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.
Raising Money through Angel Investors: The Third in a Series on Access to Growth Capital
What exactly is an angel investor and would they consider investing in my pet company? In furthering my quest to clear up the myths and realities behind raising growth capital, I was fortunate enough to snag an interview with Peter Adams, one of the angel investment communities’ most knowledgeable...
Raising Money through Venture Capital: The Second in a Series on Access to Growth Capital
Raising money for your growing pet company is a hot topic and one that I am addressing over a three pat series for APPA’s e-update readers. Following on to my last column on crowdfunding, I thought it appropriate to demystify the whole concept of Venture Capital (VC) and whether this could be a...
Raising Money through Crowdfunding: The First in a Series on Access to Growth Capital
“I have this amazing pet product that I just launched at Global Pet/SuperZoo. The response has been nothing short of fantastic and the orders are rolling in. We are still very small, and don’t have enough collateral to to qualify for a bank loan but I need money for inventory and infrastructure....
Moving your Pet Company up the Valuation Chain: Steps to get the MOST from a Potential Buyer
The adoring eyes. The unshakeable trust. The opinion that you are indeed, the most important person in the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if potential buyers saw your business the same way your pet sees you? You’d definitely get a better price for company. Just as there’s a difference between how...
How To Command A Virtual Meeting Room
Face-to-face meetings are becoming the exception instead of the rule as sales teams and clients are spread throughout the US and modern day tools make it simple to communicate virtually. While I believe that in person meetings are ideal, increasingly we are communicating – and leading – online. ...
North America’s Growing Manufacturing Advantage
The North American Energy Revolution has resulted in the abundance of low-cost shale gas, which is helping the U.S. return to a prominent position among the world’s manufacturing leaders, which is great news to pet product manufacturers who would like their label to say “Made in the USA” or “Made...
Article Categories
Keeping Employees Motivated in Tight Times
By Bryan Williamson and Carol Frank Are you finding it difficult to keep your employees motivated? Do you feel that your people’s morale has been reaching new lows? If so, you’re not alone. Among the many challenges of a tough economy, most managers find one of the hardest is keeping their employees motivated and spirits up. While this can always be difficult, it is especially true with...
A Crystal Ball into our Economic Future – a morning with Economist Brian Beaulieu
Almost two years ago to the day, I wrote one of my first blogs about listening to an economist at the Denver CEO Forum. Dr. Beaulieu, Executive Director of the Institute for Trends Research, had many predictions about how we should invest/spend our money in the future as well as naming the pet industry as one of the top 10 industries for the future. Fast forward to the 2011 Denver CEO...
Financial and Life Planning…For Your Pet!
Murphy Green, my Eclectus parrot, is 18 ½ years old and is expected to live another 40-45 years. Lola, my Timneh African Grey, is 3 years old and is expected to live another 40+ years. My dream is for all of us to die on the same day, but unfortunately that is unlikely to happen! While I do have some provisions for my parrots in my will, I am still worried that if I die before they do, they...
Are You an Entrepreneurial Thinker: Genetics or just plain hard work?
Five Traits of Successful Business Starters As a serial entrepreneur who has founded multiple companies over the years, I have often asked myself “what drives me to start these businesses when so many people are content to sit behind a desk and work for someone else?” Given that the pet industry is full of entrepreneurial-minded people, many of you may ask yourselves the same thing. Was I born -...
Are Women Entrepreneurs Different From Men?
As chair of the University of Colorado Deming Center for Entrepreneurship's Women’s Council, one of the things I am privy to are studies and findings about entrepreneurs: what makes them tick, what motivates them, and how they became entrepreneurs in the first place. Recently I read a fascinating article sponsored by The Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship titled The Anatomy of an...
Managing People…. Simplified
As I get older and (hopefully!) wiser, I find myself using the phrase “just keep it simple” more and more often. I’m fine with chaotic situations, it’s just that I don’t enjoy them as much as I used to. One of the best ways to “keep things simple” in business is to maintain low employee turnover. Having to constantly train new people is a drain on emotional, intellectual, and financial...
What do Business Owners Need to Know about Upcoming Tax Changes?
An Interview with Jason Wagner, Tax Partner at ESK&H CPA Firm 1. What is the most significant development for 2012 and beyond in tax legislation for small and mid sized business owners? It depends on your situation, industry, or the life cycle stage of your business. However, when I think about the current tax climate, the combination of the rising individual tax rate as it contrasts with...
Reference Checking: Why It’s Not Optional!
EMPLOYEES. Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for having them, business would be a lot easier, wouldn’t it? But then, how much business could we create if we did everything solo? Having a solid team of people is among the most important indicators of a successful business. So you’ve interviewed someone you think would make a great team member….now what? Sometimes when I am asked about my book Do...
Retail Sales Not Setting the World on Fire
My firm is an avid subscriber of the monthly ITR Trends Report ® written by the dynamic duo of Alan and Brian Bealieu, both PhD’s in Economics and frequent speakers at pet industry events. Recently the subject was retail sales. Although the news wasn’t great, I felt it would be very valuable for me to share the “in a nutshell” summary so you can incorporate the news into your planning and...
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