Goodboy利用一种专有算法，帮助宠物主人快速识别宠物的健康问题和目标。
随着直销宠物食品制造商或按需送货上门的玩具的兴起，对于宠物主人们来说，让他们的宠物伴侣保持健康和开心，似乎从来没有像现在这么简单。当然，要是我们的爱犬能够开口说话，告诉我们它们的真实感受就更好了
2019年1月，凯瑞萨普与儿时好友斯蒂芬列文格共同创立了Goodboy。该公司利用一种专有算法，帮助宠物主人快速识别宠物的健康问题和目标，并针对每一条宠物犬的需求专门提供高质量的宠物营养补充剂。
《财富》杂志最近采访了萨普和列文格，详细了解了他们创业第一年的经历，创业的经验与教训，已经克服的障碍，以及公司明年的发展计划等。
以下采访内容经过精简编辑。
《财富》：你们是受到什么启发创建了Goodboy？
萨普：创立Goodboy的想法其实与我本人的经历有很大的关系。一年多以前，我的宠物狗“芬利”被诊断出患有一种罕见的癌症，这件事让我产生了创建Goodboy的想法。当时，“芬利”才刚刚四岁，是一只年轻健康的拉布拉多猎犬，身体没有任何问题。所以，诊断结果让我很受打击。除了喂她优质的狗粮和定期进行体育锻炼以外，我意识到为了芬利的健康，我可以做很多事情，不仅是在她治疗期间，还包括对她的长期护理。
在芬利的启发下，我决定创建一个品牌，重新定义现代“铲屎官们”积极照顾宠物的方式。于是我联系到斯蒂芬，我们决定合作创建Goodboy，我们采取了合伙制，这是在最开始非常有机的组织形式。我和斯蒂芬从小就认识。我们是多年的好朋友，之前曾经共事过三年；我曾在他2013年创立的直销订购服务公司担任内容营销主管。从职业的角度来说，我的专业是公关和市场营销，之前曾经在成熟的公司和初创公司任职。所以，创建Goodboy这样一个品牌并不是一时冲动的决定。
列文格：我的家人都很有创业精神和创造力。我的母亲是一位艺术家和教师。我兄弟是布鲁克林著名的陶瓷艺术家，我父亲是一位企业主，也是一位创业者。所以，可以说我在家人的潜移默化中学到了很多。几年前，我在大学毕业后创建了第一家公司，并将其发展成一个价值数百万美元的品牌，公司的总收入超过1,000万美元，曾经登上《Inc.》杂志北美增长最快的5,000家私营公司榜单。
我很幸运，因为在我身边有许多比我更聪明、更有才华的人，其中一位就是我的世交和同事凯瑞。我们经常在工作中畅谈如何利用我们在SockFancy[列文格是该袜子订购服务公司的CEO兼联合创始人]的成功秘诀，开创激动人心的新事业，真正对社会产生影响。当我得知了凯瑞的爱犬“芬利”的不幸遭遇后，内心的绝望感和想要对她的爱犬的生命和健康产生影响的渴望，催生了我们创立Goodboy的想法。
过去两年，宠物保健品市场似乎迎来了爆炸式增长。你们认为为什么会出现这种情况？
列文格：除了年轻一代愿意为爱宠消费以外，我想我们看到过去几年的养生和自我护理文化开始产生某种光晕效应。凡是能够帮助我们掌控自身健康的产品，消费者的整体意识都在提高，比如养成健康的习惯，吃原生态的食物，摄入重要的维生素和服用营养补充剂等。Care/of、Ritual甚至Goop等品牌已经改变了人类消费者的自我护理市场，现在我们自然而然地看到这种趋势开始向宠物市场蔓延，由此带来了宠物市场的爆炸式增长。
除了利用无谷物配方和生酮饮食（甚至在犬类治疗和口粮中很少见的无肉饮食）等趋势以外，科技对Goodboy的发展有哪些影响？大数据或社交媒体对公司有影响吗？
萨普：科技从Goodboy的调研阶段开始就产生了巨大的影响。我们开发了一套定制算法，可以根据每一条宠物狗的具体需求，确定最佳营养补充计划。通过调研过程收集的数据，让我们可以更加有效和高效地利用用户的答复，计算出最终结果。这些数据不仅能给保证每一条宠物狗都能得到最有效的营养补充剂方案，还能左右我们未来的产品供应，保证我们能够根据客户的实际需求做出决策，而不是单纯考虑行业趋势或者基于假设。
列文格：公司业务的核心是以技术为基础并由数据驱动的。这让我们能够非常灵活地迅速响应客户的需求，了解客户希望一个宠物健康品牌能够提供哪些产品，同时科技为我们迅速更新换代提供了工具和必要的信息，让我们在即将陷入激烈竞争甚至某些方面的竞争已经白热化的宠物用品市场，能够领先于竞争对手，保持竞争优势。
