Today we’d like to introduce you to Aisha Byrd.
Hi Aisha , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey began with baking dog treats in 2006 for my fur-baby, Benjamin. When I ordered his 1st birthday cake, I was so happy to celebrate with my pup until the unexpected happened. Benjamin became very ill the next day and had to be taken to the veterinarian. After a thorough examination, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis and animal allergies. Benjamin had a sensitive stomach and could not tolerate the treats that were high in sugar, preservatives, and fats. So, I began researching healthy, human-grade, food options to create his treats. By the time his 2nd birthday had arrived, I was able to make his own cake. I was a self-taught baker, and my first dog cakes did not look as neat and fancy as my current cakes, but my Benjamin enjoyed every morsel. Ressie was adopted into our family four years later, began to enjoy the life of healthy treats, and celebrated her birthdays with healthy cakes. I relocated with my family to Fort Worth Texas in 2014 which was the best decision of my life. I began to meet so many dog parents that had dogs with allergies, sensitive GI tracks, and special diet-restrictions. In the month of January 2018, R&B Dog Bakery officially opened, and I was thrilled to share all of the handcrafted treat recipes that I created overtime. Many people wondered what did the “R&B” symbolize in the name of my business. The bakery was named after my late dogs (Reese & Benjamin) who lived to be fourteen and sixteen years old respectively. They were the inspiration behind the genesis my business; they were the fuel of my passion on which I worked tirelessly.
The function of the business began by producing orders for family, friends, and neighbors; then I attended my first Spring Market in Bedford Texas. As a new entrepreneur, my budget was very scarce, so I shopped at the local Goodwill and Thrift stores for stands that I’d use in product displays. After my first local event was a huge success, I began to apply for other events, and by October 2018, I started attending Four Seasons Famers’ Market. I commenced to develop my brand which allowed me to attend many dog events throughout the DFW and San Antonio areas. I was very proud of my brand because it allowed us to be able to maintain strong community-involvement and yield quality treats and excellent client-experiences. I was thrilled to open our new store in Arlington Texas in August 2022, where we began offering clients all of our available products; we also generated a web-presence so that clients could order online for in-store pickup. In 2023 we began expanding the ways for clients to easily shop with us; we launched our products into Walmart Marketplace, Pixee’s Paws Pet Palace, and Daisy & Dog Barktique.
I was very excited about publishing our new recipe book, “Baking with R&B Dog Bakery”. This recipe book was filled with easily fun recipes for families to make at home with their pups. The book was made available in paperback via Amazon, EBOOK via Barnes & Nobles, Apple Books, Google Play, and Amazon Kindle. R&B Dog Bakery would continue towards expanding our products through major retailers and businesses, making it easy for our clients to shop with us.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur had not been easy over the last six years. In the early years as a new business woman, I faced obstacles with gaining clients’ trust. As myself being a dog mom, I remained cautious about what my dogs would eat; many other dog parents felt the same way. I had to gain their trust by keenly demonstrating knowledge of my products, ensuring that dietary needs would be met and continued to stay abreast with any changes through the AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control). As a small business owner, I’d be tasked daily with making products, managing social media, updating the website when required, packaging, HR/payroll, marketing, and more. I completed this variety of tasks to minimize cost and stay on budget so that I could continue to grow my business. I had some challenging months in 2023; for the first time in five years, the cost of goods increased, and the consumer spending decreased. I continued to push forward by remaining focused on partnering with new and existing businesses; this was done to increase sales through the showcasing our products.
We’ve been impressed with R&B Dog Bakery LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
R&B Dog Bakery would offer a wide variety of treats in all sizes and flavors. Our treats would be catered dogs of all ages, from puppies to seniors. We would specialize in custom dog cakes since we would believe that all dogs should be able to celebrate those special days. We would offer cakes for birthdays, Gotcha Days, gender reveals, graduations, weddings, or any special occasion that one would wish to celebrate with one’s pup. Our cakes would be unique and made with all-natural ingredients, no added sugars, no artificial colors, gluten-free, and no preservatives, making them safe for dogs to enjoy. Recently I was thrilled about our latest products which included Doggy Cake Pops, Doggy Push Pops, Doggy Fro Yo, and Doggy Fro Yo sandwiches which made great additions at pup parties.
I worked over the years to build my brand in the DFW and surrounding areas. R&B Dog Bakery had been supported tremendously by the community, and we continued to stay involved in our community in a multitude of ways. We partnered with various rescue-organizations throughout the DFW area, which included Recycled Pomeranian Rescue and The Happy Pet Project to provide donations, Pupsgiving meals, and Christmas cookies.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
There were various opportunities to network throughout the DFW and surrounding areas, and I would believe that one had to present one’s face and brand to clients and businesses. I was a (and still current) member of the Arlington Black Chamber of Commerce where I networked with many other business owners. I also found mentorship with local business owners with whom I partnered that were also in the pet industry. Each quarter throughout the year I would meet with the owner of Hollie Rollie Pastry and the owner of Silky Radiance, and we’d celebrate our wins, discuss any new goals or challenges that we were facing, and shared educational resources to use for our businesses. Although those highly intelligent business-owners and myself were in different industries, we brought so much encouragement and education to each other which allowed our businesses to elevate over time. I would advise anyone to look for mentorship with other business owners that were willing to share knowledge and encourage one when one experienced those trying times in business because they would surely come, but having a support network would get one through those challenging moments.
Pricing:
- Custom Cakes as low as $15.00
- Doggy Macarons $10.00
- Doggy Donuts $4.00
- Dog Bag Treats as low as $14.00
- Doggy Fro Yo Sandwiches $3.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rbdogbakery.com
- Instagram: www.instagram/rbdogbakery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/rbdogbakery
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@rbdogbakery9076
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/r-and-b-dog-bakery-arlington
