Bone & Rag revisited / Small Business Stars


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Authored by Hiscox Experts.
3 min read
Jeremy Cooper

It’s been a year since we spoke to Alex Sullivan, co-founder of Bone & Rag, a business that offers high-end, hard-wearing accessories for dogs.

When we last heard from him, Alex was passionate about his research into the design and creation side of their business. Now, one year on, we chat to Jeremy Cooper, Bone & Rag’s other co-founder, to see how he, the business and the dogs are getting on.

Here’s what Jeremy had to say.

You’ll meet some smart dogs in the park this summer!

Last year saw the business grow nicely. We had a particularly busy winter including a fantastic countdown to Christmas where no doubt lots of dogs received presents.

I also think owners are realising they don’t need to compromise on a dog bed. With a Bone & Rag bed, the dog gets a superior level of comfort of course, but also two removable washable covers. So dog and owner are getting something that is practical, lasts and looks good too.

Collars and leads have been popular as well, particularly as it gets warmer. You’ll meet some smart dogs in the park this summer!

We’re introducing new items within current lines

We’ve had a fantastic year in terms of customer satisfaction. We’ve had some excellent testimonials – just take a peek at our ‘Happy Customers’ page. It’s stocked with snaps of pups enjoying their new beds and leashes and it’s guaranteed to brighten up a dreary Tuesday afternoon.

While we’re not looking to expand the business in any major way, in a couple of months we’re introducing new items within current lines.

We’ve got new dog bed covers and some amazing new collars and leads. We’ve found some great, cosy but hard-wearing natural fabrics for our dog beds and we’ve designed a clever new dog collar too that people – and dogs – are going to love.

Endorsement from a respected dog behaviourist is brilliant

A great piece of endorsement came from Louise Glazebrook’s book, ‘Dog About Town: How to Raise a Happy Dog in the City’, which she published late last year.

She gave us a couple of mentions, and getting endorsement from a respected dog behaviourist – particularly in print – is brilliant news for the company, our vision and what we do.

Our own approach to marketing hasn’t changed a massive amount. There are two areas we’re looking into, for example we have some videos in the pipeline.

After working with Hiscox, it made us realise the potential of video in showcasing our business. We’re currently enjoying Instagram too, giving us more opportunity to bring you a whole host of images of our happy customers and range of products.

We want to start working with high street retailers

In terms of future developments, first up on our agenda is a slew of lovely new products, which we’ll be launching this summer.

We’re looking at a product refresh and the next big focus will be our new range of dog collars and leads that combine looks and practicality. These will be launching in a couple of months’ time.

We’re very excited at Bone & Rag because we think we’ve made the ultimate dog collar: one that’s comfy, smart and sturdy, and suitable for everyday use, including all weathers and terrains, town or country, that’s machine washable and lasts for years.

We also want to start working more seriously with high street retailers. We’ll be looking to collaborate with a high-end retailer with a high street presence, either in the UK, US or Japan, to produce an exclusive collar and lead set. We’ll perhaps have one in each territory, who knows.

If you’d like to hear more from Jeremy and Bone & Rag you can watch their first interview or visit the Bone & Rag website (external link).

Disclaimer:
At Hiscox, we want to help your small business thrive. Our blog has many articles you may find relevant and useful as your business grows. But these articles aren’t professional advice. So, to find out more on a subject we cover here, please seek professional assistance.

Hiscox Experts

Hiscox insures over 400,000 businesses (based on the number of policies sold in 2022), has a Defaqto five-star rating and is the proud winner of the Feefo Platinum Service award (2020-2023), rated by real customers.