Her Story
About Allison
I own and operate a feed company that I started 9 years ago, focusing on horse feed, cow feed, and other animal feeds. For most of those years, I outsourced the manufacturing to another company, but this past year I made a pretty significant jump by bringing manufacturing in-house, so now we are actually producing everything from beginning to end. My responsibilities cover all aspects of the business - personnel, inventory management, safety procedures, fulfillment, and ensuring product quality. I also oversee our marketing efforts, which include a podcast, a blog, and educational events. We have a consulting division where we go out and meet with owners to assess their animals. What inspired me to get into this field was helping horses and helping their owners. I'm also a board member for the North Carolina Soil Health Coalition, which is a nonprofit organization. My educational background includes multiple certifications through Michigan State University for equine nutrition, and I maintain continuing education throughout the years through various symposiums at vet schools and instructor seminars.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Allison
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a constant hunger to learn and asking better questions. I'm always seeking to expand my knowledge and improve how I approach problems and opportunities in my business.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was: if you want better answers, ask better questions. This principle has guided how I approach challenges and learning throughout my career, and it's something I continue to apply in my work every day.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this field would be to become very comfortable with knowing what you don't know, and then set out to learn it. Don't be intimidated by gaps in your knowledge - instead, embrace them as opportunities for growth and education.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in the feed industry right now is that there are very few small feed companies that have not been bought up by the big corporations. In this environment, I would say the challenge is to provide the best quality product that people can afford with the best service. It's about maintaining independence and quality while competing with larger corporate entities.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity is the most important value to me in both my work and personal life. Being genuine and true to myself and others guides how I run my business and interact with clients and colleagues.
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