Articles &
Resources
Carol Frank has been a columnist for many pet industry publications over the years including APPA, Pet Business, Pet Age, and Pet Product News. This page contains many of the articles she has written in date order as well as articles from guest contributors.
Trends in Pet Industry M&A: An Insider’s Perspective
by Craig Lawson In advance of our “Ask a Pet Industry M&A Expert” consultation sessions at Global Pet, we thought our readers and GPE attendees would find it helpful to gain additional insight into the current pet industry M&A landscape. As active advisors in the pet mergers and...
The Entrepreneurial Dog – Part II
This is the second of a seven-part series where each installment takes a look at one innate ability of dogs and what business people can learn from our four-legged companions. This article talks about how dogs move themselves forward and how that applies to business. The Gait of Your Business By...
The Entrepreneurial Dog Series
This is the first of a seven-part series where each installment takes a look at an innate ability of dogs and what business people can learn from our four-legged companions. Dear Readers: Recently I have had the pleasure of meeting Randy Culver, a highly successful entrepreneur in the satellite telecommunications industry and major dog lover. […]
Interested in Acquiring a Pet Company? The Top Five Things You Need to Know
Growing through acquisitions is becoming increasingly popular as business owners see the value in increasing revenue without having to significantly increase overhead. In investment bank speak, this is known as creating “synergies.” In other words, if you buy a pet company whose products would...
DRIVING UP THE VALUE OF YOUR COMPANY: The Top Five Value Drivers
Do you want to find ways to ensure your pet company is more valuable 12, 24, or 36 months from now then it is today? This is done through “Value Drivers” that increase the transferable value a buyer will eventually pay for your company. Generally, these value drivers increase cash flow both during...
Cat GPS Tracking: The Wave of the Future or a Passing Fad?
I recently had the pleasure of meeting a pet industry entrepreneur who has a passion for ensuring cat owners never experience the emotional pain of permanently losing their cat. Lisa Tamayo is the CEO of a new pet technology company, SCollar. Lisa and her husband built and sold a technology...
Article Categories
“Made in China” May Be a Thing of the Past
Partnering with Chinese manufacturers has been a significant factor in the explosive growth of the pet industry over the last 15 years. I don’t know what % of hard goods are made in China, but I’ll be it approaches 75% or more. When I owned my pet company, Avian Adventures, we moved our production from Mexico to China after realizing that I could save 40% AFTER SHIPPING by having my products...
Pet Company Valuation: Zuke’s sold for HOW MUCH???
The pet industry is abuzz with rumors surrounding the huge multiple paid by Nestle for Zuke’s Pet Treats.
An Insider’s View of the Pet Product Distribution Landscape
I recently completed a research project to study the current and future landscape of the pet product distribution industry. Questions to be answered revolved around the active M&A activity and what does it mean for independent retailers, small distributors and manufacturers. It must be a hot topic, because there seems to be a lot of demand for this information! Combining my personal...
A Crystal Ball into our Economic Future – a morning with Economist Brian Beaulieu – 2.0
Two years ago I wrote one of my first APPA e-update columns about the predictions of one of the U.S.’s foremost economists, Dr. Brian Beaulieu, Executive Director of the Institute for Trends Research (ITR). At the time, he predicted continued growth for the pet industry, which I am happy to say was an accurate statement. All in all, he was pretty spot on about his predictions. Last week, I...
Top 5 Things NOT To Do When Preparing Your Company For Sale
This morning a client I have been working with for several months to help him sell his company and I were on the phone with a potential buyer, when without warning my client dropped a huge bomb into the conversation. Basically he threw a fact out that significantly reduced the profitability of his company and thus the price he could expect to receive for his business. Ouch. As his sell-side...
Six Pearls of Sales Wisdom from Guru Jack Daly
If the idea of sitting through an 8-hour sales seminar sounds painful, you haven’t attended one of Jack Daly’s “Smart Selling” seminars. Jack is truly one of the most memorable individuals I have ever come in contact with. At an age when most people are thinking of retirement, (65) Jack is not only conducting dozens of sold-out sales trainings a year, but competing in multiple Ironman Triathlons...
Personal Energy Management 101
“I just need a 28 hour day, then I’ll be able to get all my work done.” We’ve all uttered those words during our careers, especially during times when there’s more work to do then there’s time to do it. That’s probably just about everyday for us busy pet industry entrepreneurs. While we all agree that practicing smart time management results in increased efficiency, there’s only so much you...
The Future of the Pet Industry: Profiting from our Changing Demographic Trends
On June 27th, I’m excited to moderate THE FUTURE OF THE PET INDUSTRY: PROFITING FROM OUR CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS. Our presenter will be Michael Johnson, Vice President of Marketing & Information at Chuck Latham Associates. Michael specializes in CPG / FMCG Marketing, Analysis & Research across the Food, Drug, Mass and Pet Specialty Channels. Michael gave a terrific presentation at...
The Happiness Advantage
“Poor people have big T.V’s. Rich people have big libraries.” Dan Kennedy While this quote may come across as a bit harsh, the main message resonates with me. Reading is critical to both personal and professional growth and without a doubt, the most successful people I know read multiple business and personal development books each month. It’s easier then ever to make that happen with the...
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