Building a Heavy-Duty Dog Accessories Brand – Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Hey there entrepreneurs, my name is Sushant and welcome to Treptalks. This is a show where I interview successful e commerce entrepreneurs, business executives, and thought leaders and ask them questions about their business story and also dive deep into some of the strategies and tactics that they have used.

To start and grow their businesses. And today I’m really excited to welcome Maria Lee Magaña to the show. Maria is the founder of Bully Wags. Bully Wags provides dog accessories focused on medium to large breeds made of heavy duty materials that are also aesthetically pleasing and functional. And today I’m going to ask Maria a few questions about her entrepreneur journey.

And some of the strategies and tactics that she has used to start and grow her business. Now, before we dive into this interview, if you enjoy this content, please make sure to hit the subscribe and like button. And for more content like this, please visit our website, treptalks.com. And [00:01:00] with that, Maria, welcome.

And thank you so much again for joining me today at treptalks. Really appreciate your time.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Thank you so much for the invitation. I’m happy to be here.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Awesome. So very interesting. By the way, I love dogs and I love bulldogs. And so I was very excited to see a business based on bulldogs. So can you share a little bit about yourself?

What were you doing before starting this business? And what really kind of inspired you to start an e commerce business?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, um, well before, um, I was just like, you know, regular life, uh, working, I have two dogs, uh, back in the day when I started thinking about the business, I only had one dog, uh, both of my dogs are pit bulls, which is why I was like focused on bully breeds, um, so yeah, uh, Do you want me to tell you how, like, it started, how it popped the idea in my mind or?[00:02:00]

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yes. What, what kind of inspired you to go in the entrepreneurial drive? Like, were you, did you have a job before this and what kind of really helped you transition?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah. Uh, yeah, I still have a corporate job. Um, so I’m still doing both things, which is why I’m like tired all the time. Um, But yeah, like I was working and like, I like working, um, already.

And the thing is, uh, one day, like I was walking my dog and I was training her because she was a little bit reactive. She would get like overexcited by anything like any living being or even if it was not a living being like just, I don’t know, seeing like things flying if it was windy and she would see like, I don’t know, like a plastic bag just like flying, she would get like super excited.

So she would pull on the leash. And one day like the leash just unclipped like out of nowhere. And, uh, like that traumatized me. Uh, cause she didn’t have, uh, well she [00:03:00] still doesn’t have good recall. Uh, so she just, like, took off. And I was like, but why, why did that happen? Then I was like, I went nuts. I’m like, oh, I don’t want this to happen again.

Like, how can I prevent it? I found on, like, on Reddit and Google that apparently, like, the regular leashes, uh, they have, like, a clip called, uh, if I’m not mistaken, it’s Bolt, Bolt Snap. So apparently, with time, it loosens up and it can just, like, come off with, like, weird twists or just, like, out of nowhere because it becomes, like, a little bit loose with use.

Um, so I was like, well, like, How can I minimize the risk? Um, so then I saw that there was, uh, like something called rock lip, which is like the clips that we use for our leashes and it has like a closest, it has like double security. So I was trying to find leashes with that clip specifically, because I didn’t want the carabiners because the carabiners, you have to look like, if you have the little secure [00:04:00] there, you have to like, Like roll it.

And it kind of takes times. I wanted something like quick release. And then I saw that not many companies sold it, uh, like that type of clip with the leash. Um, and that, that’s when I said like, well, what I should sell it myself then. And then I figured out why people are not selling because it’s more expensive.

So I guess like the profit margin is smaller. Like if you’re going to mass produce like most like brands, I guess. It makes sense why they wouldn’t choose it, but in my mind it’s like, we’re like, quality and like, safety over profit, so.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: You’re basically bringing another option to the market, right? I mean, because people who own dogs, dog owners are quite usually quite passionate about, you know, their pets and the whole lifestyle.

And I think when you’re bringing like this new, um, Option into the market, even though it may be a little bit [00:05:00] higher price point. I’m, uh, you know, people who, who like this, you know, as you described, you know, there there’s with the carabiner, there’s like some challenges and you’re basically, uh, bringing a different way of doing it, uh, which is more secure.

Uh, so I’m sure, you know, it would have been adopted in the market. Um, how did you know, like, did you in the beginning try to sell some initial, like, how did you. How did you figure out that this product is actually going to sell in the market? Did you try to sell it locally first or did you just create an e commerce business and start selling it online?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: I kind of just like started an e commerce business, but I did like a lot of research before. So I was trying to like find if it was a common issue or like, you know, to see if like people complained about stuff breaking. And then when I saw. That yes, and even me like when I was trying I was also trying to look for the demand So [00:06:00] trying to look for like heavy duty stuff.

