Product Category Pivot

Ramon pivoted his pet products business (AlphaPaw) during COVID shipping crisis by expanding into a new product category. When shipping container costs increased from $3,000 to $20,000, making his original dog products unprofitable, he adapted by:

Key Points:

• Original Business:

  • Company: AlphaPaw
  • Products: Dog products including dog ramps
  • Distribution: Direct-to-consumer

• Crisis & Pivot:

  • Trigger: COVID shipping crisis
  • Challenge: Container costs increased 6x (from $3k to $20k)
  • Impact: Unit economics became unsustainable for large products

• Strategic Pivot:

  • New Product: "Genius Litter" (cat litter product)
  • Key Success: Secured nationwide distribution deal with PetSmart
  • Strategy: Moved from dogs to cats within pet category

• Outcome:

  • Business recovered and expanded
  • Gained major retail distribution
  • Successfully navigated through supply chain crisis

The pivot demonstrates how staying within a related category (pets) while changing specific products can help navigate business challenges.