Ep 31: Partnerships & Collaborations Through Your Community Ecosystem with Candace D'Agnolo

Sep 20

Partnerships & Collaborations Through Your Community Ecosystem with Candace D'Agnolo

You hear people talk all the time about collaboration over competition, but what does that actually look like? In a world that often glorifies cut-throat competition, it's refreshing to see individuals who choose to work together to achieve greater success.

Candace D'Agnolo is the founder & CEO of Pet Boss Nation, a business mentor company for independent pet businesses. Also known as the "Pet Boss," Candace has established herself as a leader in her niche industry. She will share with us how she achieved this status and how she leveraged her community and ecosystem to build relationships and partnerships that have benefited not only her business, but also her members. She’s also going to talk about her experience plugging into her local community. So, let's dive in and learn from her expertise.

Favorite Community

Tell me about your favorite community that you are a part of now or that you've ever been a part of, and what do you really love about that community?

Answering this question is difficult for me because communities have played a crucial role in my life since childhood. I grew up in a large family and was heavily involved in various activities in school and beyond. When I moved to Chicago, despite its vast population of 3 million people, I discovered that the city was divided into many small neighborhoods. I fell in love with one such neighborhood, the Southport Corridor, where I established my brick-and-mortar pet businesses. I spent nearly two decades in the Lakeview neighborhood along this corridor. However, when the pandemic struck, I decided to leave the city and relocate to a small town called Galesburg, Illinois, with a population of around 30,000 people.

What I love about this community is that it feels like the little neighborhood I had in Chicago, despite being in a small town. There's a strong sense of collaboration and connection among people. Although you might think there's not much happening in a small town, there's actually quite a lot going on here, and the size allows me to make a tangible impact on the experiences of its residents. Bringing the big-city lifestyle has helped us in this small community, and I've enjoyed being here for the past two years.

Get Involved in your Local Community

What does that look like for people to get involved in their local community?

You know, the way I behaved when I first came to this town may not be normal for most people because I immediately began working to make things happen. People have said to me, "You've done more in this town in the short time you've been here than most people who have lived here their whole life." Maybe that's due to my years of professional development and my realization that we each have an impact on the world. When I considered moving to this new town, I saw the potential in everything. I looked around and saw what could be done, but I also knew I couldn't just come in and dictate what should happen. I needed to learn about the community, its needs, and the initiatives that were already in place.

So, when I moved here, I met with the movers and shakers in the town to learn what was working well and how I could be an asset to the community. I wasn't looking to make money, but rather to contribute individually to the local community. I met with the director of tourism and economic development, toured high schools and colleges, and even visited local businesses to meet people and get a sense of the town.

Becoming the Pet Boss

You're the Pet Boss, the absolute boss of the pet retailer industry. How does that even happen? How did you pick that niche? How did you become the leader of that niche? How has it served you to be in that niche?

After college, I thought I would work in marketing at a big advertising agency, but I realized I didn't want to sit behind a cubicle all day. At the young age of 23, I decided to become self-employed. Early on, I entered the pet industry, starting with a doggy bakery and eventually expanding to include a pet retail store, a doggy daycare, and a dog walking company. I became passionate about business and realized that I loved teaching others about it and connecting with fellow business owners.

Eventually, I sold three businesses and decided to become a business coach for the pet industry. I knew this was the right path for me because I had so much knowledge and experience in this niche. I started from scratch, building a Facebook group and forming partnerships to establish my expertise. One of these partnerships was with a pet industry magazine called Pets Plus. I began writing regular columns for them, and this helped solidify my authority within the industry. I attended trade shows and remained consistent in my efforts, which led to my following snowballing. Today, I am known as the "Pet Boss," and some people in the industry even refer to me by just my first name.

That led you to be a leader of this niche, of this pet retailer industry. It's not even the pet industry, it's specifically for pet retailers. Right?

