Top Dog Manufacturing

Welcome to The Pivot series, where we celebrate the resilience and innovation of Atlantic Canadians entrepreneurs who adapted tremendously to face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked business leaders from across the region to tell us in their own words how they navigated the new economy and the lessons they learned along the way. Here is what one entrepreneur had to say.

Adapting our products for healthcare led us to examine our long-term goals and we decided to keep this industry in our plans. We undertook a complete rebrand exercise and revised our website. We adapted our marketing strategy, learned the standards of a new industry, and so on. Amidst all of this change, we were able to evolve. It wasn’t always easy and we faced various challenges, but we are able to tell our story today and that is an indicator of success. 

One of the most significant outcomes of this transformation is that the team is closer than ever. All these changes gave us confidence in our ability to respond to significant increases in demand and supply chain challenges while maintaining the highest standards of product quality, order fulfillment, and customer satisfaction which are the three pillars of our business. 

If I had to offer advice to someone going through a similar situation, I would remind them to look at it inch by inch, row by row. It’s important to have a clear understanding of your destination but people often forget how important it is to tackle things one at a time. I would also say that you can never overcommunicate with your clientele. Offer updates, let them know what’s going on. It’s much easier to manage expectations when communication is clear and transparent. And finally, I would say that to move quickly, we have to be ready to make decisions and leave room for adjustments later on. Change is a fluctuating curve and our attitude towards it should be as well.