In this episode of Small Business Pivots, I sit down with Elina Panteleyeva, founder of Dood Woof, a rapidly growing Austin-based e-commerce brand serving a highly specific niche inside the pet industry: doodle dog owners. After being laid off in 2023, Elina built a 7-figure brand in under two years with only two products—proving what can happen when you stop trying to serve everyone and start serving the right someone.

Elina shares exactly how niching down unlocked her growth, how she validated her first product by interviewing doodle owners inside Facebook groups, and how she used organic content and storytelling to build a community before she ever launched. She breaks down the process of triggering Amazon’s algorithm without paid ads, why you must build your brand off Amazon before selling on it, and the systems she created that now help every new product hit #1 New Release.

Inside this conversation, we cover:
 • How choosing one specific customer can explode your growth
• Why most entrepreneurs fail because they refuse to niche
• How Elina built a 7-figure brand with no ad budget
• The exact steps she used to validate her first product idea
• Why customer conversations matter more than product ideas
• How to build hype so your Amazon launch succeeds on day one
• Why you must know your numbers to take calculated risks
• How Elina uses AI to operate with a tiny team
• How she handles product development and manufacturing
• Why systems, email storytelling, and transparency build trust
• What new founders misunderstand about e-commerce
• How to grow without burning yourself out

If you’re an e-commerce entrepreneur, a product-based business owner, or someone with an idea who hasn’t yet taken the leap, this episode gives you a blueprint for launching, growing, and scaling a niche brand—even in crowded markets.

Ranked globally in the top 10% by ListenNotes, Small Business Pivots brings you real, honest conversations with entrepreneurs who’ve built something from nothing. My goal is simple: help you grow your business faster and avoid the mistakes that keep small business owners stuck.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:07 Elina’s background + immigration story
03:04 How being laid off sparked the business
05:12 Niching down into doodle owners
07:40 Product idea discovery using Facebook groups
10:11 Launching without paid ads
12:25 Building community + storytelling emails
15:48 Triggering Amazon’s algorithm
18:05 Knowing your numbers in e-commerce
20:42 Product development + manufacturing
23:15 Scaling with systems
25:58 Using AI to run lean
28:17 Advice for new entrepreneurs

Support the show

1. Want more resources to grow your business faster?
https://www.businessownershipsimplified.com/

2. Want to connect with our Host, Founder & CEO on LinkedIn?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/

3. Want professional business coaching with our Host, Founder & CEO?
https://www.michaeldmorrison.com

4. Want to set up a FREE business consultation with our Host, Founder & CEO?
https://www.businessownershipsimplified.com/consultation


FOLLOW US ON:
- WEBSITE: https://www.businessownershipsimplified.com/

-WEBSITE: https://www.michaeldmorrison.com/

-LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldmorrisonokc/

-YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@businessownershipsimplified