I’m like there are a lot of pitbulls in canada and the u. s so Like regardless of I don’t know like bad reviews Um, there is, you know, like a section of large dogs that are also strong that would need that. And also, like, my dog, she likes rolling on the grass a lot. And sometimes she, like, she rolls on concrete.

So, uh, that also, like, damages Like, for example, harness is when she’s wearing a harness, so I wanted something, at first I’m like, oh, I should get a cheap harness for whenever I take her out, so you know she’s gonna damage it, and like, who cares, but then I was like, oh, why can’t I just use kind of like the same harness for everything, so that, yeah.

So I would say, uh, kind of like read reviews, uh, try to see if like other people had stories to share. Um, but like from like, I don’t know, like Reddit [00:07:00] or even TikTok, like trying to hear from the actual person, uh, even if it’s online. Um, and, uh, yeah, and trying to see, uh, if there was a, like, a supply. So seeing that there were not many companies that offered it.

I was like, okay, so, you know, there is an opportunity here I I didn’t

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: and you did you connect with a company, um To build a prototype for it. Like of course you had an idea, but how did you create the first prototype? Did you kind of put it together yourself or did you connect with a manufacturer to have some prototypes build?

Can you talk a little bit about really? You developing the product itself.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah. Um, so first I try to look for kind of similar like photos of what I had in mind. So let’s say maybe a leash. Um, but what I noticed is like a lot of companies, they do, let’s say the clip and the clip itself doesn’t have a shrivel.[00:08:00]

So they attach like a separate shrivel, but in my mind, my lady mind, it looks ugly. So I was like. Okay, so I’m gonna, you know, I’m gonna take a picture of what I released and then with my iPad, I like drew kind of like what I wanted, um, then I conducted a manufacturer and I said like, Hey, like, this is what I want.

And then I explained like, this is a pro clip. Like, here’s a picture of how it looks like. I wanted like, like this drawing, I said visible or not, then I would order a sample. Then I would test the samples with my own dogs or, um, Oh yeah. By the time I launched, I launched a bully wax. I had a second dog. And I did the obedience training with him.

So I was in contact with the school because we just, I don’t know, became close, uh, kind of, so I was asking them also for their opinion, like what, whatever they see, uh, like, for example, something I didn’t believe at first. It’s like, they told me the, uh, most popular size on leashes [00:09:00] was going to be six, uh, And I was like, no way that’s too long.

And then, yes, it’s true. So that type of, I was getting that type of like information or feedback. Um, and also, well, now we have a dog walker, so she can also like ask around to her clients and I can ask her. So yeah, I was like acquiring information of like features that maybe I wouldn’t think that they would be useful, but maybe other people would.

Yeah, so I would send the drawing and then they would send the sample and then I would test it on my dogs or somebody else’s dogs. Um, also I live in a pet friendly building, so I sometimes ask like one of my neighbors if she can test like stuff for me. Uh, and then, like, if I have to make changes, I would make changes.

Uh, for the most part, I haven’t, like, honestly, I haven’t made, like, major changes. Uh, because usually, like, I overthink so much. [00:10:00] But the drawing I, the first, well, drawing I make, it’s kind of like the final product for the most part. But yeah, like sometimes, yeah, it does happen that I have to make a change, uh, depending on what the change is.

I can either ask a second sample or I can just like. Uh, the manufacturer, can you please send me like videos and photos, uh, before, like a sample, but like, instead of like shipping it here, cause then, you know, it takes longer. Uh, cause I already know what it is, uh, it’s just like a little thing, then just like.

Do, uh, the, uh, production like in bulk,

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: what was the food was, was your manufacturer in like some Southeast Asian country, like China or something, or, um, was it, uh, locally in Canada? Because one of the challenges that many entrepreneurs face face in the beginning is like they have an idea, right? But it’s difficult to sell that idea to a manufacturer because, you know, if [00:11:00] you’re trying to get prototypes made.

The manufacturer does not know if, you know, it’s the work that they’re putting it, it’s really going to have any impact. Right. Um, so how did you like, what was, I mean, I’m sure they were charging you money. Can you talk a little bit about what kind of investment it took for you to have that? You know, first final product made, you know, all the given back and forth of, uh, you know, product changes and things like that.

And how supportive was the manufacturer in the process?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah. Well, at first I try to like, I thought of doing it myself. Like, for example, it’s very common right now to, like, do biothane, biothane, like, stuff. Uh, but most people, uh, cause I really, like, I really overthought everything. Um, so most people, what they do, or I’m going to say, 99 percent of people that make, uh, handmade biothane, like leashes, collars, whatever, what they do is like, [00:12:00] they perforate the, like, biothane to put, like, uh, to, like, drill it type of thing.

