← The Product Boss with Jacqueline Snyder
The Product Boss with Jacqueline Snyder
744. How to Launch and Scale a Product Brand Without Funding with Ethan Haber
00:37:09
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- [00:00]
A
What does it actually look like to take a product idea from an idea in your head to landing on the shelf of big box retailers without investors, without a safety net and in a niche that a lot of people don't actually think about or might even overlook. A really small niche. Well, today's guest did exactly that. Ethan Haber is the founder and CEO of Happy Habitats. It's an award winning small pet product brand that, that has been built from scratch with zero outside funding. In fact, he talks about this in the episode, but the idea came to him at 19 and at 27 he is in multiple major retailers now. Under his leadership, Happy Habitats has achieved distribution across North America and is expanding into Canada. And actually it's a global brand. He hit six figures in 2025 and he's earned multiple best in show awards at Super Zoo and Global Pet Expo. Now Ethan holds two patents, two US Patents for his innovative pet habitats. And next month he's launching in a major retailer. And congratulations Ethan. And we cannot wait to hear more about it when you're able to share more. But Ethan's story and his journey is so valuable for you to hear, which is why I had him as a guest on the show today. He didn't have a massive budget, he didn't have a team of experts to get started, and he also didn't have industry connections when he started. But, but he created all of these opportunities for himself and we talk about and we dig into why and some of his superpowers of how he got there. And a lot of it has to do with belief in himself and the belief of well, what if it is possible? What if it is possible for me. So in this episode, Ethan's going to unpack some of the steps he took from initial idea to landing in big box stores, as well as some of the mindset things that come in and some tips along the way. So if you've been wondering whether I prosper product idea can actually be real and profitable or you have this idea and you're thinking, can this be bigger than where it is right now? This episode is going to help answer some of those questions and be your roadmap. Okay, let's get into it. Hi, I'm Jacqueline Snyder and this is the Product Boss podcast. I've helped launch and grow thousands of product based businesses, even one of my own. And over the last 20 years, I've seen behind the scenes of businesses just like yours. Whether they are makers, manufacturers, artists or food and beverage businesses. I have spent so many hours studying it All I've discovered what makes them successful, what mistakes they could have avoided, how did they turn their ideas into successful business? And what are the strategies that they have used to make more sales and be discovered by more customers? And this is what this show is all about. Whether you're just starting out or you're looking to become a million dollar product boss, I'm here to give you the permission to chase your dreams, no matter how big or small. All you need is the right mindset, a little courage, strength, strategy, and support, and you too can be the next million dollar product boss. Let's do this. Ethan, welcome to the Product Boss podcast. I'm so glad to have you.
- [03:03]
B
Thank you. It's great to be here. Jaclyn.
- [03:05]
A
We were just bonding before the show that we're both with other creatives, but they're in the music space. So just this idea of, you know, what's interesting is the way that I ran my company for so many years was my husband was on tour, like, working out of town, whether he was doing Broadway or TV shows or movies and just kind of operating from there. And right now you are in Wisconsin, but originally from New York because your girlfriend's an opera singer.
- [03:31]
B
Yeah. She's contracted at the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, and I'm here through Valentine's Day. So.
- [03:37]
A
Yeah. Perfect.
- [03:39]
B
Cheese curds.
- [03:40]
A
Cheese curds. And you came for the right holiday. So Happy Habitat. I mean, this is such a cool product. I'm so glad to have you on the show. So tell the listeners about happy habitats.
- [03:53]
B
So Happy Habitats is my baby. We created a safer hamster ball and this really cool carrier that you can snap the ball into so that you can walk your hamster around the block almost like a dog. There's nothing like it out there. We incorporated in 2019, but at this point, we have two utility patents under our belt. And we have a third product that's launching next month in March that we're really excited about.
- [04:21]
A
Amazing. Also, I mean, I could just imagine, like, running in and being like, oh, my God, I know that product running into someone walking their hamster. But let's move to the very beginning. So what was the moment that you realized that there was this opportunity in the market for the small pet product? And also, what made you believe that you could build a business around it, especially getting patents and starting a product like this?