That's interesting that you brought that up, but that wasn't the initial plan. Initially, most of my clients were in the pet retail industry. However, when I started my community, I found that I was attracting everyone who worked in the pet industry, not just retailers. I had built businesses and had gone through similar struggles, and people could resonate with me. I'm realistic and share my challenges, and I think that's why people find me likable. There really wasn't anyone speaking to the pet industry in this way, inspiring and helping them see what's possible for themselves, like a life coach for the pet industry. We began attracting a wide range of people, including doggie daycares, pet sitters, and even small brands just starting out. Our company now helps local pet business owners through our programs, but what's interesting about this niche is that there are many opportunities within it. I'm glad that I kept my community broad, as Pet Boss Nation includes any pet boss or pet professional. If I had called it Pet Retailer Nation, it would have closed us off from the opportunities that exist.

Leveraging the Community

How have you leveraged the community that you've built, the ecosystem and all of those different connection points and, and what's come about from doing that?

Well, that's interesting you brought that up because it's not actually what I initially planned. Initially, most of my clients were retailers in the pet industry, but when I started the community, I found that I was attracting everyone who worked in the industry, not just retailers. I think it's because I had built businesses, gone through the same struggles as them, and had sold them in various niches. People could relate to me and were drawn to me.

There wasn't anyone speaking to the pet industry in this way at the time, being inspirational and helping them see what's possible for themselves, like the life coach of the pet industry. So we started attracting many different people, including doggie daycares, pet sitters, and even small brands that were just starting out making dog collars from their house and doing farmers markets and pop-ups on weekends. We've become a mix of pet business owners, and our target is now local pet business owners.

The pet industry is booming, and we've reached over $100 billion a year in revenue. By 2030, the industry is expected to reach $275 billion, and more than 70% of households have at least one dog. The pet industry has many opportunities, including service providers such as dog daycare boarding, pet sitting, dog walking, dog trainers, pet supply retailers, product manufacturers who need distribution and sales reps, veterinarians, B2B service providers, graphic designers who niche in pet, software companies just for the pet industry, copywriters, social media people, bookkeepers, and even influencers and bloggers. There are so many potentials within this one little industry.

One way to leverage all these people that we're attracting into this ecosystem is to find businesses that share a similar client with you but who you don't compete with. In my case, if I'm educating many pet retailers, a perfect match would be to partner with a distributor who is selling and delivering products to these retailers. This partnership will help the retailer stay open and sell more products, and they'll order more products from that distributor, resulting in a win-win situation for both of us.

I found this opportunity at the Pet Industry Leadership Conference, where I met the president of the pet food company Pet Food Experts. We became great friends, and I started sharing my resources with him and his team. We've done guest blog posts for them, and I've attended their mini trade shows. This partnership has allowed me to find more clients because they've validated me to their clients, resulting in street cred for me.

So finding relationships within your industry where you share a common client but don't compete with each other is one way to help your business and find more business for your business. Additionally, it's essential to find friendships and build relationships.

It's all about adding value and making genuine connections. When someone contributes value to your community without trying to sell anything, it's a great way to get noticed and build a relationship. One example of this is Doc's design, a graphic designer who specialized in the pet industry. We started working with her and then recommended her to our clients. Through word of mouth, her business has grown tremendously and she now has a team of four or five designers working with her. It's amazing how powerful these relationships can be and how they can lead to significant growth for your business.

How to Build Relationships in your Industry

If I'm thinking about what I can do to build relationships and create connections with other people in my industry. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to somebody who's trying to move into this and start creating those kinds of relationships?

I think the one thing to remember is going back to something you mentioned earlier, it just takes one relationship with one person. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to think about all the opportunities and having to talk to so many people or find those connections. However, if you can find just that one person or business to work with and start gaining traction, it will start to flow naturally. I encourage everyone to find that one person, even though you may hear "no" or experience being ignored or a lack of trust. Just move on to the next person, be able to deliver on your promises and keep building those relationships. It takes time to find those opportunities, but they do exist, so don't get discouraged.

Connection Ideas from Shana

The more we can create those connections, the better. That's why I love helping people with communities learn how to create space for those kinds of fun connections. If you haven't checked it out yet, go check out my free guide 77+ Connection Ideas for a Stronger Community with over 77 different ways to create connections in your community. It creates opportunities for your members to come together. Building those kinds of friendships and relationships with people who get you personally and professionally is invaluable.