Like, I don’t know how to call it, like, the snaps, the snaps they put, the metal snaps. Um, but that perforates the material, so of course, like, It might never break, but because I’m trying to minimize as much as possible any risk of, like, something breaking, I, I, like, after doing my research, uh, stitching is better because stitching does not perforate, like, the area that’s being perforated is not as, let’s say, aggressive as, like, uh, I forgot the name.

A big hole.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, so then I was like, okay, that’s not feasible. But then of course I wanted to like make it in Canada, but then there, I couldn’t find the same quality. Um, That I found in China and also like in China, they are more accommodating. Like if I say like, oh, I have it’s kind of like they make your dreams come true.

Really? Okay. Like in mind, like I [00:13:00] swear they will always like try or my in my experience, they will always try to like really match it. And here in Canada, I guess because like standards are higher, like labor wise. They’re like, oh, you know, like we cannot make that like they wouldn’t, you know, like. Yeah, accommodate for more complex things.

And again, like the quality, I haven’t found a single manufacturer in Canada. I would say even the US, the US, um, I have my doubts, um, that could. match the quality, but of course in China, there is this misconception that like, oh, if it’s in China, it’s like abuse, like the, the employees are abused. And then, uh, like the quality is bad.

And then, like I said, like, I haven’t, I haven’t like found, um, somebody that can match the quality. Of course I ask, uh, so yeah, when I had the drawings, it like already in my, I contacted, I’m going to say like five manufacturers that [00:14:00] I, of course, I had to see, like, they specialize on like more heavy duty stuff.

Um, because like a lot of, uh, manufacturers, they, they like to, like, I don’t know, it’s kind of like fast fashion type of thing, but for dog accessories, so I’m like, that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for like, Like really, really high quality. Uh, so I was trying to see the ones that. Oh, yeah, also, I forgot about that and people that knew the hardware that I use, like the Cobra style buckles and the front clip, because some people like wouldn’t even know, like, those materials existed.

So then I have like no interest if they’re not specialized in like that area via pet industry. Um, so yeah, uh, some people wouldn’t like, I think I contacted like five people. I think one of them like ignore me, like, uh, I guess cause like I’m start, I was starting. So they just didn’t care. Cause it’s not like I had thousands [00:15:00] of dollars to invest.

Um, and then the other four, They reply, I order samples. I spent a decent amount. Like I spent thousands of dollars in just samples. Um, and the funny thing is like, I always recommend like getting samples before everything. I mean, I thought everybody did, but then after like hearing stories, like some people, they just order like bulk in bulk, like right away.

And that’s crazy to me, but the manufacturer that I thought was going to be the best was actually like the worst or second worst. And then one that I just asked, like, as I said, like, oh, they seem nice, like, oh, it could, it could be nice. They were, like, the best. And again, like, super accommodating, like, they asked me, Very specific questions that I didn’t even like the thickness of my logo.

Like I didn’t even think of that. Um, they were very like, they knew what they were doing. Um, so I ordered the samples and, oh yeah, also like I run [00:16:00] inspections before it ships from there. So like, so I don’t have, you know, the surprises and also for quality control.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: So, so did you find these manufacturer on Alibaba and also the inspection company like, um, And to me, it seems, sounds like based on your description that, you know, you tried few of them five and one of them turned out to be more accommodating working with you.

And I think that’s, that’s kind of the way to find the right company to work with, right? Like, um, especially in the beginning when you don’t have a lot of, you know, you don’t know how much you’re going to order and things like this, but you still, I’m assuming the work that, that they put in, they’re charged for it.

Right.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, yeah, at first I started with Google and then I ended up in Alibaba and another website that I forgot the name. It’s like, it has a red logo, but it’s like Alibaba. So yeah, I was trying to look information on both websites, even if it [00:17:00] was about the same manufacturers just to see like, if there was additional information that I didn’t know about.

Um, So, uh, I forgot what I was going to say.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Did you, um, um, how did you find the, the inspection companies?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Oh yeah. That that’s a service, uh, from Alibaba.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: So it’s, it’s part of the package. So if you’re ordering, you can basically add that kind of as an add on and you’ve had good experiences so far.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah. Yeah.

No, honestly is like they are, I didn’t, I guess I was like, I’m going to do the inspection, but you know, like, I don’t know how, how much corruption there could be. Um, but honestly, no, it’s like, it’s cause it’s like a third party. So it has nothing to do with the manufacturer. So I guess like they don’t care like to show you the bad things.

Um, so. Yeah, honestly, because they make a like a report like a [00:18:00] 30 page reporter. I don’t remember how many pages but it’s like a lot of pages with a lot of photos, of course you like it depends on what you’re requesting. Of course my request to focus a lot on the stitching, for example, like I. They contact me after I pay the fee.

