In this episode of Pet Business Disruptors, host Clayton sits down with Megan Stoll, the founder and owner of Pet Power Studio in California. They dive into Megan's journey within the pet industry, starting from her early days at a holistic pet store in Colorado in 2014, to running her own distribution company, and ultimately opening her own successful retail store. Megan and Clayton discuss the unique challenges and pitfalls of the distribution side of the industry, the specific difficulties of operating in Southern California, and why having a dedicated strategy for local, independent retail is crucial for long-term success. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Flaws in Distribution: Megan explains that traditional distribution models are broken, often heavily favoring the distributor's margins while squeezing smaller brands and ignoring the specific needs of independent retailers. Retail Reality vs. Expectations: Many new brands expect instant nationwide reach, but fail to realize that independent retail requires careful, targeted strategies and building strong relationships, rather than just forcing product onto shelves. The Challenges of California: Operating in California, particularly Southern California, presents unique difficulties, including high costs, intense competition, and a market where national brands often struggle to connect without a highly localized approach. Strategic Product Curation: For independent retailers, the key to survival is not carrying every product available, but curating a specific selection that serves their community, even if it means turning away established brands that don't fit their model. "If you don't get this like you don't deserve to be in the pet industry." "I'm going to kick the bollocks out of the price of that, and then I'm going to sell you all the other stuff on top." "If you don't have authority within your community, then you can go online." ABOUT THE GUEST Megan Stoll is an entrepreneur and the owner of Pet Power Studio, based in California. She started her career in the pet industry in 2014 working at a holistic pet store in Colorado. She later founded a distribution company, Wigglebutt and Co., to help smaller brands like Suzie's CBD Treats gain market access. Megan has deep experience across retail, manufacturing, and distribution, giving her a comprehensive understanding of the entire pet product supply chain. Pet Power Studio: Pet Power Studio (Instagram) Personal Instagram: @dailydognutrition ABOUT THE HOST Clayton Payne is an industry veteran of three decades of working in the pet industry. Brought up working in his parents' pet store, Clayton has seen the industry evolve over five different decades and has been on the cutting edge of the industry since the nineties. Building pet businesses from scratch, establishing multi-national distribution chains and having worked in every aspect of the industry, Clayton has a rare insight into the Pet Industry that is rivalled by few. Clayton has been the spearhead of many of the industry's changes and has introduced numerous new concepts to market with a trail of success behind him. He has worked in numerous countries within the pet industry, speaks four different languages and has established both import and export relationships on all continents (excluding Antarctica). As well as being COO of one of the UKs fastest growing insect technology companies, Clayton is a Pet industry consultant who has consulted for many household brands and delivers sales training to pet trade professionals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/clayton-payne-a6772244/ https://www.tiktok.com/@petbusinessdisruptorshttps://www.youtube.com/@PetBusinessDisruptors This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/