Who is Jeremy?

Meet Jeremy Canade, Co-Founder of Fable!

About Fable 

Started in 2019, Fable is a family-owned company that makes gear to solve problems for both the owner and pet, so the two can explore the world together. After learning there are no safety standards for pet products, Fable created its own protocol to design innovative, stylish products that prioritize the health and well-being of your dog.

Jeremy’s Story

Jeremy traces the inception for Fable back to when he was still working as Head of Retail Strategy & Business Development for Jet.com (a startup E-Commerce company that was acquired by Walmart in 2016). While there, Jeremy and his Co-Founder, with whom he had started a SaaS company a couple of years prior, would talk through ideas and research the market to look for opportunities. “At some point, I was spending a lot of time thinking about the pet industry,” he remembers.

Around the same time, his father was having difficulty keeping his husky on a leash during walks. To ensure the dog’s safety and ease his own anxiety, he kept attachments - eventually he was carrying two leashes, two carabiners, and a lock just to take his dog outside. While interest in pet care and accessories was on the rise, the standard products available to owners were lacking. “People consider pets as members of their family, pets were always considered members of my family,” Jeremy reveals. “So, it’s crazy that the products were so flimsy and not tested. US pet products are not regulated – there’s a lot of junk out there.”  

Identifying a gap in the market, Jeremy realized there was a valuable opportunity to offer better options to pet owners. He saw E-Commerce as the best way to directly reach frustrated people like his father and started Fable in 2019. “There’s a kind of immediate gratification for me that comes with designing the products, working on their development, bringing them to market, then getting to have a direct connection with customers and seeing our products on the street,” he says.

The CX Philosophy at Fable

The company’s approach to CX recognizes the customer and pet as equal parts. “That’s the heart of our philosophy” Jeremy reveals. “We are solving for both the pet and the person.” Understanding that the owner/pet relationship is dependent, one doesn’t exist without the other, a main goal at Fable is to provide an exceptional experience that strengthens this bond and makes people excited to share with others.

The Customer is Always Right

In the customer service journey, Jeremy maintains that it’s important to “treat people as we would want to be treated if in the same scenario.” To illustrate this point, he talks about a popular furniture item that Fable sells, a crate that doubles as a den table. “It can be a challenge to manage the shipping logistics involved in getting these crates to customers.” The company has spent time and money, he reveals, into building a dedicated CX team that is ready to work directly with customers and resolve any problems they are experiencing with orders. Adhering to the ‘customer is always right’ principle, he says “This has allowed us to build lasting relationships and these people continue to buy our products. So, it’s definitely worth the investment to get that interaction right.”

Building an E-Commerce Brand on Innovation and Creativity

Innovation and creativity have been core elements of the Fable brand from the very beginning. A singular approach to product design combined with a CX philosophy that considers people and pets as equals has resulted in the company standing out among its competitors. Jeremy elaborates, “Each product is unique to us, we own the IP. As pet owners ourselves, we try to think like our customers and solve problems for their daily lives. We tackle every product from that angle.”

Looking Ahead: Business Growth and Priorities

Navigating its rising position in the E-Commerce space, Fable is focused on increasing its visibility and reach as much as possible. “We’ve been fully investing in growth since we launched,” Jeremy reveals. He goes on to note that because Fable is still a relatively young company, it is working on a list of key goals and priorities for the future. Looking ahead, the brand aims to continue building out its diverse portfolio of products that include design-driving toys, walk sets, crates, and beds while expanding into new categories. Maintaining the development of partnerships with retailers and increasing distribution to broaden its customer base is also a priority. Jeremy finishes, “We’ll continue to concentrate on operational excellence and really honing in on and delivering a great experience to our customers.”

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Jeremy’s advice to anyone looking to bring a product or service to market is find your passion and stay focused. He explains, “Make sure you are passionate about the project you are undertaking, that it is something that you see yourself doing for the long-term and you’re excited about waking up every day to do. There’ll be ups and downs in the process, but you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and marching forward.”