Sweets from a bakery are hard to resist. But that’s what small business owner Leél Michelle was doing. Turning down sweets. For dogs. “In the market, there were treats that weren’t healthy and treats that weren’t pretty,” Michelle said. “We wanted to combine the two and close that gap.” So she did just what an entrepreneur does: started a business to make them herself. That’s how the upscale, gourmet Dog Cake Bakery was born.
Dog Cake Bakery Is Born
Michelle previously ran a brick-and-mortar store – dog-focused, of course. A grooming salon, daycare and boutique, all in one. A few years into her time at the store, she was approached by a leasing manager to sell products at the local mall.
“I thought, ‘I don’t have time for that’,” she said. “I asked what he wanted me to sell.” He wanted Michelle to sell dog treats. And not those dry bone cookies, either.
“All of a sudden, I just saw the brilliance of selling dog treats in bulk,” she said. “There are ice cream stores that sell ice cream cakes. Why couldn’t I do that for dogs? Those aren’t items that are regularly available.”
Michelle does admit that she can be “a little extra sometimes.” She bought a few vintage refrigerators and had them redone to house dog cakes. “It was the first self-serve experience for cakes and cupcakes for dogs,” she said. “And I did so well that I had to employ other bakers that I would buy from.”
Michelle’s work in pet sweets led to some major industry recognition: She was featured on the cover of a pet-focused magazine for having the Coolest Store in America.
It was around the same time that she chose to sell wholesale. “I knew there wasn’t a lot of this on the market,” Michelle said. “Being on the magazine cover gave us clientele pretty quickly. And I already had clients and some name recognition in the industry. So I worked that PR moment so I could get into more stores more quickly!”
Going Wholesale
Dog Cake Bakery’s packaging from BoxUp
That meant working with packaging. “The toughest thing was getting packaging custom to our brand,” Michelle said. “Shipping perishables over the country is no small feat!”
Well, it was the toughest thing. Until she discovered BoxUp, a customizable packaging company. “I went on an online journey to find the right boxes,” she said. “The packaging really has to fit my product like a glove,” so the cakes don’t move around in the shipping process.
Michelle came across BoxUp about 3 years ago and she’s stuck with them ever since. “There’s customer service through the chatbox on the website, and and there’s always someone holding my hand, walking me through it,” Michelle said. “The website is just really easy. Nowadays that’s probably the most important thing, when a busy entrepreneur is building a brand and needs to do it quickly. It’s just efficient.”
Michelle has also used the design services that BoxUp offers: “Hire a box designer. … There’s no way I’d be able to attract a larger client without my marketing and packaging.”
Tips For Ordering Custom Boxes
She has since transitioned her entire business to wholesale and online at dogcakebakery.com, but she still buys boxes regularly from BoxUp and has some advice to others who are just entering the market with their products.
“Get the box immediately,” Michelle said. “You need to try out what would work with your item.” As Michelle brought on more clients, she changed her packaging to fit her needs. She originally had a box with a cellophane window on top that she used for retail, which allowed customers to see the cakes. But those boxes – from a different company – were twice the cost. She needed a better solution.
“I thought maybe I could design the box as though it appears you’re looking at the cake,” she said. “So now the top has a picture of the cake. The front has our logo, and the back has other details, like our ingredients list and the color of the cake.”
Overall, Michelle’s needs are being met through BoxUp’s packaging. “The boxes are breathable, attractive for the consumer, can withstand weight and it ships well across the nation,” she said. “I’ve been extremely happy…The experience has always been positive,” Michelle said. “I’m a huge fan.”