Not all entrepreneurs start off knowing that owning their own business is something that is in the cards for them. That was the case for Yana Read, Founder and CEO, of Pupper Select, an Alberta-based raw dog food delivery company. She was in the corporate world in sales and marketing for 15 years before taking the leap to start her own business. The time had come to make a career change when her now eight-year-old daughter was getting to an age where she was noticing that her mother was barely ever home and spent a lot of time travelling for work. While soul searching, as everyone does, and trying to figure out what her passions are she kept coming back to her love of dogs.
“I grew up in Afghanistan being terrified of dogs because they’re considered wild animals. I met my husband 20 years ago and he convinced me to get a chocolate lab, how can you not love a chocolate lab? As the years went on, I absolutely loved dogs.”
When their lab, Kona, was about nine years old she began shedding a lot and very low energy. This was partially due to age. However, every spring, like clockwork, she would need antibiotics for eye infections, ear infections, and the list goes on.
“After doing some research, I realized it’s their diet. I never knew that the stuff that you buy from the store is filled with fillers and carbs. Once I dug into my research I learned that long before dogs were domesticated they were in the wild and they are carnivores. They eat meat! They don’t need bread, carbs and fillers so that’s where her raw diet came in. I had her on this new diet for two years and really saw a difference. It’s a little bit more expensive but when you take into account how much I was spending on vet bills, her pain, the time it takes to go to the vet, you’re actually saving in the long run.”
This is when the idea for Pupper Select was born. “We sell raw food and also dehydrated treats. They’re completely natural, there are zero fillers in our products. Everything is locally sourced and all manufacturing happens in Alberta. We have an extreme focus on Alberta and our goal for the next year is to focus on helping grow the local economy back up again.”
One of the challenges Yana has faced is feeling confident in her ability to be an entrepreneur. Having been in sales and marketing for 15 years, this was an area she was very confident in. It was this confidence that came through when she first started but she quickly realized that owning a business is so much more than that. As an entrepreneur, you also need to understand things such as budgeting, taxes and things that Yana was not yet well-versed in. Her biggest challenge was figuring out legal documents, how contracts work and things like that. This is when she discovered the ATBX program and decided to apply. “It’s a three-month crash course in being an entrepreneur and covers everything from taxes to legal documents and everything you need to know.”
Another resource Yana has leaned on heavily throughout her first year of business is a network of fellow female entrepreneurs that she has surrounded herself with. One of these women guided Yana to AWE.
“Oh my gosh, AWE showed up right as I needed them! They also showed up huge financially for me. They believed in me. When an organization like that believes in you with that kind of investment it makes you feel like ‘Hey, I guess I can do this and other people think that too!’. They held my hand through all of it. Things like business planning and forecasting don’t come naturally to me so they guided me through that.”
Outside of programs such as the ATBX and AWE, Yana leans heavily on her support network of women for support. Before COVID, this group of five women would get together at least once a month to discuss what was going on in their businesses and share advice. Yana believes that: “Surround yourself with amazing women, or men, whoever, who know what you’re going through, who know your challenges and can understand it, and can help you.” But more than anything else, Yana appreciates the support she receives from her husband. “He’s my biggest champion when I get down on myself and his confidence in me gives me my confidence.”
Yana is a big believer in supporting the local economy. She loves the fact that she’s part of this machine, of this economy, that is building itself back up. Yana believes that what saved them over the past year is the fact that they were already set-up on an ecommerce platform. When things started shutting down they were not yet in retail locations, only online, so they didn't have to do anything to pivot. Last April was one of their best months because of the fact that no one was going out and they already had trucks and delivery systems in place.
When it comes to keeping her mental wellbeing in check while owning a business, Yana has turned to running. She runs 4-5 times a week, and even conditioning herself to run during the winter months. “It changes how I think, it changes my mind. Some people do their best thinking in the shower, for me it’s while I run.”
She’s also a big believer in asking for help. When she first started as an entrepreneur, she had no idea resources like AWE existed. Like many people do when they want to start a business, the first thing she did was go to a bank and ended up feeling defeated when she was declined. “Letting people know, especially women, that there are these resources available is really important. We get scared and question ourselves and financially it’s always an issue. These resources are there specifically for you.”
To learn more about Pupper Select’s products and where they deliver to, visit their website: www.pupperselect.com.