过去一年，你们遭遇到的最大的障碍是什么？什么事情最让你们感到意外？
萨普：最大的障碍之一是如何改变“不惜一切代价求增长”背后的思维过程。当你创建一个全新的直销品牌时，你很难能从增长漩涡中全身而退。比如用几个月达成某个里程碑，订阅用数量激增，在几周内募集大量资金等等，这些问题会让你背负上沉重的压力。隔绝外部的噪音和压力，专注于自己的增长计划，尽管很有挑战性，但却能带来丰厚的回报。这让我们可以高度专注于对我们真正有利的策略，包括我们的业务、品牌和客户，最重要的是有利于我们的宠物。
你们从客户那里得到了哪些反馈，是否曾（或者将要）根据客户的反馈调整未来的产品销售方式？
萨普：从配料到采购再到生产过程，我们从最开始就把一切都摆在了明面上，这在宠物行业直到最近也是绝无仅有的。客户不仅希望买到优质、有效的产品，也希望有一条开放的沟通渠道可以提供反馈。我们收到了大量反馈，并迅速做出了调整，这些调整对客户和他们的爱犬都产生了直接影响。例如，最近我们从最受欢迎的一款营养补充剂中去掉了所有肉制品。这是因为现有客户和潜在客户表示，他们的爱犬出现过与肉类或什锦肉有关的过敏症和食物敏感。
我们根据这些数据重新调整营养补充剂的配方，使产品适合更多幼犬使用，不会导致过敏。我们一直在通过定制调查问卷收集新数据，随时了解宠物狗和它们的主人们面临的新问题。Goodboy从成立之初就非常重视数据收集和利用数据指导决策，随着公司的发展，我们会继续这种策略。
列文格：我们的许多商业决策都是基于客户的反馈，这是我们成功的基石。我最近一直在做的一件事是持续改善产品的可持续性，尤其是包装消费品公司。为了减少不必要使用纸板箱，我们已经把更新订单改为更小的包装，而且我们正在研发更环保的包装和重复使用包装，以减少公司的碳足迹。我们的这种立场在许多客户中引起了共鸣，我们期待在未来几个月甚至几年继续致力于应对可持续发展挑战。
很显然，在新冠疫情期间，客户的购买习惯、行为甚至他们与食物的关系，都将发生改变。Goodboy计划如何调整和适应可能出现的新常态？
萨普：作为一家公司和一个品牌，我们一直在努力为客户，最重要的是为他们的宠物，提供真正的价值。我想等到疫情结束之后，消费者在决定购买什么商品、从哪里购买和为什么要购买的时候，会更相信自己的判断。业务透明和用户社区是我们的核心，我们的模式内给予客户足够的灵活性。你在疫情期间失业了？我们可以暂停你的账户。虽然你喜欢我们的产品，但需要暂停每月的付款？我们可以下一次不发货。你的爱犬需求发生了变化，所以你希望重新评估订购的产品？我们可以更换产品，找到更适合狗狗需求的方案。
我们确实做出了一些调整，比如我们会更多地通过对话和品牌宣传，提供更加重要的产品信息和知识，并向现有客户和潜在新客户宣传补充护理的重要性。在判断未来的“新常态”时，我们知道客户的购买过程必定会变得更加复杂，而用独特的方式尽量满足客户的需求，这是我们的责任。
与此同时，从产品开发到融资，当前的停工潮对公司未来的业务有哪些影响
萨普：我们希望重新定义现代“铲屎官们”积极护理宠物的方式。我们将持续完善我们的技术，加强研究和数据收集，利用数据满足现有客户、未来客户以及他们的宠物的需求。我们将继续丰富产品种类，让照顾爱宠变得简单、方便和有趣。
列文格：我们的目标是成为消费者首选的宠物健康品牌。在近期内，这意味着继续扩大营养补充剂产品线，满足宠物狗市场日益增长的需求。未来，我们要解决从身体健康到生活方式健康等各种健康问题，可能推出与营养、锻炼和其他辅助产品有关的业务。我们的最终目标是打造一个以让宠物狗更健康、更快乐为宗旨的品牌。（财富中文网）
译者：Biz
Forpetowners,keepingtheirbestfriendshealthyandhappyhasseeminglyneverbeeneasierwithnewdirect-to-consumerpetfoodproducersortoysdeliveredondemand.Still,ifonlyourdogscouldtalkandtellushowthey’rereallyfeeling.