- [04:45]
B
Yeah, the patents were a long journey. I Incorporated in 2019. We started selling product in 2022. We got our patents in 2025. So you can imagine Just the slog. It was over the years to keep that going and keep it alive. But what got the business going was I was a sophomore in college, and I had an emotional support hamster. I had to get a therapist to sign off on it. That was the only way to follow the rules and have my hamster on campus. But my hamster and I were on the quad, and he was in his ball. His name was Mooksi. So Mooksie was in his ball. And I was just chasing him in circles. And I turned and I saw a woman walking her dog. And I was like, why can't you walk your hamster? I would love to, like, take them where I want to go as opposed to just following them and as they discover the world. And I was studying entrepreneurship in college at the time. I signed up for an incubator, and it was just kind of. Things kind of just fell into place.
- [05:45]
A
This is the best conversation I think I've had all day. So thank you. Because it's like, because this is how innovation happens. And then I also just love the story of the hamster and that you're in entrepreneurship. But innovation happens when we look at something, whether it's a problem that we have for ourselves, that we want to solve for. So you brought up Cuffs Couture on our pre call, which was my brand, and kind of happened around the same time. It was just. It was post college for me. And I'm dancing at the clubs and I'm thinking, I don't want to wear a purse while I dance. I wear. I'm wearing a skirt. I don't have a pocket. What's the solution to this? And so I think sometimes those of you listening there's the products that we create can be a solution to a problem. And it can either be for ourselves or it can be for. You see something happening in the world that you're like, I have a solution for that. But it's really great when the inspiration is ourselves.
- [06:33]
B
Yeah, for sure. And the marriage of luck, meeting opportunity, meeting hard work, finding a niche space with a lack of innovation. I mean, these are the real opportunities that you have to capitalize on.
- [06:47]
A
Yeah. So speaking of innovation, how did you figure out how to manufacture this product? I mean, you don't have to give us any specific details, but really, that is. I think that's something that gets in the way a lot of times. So people think, okay, I've got this idea, but how do I bring this idea to life? So walk us through some steps of how you figured it out.
- [07:07]
B
So it is not easy to take a physical product to market. It is a long, grueling process. Thankfully, I have two partners. One of them is a design firm based in New Jersey, P9 Design. They design products for major brands like Honeywell, Oxo, Vics, Swell. So I came to them and I pitched this item and I told them the pain points. I explained the market segment and they were intrigued. We did a little bit of digging, and like I had said before, it was a niche space, a sizable space, but a niche space. For reference, pet is like 90% dog and 10% cat. That's 100%. So hamster, like small pets, hamsters, gerbils, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, make up a niche, a sizable niche of the segment. There's like 25 million hamsters owned in the world, which is not a small number. So. But no one's innovating there. So you just have to have an idea and pluck away at it. You have to. You have to find ways to create a prototype or. One thing we did early on was I joined hamster groups on social media and I created a blind survey and I sent it out to hundreds of people and reviewed what they were saying to kind of guide how I was going to proceed.
- [08:29]
A
So good. Okay, I've got two things I want to talk about from everything you just said. The first part is the market share. So I believe there's room at the top for all of us. I believe that there is enough room for all the candle companies, the jewelry companies, the pet companies, and it depends on the goal of where you want to go. So Tony Schell said this about Zappos when they brought buying shoes online, because back in the day, we went to shoe stores or there were catalogs that people bought from. It wasn't. It wasn't available on E Comm. But he looked at the market and he said 5% of people who buy shoes buy them from catalogs. Can we take that 5% and then move them from catalogs to online purchases? Because people used to say there's no way they'll ever buy shoes if they can't try them on and walk around in a store.
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B
Yeah.
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A
So what you're saying, and what I want people to hear from what you said is you're like 100% of the pie is taken up from dog and cat. But there is still 25 million hamsters or small. You know, they're small pets, and there is still a market share for that. So it doesn't need to be all dog. It doesn't need to be like a saturated market. It's like, what portion can you pull out and innovate in or step into? Because that is still a beautifully sized business for an individual or a startup company for sure.
- [09:48]
B
And you have to trust your gut more than anything else. I mean, if you look at a brand like uber, you know, 15 years ago, if I said you're gonna pay a stranger to get in their car and go from A to B, you'd say, no way, I'd never do that. Or if you look at Facebook, it's like, if I told you you're gonna, one day you're gonna be looking at strangers pictures and liking them and reacting to them and commenting on them, you'd say, no way. Like, that's, that's crazy. So you just, you really have to see the vision. And it's not about the current pie that exists and divvying that up. It's about creating a bigger pie and seeing the opportunity for that.
