easier for others looking to get into frozen food. Firstly, you need to make sure your AOV is high enough to cover the costs of shipping. Secondly, you can benefit a lot from finding ways to fit more in the shipping boxes. And finally, finding those innovative partners is absolutely key. Aside from that, I loved hearing about Katie's approach to her customers in this episode. It's incredibly inspiring. It's the kind of thing every company knows they should be doing, but it often gets left behind on the list of priorities. And that's that she takes five customer phone calls a week, and has since the beginning of starting the business. The customers or potential customers chat, and she just gets to absorb. There's so much to learn here. If we can understand the customer better than anyone else, you will literally be able to build any product. It’s so fulfilling, and humanizing is great. People want to buy things from people, not faceless corporations. Sometimes they’re a highlight, sometimes they’re a distraction, but they’re always useful.  Besides that, we also get into some nifty little tips when it get's to e-mail marketing and some guerilla marketing tactics that have proved successful since the early days of Maev, and helped them build up those initial 100 customers.  If you love this episode and learn something, please do share it on Instagram tagging us or by leaving a review to help other ears find us. LINKS WE MENTION: Maev's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meetmaev/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Maev's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meetmaev/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://growth.eladgil.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">High Growth Handbook</a> (Elad Gil) Female Startup Club's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/femalestartupclub/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Doone's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dooneroisin/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Doone's <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dooneroisin?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TikTok</a> In sponsorship with <a href="https://zyro.com/fsc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zyro</a>, easiest to use website builder and eCommerce platform In partnership with <a href="https://www.klaviyo.com/fsc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Klaviyo</a>, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses. Female Startup Club's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeqjd6tglzJ_jP2ZQkWYKQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/femalestartupclub" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Female Startup Club’s</a> Private Facebook Group Say hello to Doone: <a href="mailto:hello@femalestartupclub.com">hello@femalestartupclub.com</a> Female Startup Club + Clearco: <a href="http://clear.co/partner/female-startup-club" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clear.co/partner/female-star</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>