Source: Pet Food Processing / Sosland Publishing Co.

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — After nearly two decades in the pet industry, Erin Terjesen’s career has been defined by a deep understanding of how successful brands are built.

As the founder of Propel Communications and co-founder of Propel Execs, Terjesen has helped pet companies navigate everything from brand development and retail expansion to e-commerce growth, commercialization and customer acquisition. Along the way, she has evolved from a communications professional into a trusted strategic advisor, known for connecting big-picture brand vision with measurable business results.

“I’m particularly proud of the businesses I’ve had the opportunity to invest in and help guide,” she said. “There is something different about having your own capital at risk and being able to contribute to what a company ultimately becomes. It has deepened my understanding of what founders, investors and operators are really balancing when decisions need to be made.”

In this Q&A, Terjesen reflects on the experiences that shaped her career, shares her perspective on the trends influencing the pet market, and explains why meaningful brand building, experienced leadership and measurable growth are becoming more important than ever.

PFP: How did you get your start in the pet industry, and how did that experience lead you to where you are now?

Terjesen: My start in pet came when I moved from Texas to Arizona and joined a small startup called Happy Dog Toys. I was fortunate to work for and be mentored by Neil Werde, someone I’m still very close to today and continue to look up to.

Because it was a startup, titles only meant so much. My job could mean doing TV interviews one day and traveling across the country to sell our products into major retailers the next. It could mean packing boxes in the warehouse alongside the team to make a midnight shipping deadline, or fielding customer service calls from pet parents who wanted to tell us what one of our products meant to their dog and their family.

That experience shaped the way I have approached business ever since. I learned very early that marketing doesn’t happen in isolation. You have to understand the product, the customer, sales, operations, retail and what happens after someone actually buys what you’re selling. I also learned just how powerful the emotional connection between people and their pets really is.

Fast-forward a few years: I had become a first-time mom, the economy shifted and I was unexpectedly laid off in 2008. It was one of those moments that initially feels like something is happening to you, but ultimately becomes the catalyst for something much bigger. I decided to bet on myself, lean into my trusted network and launch Propel Communications.

Over the past 18 years, Propel has grown and evolved alongside the pet industry, driven by the goals and needs of our clients, the higher expectations of today’s pet parents and retailers, and rapidly changing technology. What began as a communications agency has become a strategic growth partner and revenue generator, connecting brand, communications, retail, e-commerce, digital marketing, creators, customer acquisition and commercialization. Simply, we drive results.

My own role continues to evolve with it, from agency founder to fractional CMO, strategic growth advisor, investor and executive partner.

That journey naturally led to my newest complementary venture, Propel Execs, co-founded with Jen Loesch. We bring complementary executive, operating, investment and board experience to founders, investors and boards navigating consequential moments in a company's growth, providing experienced leadership for what comes next and helping companies move decisively from strategy through execution toward the outcome they're ultimately trying to achieve.

Looking back, I think those early days at Happy Dog Toys, doing everything from selling to storytelling to presenting to major retailers and packing boxes in a hot warehouse, gave me a foundation I couldn’t have gotten any other way. They taught me to look at the whole business, stay close to the customer and never believe any job is beneath you when you’re building something that matters.

PFP: What has been your biggest challenge — personal or professional — related to your work in the pet industry?

Terjesen: Probably learning to embrace change rather than measure success by whether everything went according to plan.

Building a business for 18 years while raising children has meant there have been a lot of different seasons. There have been tremendous successes, failures, unexpected turns, difficult decisions and lessons I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to learn the hard way.

But each of those experiences added something to my toolbox and pushed me to let my own professional identity evolve.

I built my career in communications, so for a long time that was how people defined me and, if I’m being truthful, sometimes how I defined myself. But the work had changed. Clients were asking me to help make decisions around growth strategy, pricing, retail, e-commerce, customer acquisition, investment, organizational priorities and commercialization.

Over time, I realized that experience had given me the ability to mentor, advise, invest and lead in broader and more meaningful ways.

I think many people can relate to wanting to feel exceptionally qualified before claiming their next role. I’ve learned that growth sometimes requires being willing to say, “This is who I’ve become and who I am,” and just go for it, rather than waiting for someone else to give you permission.

Life’s changes and challenges have probably taught me more than the easy seasons ever could. They test you, sharpen you and give you tools you don’t realize you’re building until you need them later.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the network I’ve built and the trust that comes with relationships that span decades, but also for the new relationships that may have crossed my path just hours ago,” said Erin Terjesen, Propel Communications.

PFP: Tell me about a professional accomplishment in the pet industry that you are proud of.

Terjesen: What I’m proudest of isn’t one thing. It’s what has accumulated over the years and continues to motivate me every day.

I’m incredibly grateful for the network I’ve built and the trust that comes with relationships that span decades, but also for the new relationships that may have crossed my path just hours ago.

I’ve had the privilege of helping entrepreneurs take an idea and turn it into a brand, working with companies as they entered major retailers or new channels, helping leadership teams reposition businesses, and watching brands we supported early in their journey grow into much larger companies or successfully exit.

I’m particularly proud of the businesses I’ve had the opportunity to invest in and help guide. There is something different about having your own capital at risk and being able to contribute to what a company ultimately becomes. It has deepened my understanding of what founders, investors and operators are really balancing when decisions need to be made.