- [10:23]
A
That's so good. That is just so good. So the other thing that I find really impressive about what you've created here is that it's self funded. And a lot of the people that I work with in our community, they are self funded. I mean, a lot of them are building from their kitchen tables, their basements, their garages, their studios. They're not working with investors necessarily. How did you create this being self funded? Did you take any, anything from friends and family? Was it really self funded by you? And were there, are there any tricks of the trade for people thinking? Because a lot of my students are also makers. They, they're going, they're purchasing, they're hand making it themselves. You went the route, which is the route I went, which is manufacturing. You have the idea, the concept. You go through prototyping and product development. Have someone else manufacture. So tell me a little bit about, a little bit more about your no funding decision.
- [11:12]
B
So friends and family did help out for sure in the beginning. And we brought this from scale from, you know, from nothing, all the way up to six figures, which we're very proud of. You just have to, you know, stick with it. Bootstrapped 1. One of the major things in the. Is like when we did our first product run, we had a few hundred products in my dad's garage as opposed to a warehouse. And I was the one who was fulfilling and kitting orders. And, you know, now we have a warehouse and it gets fulfilled out of there. And we have vendor partners who store the product themselves. But as Your business grows and the demand for your item grows, you will outgrow your current conditions. You just have to, you know, continue to chug along that process.
- [12:01]
A
Mm. Yeah. So, okay, so you did, you took funding and then you were able to grow it. And like you said, you bootstrapped it too. So it was all you until it got to this place that you hit capacity. And then it was that next level growth of if I want to keep this thing growing, I can no longer be the one who does it all.
- [12:18]
B
Yeah, no, now we have two. Now we have two, three PLs. We're looking at a third for Canada. We currently sell with Pet Value, which is the largest retailer special for specialty pet in Canada. They have about 750 stores. And right now we're fulfilling that direct. But as we continue to scale, we're going to need legs on the ground for Canada and then we can expand to the smaller stores there, start selling on marketplaces in Canada. We have a bilingual package we drafted which is equal parts English and French. Just a lot of little things that you have to adapt to as you continue to grow.
- [12:52]
A
And why expand to Canada and not somewhere else? What's your decision making there?
- [12:57]
B
Well, so we currently sell in the United States, Mexico, Canada. We have some product in Japan, Guatemala and South Korea, just those. And those are connections we made at trade shows. But Canada is a great place to expand to because it's a lot like America. It's close by. You can access it directly via truck. And not every Canada has stringent rules regarding retail packaging because Quebec is like its own beast. In Quebec, it has to be French first and then English as opposed to the rest of Canada, which could just be English. So the way to get around that is to do a package that is, you know, equally 50% French and 50% English, and then you can sell to the whole of Canada. A lot of business, like 90% of businesses just aren't going to deal with the headache of doing that. So you increase your shelf space, your market share by continuing to push through on that.
- [13:51]
A
So are you going to do different packaging for Canada in its entirety or will you also have that in all the other places Canada get.
- [13:58]
B
Canada is going to get its own packaging. I'm currently sourcing, you know, a manufacturer to do a limited run of bilingual boxes and then that. That'll be the. Right now they have the English pack. But as we continue to, you know, work that angle, eventually Canada is going to have its own unique packaging.
- [14:14]
A
Yeah, yeah. We love you, Canada. I'm Always coaching our Canada clients. I'm like, I'm so sorry we beat it so hard. But yeah, Incredible, incredible, incredible. Well, actually, what I wanted to go back to and was what you mentioned about the Facebook group. So I have another friend. She did really, really well with a product line. In fact, she was on Shark Tank. It didn't get funded on Shark Tank, but it didn't matter because she had the marketing and actually she eventually sold the majority share of her business. She too started in Facebook groups. So she has a kid product that. And she was also a New York mom, and so she had a kid product. We get into the Facebook groups of New York moms because they had very specific requirements and they were her ideal customer avatar and then started interacting in there and getting feedback. So you did a very similar thing. You got into these hamster groups, you sent surveys. How do you. I know you're a hamster owner and they are your pets, right? But how do you, how do you kind of slip in? Like, what's some strategy you can share with the listener about, but perhaps getting into groups like this and creating them as focus groups and also the awareness of your brand in there.