LaunchedinJanuary2019bycofoundersandchildhoodfriendsKariSappandStefanLewinger,Goodboyusesaproprietaryalgorithmtohelppetownersquicklyidentifyhealthissuesandgoals,whileprovidingtheirpetswithhigh-qualitysupplementsthatspecificallytargeteachdog’sneeds.
FortunerecentlyspokewithSappandLewingertolearnmoreabouttheirfirstyearinbusiness,thelessonsthey’velearned,thehurdlesthey’veovercome,andtheirplansforthenextyear.
Thefollowinginterviewhasbeencondensedandlightlyeditedforclarity.
Fortune:WhatinspiredthelaunchofGoodboy
Sapp:ThewholeideabehindGoodboywassuperpersonalforme.Alittleoverayearago,IwasinspiredtocreateGoodboyaftermydogFinleywasdiagnosedwitharareformofcancer.Atthetime,shewasahealthy,young,4-year-oldLabradorretrieverwithnohealthissues.Thediagnosiscameasatotalshocktome.Outsideoffeedingherqualitydogfoodandmaintainingasteadyexerciseroutine,IrealizedthatIcouldbedoingsomuchmoreforherhealth,notonlyduringhertreatmentprocessbutalsolong-termaswell.
WithFinleyasmycatalyst,Isetouttocreateabrandthatwouldredefinethewaymodern“pawrents”proactivelycaredfortheirpets.IreachedouttoStefan,andwedecidedtoteamupandbuildGoodboy,apartnershipthatwasveryorganicfromthestart.StefanandIhaveknowneachothersincewewerekids.We’vebeenfriendsforyearsandhadpreviouslyworkedtogetherforaboutthreeyears;IheadedupcontentmarketingattheD2Csubscriptioncompanyhefoundedin2013.Professionally,mybackgroundisinPRandmarketing,havingworkedpreviouslyinbothcorporateandstartuproles.SodecidingtodevelopabrandlikeGoodboywasano-brainer.
Lewinger:Igrewupinafamilyofentrepreneursandcreativepeople.Mymotherwasanartistandateacher.MybrotherisacelebratedceramicistoutofBrooklyn,andmyfatherisalifelongbusinessownerandentrepreneurhimself.SoIguessIlearnedalotofwhatIknowbyosmosis,youcouldsay.Istartedmyfirstcompanyafewyearsoutofcollegeandgrewittoamultimilliondollarbrandwithover$10millioninlifetimerevenueandaspotontheInc.5000listoffastest-growingprivatecompaniesinNorthAmerica.
Iwasfortunateenoughtobeabletosurroundmyselfwithpeoplemuchsmarterandmoretalentedthanme,andoneofthosehappenedtobealifelongfriendandcolleague,Kari.Wewouldoftengetintolongconversationsatworkaboutwhatelsewecoulddotoapplywhatwe’vebecomesogoodatwithSockFancy[LewingerisCEOandcofounderofthesockssubscriptionservice]tosomethingnew,exciting,andwherewecouldreallymakeanimpact.WhentheunfortunatenewscamedownaboutKari’sbeloveddog,Finley,andthefeelingofhopelessnessanddesiretobeabletomakeanimpactinherdog’slifeandhealth,theideaforGoodboywasborn.
Wellnessproductsforpetsisaspacethathasseeminglyexplodedoverthepastcoupleofyears.Whydoyouthinkthatisso
Sapp:Ithinkasawhole,peopleviewpetslessas“justanimals”andmorelikefamilymembers.Recently,millennialseclipsedbabyboomersinpetownership.Therehasbeenanotableshiftinmillennialswhenitcomestohavingchildren,manyputtingthisdecisionoffuntillaterinlifeorchoosingnottohavechildrenatall.Withthisshift,theirfocushasmovedtowardtheirpets,reallyprioritizingtheirwellness,well-being,andlong-termhealth.Thingsthatwereonceseenassplurges—prettymuchanythingoutsideofyourbasicgrocerystorepetfood—topriorgenerationsarenowviewedasnecessitiesorrequirementsforthisnewageofpetowners.
