Making Something From Nothing: Leslie Yellin Of Animal Science Labs On How To Go From Idea To Launch

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Be kind to yourself. We all have this dream of overnight success, but the reality is that things take time. There were times when I would feel anxious or question some of the decisions I have made. My inner voice shut that down real fast. You have to be fully invested mentally and have a positive headspace.

As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Leslie Yellin.

Leslie Yellin is the Founder and CEO of Animal Science Labs, makers of K9 Comfort Spray. Yellin created a patent pending Human Molecular Extraction™ (HME™) method to make a spray using your unique scent to help ease a dog’s anxiety. As a leader in the pet industry for the past 30 years, Leslie is responsible for generating over one billion dollars in retail sales within the last decade in her past roles with Multipet International and LRY Inc. Yellin has done everything from baking dog biscuits, designing pet toys, to making multimillion dollar deals with some of the largest retailers in the world. When it comes to dogs, there is no limit to what she will do to help. Each year Leslie donates to many pet organizations including Florida Little Dog Rescue, Feeling Fine Canine Rescue, Kira Rescue, New York Bully Crew, No More Pain Rescue, and Blind Cat Rescue. She is also a board member of the Armed Forces Family Reserve which helps military families in need. Leslie’s love for all creatures can be seen in her backyard which is home to over 15 turtles, koi, frogs, ducks, and geese and deer with the occasional visit from some black bears. Leslie has a soft spot for senior dogs and dogs that have a hard time getting adopted. When looking for a companion for her 15-year-old Jack Russell, she put the word out that she wanted an ugly senior dog that nobody wanted. This led to her newest addition, 12-year-old Violet. She isn’t the cutest dog out there but is probably the most loved.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

I grew up in a military family and it was challenging to establish roots or deep friendships because we moved every few years. Traveling was a normal part of my childhood and impacted my education. I was educated in the Philippines, Germany, England, as well as five different states in the United States — all before I reached high school. When high school started, I wrote to several colleges asking if they would admit me without a high school diploma, as an independent minor, and with no financial support. After extensive interviews, I was admitted to Jacksonville University without a high school degree. It was the best decision I ever made and helped shape me into the woman I am today.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

You have to create your own luck. You have to be aware of the opportunities around you and take advantage of them.

I had so many strange jobs to put myself through college. I did everything from valet parking cars for a major hotel, baking dog biscuits, selling things over the phone (which was the worst) and working for a proctologist. I walked into each job without the skillset needed, and quickly figured out what the job required. I worked hard and constantly pushed myself to be the best at each level. For example, when people got their cars back at the hotel, I already gave their car a fresh wash and left a thank you note inside. I spent $5 of my own money to wash the cars and in return I received tips up to $100. When I baked dog cookies, I would shape them into dog houses, bones and dog faces. Sales quadrupled for the treats and so did my summer salary. At the proctology office, well, I took what was described as a “crappy” job and made things a lot more pristine. My efforts were acknowledged and appreciated and I was valued and rewarded by my employers.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

The Power of One is a loose autobiography by Bryce Courtenay. The story is about a young boy’s traumatic survival in a very hostile environment. It is extremely raw at times, but also very touching and beautiful, showing the kindness of a few strangers. Although I did not become a prized boxer, as he did in the book, I found the foundation very similar to my own and his story very inspiring.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?

You have to truly believe in yourself and your product. Your inner voice has to say “you can do this”. For me, I wrote out every single thing I thought I would need to launch my brand. I wrote out phases and made myself commit to them. That being said, you also have to be able to step back and evaluate how things are going and in some cases, go in a completely different direction. That can be very painful, expensive, and frustrating. However, it keeps the momentum going.

I also need good people around me. I am one of those people who wants to work with people who are smarter than me. I want them to challenge me. I want them to feel like they have a voice and if they have an idea that will help grow and support our brand, go for it. I also need and thrive on laughter. Yes, launching a company is very emotional, but if you can laugh even during the rough times, it makes it so much more enjoyable.

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

Utilizing a search engine and looking up keywords associated with your idea is the first step for any research. In my case, I knew my concept was original. What I didn’t know was how to manufacture it, and prove my claims to be true. I started by studying research and reports from different doctors and universities. I had to learn about molecular science and which particular molecules I needed to make my product work. I also studied veterinarian medicine that focused on the canine brain and olfactory. Then, I needed to learn about working with laboratories and how to speak their language. In the end, the more I learned, the more excited I was about launching K9 Comfort Spray.