- [15:22]
B
So social media marketing for us is something we had to largely step back from as a brand because the small pet space, everyone has an opinion on what's ethical and what's not. And the hamster ball that was invented in the 70s, you know, had all these issues with it, but it has a great value proposition. So what my business did is it's like we added seatbelts to the car. We created all these quality of life and safety improvements on the item. And, and if you look at our reviews on our products, they speak for themselves. We have hundreds of high quality reviews speaking to how safe they are. But actually marketing the item on social media has not proved fruitful for us. But to backstep that to just the beginning in customer research, like figuring out who your ideal customer is, what they want, you just have to align with the. You have to put yourself in the position of the consumer and. And align with your ideal avatar like you had said a moment ago, so that you fit the niche and then you create a survey and you post it to these groups. But you do a blind study so you don't lead them. You don't say things specific to your brand. You just ask questions to garner feedback and get tangible results about actionable ways you can move forward.
- [16:40]
A
But my question, I think, and I love the part about social, so we'll come back to that. But you, you were in these groups, and you're like, hey, I'm Ethan. You know, did you say, I'm creating this product? I'd love your feedback on it. Were you first kind of Snoopy and listening and kind of paying attention to the things they were saying and then first using that to innovate the product? My question is, like, how did you stealth get in there that they were willing to fill out your survey and then maybe even potentially be some of your first customers?
- [17:07]
B
I use the student angle. And that's something you can use, you know, throughout your whole life. Uh, you know, you can be a student at any age. But I basically joined the groups and I said, hey, I'm a student. I'm working on this project at conceptualizing this new item. Uh, I would greatly appreciate if you could respond to my survey. And I crafted the survey in a way so that I would get, you know, legitimate feedback as opposed to just what I wanted to hear.
- [17:34]
A
Yeah. So good. Yeah. I mean, that's a big part for listeners when you're listening out there. We are not designing and manufacturing products in a vacuum. Right. Cause we are creating product to be sold to other people. So it is really important to get feedback. Really important to have that customer research and then to test prototypes back and forth. So love that you're like, I'm a student. So if anyone's listening and they're like, hmm, I could try something like that, just say, hey, I'm a mom. I'm creating this product. I'd love your feedback. Or, hey, I wanna start a candle company, and I'm in this candle group. And what scents do you love? So I think really positioning it not from a salesy perspective, but from a truthfully aligned, like, I really want to know what you want more of. Would you be open to sharing that with me?
- [18:21]
B
Yeah.
- [18:22]
A
Yeah. So good. Okay, so let's get into some, you know, deeper things of, like, about, like, your persistence and your mindset into getting into this. So you said your superpower is persistence. And I think sometimes we come off as persistent, but maybe people don't see it as a superpower. I even told some of my clients recently, I'm like, you're relentless, and that is a superpower. The fact that if you keep getting knocked down and keep getting back up, relentless is a superpower. So what does persistence look like in practice for you? And I even curious, more so in the hardest moments. So thinking about when there's that point where you're like, don't I give up. Like, is this it? Have I hit the roadblock? Or do I persist and keep going and pivot when needed?
- [19:11]
B
Yeah, persistence is key. There's no shame in quitting if you've explored every avenue and you've decided that it's not worth it moving forward, that's its own kind of strength. But I would say as a person, even beyond my business, I am extremely persistent. Back in the day, I had a friend who had no Thanksgiving plans, and I invited him to my family's house for Thanksgiving and he said no. And then I just once a week, I'd be like, so, are you going to come? And then eventually he wound up coming and he had a great time. But it's important to be able to take no for an answer. But at the same time, it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission and to just continue to knock on doors and get feedback and push for what you believe is good and to be true. You just have to. You can't give up, and you'll have good days and bad days, and you can't let a bad day, you know, wash you out completely. It's. It's okay to have off days. It's okay to get disgruntled and disheartened, but the next day you got to just keep going.
- [20:17]
A
What does persistence look like for you, where you got into these big retailers, right? Because that's a huge milestone of getting into a massive retailer with a newer, innovative product. What were some cool things that you did along the way that you're like, if you, you live to tell the tale and you can kind of tell it to us.
- [20:37]
B
We do store our new product Burrow bricks, which are clear. It's like Legos meets hamster habitats. There's clear 3 by 3 inch squares you can snap together to create hides, mazes, and permanent enclosures for your small animal. Those are coming out next month and they're launching with a big box retailer that I can't disclose yet, but we're very excited about that. And in regards to persistence, it's, you know, it's going to the trade shows. There are two big trade shows for pet Super Zoom Global Pet Expo. It's going to those and maintaining relationships with who you meet throughout the years, emailing a connection you get every other month, just to keep yourself in their head and keep them aware of who you are. We've had vendor partners who launched with us. We've had vendor partners who just through. It's like, I'm on the third buyer. Like the person who I originally met left, and then that person originally left, and then that person originally left and now I'm actually working with the person who is currently there. And it's because I maintained the connection and I was made aware of what the current standings were. So persistence is just keeping in touch.
