Four years ago, I had what many would consider a dream job. I’d worked my way into a high-paying, six-figure corporate marketing role all by the time I was 24 — complete with perks and bonuses. But behind the scenes, I felt unfulfilled. I was chasing someone else’s version of success. What I really craved was freedom, flexibility, and to build something with real purpose and passion.

That’s when life — and a little Cavoodle named Bambi — led me down a completely different path.

Growing up, I had a Cavoodle and her sweet, teddy-bear face and affectionate nature made her the perfect family companion. So when Bambi entered my life, it reignited something in me. But I quickly discovered a problem:  I couldn’t find grooming products that worked for her sensitive skin — or my own. Every “natural” dog shampoo left me with hives, and nothing felt luxurious or suited to the unique Cavoodle coat.

That pain point turned into a business idea mycavoodle. I thought, Surely, other Cavoodle owners are struggling with this too? So I set out to create the first premium shampoo & conditioner designed specifically for Cavoodles  — one that actually worked, looked beautiful on your shelf, and was made with high quality ingredients and luxurious enough to feel like human haircare.

My partner thought I was absolutely crazy for wanting to sell shampoo for Cavoodles. At the time, we were saving hard to build our first home — every dollar mattered. But before we joined our accounts, I told him, “I’m keeping $10K. I want to build a business with it.” And I knew in my gut — this was my shot. I didn’t have one extra dollar to fall back on, no secret savings or safety net. So I gave myself a challenge: Could I really turn $10K into something real? The answer was yes!

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Real Talk: What I actually did with that $10K

Here’s exactly how I used my $10,000 startup budget:

• $5,845 went into developing, testing and producing my first small batch of product, which I developed with a local Sydney manufacturer specialising in pet care. I knew I wanted a formula I could stand behind, even if it cost more upfront, I took no shortcuts and chose only the best ingredients like coconut-derived cleansers, aloe vera, and vitamin e.
• $1,845 went to a basic branding style guide and packaging labels — I used a local designer, and I designed everything else myself, including my Shopify website and social posts.
• $1,212 went into bottle packaging and printing labels (and a lot of trial-and-error samples).
• The rest? I kept for unexpected costs (of which there were many)… including shipping materials, mailers, and Australia Post costs and looking for more products to add to the range.

I didn’t do any flashy launches or spend big on Facebook ads. I kept things lean and self-taught — learning on the fly by listening to founder podcasts and spending countless late nights on YouTube figuring things out as I went.

I didn’t have investors, a business partner, or a team behind me. No fancy warehouse — just me, my laptop, and a whole lot of hustle. I packed every order from home, wrote every caption, and personally replied to every customer DM — all while juggling a full-time 9–5 job dropping off parcels at the post office on the way to work at 7am. I’d clock off at 5pm and clock back on for my dream, working late into the night, sometimes until midnight, building MyCavoodle from the ground up. That’s what it took — and I was all in.

In my first 12 months, I did $120,000 in revenue. I was making more from Cavoodle shampoo than I was in my $100K marketing job. It proved that not only was this business idea viable — it had the potential to change my life.

And that lit a fire in me.

Not even 13 months after launching MyCavoodle, I quit my full-time job and went all in.

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The Highs, the lows, and the lessons

I’ve had some amazing milestones recently. MyCavoodle products were unboxed live by billionaire Adrian Portelli (aka Mr. McLaren), who loved the quality and packaging. I had the pleasure of gifting a bundle to Sally Obermeder from Real Housewives of Sydney — her daughters now adore our Vanilla & Salted Caramel Everyday Cavoodle Cologne for their pup, Jersey.

Those pinch-me moments remind me why I kept going when things felt impossible.

But bootstrapping this business has taught me more than my marketing degree ever could.

When I launched MyCavoodle, the world was in its harshest COVID-19 lockdown — and just weeks in, my manufacturer was forced to shut down for four months. My products were ready, but they sat untouched on the factory floor because no one was allowed to leave their homes. My entire cashflow was tied up in stock I couldn’t even access. I hadn’t even officially launched, and I was already staring down an enormous challenge: How do you build hype for a product you’ve never even held in your own hands?

