“I just made a solution that worked for me and my pets.”

Interview by Mike Sullivan of Sully’s Blog

Lisa Illman is the president and founder of Kritter Kommunity, in 2009.   Lisa was living in a condo and was disheartened to see her rescue cats Madi and Abi peering out the window at her while she enjoyed the great outdoors.  She quickly realized that in order for her entire family to enjoy the outdoors together, she would need to create a safe, effective outdoor cat enclosure.  In 2008, Lisa designed a prototype enclosure for her cats.  Living in the city center of Philadelphia, she received inquires from neighbors and passers by.  Realizing the high need and urgent demand, Lisa launched Kritter Kommunity.  Although originally targeted for cat owners, small dog owners also found this to be a safe and effective way to contain their pets outdoors as well.

Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Pennsylvania State University, more than 15 years of sales and marketing experience, and numerous professional awards.  She recently quit her full time job as an Energy Account Manager with the Hess Corporation to grow Kritter Kommunity into a world wide brand.  Her passion lies in helping pets and their owners live their best lives.  This has led her to a creative and practical way to allow pets the freedom to experience the out doors, yet protect them from the dangers that go along with that in a city environment.

MO:

Kritter Kommunity has been embraced by cat and dog lovers around the world.  What were your initial thoughts when you began receiving requests and inquiry from neighbors and friends?  At what point did you realize that you had a potential business on your hands?

Lisa:

Hi Mike, and thank you for the opportunity to share my story with you today.

I realized I had a pet product many cat owners would like pretty early on.  My courtyard acts as a showcase for people walking around my neighborhood; so putting the cats in their Kondos outside was much like displaying adorable kittens in a pet store window.  People stop, stare, ask questions, ooh and ahhh.  After answering for the 5th or 6th time, “where did you get those, my cats would love one”?, I started to make a few calls.  After realizing there is a market for these Kitty Kondos, small dog owners started asking me where they could get one….. hence the name Kritter Kondo instead of Kitty Kondo.

MO:

I’ve read some of the testimonials and reviews about your products.  Customers rate your product highly and cite “made with quality” and “well made.” I’ve also seen “super sturdy” and you also offer a warranty.  What steps have you taken to ensure your product quality outshines the competition and why is it so important?  Has it added any complexities to the manufacturing process?

Lisa:

Thanks, I am so thankful for my customers and especially the ones who have taken the time to write in and send photos.  Hearing and seeing the Kondos ‘in action’ is so full-filling and I value and listen to the feedback.  I honestly did not think about how I can outshine my competition when I first started this journey.  I just made a solution that worked for me and my pets.  I think I probably have high standards and I use the same standards to manufacture the product.  As a business owner, I am now more in tune with the competition and realize how important it was to start with a very high quality mindset.

I took the time to interview manufacturers as well as all support persons who bring everything together with me.  Asking key questions during the interview process that weed out the folks who are not quality sensitive really helps starting with the right team.  Taking the time to check referrals, doing some on line research and reviewing credit proved to be extremely valuable.  Having back up is also very important.  It is so easy to get comfortable with the same person or company, but what happens if they go away?  I believe in having a few sources identified in all areas (manufacturing, legal, marketing etc.)  It might take a bit more time on the front end, but I think overall tends to be the most efficient process.

MO:

I know when I buy something, I always dread opening the box and finding several strange looking pieces that don’t resemble the photo on the box.  Your product is collapsible, with no assembly needed.  Has that been a strong selling point for you?

Lisa:

Yes, being easy to set up has been one of the biggest compliments we get.  Going back to what was important to me, the ease of set up and take down was top of my list.   I just couldn’t find anything on the market that was sturdy, aesthetically pleasing AND easy to set up.  By satisfying these needs for myself, I naturally found my market.

MO:

Many people have ideas and don’t know how to take it to the next step.  When you had the initial idea for an outdoor enclosure for your cats and decided to make it a reality, what steps did you take to create the actual design, find someone to build a prototype, assuming you didn’t build it yourself, and produce a product?

Lisa:

Well, I would first say I had a solution to a problem.  You could almost say it happened on accident; this has not been a life long dream of mine, although today it is a dream come true that I never realized I had.

By making a solution to a problem I had, I was very driven and creative with my approach.  I would sketch out in a notebook what I envisioned,  wrote down the features it needed to have and ideas I had for materials.  I then began a Google search with key words like designers of new products, engineers of new products etc.  I found a few companies that do new product drawings, and eventually chose McLellen Engineering for the Kritter Kondo.   I had interviewed many companies who want to take your idea and manufacture, market, sell and enjoy any profits made from your idea.  I didn’t like this approach, so I made sure my product designer was only a product designer hired for the project of designing and aiding with drawings.  Bruce McLellen was very helpful and took the time to talk to me about his role, how long it would take and some ideas he had to make sure it was patentable.  At the same time I was talking with different Patent Attorneys in the Philadelphia area.  I went with Ron Ventolla because after talking with me on the phone, he invited me to their office on Market Street and took the time to give me a free consultation of his background and thoughts on my project.  Both choices were based on the impression they left with me during our first formal interviews and their testimonials from other clients.  I have not regretted either decision and work with both today as Kritter Kommunity continues to grow.  My rule of thumb, trust your instincts, ask key questions, check references, have back-up.

MO:

You began with a great product and have since taken it a step further.  You have been able to build on your band and develop some accessories.  How have these additions been received by the market?  Are there any addition products in the works that we can expect to see from Kritter Kommunity?

Lisa:

Thanks Mike, the accessories have been icing on the cake and so much fun for me.  We have an attachable shade canopy, black cat rug (please wipe your paws before entering!) and next week we will offer a tin can to go beside the Kondo that can be used for toys or as a garbage bin.  One of my customers jokingly tweeted last week “next year the Kritter Kondo will have it’s own doorman” which I say, stay tuned…. more is coming…. much more.

I am thrilled with the new Kritter Kondo Deluxe we just rolled out as it is much like the Original but with additional features.  One of the cool things about the Deluxe is the doors on both ends for easy access to your pet.  These doors come off, setting the stage for our next product roll-out, the Kondo Konnectors.  These enclosures will connect to the Deluxe making a run for your cat or dog.  More space, more sun, more shade.  Keep an eye out for other additional products to grow your Kondos and new accessories!

MO:

Talk a bit about how you were able to leverage your corporate background and marketing experience and promote the Kritter Kommunity brand so successfully.

Lisa:

Working in Corporate America for over 20 years prior to launching Kritter Kommunity has provided me with a good business acumen.  The formal and on the job training offered at Fortune 100 companies gave me so many tools to do a good job while I was an employee.  Now those tools have proven to be wonderful investments in myself that are helping me put together a company strategy easier and more efficiently had I not had that experience.   Being in Sales and Marketing most of my career is also paying off.  I have no hesitation about cold calling, no huge fears of rejection and the vision to see where my company could be in the future.  I was also fortunate to be surrounded by talented professionals and key mentors that are still a big part of my network.  I am happy I had the opportunity to work in large Corporations for many years, the puzzle seems to be coming together perfectly.