- [21:49]
A
Yeah, I agree. So much so. I mean, we've sold to lots of big back stores too. And I was just coaching a client on this where I was saying, you know, we used to sell to Nordstrom's and then the Nordstrom's buyer leaves. Cause buyers will leave. But then this one buyer went to TJ Maxx. So it was like, great, now we have it in. Because we had the relationship, we now have it in@tjmaxx and Nordstrom's dot com. Right. So that's something I think a lot of times people forget. I just saw this clip that Oprah had on her podcast that was talking about when you're 45. So Ethan, you've got some time, but when you're 45 is like sometimes like the best time to start a business or why businesses are more successful in your later 40s. And part of it is this. What this guy had said was, is the relationships you've cultivated and built throughout the series of time that you've been in it. So what I really want everyone to hear is what relationships can you create and hold onto and pour into so that whether it's a good relationship at the brand, no matter who leaves, or you've created a real person to person relationship that no matter where they go, they know who you are and you could even go with them for sure.
- [22:59]
B
It's all about creating that Rolodex and maintaining it and growing it.
- [23:04]
A
Yeah. So good. So looking back, what's like the one thing you wish you knew sooner when you were starting happy habitats, like something that might have saved you time, money, stress, something you wish you knew at day one, but you had to learn it along the way.
- [23:18]
B
So I'd say the biggest lesson I had to learn is that as opposed to creating a premium product within a budget, you should strive to create a quality product as cheaply as possible. Our first item we included magnets in because it felt premium and it was within a budget threshold that we had decided was it needs to cost us this much to make the item so then we can flip it for that much to stores and then they can sell it for the final retail price. And then Covid hit and the cost of goods to manufacture went up 100% and we had to remove the magnets from our item because all of a sudden this. This product that cost us $8 to manufacture was costing $16 to manufacture. And we couldn't. It was. It wasn't viable to continue. So then our newest item, Borough Bricks, we decided, let's create a high quality product as opposed to setting out a budget of what it needs to be. We're just going to do it as cheaply as possible. So we're going to get what we want without having to give up anything. But we're not going to add any extra bells and whistles either that aren't needed. And if I knew that from day one, I would have saved a lot of money.
- [24:27]
A
That's great. Yeah. I mean, when we talk about the levers to pull within business, you can pull the lever of pricing. And when you look at pricing, it's the profitability, what your margin is. And so you can look at that both ways. Your margin can come either by making more, selling more, but always comes back down to cost of goods, labor, manufacturing. And then when I look at, when I do cost sheets and pricing with my students, I'm like, what can we get rid of in apparel and fashion manufacturing? Every seam. We would look at it as we designed and thought. Every seam is like, to sew a seam on your garment is 35 cents. So is that seam necessary or is there a way to manufacture the garment without that and still get the end result that we want? So no matter what you're making out there, it's looking at it. Is that extra bit of, you know, paper that you throw in worth the. Worth the price? I had a client that was importing from China blankets. They were beautiful. She had them wrapped in a bow with, like, the label, and they were poly bagged. She was unpacking them from the poly bags and then rewrapping them with paper and bows. And like, this is labor, this is extra materials you can save and be more profitable in the long run. So I just want everyone to hear
- [25:41]
B
that, you know, don't waste money. I mean, that's true. That's the. It sounds simple and reductive, but that's what it boils down to. You know, the first trade show I went to, we spent 10 grand creating this really premium booth that was there for three days. And it looked really great. It had two TVs. It had like a table with like a lip that was like an extra inch above raised so the hamster ball could roll around on the table. And we. And it wouldn't fall off. Like all these little things that, you know, we thought about and then it didn't matter. And, you know, every trade shows, every trade show since we just had like a banner printed and it cost us like 500, $700 to get what we need for the trade show as opposed to, you know, that 10 grand that was for one show we had these fixed costs for. And it's, it makes no difference.
- [26:27]
A
So let's go on the shows because I love that. What do you do at a show to get people to walk in? What do you think is like a, like a hook or something that they're, you know, you're at a trade show, tons of buyers are walking the aisles. How do they walk into your booth?
