What motivated you to start your business and what is your vision for the future of the company?

o Ollie was born in 2018 and shortly after we started feeding his meals as an adult, we realized he needed something to slow his routine down to prevent vomiting, promote proper digestion, give him some mental stimulation and just an overall more enjoyable mealtime experience. We began shopping around for slow feeders but saw that there wasn’t much that we liked on the market in terms of functionality (most were hard plastic or stainless steel back then). We also thought that the colour and design of most slow feeders we saw were not very aesthetic. Fast forward a year or two when I started to make feeding content on Instagram – the response we received from our followers was amazing and the community was so lovely. We decided then that it was time to create our own product. Both Ollie and I don’t eat to live, WE LIVE TO EAT! So naturally it was so exciting to picture our dual passion for food and feeding coming to life. Having done extensive research on design and functionality, we really loved the concept of having a silicone slow feeder as it was gentle on pet’s gums and was of course dishwasher-safe. It was also very important to me that we had a custom design for our products having seen all of the typical designs that are in every pet store or on Amazon. We knew we had to set ourselves apart from all of our competitors, even if that meant putting the extra investment into creating our own product molds. While we have curated a few items here and there along the way to boost our inventory (especially with toys), our goal is to focus our efforts on having a completely custom collection for our enrichment tools within the next two years. With all of the community polls and market research we’ve done with our clientele, another one of our future goals would also be to bring in local pet treats to our online store so that our clientele abroad may be able to purchase all of our goodies in bundles as requested.

Why do you deserve to win the Best Youth Entrepreneur Award?

As a now-32 year old youth entrepreneur, I had always wanted to start my own business now for at least a decade. It wasn't until I found my soul pups (Ollie & Winnie) that I truly found my passion in life. Seeing and hearing about everyone knowing and growing their passion for life was always a struggle for me as I never knew what mine was. Now knowing that it was always in the pet sector, I've learned what that passion truly feels like. It was an easy decision for me once I had cultivated a mission of what our small business could look like in a year - 10 years, 20 years. Having worked in so many different industries over the last decade, I've used the skills and connections I've made a long the way to help us kick start our venture. I knew I wanted to stand out from the rest - we wanted to be original!! I've always been a stickler for colour, design and overall aesthetics so it was a dream come true to design our own line of products! Growing our online community in order to give back to the ones that have taken care of us locally in BC has always been at the forefront since our launch. We give back to local shelters and other philanthropic organizations on a monthly basis including international ones such as One Tree Planted. We hope that our care for the pet community and the environment will inspire our clients and other businesses alike to do the same, if not more! We hope that with what we've built in the last short year, SBBC and our community will see our drive and vision as well and help us to grow and represent our province that much more!

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

While having just launched in 2023, we have made so many connections within the pet community both on the personal and business side of things. We've taken every opportunity to collaborate with local BC businesses as well as other Canadian pet businesses to learn more about the industry, branch outside of our enrichment realm and learn the entire scope of the community itself. We really believe that our business is giving back to the community as much as we are receiving. We've especially loved working with the BC SPCA since launching - making monthly donations and fundraising for the Lock-in-for-Love events. And plan to continue doing so with the Langley Animal Protection Society as well moving forward. Thank you so much!