They contact me and they say like, Oh, if you have any specific requirements, like, please reply, or if you want to send like a sample, uh, so they can like take the sample in person and then like go before the ships. Um, like so they can see if it matches. So whatever requests like they they’ll try and accommodate.

Uh, so far, there hasn’t been anything that they haven’t been able to do or to verify. Um, so yeah, they make a very extensive report. And that’s like before it shifts. I think. Even, I’m not sure if it’s even before you pay the balance or the shipping, but either way, like it’s, it doesn’t leave, like, let’s say they don’t, do not pass inspection because that has happened to me that they don’t pass it.

Um, I have to, [00:19:00] like, arrange with the manufacturer, like, whatever is going to happen next. So, like, it really doesn’t leave the, uh, the manufacturer’s site until you give, like, your okay.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: I mean, there’s kind of, um, a pro and con of working with China, right? So a product like this, when, when it becomes successful in the market, like let’s say, uh, I mean, I’ll ask you where, where else you’re selling, maybe you’re selling on Amazon.

So a product becomes successful on Amazon. And if it’s already being built in China, is there like, exclusivity agreement with your manufacturer that they’re not going to just duplicate this and put someone else’s logo and sell the, sell it, or, I mean, even if they don’t like. I think it may be easy for someone to just copy this item, right?

So how, how have you seen anything like this? Any challenges like this where people have kind of duplicated this item and What is your thought on that side of working in [00:20:00] China? Yeah, um,

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: I haven’t had problems regarding that. Um, I haven’t made them sign anything. Uh, my understanding was like NDAs are not valid in China, but I should definitely like put more efforts towards that, especially like if my products become like viral or something on Amazon.

So far it hasn’t happened. Um, yeah, like, uh, I, I feel like, yeah, that’s true. Like anybody could just like copy your product, but at the same time, I feel like they don’t, it doesn’t have to be like them necessarily who can like copy your product. I feel like somebody else could like literally buy one of my harnesses and send it to some, another manufacturer in China and they would just like not care.

So I feel like, uh, what I’m going to work on like later on is like to get the, the design patented or. Uh, something because I feel like I should like protect myself more from the manufacturer like for from other people like other people [00:21:00] that could be like me thinking of like launching a business and just like literally doing basically the same but just with their logo.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, I mean Having the patent and all those things, as you said, the NDAs and things like this, it’s, it’s a challenging thing because, you know, one thing is to have that, but the, it’s quite a different thing to enforce it, right? And I think a lot of the times it’s very, it becomes very, very expensive to enforce patents and things like this.

So let me move on to how kind of you got your first customer. So now you have your product. Um, where did you start selling? Like, did you, while you were developing the product, like, did you create the Shopify website and it was that your primary source of getting customers or, um, you know, how did you kind of get your first customers for this product?

I’m assuming you started with like one product first. Um, well, I started with, uh,

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: three products. [00:22:00] The leash is, uh, a type of harness and like a color that matched the leash, but just in one color and the harness is in three colors and just two sizes. So, of course, like, I started, uh, telling people. I created my Instagram, uh, well, my social media.

I created the website. I started just with, uh, when I announced Bullywax publicly, it was just, uh, a landing page, um, explaining about, like, the story and, like, Our purpose that’s like heavy duty stuff. Um, like to get followers that, you know, it started like building some sort of hype. Um, it was not very successful, honestly.

Like I didn’t, I was expecting to get like at least one pre order. I didn’t get pre orders at all. The sales started coming. Once like my website and I understand why I feel like because maybe people would think I’m I was scammer or something But once like [00:23:00] my website was fully like built and I started doing ads That’s when I started getting like real clients because my first sales were technically from like people that knew me So I wouldn’t count those because it’s just like, maybe they bought from me to be nice with the business purpose.

Uh, so like, yeah, my first clients came with that Facebook and Instagram ads. So

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: why not, why not go to, Or launch at Amazon because, you know, Amazon, of course you have their audience and it’s a huge audience and maybe it’s easy to kind of get attraction there first while you’re building your website and, and, uh, you know, base and things like this.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, I started, uh, I don’t remember exactly when I started the selling on Amazon, but it was pretty soon. Uh, the only thing I was not expecting it to be kind of I don’t know if to say Complicated it was not [00:24:00] complicated, but it was annoying I would say Uh, like I had to have a video call to show my passport and that my passport was mine and like the thickness of my passport And like they had to approve me like I didn’t well I mean that assured me that I feel like it’s hard to get scam on amazon and I feel like that’s why they they were kind of You strict and there were many steps and they take a big cut too.