Lewinger:Inadditiontotheyoungergenerations’willingnesstosplurgeontheirfurryfamilymembers,Ithinkwe’restartingtoseeahaloeffectofsortsfromthewellnessandself-carecultureoverthepastfewyears.Therehasbeenanoverallincreaseinawarenessforproductsthathelpustakecontrolofourownhealthbycreatinghealthyhabits,eatingrealfood,andtakingimportantvitaminsandsupplements.BrandslikeCare/of,Ritual,andevenGoophavetransformedtheself-caremarketsforhumans,andnowwe’renaturallyseeingthatspillovertothepetspace,resultingintheexplosionindemand.
Beyondtappingintodietarytrendslikegrain-freeandketo-friendly(andevenmeat-free,ararityindogtreatsandfood),howhastechnologyshapedthedevelopmentofGoodboy,whetheritbetheinfluenceofbigdataorsocialmedia
Sapp:TechnologyhashadahugeimpactonGoodboyfromthejump,startingwithourquizprocess.Webuiltacustomalgorithmthatdeterminesthebestsupplementplanforeverydog,accordingtotheirspecificneeds.Ourdatacollectionthroughthisquizprocesshasreallyallowedustoharnessusersresponsestomoreeffectivelyandefficientlypowerendresults.Wenotonlyusethisdatatoensurethateachdoggetsonthemostimpactfulsupplementplanbutalsotoinfluenceourfutureproductofferings,makingsureourdecisionsarebasedonwhatourcustomersactuallyneedandnotsolelyonindustrytrendsorassumptions.
Lewinger:Atitscore,ourbusinessisbuiltontechnologyanddrivenbydata.Itallowsustobesupernimbleandresponsivetowhatourcustomersneedandwanttoseefromapetwellnessbrandandprovidesusthetoolsandinformationweneedtoiteratequickly,stayaheadofthecompetition,andgainacompetitiveadvantageinwhatisgoingtobecome—and,insomerespects,alreadyis—averycompetitivemarket.
WhatweresomeofthebiggesthurdlesyoufacedinthepastyearWhatsurprisedyouthemost
Sapp:Oneofthebiggesthurdleshasbeenreshapingourthoughtprocessbehind“growthatallcosts.”WhenyoulaunchanewD2Cbrand,it’shardtonotgetwrappedupinthegrowthvortex.HittingXmilestoneinXmonths,skyrocketingsubscribercounts,raisingloadsofmoneyinamatterofweeks—itallfeelssoheavy.Blockingoutthenoiseandoutsidepressuresandfocusingonourowngrowthplanhasbeenchallengingbutalsoveryrewarding.It’sallowedustohyper-focusonwhat’sreallyworkingforus—andwhat’snot—forourbusiness,ourbrand,ourcustomers,andmostimportant,ourpups.
Whatkindoffeedbackhaveyoureceivedfromyourcustomers,andhaveyou(orwillyou)applythatfeedbacktohowyousellyourproductsinthefuture
Sapp:Welaideverythingonthetablefromtheget-go,fromouringredientstooursourcingtoourmanufacturingprocesses—ararity,untilrecently,inthepetindustry.Ourcustomersarenotonlylookingforaqualityandeffectiveproductbutanopenlineofcommunicationtosharetheirfeedback.We’vebeenabletotakealotofthisfeedbackandquicklyimplementchangesthatdirectlyimpactourcustomersandtheirdogs.Forexample,werecentlyremovedallmeatproductsfromoneofourmostpopularsupplements.Thiscameasadirectresultofcurrentandpotentialcustomersindicatingthattheirdogswereexperiencingmeat-ormixed-meat-relatedallergiesandfoodsensitivities.
Wewereabletotakethisdata,reformulateoursupplement,andmakeitamorewidelyusableproductforanypup,regardlessoftheirallergyrestrictions.We’realsoconstantlycollectingnewdatathroughourcustomquiz,reallykeepingourfingeronthepulseofnewandemergingissuesthatdogsandtheirownersarefacing.OurdedicationtodatacollectionandleveragingthatdatatoinformourdecisionshasbeenahugepartofGoodboyfrominceptionandwillcontinuetobeaswegrow.
