Hello Honest Dog Breeders! Today we are so lucky to have Michelle Klump of Outwest Bassets, in Arizona. Michelle has a brilliant business mind and a loving heart. She always wanted a Basset, but found she wasn’t able to easily find what she was looking for. It sparked her business brain and she built a beautiful breeding program around her ideal puppy buyer and a lifestyle that worked for her and her family. A cattle rancher and a mom of four, Michelle brings her cattle ranching know-how and love of family together with her breeding program. If you’re just starting out breeding, you’ll love the path she took to design her program.
If you’re a seasoned breeder, you’ll be drooling at the beautiful facility Michelle and her husband designed and built last year, it’s well-designed, efficient, and looks amazing. We’ll talk about how she designed the facility and don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the post to see pictures of her beautiful place!
Want to Get the Roadmap to a Successful Breeding Program?
What you will find in this episode:
This interview with Michelle includes amazing information on creating a facility that’s tailored to meet the needs of your buyers and your dogs, how to pick your breed, and researching what your buyers want! Learn how Michelle’s driving belief that “it’s no harder to raise the best quality animal than it is to raise a low-quality animal” has helped her build an inspirational breeding program.
Here are the highlights from our conversation:
From pet to breeding | 2:47
Is breeding a good fit (or not) for you? | 4:50
Researching your competition & market demand | 6:56
Understanding what your ideal customer looks for in a breeder | 8:16
Understanding what you need as a sane and happy breeder | 11:26
Setting your program standard | 13:28
Designing your dream facility | 14:28
An intentional space to let your dogs be dogs (and get great photos) | 16:47
Space to greet & welcome buyers into your facility | 18:36
Building a dream drainage system into the facility to make cleaning a breeze | 20:44
Learning how to take great photos of your dogs | 24:04
Inspiring ideas for your kennel to make it comfortable for you and the dogs & easy to maintain | 26:25
Tips for selecting your breed | 30:05
The power of your facility on your ability to sell your puppies | 32:22
When to invest in your program | 33:36
Setting up your breeding space before you invest in a purpose-built facility | 34:30
Why and how to stage your facility | 36:34
Setting your price point (and using it to find your ideal customer) | 42:21
The waitlist – to have one or not? | 46:23
Dealing with buyers looking for holiday puppies | 49:26
Connect with Michelle
On Facebook @outwestbassets
Or visit her website at: https://www.outwestbassets.com/
Check out Michelle’s facility!
Want to see more? There are lots more photos of Michelle’s facility and dogs inside the Dog Breeder Society!