So, uh, I actually thought of like, stop selling on Amazon cause it was like too problematic in my head. Uh, but now I changed my mind and I’m like, I’m restocking again. But yeah, it started, uh, I think I launched my website and maybe like a month later, uh, or two months, I started on, well, the process to sell on Amazon.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: And right now, where are you getting the most traction? I believe you’re selling wholesale as well, right? So where are you getting the best [00:25:00] traction right now for your business?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: So I would say my website and wholesale, that’s like almost the same. My website slightly higher, but not by much. Uh, and this year I think it’s there like the same.

I haven’t checked that lately, but yeah. Um, and then after that, I would say Uh amazon like I don’t sell Crazy on amazon because like also people are expecting I feel like it’s because of that people are expecting to find something cheaper Um, but I still like I don’t know. I just see like I see no harm in like listing my stuff on amazon So I just like do it um And then after that like pop ups Like events in person events.

That’s the like I don’t do those often anymore Uh used to do them like once once a month, uh, last year. And then this year, I think I just had one. And then like, it’s super tiring. And like, the profit is not, [00:26:00] like, that great for, for me to spend, like, a whole day in the weekend or two days or three days sometimes.

Uh, like over eight hours, just like to have little profit. It’s a good way to like showcase, but I feel like because I did it already, like a lot, like many times last year, I, I showcase, you know, for now.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Are you, are you selling in the U. S.?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Okay. So, um, I mean, Is your U. S. business bigger than the Canadian business?

I’m assuming that’s the case. But, um, what do you think is kind of the bottleneck in your business in terms of getting the sales going? To me, it seems like you have a good product based on what you’re describing. It seems like you haven’t kind of, either you haven’t had the chance to really get in front of your target market, or you know there’s you haven’t to me that that seems to be the issue uh or maybe there’s some issues with the pricing or you know what [00:27:00] what do you think is kind of uh holding you back

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: um i feel like right now it’s like that i’m not very breed inclusive it’s like very i’m very very niche so there is definitely like Demand for that.

Um, the U. S. demand is increasing. Also, when I did ads, I didn’t do, uh, in the U. S. And that was probably a mistake because I thought, okay, there’s a little bit more competition there. So I’m just going to try to do in Canada. But now that I started in the US, I’m getting sales from there. So maybe I underestimated how like good the US market was.

And, uh, yeah, so like, like people’s, uh, I would say. main complaint is that it’s like for bigger dogs. So

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: yeah,

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: I guess my problem is like being inclusive, uh, with different breeds. Cause [00:28:00] like I didn’t like, cause I figured like there, there are so many things for like small dogs. Uh, nobody will want to buy heavy duty stuff for small dogs, but then apparently yeah, there is a demand for that But of course to make it to make something heavy duty for small dogs.

It’s gonna it’s gonna be heavy like

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: yeah

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Wait, the more layers you add then like the more weight you have so I haven’t found like the balance between Like weight and heavy duty ness Um, for smaller breeds, so I guess that, yeah, my problem right now is inclusivity in, like, breeds, different breeds.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, I definitely think, like, for smaller breeds, you may have to modify either the design or choose a different material or something like that because the problem is not the same for smaller dogs, right?

So you were trying to solve the problem of a breed like a bulldog. Kind of, uh, uh, uh, running away. Right. Um, and, but that’s not, I guess that’s not [00:29:00] the same problem with a smaller dog, even if it runs away, it’s not a big, big deal, I guess. Um, so yeah, I think you might definitely, if you are expanding, you may have to modify the product in some way to accommodate the smaller dogs.

Yeah. So, Can you talk a little bit about your, um, shipping and logistics side of things?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah. Um, so, well, I have, uh, I guess like Amazon, it’s kind of separated, like, but I send through the warehouse and then they take care of it. Um, right now, because I want to have control of the quality, I have everything shipped.

Here to Montreal and then from here we ship to the customers. Um, some people they, they do something like they ship directly from China to their customers, but I don’t want to do that because of quality control and because like people have, uh, [00:30:00] like being happy with, uh, fast shipping. Because when it comes from Montreal, if it’s like, for example, in Ontario, it goes like, it can go in one, two business days.

So, uh, Yeah, that would be like my strategy right now is, uh, like, I get the products here and then from here in Montreal, I ship it everywhere.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: And for Amazon in the U. S., like, do you ship it out to U. S. for Amazon warehouses, I guess?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: No, I ship it in Amazon Canada. I haven’t, um, I should look into it, like, to ship in the U.

S. Uh, but again, because I underestimated the U S market, I figure, Oh, there’s like so much competition,

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: uh,

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: that might be easier, like to just like do it in Canada. So I guess like that, that’s something I should really look at.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: In terms of your market. I mean, I, I think even with your niche targeting, right, you’re targeting like the medium to large size dog.