That setback became an opportunity to rethink my entire marketing approach. Since I couldn’t sell products, I poured my energy into building a community and growing my socials and email list organically. I focused on creating helpful, search-friendly content — writing blog articles on Cavoodle care, grooming tips, and the questions I knew pet parents were Googling. That early SEO work laid the foundation for long-term growth.

Since then, the challenges haven’t stopped. I’ve made expensive mistakes with packaging suppliers. I’ve had products arrive damaged, wrong or labels misprinted. I’ve faced ingredient shortages, pre-order delays, and supply issues —  At one point, I was completely sold out of products, operating on pre-orders for five months straight because I couldn’t keep up with demand— while pregnant and battling morning sickness and now i’m still navigating how to run a million-dollar business with a baby on my hip and the wild ride of first-time motherhood.

I’ve had naysayers along the way — people who told me not to waste my savings, that selling Cavoodle shampoo wasn’t a real business, or that I was crazy to quit a stable job. But when you have a purpose-driven brand and a clear niche, the noise becomes background. Because passion backed by action becomes momentum — and momentum builds belief.

And ultimately, I proved them wrong.

But nothing compares to the incredible feeling of knowing you’ve created something people genuinely can’t live without. The moment we sell out of stock — not because of hype, but because our customers keep coming back — it’s pure magic. I still get goosebumps reading daily messages from Oodle owners who say, “I’ll never use anything else on my dog again.” They tell me I’ve helped transform their dog’s coat, eased skin issues they’ve struggled with for years, or made grooming at home feel easy and enjoyable for the first time.

Those messages remind me why I built MyCavoodle. It’s not just about shampoo — it’s about confidence, trust, and delivering real results for people who adore their dogs as much as I do. That kind of loyalty and impact is worth more than any revenue milestone.

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What I’ve learned (That you can use too)

1. Niche down — then niche again.
   The riches really are in the niches. I didn’t create just a “pet brand.” I created a Cavoodle brand. When you speak directly to a specific customer, your product becomes the no-brainer solution for them. That’s how you stand out in a saturated market.
2. Obsess over your product quality & create a cult following
   Don’t cut corners. I could’ve gone offshore and doubled my margin — but I chose to formulate locally with human-grade ingredients. That decision helped me build trust, get real results, return customers and attract superfans who now preorder every new release.
3. You don’t need to know everything to begin.
   I didn’t have a background in eCommerce or product development. I taught myself how to build a Shopify store, how to shoot content with my iPhone, how to write email flows. I Googled everything. Progress > perfection.
4. Start lean, build profitably and remember cashflow is important.
   I ran the business with no ads for over two years — just organic Instagram, email, and SEO. I wrote educational content (how to groom a Cavoodle at home), answered every FAQ on my blog, and connected with customers one-on-one. My first Meta ads only started after I proved the concept and had the data to back it up.

Cash flow is the heartbeat of any business — without it, everything stalls. In the early days of MyCavoodle, I reinvested every single dollar back into the business. I wasn’t taking a wage or treating myself to wins. I was still working full-time in my marketing job, and so I never pulled money out of the business. I used it to fund my next production run, improve packaging, add new products to my range, and slowly scale operations. It was a delicate balance — constantly weighing up when to invest in growth versus when to hold back and stay lean. That discipline in managing cash flow is what helped me scale sustainably, without relying on outside funding, or compromising quality. Looking back, I know now: treating your cash flow like oxygen — protecting it and planning around it — is what gives your business the ability to survive and thrive.

5. Tell your story — people buy into you.
   My community didn’t fall in love with just the product. They fell in love with the story: a solo Aussie founder, bootstrapping from scratch and creating something truly helpful. Share the messy middle — it’s what people relate to most.

 What’s next?

I’m expanding our product range with more unique fragrances (because why should dogs smell like eucalyptus when they can smell like vanilla & salted caramel?). I’m building a small team of fellow Cavoodle lovers. And I want MyCavoodle to become the go-to global brand for Cavoodle care.

My goal was never just to build a product. It was to build a trusted brand — one that connects emotionally, solves a real problem, and reflects the love we have for our dogs.

If you’re reading this and sitting on an idea, wondering if you’re ready — let me save you some time: You won’t feel ready. But do it anyway.

Because what starts with $10K and a deep sense of purpose… can change your whole life.

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