Building a Better Dog Crate
The following summer, I collaborated with an engineer friend living in St. Louis. He helped me turn my dream of an easily collapsible, visually pleasing kennel into a reality. He constructed a preliminary 3D model and then we began to make modifications.
At the time, I was over one thousand miles away in rural Montana working at a veterinary clinic, and it was hard to talk, plan and brainstorm with extremely limited cell service and my hectic schedule.
After months and months of back and forth, we believed we’d built the final product. We designed an efficient and straightforward folding mechanism that gave our kennel the ability to save valuable square footage. I was very excited, but I knew that the business journey was far from over.
When I came back to the University of Missouri in the fall, I truly had no idea where to go next. I spoke with a few different entrepreneurs and received mixed advice on the right path forward for my business.
At this point, I was lost. I had no idea where to go or what to do with this idea, but I was passionate about what I had created and wanted to share it with the world. I wasted a couple of months contemplating while being totally consumed by studying for vet school.
Then, one day in October, the Dean of the Vet School sent an email that changed everything. Mizzou was hosting an entrepreneur competition and mentorship program. I felt like everything was falling into place, finally.
