Articles
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.
PET INDUSTRY ADVICE
Please feel free to post articles on your website or in print as long as you: include all authorship, copyright information, link to our website, and email your contact information as well as where and how the articles will be used to birdseye@bidseyeadvisory.com.
The Top Five Most Important Considerations When Selling Your Company
By Carol Frank and Craig Lawson Are you a thriving pet company that is considering raising growth capital or exiting your business in the next few years? If so, navigating the twisting channels of M&A can be costly and tricky if you aren’t prepared well in advance of implementing the...
Private Equity’s Love Story with the Pet Industry – Part II
As I continue to unlock the mystery of private equity for my readers, a few key questions come to mind. What are the advantages of selling to private equity? When selling your company, there are two types of buyers. One is a strategic buyer, or a buyer already in your industry – in our case, a pet...
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...
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...
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. […]
Minimizing your Taxes Under a Cloud of Uncertainty
Recently there has been a rash of pet business owners asking me “Carol, given the uncertainty regarding the capital gains tax, should I sell my company in 2012?” It’s a highly valid question given that the top tax rate on capital gains will rise from 15%...
Why is Private Equity so interested in the pet industry and is your company a candidate?
I get at least one contact a week from a private equity firm that wants to invest in the pet industry. As politely as I can, I tell them to line up behind the other 50+ firms I have on my list that would like to invest in pet. As owners of manufacturing companies,...
Will Customers Really Buy this? Ask an Advisory Council!
As a pet industry consultant and entrepreneur, one thing I am continually amazed at is the amount of money thrown at unproven products – many of which end up failing. This was top of mind this past week as I sat through a fascinating presentation by the Director of...
Women Pet Industry Pioneers: Stephanie Volo, CEO of Planet Dog
This article is first in a series of interviews with some of the pet industry’s most powerful and influential women. Today, I am very excited to present my recent interview with Stephanie Volo, co-founder and CEO of Planet Dog. Stephanie is the Top Dog and co-owner...
Back from the Brink: Gaining Inspiration from Apple, Rob Lowe, Avian Adventures, and others
STEVE JOBS AND APPLE, INC. As I mentioned in one of my recent articles, I recently finished Walter Isaacson’s fascinating biography on Steve Jobs. While I found it highly entertaining, I was also on the lookout for business lessons that I could share with my readers...
Setting SMART Goals for 2012…and beyond
Doesn’t it seem like everywhere you turn, people are talking about creating strategic plans and goal setting for 2012? Yep, it’s that time of year. I can’t say this enough times – without a plan in place that sets the direction of where you want your company to go,...
What Can I Learn from Steve Jobs?
Having recently finished the excellent biography on Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, the hundreds of business lessons learned from this brilliant icon would be enough for 10 columns. But today I will focus one of the absolute hardest aspects of running a business –...
Grass Roots Marketing: Building Your Brand without Breaking the Bank
Last column summarized some of the most important BRANDING pearls of wisdom gleaned from Doug Gleason and my webcast on Grass Roots Marketing and Brand Building. Today’s column covers the basics of GRASS ROOTS MARKETING. Since the pet industry is full of small...
Creating and Building your Brand without Breaking the Bank
The value of a branded product is more important then ever in this crowded pet product space. Recently, I was privileged to moderate a webcast for APPA titled Grass Roots Brand Building with Doug Gleason. Doug is the founder of True Blue Pet products and a former...
Please feel free to post articles on your website or in print as long as you: include all authorship, copyright information, link to our website, and email your contact information as well as where and how the articles will be used to birdseye@bidseyeadvisory.com.
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