[00:31:00] I think there still may be a decent amount of market for this, um, especially in the U S. Okay. And I think the question would be, you know, how, what, what kind of marketing you’re doing or, you know, how are you getting in front of the right target? So can you talk a little bit about your marketing? Uh, are you doing paid advertising?

Are you on like Facebook, Google, or like, are you targeting some Facebook groups that are dedicated towards these kinds of docs and so forth?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, um, so I’m doing, uh, yeah, like paid ads on Facebook and Instagram. Uh, me, myself, I’m trying to focus a little bit more on TikTok, uh, because some of, like, two of my videos went kind of Viral.

I don’t know if I would call it viral. It was like a hundred thousand views. So it’s like,

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: mm-Hmm, .

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: It’s not millions, but it’s still, you know, like . I got like a lot of orders from those videos. Um, and now I have, uh, it’s been, I feel like five [00:32:00] months, uh, no, I don’t know, like, uh, four months I think that I’m doing brand ambassadors and affiliates.

Uh, so also like they, they get a code and they get commission and they give discount. Um, so that has like brought some sales and they also like, uh, ’cause. I’m not in all of the Facebook groups. So like, for example, I have, I have Pitbulls, but then I have, uh, affiliates or ambassadors that have like Rottweilers.

So they are, they are in like Rottweiler groups. So they post, uh, there, um, about our products. So that has also been helpful. And it also helps for like my social media, cause they tag me on photos or they send me photos. Uh, and of course they put more effort. So it’s like higher quality. Um, so that helps me to like get more organic, I would say, um, people.

So that would be pretty much it.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: So what do you, do you see, uh, what is, which channel is the best in terms of [00:33:00] driving results? I mean, to me, it seems like TikTok has worked, but it’s not very consistent because of course you need to come up with, I mean, there’s a lot of variables there that you have to continue to.

Create new content and then you have TikTok algorithm. So there’s, it’s not consistent, right? Some, sometimes it may work, sometimes it may not. But with the paid advertising, do you see a consistent? Um, number of orders coming through while still being profitable?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Um, I would say it’s a little bit expensive.

So it’s not as profitable as I would like it to be. But what it brings to a lot of followers, the, uh, or and likes and, you know, like engagement on social media. Uh, but yeah, I would think it’s The best because even though it’s like on the pricey side, it’s consistent, like you said, and tech talk tech talks free, but it’s not consistent at all.

Like, I haven’t had the tech talk with a lot [00:34:00] of use since like, it’s been months.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Well, very interesting. Um, I mean, I, I look at your product and I see the quality is good and, uh, and, uh, you know, there’s something, either the product market fits, there’s something’s not working like pricing or, um, or you’re not getting in front of the customers, but I think, I mean, I, I think this should work.

Um, what does your team look like right now? Have you. Um, do you have other team members working with you or you’re kind of the sole, um, uh, person driving the business?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Uh, right now it’s just me and my partner. Um, sometimes I, like, I pay, um, not I pay, I hire, uh, a friend to do like marketing stuff, you could say, but it’s not like, oh, an employee.

Um, so yeah, I would say it’s mostly me and my partner.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Okay. Um, how [00:35:00] do you see your business evolving in the future? Like, what is your kind of the vision of, of your business? Do you want to continue, do you want to continue to focus on your current product, uh, set that you have and really just bring more sales or do you, uh, do you think about adding more products to your, uh, business to, to see, you know, uh, to, to really, uh, bring additional sales?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, no, definitely. It would be, uh, like. Uh, bring in products that are more breed inclusive. Uh, that’s kind of my priority right now. So in the future, like five years from now, I see myself with, uh, like products that are still high quality, but that could fit any size, even if it’s not the same harness.

Like, I don’t think I’ll can, I can come with one harness model that fits Everybody, I feel like it’s going to be a different model, there’s going to be maybe more [00:36:00] lightweight, like, you know, it’s still like still good quality still like more resistant than the average harness, but for smaller breeds to

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: do you, um, um, Sorry, the question just skipped my mind.

I was, I was thinking about it, but let me, let me, uh, ask you about, uh, you know, every entrepreneur’s journey, there’s always, always mistakes made lessons learned failures. Um, since you’ve started this business, like has, uh, have you encountered any big failure or, you know, any big mistakes that you made that you thought that you could have avoided that?

What was the lesson learned for you and what can other entrepreneurs learn from your mistakes?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Uh, I would say. accounting stuff that I underestimated how time consuming it is. Um, like I, yeah, I would say a mistake I made is I didn’t keep [00:37:00] my receipts. Like, it’s like a vicious circle. I don’t keep my receipts.