Lewinger:Wethriveoncustomerfeedbacktoinformmanyofourbusinessdecisions.Ithinkonethatsticksoutformerecentlyistheefforttocontinuallyimprovethesustainabilityofproducts,especiallyforconsumerpackagedgoodscompanies.We’vealreadymovedtosmallerpackagingforourrenewalordersinordertocutdownonunnecessaryuseofcardboard,andwe’recurrentlydevelopingmoreenvironmentallyfriendlycontainersandrefillpackstocutdownonourcarbonfootprint.We’veseenthissentimentechoedbymanyofourcustomersandlookforwardtomeetingtheongoingchallengesofsustainabilityinthemonthsandyearstocome.
Obviously,amidthecoronaviruspandemic,consumers’purchasinghabits,practices,andeventheirrelationshiptofoodisgoingtochange.HowdoesGoodboyplantoadjustandfitintowhateverthisnewnormalmightbe
Sapp:We’vealwaystriedtobeacompanyandbrandthatprovidesrealvalueforourcustomersand,mostimportant,theirpets.Ithinkaswecomeoutofthis,consumerswillbemoreintunewithwhattheyarebuying,fromwho,andwhy.Forus,ourfocushasalwaysbeenbasedontransparencyandcommunity,allowingourcustomerstobeflexiblewithinourmodel.DidyouloseyourjobduringthepandemicWecanputyouraccountonhold.LovetheproductsbutneedabreakfromthemonthlypaymentsWecanskipyournextshipment.Yourdog’sneedshavechanged,andyouwanttoreevaluateyoursubscriptionLet’sswapproductsandfindsomethingthatfitsthoseconcernsbetter.
Wherewedoadjustisthroughourconversationsandbrandvoice,providingmorevaluableinformationandknowledgeonourproducts,aswellaseducatingourcurrentandpotentialnewcustomerswhysupplementalcareisimportant,nowmorethanever.Asweallfigureoutour“newnormal,”weknowthattheconsumerpurchasingprocesswillcertainlybemorecomplex,makingitourresponsibilitytouniquelymeettheseneedsasbestwecan.
Lewinger:Peoplearespendingmoretimeathomewiththeirpetsthantheyeverhave.TheirdogsarenowrighttherewiththemduringMondaymorningconferencemeetingsorafter-workZoomhappyhours.Sonowmorethanever,peoplearemorecloselyintunewithsomeoftheirdogs’needs,andmoreawareofsomeoftheirbehaviorsthattheymayhaveotherwisemissed,whichhascreatedanopportunityforustohavetheseconversationswithoursubscribers.We’vebeenabletoadjustourmessagingtofocusmoreonthechangingstay-at-homeenvironmenttotryandhelp.
Atthesametime,howdoesashutdownofthisnatureaffectthefutureofthebusiness,fromproductdevelopmenttoraisingcapital
Sapp:Likemanyothers,weareseeingsomeslowdownswithinoursupplychain.Thisdoesn’tnecessarilyaffecthowwearedevelopingnewproducts,butitwillimpactandpotentiallyextendthetimelineinwhichwecanreleasethem.
Intermsofraisingcapital,we’vehadtoadjust.Withtheshutdownandinstabilityofthemarketasoflate,ourfocushasshiftedfromprimarilyangelinvestorstonowmoreventurecapital.
Lookingbeyondthepost-pandemicera,whichcouldbeanywherefromayeartoafewyearsfromnow,howdoyouplantogrowGoodboy,andwhatdoyouwantthebusinesstolooklikefiveyearsfromnow
Sapp:Wewanttobethebrandthatredefineshowmodern“pawrents”proactivelycarefortheirpets.We’lldothisbyconstantlyimprovingourtechnology,research,anddatacollection,usingthisdatatomeettheneedsofourcustomers,futurecustomers,andtheirpets.We’llcontinuetoexpandourproductofferings,makingiteasy,convenient,andfuntocareforyourbestbud.
Lewinger:Ourgoalistobecomethego-tobrandforpethealthandwellness.Inthenearfuturethatmeanstocontinueexpandingoursupplementlinetoaccommodatethegrowingnumberofneedswe’reseeinginourdogcommunity.Inthefuture,thatmeansaddressingallaspectsofhealthandwellness—physicalandlifestylewellness—whichwouldincludemorebroadinitiativeslikenutrition,exercise,andotheraccessoryproducts.Allwiththeultimategoalofmakingabrandfocusedoncreatinghappierandhealthierpups.