- [26:42]
B
You have to have an open booth. So if a booth is a 10 by 10 square, as opposed to having your table at the front of the, at the front of the booth. So you, you would have the table at the back of the booth and then you would stand in the middle or, or right on the cusp and you would call people out and bring them into your space. And then all of a sudden they're in your square as opposed to in the aisle. And then you have them. And you have to start with a hook. Like, you can have bottles of water under your table. You could be like, hey, you want a bottle of water? Or you have a bowl of candy. Just something small. Everyone, every person who's there at the show as a buyer is being drawn for attention. And every person who's at the show as a vendor is trying to get that buyer's attention. So you have to create a space where they can step into your. Into, into your area and have something for them that's worth their time.
- [27:33]
A
This is really good for everyone. Listening to. Even if you're doing in person markets that are, you know, flea markets or any type of market in person, the setup of the booth is really important. Exactly what you said. Never be looking down at your phone. I would always so with Cuffs Couture because nobody knew what it was. It was kind of a similar thing where it was a learning curve. I'd be like, have you heard about Cuffs Couture? And then I'd lift my wallet and show them, like, look, I've got a key and credit card inside. And then they would be curious and they'd walk over. And then instead of can, I was giving away Tylenol packets because I was like, your bag looks pretty heavy. Wouldn't it be great if you could just have it on your wrist. So really thinking about the takeaway, like you said, the hook being open and like you think about inviting someone into your living room, like if there's a couch in the way, they're going to be less likely to walk around the edges of the couch to sit in the living room. But if it's like a big open space, everyone feels like they can flow in. So we've had Pura Vida on here and they gave tips also on for them. They were doing giveaways. So they did. The bracelets were so cheap, everybody was wearing the one bracelet and walking around the trade shows with it. So I love to ask that question because it works in so many different ways for people.
- [28:43]
B
Yeah.
- [28:44]
A
So if you could give one piece of advice for a product based entrepreneur trying to scale from maybe their first $10,000 to their first hundred thousand dollars, what would it be?
- [28:53]
B
There's so many things you could tell someone, but I think the most important thing would be don't give up and everyone's accessible. You know, there are great CRM softwares that are free and easy to access that you can use and go on LinkedIn and source someone's contact info and then you can send them a direct email. And I personally did that and now I'm being mentored by the founder of petsmart, Jim Daugherty. He put out a book a year or two ago and I have a few pages in the back end of it about what he's been doing in the past few years. And I guess I would say everyone is accessible is my advice.
- [29:30]
A
And did you find that with your LinkedIn? Was that sort of your way in?
- [29:33]
B
Yeah, I went on LinkedIn and I used a CRM software called Apollo, which you can make an account with for free. And it will source someone's work email, personal email and phone number from their LinkedIn page and then you can use that to send them an email.
- [29:48]
A
Perfect. That aligns very much so with how I teach wholesale, where you can go on fair and platforms like that. But when you want to really get into a buyer and go on fair, I mean go on LinkedIn, find the buyer for your department and reach out to them. So Apollo's a great tool. I want to share a tool with you. I don't know if you know about it yet, but it's overjoy AI. So it's a cool area.
- [30:10]
B
I'm not familiar.
- [30:11]
A
So it's for wholesale, so it'll look up within your category, all the different retailers and also. And then it's A CRM for wholesale, so look into that one too.
- [30:22]
B
Thank you. After this call, I'll give it a gander.
- [30:25]
A
Yeah, I've got some clients doing really well with it and I'll drop a link in the show notes for everybody. All right. So exciting that you're launching with this new big box store in about a month. Can't wait to hear how it goes and then update us on how it all is. What are you most excited about then in the future coming up for let's say 2026 for happy habitats?
- [30:47]
B
2026, we're projecting, is going to be our first profitable year, which I'm really excited about. I mean, I'm sure anyone would be excited about money, but on a smaller scale. I'm looking forward to going into this big box store, seeing my product on the shelf and buying it as a consumer. I feel like that's going to feel pretty good.
- [31:08]
A
Can't wait to hear about it. Can't wait to hear more. So I think one of my last questions for you is I believe building a business is your business will only grow as much as you do. And so internally, what's a belief transformation or identity level up that you've taken so that your business could hit that six figures and then even be the kind of business that is sold in big box stores like that? What has been a transformation for you?