And then when tax season comes, like I start freaking out. And then like, I’m like too busy for I don’t know, like two months. And then like, tax season ends, so then I’m like, oh, okay, now I can relax, and then like, you know, it’s, uh, But I’m not that organized, like, I wish I was better organized than that, so that’s definitely a mistake I made that I’m trying not to make anymore.

Um, I would say, uh, oh yeah, uh, don’t expect everybody to support you, like friends and family, uh, because I feel like that’s, that might damage your relationships, um, I feel like even if let’s say, uh, your family, they don’t buy from you, um, like don’t let that, um, You know, make you feel like you’re not doing the right thing.

Like, cause I swear, I swear, like there are going to be [00:38:00] strangers that are going to support you and that are going to fall in love with your brand way more than your friends and family. So I would say that, and well, of course I. Always order samples before placing bulk orders. I mean, I did it, but I was like, I underestimated too, like, you know, how wrong you can be thinking that something is going to work or like what somebody like the manufacturer that I thought was going to be the best, that was kind of the worst.

Um,

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, that’s so important, right? Like when you’re working with someone far, far away and you don’t, you don’t, you can’t see them, you know, you can’t sit face to face. I think it’s definitely that that’s essential to be able to see the work product before going to market. But I was going to ask you, I remember now, um, That you initially said that you still have your job and now you’re running this business I guess there’s the one [00:39:00] pro of having an e commerce business is that it’s flexible, right?

So you you can work a job and then you can run the business as well. Um, What has been your experience, uh with this so far?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, um, I like it because i’m not afraid of investing like spending all of my money for example Uh, so I feel like I can take bigger risks You I don’t know when I’m going to feel comfortable to, um, to leave my, my corporate job.

Um, because again, like e commerce, like some months you can, you can make like 10, 000 of sales and then the other month is like 2, 000. So I feel like I, I feel like I need more stability for that. Um, because I feel like, uh, a lot of entrepreneurs make the mistake that they quit too soon and building a brand like takes several years.

So. Like, I like that I’m able to take [00:40:00] risks and like, technically my life is not going to be affected. I’m not going to end up being homeless if things go south. Um, and I like the flexibility, like you said, like, I can work on, on the business whenever I want, like, of course, there are emails that have to be answered, it’s not like I can, like, I have to do it daily, like, it’s a, a daily thing, you cannot be lazy, but you can accommodate at any time you want during the day.

Um, so yeah, uh, I like it. I like, I like staying busy.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: I think, yeah, I think that’s a great lesson, right? It’s like, uh, uh, I think one metric is that unless, uh, you’re, you’re making the same amount of money every month that you bring your, in your, from, from your business, don’t, you know, don’t, uh, don’t leave your job.

And, and as you said, you need, you need to have that consistent for a few months ongoing. Uh, because one month can be really great and the next month cannot be great. [00:41:00] So. Um, but I, yeah, I, I completely agree with you. I think, uh, having, having a job until you’re like totally comfortable leaving it, I think it’s definitely a good idea for sure.

So now I’m going to move on to a rapid fire segment. In this segment, I’m going to ask you a few quick questions and you have to answer them maybe in a word or a sentence or so. The first one is one book recommendation for entrepreneurs and why.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, that I only read for entertainment. I haven’t read a book for for entrepreneurs, so I don’t know if I can say a YouTube channel.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, for sure. Go, go for it. Yeah.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Okay. Uh, it’s my wife quit her job.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Okay.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: So she used a lot of, uh, do you know, do you know him?

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, yeah. Steve, his name is Steve Chu or something.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah. Yeah. He also has a e commerce business. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Exactly. Yeah. He, he like, yeah, he gives a lot of, uh, good advice.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Awesome. An innovative product or idea in the current e commerce, [00:42:00] retail or tech landscape that you feel excited about.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Dharma is some cliche, but it’s because it’s my best friend now. It’s ChatGPT.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Okay.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Yeah, I feel like, uh, like you can do a lot of things. I don’t know why people are not using it correctly, but, uh, Like, everybody should, like, you can literally ask chatGPT, like, for example, something I’m doing right now, because, uh, the U.

S. thing made me realize that I underestimated the U. S. market. So I’m asking chatGPT, like, uh, like, the bully breed of friendly countries. So I’m gonna, like, target those countries next. But, of course, like, it’s easier to get this information, uh, from ChatGPT and you can ask, like, a lot of questions about marketing or even, like, even something simple like to write an email, because, like, sometimes, uh, like, you know, you want to stay professional, so ChatGPT can help you de escalate situations or, you know, like, Just to write a nice [00:43:00] email, um, but yeah, for research is like, and this is really good.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, ChatGPT, I completely agree. And, and, you know, I think, uh, with time it’s going to get even better and better. So yeah, definitely. Um, a business or productivity tool or software that you would recommend or a productivity tip.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Um, I guess a tip would be, uh, do not multitask, like really take the time to do one thing at a time.

