Woof Creek Nutritious Nature of Hillsborough County
After closing their restaurant due to the pandemic, husband and wife duo Scot Hill and Lisa Monk decided it was finally time to grant the kids’ wishes and introduce a new family member into their home, a poodle pup.
Lily Lou joined the family and instantly uplifted spirits throughout the household. The only problem? Lily Lou came with a few doggy issues of her own, including being skittish and having allergies. That was when Hill decided to put his previous culinary knowledge to use and get certified as an Advanced Canine Nutrition Specialist to create holistic dog treats and meal toppers that would naturally benefit Lily Lou’s health.
Witnessing the benefits that came from the natural treats and toppers, the couple decided to spread awareness and help as many pups as they could, thus creating Woof Creek Nutritious Nature, a canine nutrition business.
After launching, they needed some assistance building the infrastructure in order to share this nutritional knowledge with animal lovers across the nation. Having previously worked with the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at University of South Florida during their restaurant business years, Monk said, “I knew immediately when Scot wanted to launch this canine nutrition company, we had to absolutely get hand holding and proper guidance from the SBDC.”
The duo reached out to the Florida SBDC at USF, where they were paired with business consultant, Pablo Arroyo, for help with the business start and basic tools that would help with future expansion.
“When we began really just to start with treats, simple clean treats grew into five other products lines and it’s all been handled by the use of our Shopify small business store. It’s been able to handle the growth, all with the start of that huge suggestion by Pablo,” Monk said.
Hill added that without the guidance of Arroyo they wouldn’t have known which way to turn.
“Starting that website was like diving into the ocean and really having no clue which way to swim and Pablo was like, I’m over here, swim this way,” Hill said.
Since working with the Florida SBDC at USF, the dog-loving team says their product line has grown just as much as their sales revenue, all while feeling the joy of helping pet owners find a healthier way of feeding their loving pets.
“With the help of the SBDC at USF and Pablo, our sales have increased four-fold and it’s been mind-blowing, amazing, and without being too overwhelmed, we were able to reach back out to Pablo who can help us with financing and other options to keep up with the demand,” Monk stated.
Although they are ecstatic with the demand and growth that they have seen, the couple explains that their biggest success so far is, “helping dogs with their allergies or helping a 16-year-old Dachshund run along the fence again rather than just stare at the squirrels. All these reports that we get and the testimonials that come in are really what it’s all about. That’s truly what it’s all about,” Hill said.
Lisa added that, “it feels exactly right and the growth and more pet parents we’re reaching, and more dogs we’re reaching, is just fulfilling from A to Z.”
As business grows, Hill and Monk plan on using and revising the business plan that was created with Arroyo’s help while continuously reaching out to the Florida SBDC at USF whenever they may need help in any area of business, especially since, “the Florida SBDC at USF has such an army of mentors,” Monk said.
The couple is confident that they will use the business resources available to them throughout their business journey. “I can’t imagine a point to where we won’t be making those calls to the SBDC at USF. The SBDC has been such an integral part of our team and we do consider Pablo as a member of our team,” Hill said.