For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

The first thing to do is find out if your concept or idea is something consumers want. Then, look at your competition. Pay close attention to how products are packaged and what resonates with you. Then write it out and make a plan. To help handle the legality involved, I used an attorney to register my company. There are several things every company needs to set up including purchasing liability insurance, design packaging, and register trademarks. I found the government websites very helpful. I have written my own patents, but it is an extremely detailed process so I would recommend hiring a patent attorney. If you don’t have a large budget, you can start with a provisional patent which gives you a year to file the documents but protects your idea.

Regarding manufacturing, in my case, we manufacture our products ourselves here in the United States. We found various manufacturers through internet searches that supply our needs. I recommend being conservative in your purchases, even if you save money on bulk. Currently, our biggest challenge is locking in inventory due to supply chain issues.

In terms of retail and distribution, building a website was key for our business model. This is the base of our selling platform. I hated our first website and restarted it from scratch halfway through the build out. Remember, websites and social media channels need to be revamped and updated constantly. When you finish your website, plan on going back in a few weeks or months and making some tweaks. I hired a designer experienced with e-commerce websites because we are selling direct to consumer and wanted to get the most distribution online.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Be conservative with your spending. I had someone say “go big or go home” when I was ordering supplies. So, I ordered bottles, thousands of labels and packaging items. Then I had to redo my packaging due to ingredients changing and finding out that certain products do well over others. It was so painful to throw away thousands of labels and pamphlets that had no meaning.
2. Be kind to yourself. We all have this dream of overnight success, but the reality is that things take time. There were times when I would feel anxious or question some of the decisions I have made. My inner voice shut that down real fast. You have to be fully invested mentally and have a positive headspace.
3. Know that you may fail at things. Failing will not kill you. Failing will not define you. Failing will teach you lessons and make you stronger. Do not fear failure and don’t let failure embarrass you.
4. Stop trying to control everything. Yes, it’s your passion project, but allow others to take on major responsibilities. You may want to see every ad, every post, every write up, but eventually you have to trust your people and empower them to make decisions on their own. I handed over the reins to our social media accounts and clearly saw that I would not have been as good as my team. If I didn’t give over my control, it would have only hurt me In the long run.
5. Don’t be afraid to change your mind. You might have made a commitment to do something, or work with someone but if you don’t like how it is going, be honest and direct and come up with an exit strategy. I wasn’t as direct as I could have been in the beginning and ended up hanging on to some people because I felt bad for them. That’s not how to run a business. You have to accept the fact that not everyone is going to like your decisions.

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

Go to the USGov website for patents and do a search for your idea. I also think it is really important to lock in your website domain. Don’t wait on that step. You may end up changing your product name or company name based on what is available.

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

I have extensive experience, so I felt confident in my abilities to start my business myself. If you don’t have the background, then yes, I suggest researching and hiring a consultant or expert in the field.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

Initially, I thought about raising venture capital. I already had people interested in investing. Then I asked myself, “do I need this money or can I handle this myself”? When I broke down the numbers, I decided to do it on my own. It felt like I had the parachute of investors in case I needed the funds, but it also feels pretty amazing to say that this is all me. It’s my company and my achievement.

Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

My main mission is helping animals have a better life. There are millions of animals in shelters, fosters and with rescue organizations. As these dogs and cats are waiting for their forever home, they are scared, confused, and frankly lonely. For every product we sell, we go to shelters and donate dog and cat toys. The toys help stimulate their brain, encourage exercise, and in some cases give the pets something to cuddle and love. It is my wish that all animals have homes, but until that time, we will continue to do our part and bring warmth and love in the form of toys.

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would love to start a movement to find homes for all the dogs and cats living in shelters, especially black dogs and black cats which are the least likely to be adopted. I would love it if there was a program where photographers could receive grant money or a small stipend to photograph these dogs wearing a collar of flowers or an adorable hat/sweater to help give them some personality. A snapshot of a dog posted online doesn’t do them justice, especially if they have black fur or are senior dogs. But a dog wearing a tiara is certainly going to get some interest.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I would love to sit down and have a meal with Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. Most of us know her story, but what I most admire is her humor, attitude, and how she cares for her employees. To me how she respects and rewards her employees is what people dream of, and so very few get to experience.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.