Cause, um, like one of the reasons why I started this is because my mind goes like a thousand kilometers an hour. Like I have a lot of energy, so I have to always be doing something. Um, but at the same time that leads me to like multitasking and that can be one overwhelming and you give more room for error and you want to minimize that.

So I would say, yeah, do not multitask and something a tool I use that it’s like kind of lame. I use OneNote a lot. I do like [00:44:00] my to do lists there because you can like take it and I don’t know like I’m writing like whatever notes and I can copy and paste the link easily. I don’t know. I just like it. So that would be.

My

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: yeah. No, I think, I think that’s, yeah, no, that’s, that’s a great, I mean, I use, I use a similar software. I don’t use one note. I use the notion, which is a similar idea, but I think it’s always good to, you know, if you have too much information, you definitely want to, if you want to get back to it, it’s, it’s good to put it down somewhere.

Um, another startup or business in e commerce retail or tech that you think is currently doing great things.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Um, my fellow buddies, BoobMe, they are selling an NFTE, NFC, sorry, uh, tag for dogs, so it’s like your dog has a, like an ID tag and you can like kind of scan it with your phone, but it uses a technology like, like when you pay with PayPass, [00:45:00] like you just put the phone on the tag.

And it’s like weather resistant, it’s everything resistant. So I feel like that’s, uh, like a good, uh, like they’re doing great things. I feel like it’s a great idea.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: It’s basically to, to locate your dog, where the dog is, is that what it is, or?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Like, for example, if you lose your dog, they, they scan the, um, the tag, and then, like, you can see all the information about the dog, like, if it’s fixed, if it’s not fixed, if it has, like, behavioral problems.

It’s just like, like, for example, on a tag, on a regular metal tag, um, there is just, like, so much information that you can write, like, basically just the name and phone number. Uh, versus with that, um, you have like way more information and I don’t know, I feel like it’s more useful. Uh, and I feel like, for example, if your dog is like, if your dog gets lost and it’s sick, how are you going to know that with like a regular metal tag?

[00:46:00] And there’s also like the tags with the QR code, but I feel like with time, the QR coach, like, and. You know, shade and goes away. Um, so I feel like, yeah, that’s why I’m like, Oh, this product is like, you know, it’s, uh, it’s good. And it seems like it’s gonna stay long term.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Awesome. Another, a peer entrepreneur or business person whom you look up to or someone who inspires you?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Um, this has nothing to do with, uh, with the industry I’m in, but it’s Aaron Krauss, uh, like the Scrub Daddy’s founder. Because that’s exactly what I aim to be as an entrepreneur, like to build a product that just is, cause he just thought of everything and he’s like, I don’t like, I don’t know how many times I have watched that shark tank episode.

With him was a he’s not only super smart like he’s also charismatic like he seems [00:47:00] like well, of course, I don’t know him in person, but he seems like a really nice guy.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: So

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: I was like, this is who I aim to be like, like, I wish I wish I can come with like my scrub daddy harness, you know, like the equivalent, but just like in the industry.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Yeah, it’s uh, I, I see his products everywhere all the time and uh, it reminds me of the Shark Tank episode. Yeah. Um, final, final question. What business advice, um, what is the best business advice that you have ever received or you would give to other entrepreneurs?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Uh, I would say stay agile, uh, cause like things are changing.

I feel like a lot of businesses fail when they don’t are, when they’re not willing to adapt. Like, let’s say maybe you think, maybe I think metal buckles are like the best material for harnesses, but maybe like people just don’t like that anymore. So then like, you have to, you [00:48:00] know, you have to be open minded and like be agile enough to change.

Cause if you change too late, then you might miss that opportunity.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: For sure, for sure. I mean, that’s, that’s essential to kind of, um, being relevant in any business and for longterm, right? So initially you, you have to be agile to find that product market fit, but you know, even if your business is more established, I think you, there’s always new competitors that you have to be willing to change.

Uh, to be able to stay competitive. Well, Maria, those were all the questions that I had. Thank you so much again for sharing your story and, uh, you know, some of the business lessons learned. If anybody is trying to, um, check out your product or buy it, what is the best way they can do that?

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Uh, it would be on our website.

So it’s www. bullywags. com. dot com. So bully like bully breed and wax like w a g s dot com.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Maria. I really appreciate your [00:49:00] time today for sharing your story and your lessons learned. And I wish you all the very best. Thanks again.

Maria Lee Magaña of Bully Wags: Thank you. Thank you for the invite and for taking the time.

Sushant Misra of TrepTalks: Awesome.