Business Spotlight: Wear Wag Repeat

Wear Wag Repeat is multi-media brand that was created for ‘stylish dog-moms’.  It’s a site featuring fashion posts, podcasts with interviews on women in the pet industry, an online store, and dog toy, treat and food reviews!

Why did you decide to start this business?

I started Wear Wag Repeat as a hobby about 5 years ago. As I started blogging about my life with my two chocolate labs I discovered a whole community of dog bloggers. Everyone was so supportive and they inspired me to take my blog more seriously. As I learned and grew my audience I expanded into sponsored posts on my blog and Instagram, I launched a podcast and recently started an online shop with gifts and fun goodies for dog moms. Basically it all comes down to a passion for my dogs and including them in every part of my life.

What makes your business stand out?

The joy that my dogs bring me makes my brand stand out the most. I love to make people smile and encourage them to find creative ways to celebrate the bond they share with their pup. I also think it’s pretty unique to be such a multi-media brand – there aren’t a ton of dog related podcasts!

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business?

I’m not afraid to reach out and ask for help. When I decided to treat my blog as a business a few years ago I realized that my time is best spent on what I do best and that I should outsource other tasks. I hired an amazing dog mom to design my logo and website. Since then I’ve hired a bunch of different people to help me with all sorts of tasks associated with my businesses. Since I’m a solopreneur I have to be smart about how I spend my time.

How did you get the background and skills necessary to run this type of business?

So many things in my life have lead me to what I do now. I have been a social media consultant for the past decade so that gave me a lot of knowledge about how to build a following on social media. I have a masters degree in digital media so I learned how to do a lot of photoshop and video production through those studies, which has been invaluable. Another job I have is acting and modeling in commercials and print shoots. I’ve been doing that for about 10 years, too. It’s helped me know how to plan a photoshoot, get the perfect shot, and how to explain what I want to photographers.

I continue to learn new things all the time. I love taking online courses!

Can you describe your clients?

The brands that I love to work with are heart centered pet brands. They believe in the love and joy that dogs bring to the world and want to make it easier for pet owners to enjoy that. I really enjoy when campaigns get creative and I can take cool photos of Lucy to highlight a product.

What matters most to you in your business?

When I rebranded my site a few years ago I came up with a few words to describe what it’s all about. Playful was one of my top words. That sums up dog joy for me. So I try to incorporate playfulness into my content and everything I do. Part of that includes having a positive attitude and being kind to others.

What services or products are you most proud of?

I’m so proud of my first product line in the Wear Wag Repeat shop! It was a lot of work to get the shop together and it worked out perfectly that every single thing is handmade in the USA by talented dog moms. My candles are poured by dog moms in Colorado, the labels are designed by a dog mom in Texas and my collars are made by a dog mom in Pennsylvania. I love being able to support other women just like me.

What do you love about working in the pet industry?

I get to hang out with my dog, go for walks, give her treats and take photos and that all counts as work! I’m living my dream.

What’s one thing you wish pet owners knew about your business?

I want pet owners to know how much passion I put into everything. I recently pulled a guest post from a big pet retailer site because they wanted me to recommend things I hadn’t actually experienced with my dog. There are so many things that are listed as “dog friendly” but they’re not actually ideal for dogs. You can only know if you’ve tried it yourself! That’s why I personally test out everything I recommend and make all of my products as truly dog friendly as possible.