- [31:35]
B
That's a complicated question and I have a long answer that gets a little existential and go for it theoretical, but basically it ties back to everyone is accessible. But to get reductive, like we're all just people and I don't want to sound like I'm some fake philosopher, but because you are a person, you are capable of anything. And if you can visualize and manifest that you can achieve something and you put in the effort to getting that done, something's going to happen. I mean, 80% of effort is just showing up. Like being at the trade show, for example, or if you're a parent, you know, going to your kid's baseball game, I mean, that's all you have to do really to just, you know, be around, be available. So on one hand, don't think you're special, but on the other hand, you have to recognize that because you're not special, you can do anything. Like if you're special, you're boxed into whatever you're special for. But if you're just a guy or just a gal, you know, the possibilities are endless.
- [32:38]
A
I love that. That's something that I've really been Focusing on is a lot of times people come and they want strategy, and they think that success is 80% strategy. But what I believe is that it's 80% mindset, identity, belief, and then 20% strategy. Because we can learn all the strategy along the way. Right. What you're learning day by day is learning by taking the action. But what you said is really that first part of why not me? Right? If I. Like, if I have the ideas and I have the vision, why not me? And let's go on this ride and figure it out. Yeah.
- [33:11]
B
If you're always kicking rocks and thinking, why am I, you know, such a failure? You're never going to see yourself as a winner. I mean, you have to. You have to have the open mindset to. To view yourself as a person capable of change and growth and being able to achieve whatever it is you desire. And you can't think in the short term. You have to. I'm 27. I started this business when I was 19, and I'm gonna, you know, be working on it for the foreseeable future. Life is long. I have a friend who told me he felt like he was so old when he was 25. You're a quarter of the way through your life. I mean, I am young, so are you, but we're everyone. You got a whole life ahead of you to continue to grow and affect change in your future.
- [33:55]
A
100%. Yeah. I started my first business at 26. I mean, really, technically at 10, but. But 26 is official. And then when I started the product Boss, I was 37, and I thought I was locked in. Right. I was a fashion designer. I was a consultant. Like, this is what I do. And then not even a decade later and where I am now. So I love that from the perspective of where you're at, starting at 19, being 27, me coming out in my mid-40s and saying, you know, this is where. Where we're at, and so much more to grow. So we got into age a bit in this episode, but I think it's really great because what I want the listener to hear. I also have a highly successful client right now. She's in her late 60s, and she wants to exit her company for $10 million. And it's like, let's go. So no matter where you are in your life, what it's. It's the perfect time for you to start and to grow and to scale your business. And just don't let the. Don't be ageist yourself. Just do it.
- [34:50]
B
My father, who is Where I get my entrepreneurial spirit from. Started a business in his late 50s and now he's 61 and he's working his butt off. I mean, there's no time like the present.
- [35:00]
A
No time like the present. I love it. Okay, so love this. Thank you for, you know, really being persistent and ending up on the Product Boss. Really incredible to have you as a guest. Tell us how we can support you, follow you, buy from you, all the things what you can tell us so far.
- [35:18]
B
Thank you so much, Jacqueline. It's been great to be here. You can check out my business Happy Habitats on our website, you know, www.w.happyhabitats.net all our socials are happy.habats. you can buy our products on Amazon, Chewy, Walmart.com they're in pet value tractorsupply.com pet land. If you look for us, you'll find
- [35:43]
A
us and follow along when you hear this in the next month or so and we'll see where the next where the next place is. So really excited for sure to be
- [35:50]
B
determined where we're very excited about, you know, the future.
- [35:54]
A
Amazing. All right, Ethan, thank you so much. Thank you for being here and listening all the way through the Product Boss podcast. If you love our show and it has helped you in any way in your business, would you mind doing two things for us? Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode and leave us a review. Reviews help other product entrepreneurs know that this is the place to be. They're just grow their businesses and realize that they're not alone. And we know that you all know that a five star and honest review helps you sell more products to more people. So you know that your reviews help us reach more listeners around the world. Remember, what we give is what we receive and we are all about helping each other in the Product Boss community. We are all in this together. We would be so appreciative of you if you could take the time right now to subscribe, leave a review and even share this episode on social or someone you know so we can impact more lives. And remember, subscribing means that you will get notified each time we release a new episode so you never miss a thing. You have helped us grow and climb into the top 10 of all marketing podcasts and together we can keep climbing. Thank you friends and remember, there is room at the top for all of us.