How Dumpster Dog Daisy Launched a Million Dollar Business: The K9 Sport Sack Story

Welcome to episode 198 of Gathering The Kings Podcast with your host, Chaz Wolfe. Today we have an exciting guest, Joseph Watson, the CEO at K9 Sport Sack.Joseph Watson, a high school guidance counselor, stumbled upon his entrepreneurial spirit in 2009 when he found a dog in a dumpster. He built a carrier for the dog to put on his bike and that was the start of K9 Sport Sack. In 2011, Joseph incorporated the business, and now K9 Sport Sack sells e-commerce dog carriers all around the world.In this episode, Joseph shares the natural progression of creating a pet carrier for sports activities, the process of figuring out how to make a quality product, and the importance of testing your product and getting customer feedback. He also talks about the beauty of cross-promotion in the pet industry.Join Chaz Wolfe as he speaks to Joseph Watson, who runs the business with his wife, the COO, who runs the show while they raise their three children. K9 Sport Sack has 20 employees, several of whom work remotely and others at the office in Utah, including family members that have skills they know they need.Don't miss out on this insightful conversation!During this episode, you will learn about;[02:12]  Intro to Joseph and his business[03:14]  The history of K( Sport Sack[09:34]  Joseph first tradeshow [14:30]  A key decision Joseph made in the business[19:57]  Joseph’s approach on solving problems that haven’t materialized yet[22:11]   A bad decision Joseph made in the business[24:34]  Switching your mindset to be about customer experience vs. your own[30:58]  Joseph’s #1 KPI[33:38]  How Joseph developed his mindset around taking good care of employees[37:58]  Joseph’s opinion on intentionally networking & masterminding[41:55]  How Joseph goes all in with family and his business[44:51]  What would Joseph tell his younger self?[46:15]  How to connect with Joseph [47:49]  Info on Gathering The Kings MastermindNotable Quotes"The reality is, until a perfect stranger pulls out their wallet and votes with their dollars, you just don't know. There's no way to know. And so it's all risk up to that point. You just have to jump." - Joseph Watson"It speaks a lot to the power of our product that my own ineptitude didn't just crush the business outright." - Joseph Watson"I'm not making these bags for me. I'm making 'em for a customer." - Joseph Watson"You gotta make sure they're gonna be customers for it. If it doesn't solve a problem, then it really doesn't serve much purpose at all." - Joseph Watson"We value your feedback. We really do. We view our customers as our R & D department." - Joseph Watson"Perfection is an exercise in futility, so you have to go with good enough." - Joseph WatsonBooks and Resources Recommended:Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. Crown Publishing Group.https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/Let’s Connect!Joseph Watson:Website:  https://www.k9sportsack.com/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-watson-45849b17b/Chaz Wolfe (Host): Linktree:  https://linktr.ee/chazwolfe?utm_source=linktree_admin_shareWebsite: