Kerry Cooke is a California businesswoman who has over twenty years of experience in sales and marketing. She spent much of her career working in the genetics industry before striking out on her own and becoming an entrepreneur. Kerry is a mother as well as a professional, working alongside her daughter to bring their small-business dreams to fruition.
What is Tail Chasers LLC all about?
Here at Tailchasers LLC., we’re all about making life simple and easy for pet owners. That is why we designed Spleash, a convenient method to hydrate pups on the go. Spleash is a patent-pending spray leash handle that attaches to your favorite leash. It holds 12oz of water and sprays at least 14ft.
As a company, our focus has always been on helping people. That’s why we plan on donating a portion of our proceeds to petpartners.org, an organization that certifies therapy dogs, some of which sit with children who have to testify in court.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
A couple of years ago, my daughter and I were walking our dogs, and I realized what a process it was to bring all the gear (leash, water bowl, water). It was exhausting! I thought, “there has to be a simpler way to do this!” I searched online for a product that would meet our needs, and when I didn’t find one, I decided to create it myself. I ran this idea by my daughter, and with her support, we brought Spleash to life. Spleash is a handle that attaches to any standard rope, leather, or nylon leash and holds 12oz of water.
For more than 20 years, I’ve dreamed of being an entrepreneur, and I’ve had ideas for inventions or services that could be helpful to others, but I never really ran with one of them. Spleash is the realization of a longtime dream, and I’m thrilled that I get to share the entrepreneurial experience with my daughter!
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
The foremost issue we’ve been struggling with since Covid-19 hit has been our manufacturing and shipping process. International shipping delays and pauses in production staffing have created problems that meant we couldn’t launch on time. As an entrepreneur, you have to be prepared for even the best-laid plans to fall apart, especially now in the time of Covid. Being flexible and rolling with the punches is necessary not to lose focus on what’s important.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
Recently we decided to market Spleash on TikTok. I was hesitant at first because TikTok is a platform I had never used before, and I wasn’t sure if it would have the demographic we target. However, I was quickly proven wrong. In the beginning, we only got a few hundred views on each video, which was still more than the views we got on any other platform. But then one day, we posted a video explaining the main features of Spleash set to Miki Matsubara’s Mayonaka no Door, and within two days, we had over three hundred thousand views. We were blown away, and like every other TikTok creator, we began seeking the next big success. And boy did we find it. A little over a week after our first big hit, we posted a video showing our model using Spleash attached to a rope leash to pull a ~3,900lb Toyota Tacoma, proving once and for all that Spleash wouldn’t break under pressure. It was necessary to demonstrate the strength of our attachment feature in particular because Spleash does not come with a leash; it attaches to the user’s own. That video now has 1.8 million views and counting!
What is your definition of success?
For me, success is defined by the number of lives that you touch and people to whom you bring joy. I was blown away at first by the overwhelmingly positive reaction people had to my product when I spoke with them about it. This reaction quickly made me realize that I could make people’s lives easier and happier with my product.
To me, success can be measured by how much you help others. As a trauma survivor, I have found healing and hope through our dogs and other service animals. Creating a product that can help both dogs and dog owners has been a way for me to give back to a community that has given so much to me. In addition, we’ll be donating a portion of our surplus proceeds from Spleash to petpartners.org, an organization that certifies therapy dogs, some of which sit with children who have to testify in court. If I’m able to provide a simple solution and help those in need, that’s success.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
How do I stay motivated? That’s simple; I remind myself of our mission. Our goal is to help others and make life better simply by loving and being loved by a dog. Thinking of our hope and all the good we will eventually do is the strongest motivation keeping us moving forward. Of course, we’re driven in some part by the desire to succeed and create a lasting legacy, but there’s nothing stronger than our determination to make a difference in people’s lives.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
Three online tools and resources that we’ve found to be irreplaceable assets in our entrepreneurial toolbelt have been:
- Startups.com – They provide education and tools to walk aspiring Founders through the entire startup process: including education, business planning, mentorship, customer acquisition, funding, and staffing. This service was a great help to us when we were just getting off the ground.
- Clubhouse – This is a wonderful place for making once-in-a-lifetime connections and getting your name out there. Clubhouse offers the chance to learn from seasoned professionals and those who have achieved success through an audio-only platform.
- Hootsuite – An organizational tool to help keep track of and maintain various social media channels all at once. We use this platform to schedule and send out all of our posts. This helps to keep a small operation like ours on track.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
Every entrepreneur needs three skills, creative thinking, networking, and the ability to persevere no matter what.
- Thinking creatively and having an open mind is a big part of starting your own business. There will always be hiccups when you’re starting a business, and the ability to think creatively and overcome those challenges when they arise is critical. Just as important is the ability to network.
- Making and maintaining connections with all the right people can make or break an entrepreneur. Connecting with and developing strong cooperative relationships with fellow entrepreneurs has been incredibly helpful.
- Finally, the skill I find most integral to an entrepreneur’s success is perseverance—the ability to never give up. There have been so many points along the way that have proven to be daunting. Just keep the mission in mind and push past the roadblocks. Utilizing thoughtful conversations with experienced peers, you can figure out ways to get around them. You just need to keep on keeping on.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
We hope to scale up our company through strategic marketing and good old-fashioned hard work. All so we can move forward with our next steps. We currently have plans for two additional products in the pipeline along with an online service. Although we are excited to move forward, we have not forgotten how important the present is. Focusing on succeeding in the here and now is the best way to achieve all future goals.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
For us, the biggest challenge has been ensuring that our product is as user-friendly as possible. By this, I mean that we are constantly working and reworking our designs to make them perfect. Initially, when we printed up a 3D model of Spleash, we discovered that the grip was too small for individuals with larger hands to hold comfortably, so we had to find a way to enlarge the grip without losing the balance of the visual design. We also needed Spleash to be resilient, so it wouldn’t break when dropped but light enough to carry with ease. In response to all of these challenges, the talented engineers behind Spleash rose to the occasion and produced a lightweight but tough product that can withstand being run over with a truck and remain fully functional while only weighing 8oz empty.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Social media is the best free advertising. Having a well-developed posting plan to take full advantage of that is critical. Our best tip to make sure social media works for you is to plan out your posting calendar a month in advance. This forethought will allow you to focus on other daily social media activities to increase engagement.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Keep believing in your product, in yourself, and your team. If the market research shows a need that you are meeting, don’t be discouraged from continuing on the path because you are not receiving instant success. It takes time and effort, but the results are well worth it.
How can readers connect with you?
You can find us by visiting our website Spleash and social media on Twitter and Instagram.
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