And I’m proud of what Propel has become. Founded from a word that means forward movement, we keep living it and helping create measurable business and revenue impact.

Now Propel Execs represents another chapter that I’m equally excited about. Three years ago, I intentionally set goals for myself around mentorship, advisory work, investing and being closer to the decisions that matter most inside businesses. This venture is a natural extension of that.

I’m very aware that none of this happens alone. I’m grateful each day for my clients, team members, colleagues, mentors, family and friends who have been part of the journey.

PFP: What is top of mind for you and/or your business in the industry right now?

Terjesen: I’m thinking a lot about the difference between having a great product and building a great brand and business.

You absolutely need a compelling product that solves a real problem. But today that is often just the price of entry.

Consumers increasingly expect brands to mean something. They want to understand the mission, the “why,” the people behind the brand and whether the company resonates with something they care about.

The strongest emerging brands understand the power of community. They invest in great marketing, but they don’t simply broadcast messages. They create highly targeted, meaningful engagement strategies that give consumers, creators, retailers and advocates a reason to participate in the brand.

At the same time, I’m equally focused on accountability.

Brands deserve to understand what’s actually driving revenue — channel by channel and campaign by campaign, and then put more resources behind what is working.

Awareness certainly matters, but marketing has to connect to business outcomes.

Connecting brand building with measurable growth is where I think some of the most interesting work is happening right now.

PFP: If you could pick three trends influencing the industry today, which are the most important and why?

Terjesen: The first is the shift from product differentiation to meaningful brand differentiation.

The pet industry has no shortage of great products. But functionality or a strong ingredient panel alone isn’t always enough anymore. Consumers are drawn to brands that resonate emotionally, have a clear point of view and give them a reason to care beyond the transaction.

That means mission, storytelling and community aren’t “soft” marketing concepts. They’re increasingly part of how brands build loyalty and enterprise value.

The second is the growing need for experienced leadership as founders navigate what’s next.

Many pet companies are built by incredibly passionate founders who are deeply connected to the product, the consumer and the mission. But as a business grows, the questions change.

What gets a company from idea to launch is not always what gets it from launch to scale, from founder-led to professionally managed, from one channel to many, or from growth mode to a potential transaction.

Founders are increasingly being asked to make decisions around organizational structure, capital, channel strategy, leadership, profitability, partnerships and long-term value creation, often for the first time and sometimes without an experienced sounding board.

I think one of the biggest opportunities in the industry is helping founders recognize that asking for experienced perspective is not a sign that something is wrong. It is often what allows a strong company to move more decisively into its next chapter.

The best founders I know are incredibly self-aware about where they add the most value and where bringing in the right expertise can accelerate the business.

The third is the demand for much more disciplined, measurable growth.

Brands deserve to understand what’s driving revenue by channel and scale what’s working. Today’s world is not a one size fits all. That means looking across direct-to-consumer (DTC), Amazon, Chewy, retail, paid media, affiliates, creators, email and other channels as parts of one business rather than isolated tactics.

Growth for growth’s sake isn’t enough. Strong companies increasingly understand the relationship between brand, demand, margin, customer acquisition, repeat purchase, operational readiness and long-term value.

That’s a positive evolution for the industry.

PFP: What is something about the pet industry that people outside of the industry may not realize?

Terjesen: How small, connected and relationship-driven it really is.

Pet is an enormous global consumer industry, but professionally it often feels like a community.

People move between brands, retailers, distributors, manufacturers, investors and service providers. Someone you meet early in your career may become a client eight years later, introduce you to your next opportunity or sit across the table from you in an entirely different role.

I’ve experienced that over and over again.

It means your reputation compounds.

People remember how you behaved when things were going well, but they especially remember how you treated them when something was difficult, when a deal didn’t happen or when there wasn’t anything immediately in it for you.

I’m beyond grateful for the network I’ve built in pet. Many of those relationships have become genuine friendships, and many have followed me through different chapters of my career and continue to cheer me on, just as I cheer them on.

There’s also a generosity in this industry that outsiders may not see. Yes, we’re all running businesses. But most people choose pet because there is something about the human-animal bond that matters deeply to them.

That shared love and connection creates a pretty remarkable community.

PFP: What advice would you give to other women in this industry?

Terjesen: Don’t wait until you’ve checked every box before stepping into the room. And don’t allow the function where you started your career to define the ceiling of where you can go. Learn the whole business.

If you work in marketing, understand the P&L. If you’re in communications, learn retail and sales. If you’re in sales, understand operations and margin. If you’re in product development, understand how a consumer discovers, chooses and repurchases what you’re creating.

The more you understand how the pieces connect, the more valuable your perspective becomes.

I’d also tell women to invest deeply in relationships, not “networking” in the transactional sense, but genuine relationships. Be curious about people. Help when there’s nothing in it for you. Stay connected. Some of the most meaningful opportunities of my career came years after a relationship began.

And give yourself permission to change.

Life is going to present twists and turns. There will be successes, failures and lessons every day. Those changes and challenges are often what reveal who we really are and build the skills we eventually rely on most.

One of the principles I love from Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” is the constant pursuit of becoming better today than you were yesterday.

That’s a pretty good approach to both business and life.

PFP: Just for fun, do you consider yourself a dog person or a cat person? Or, if you have pets of your own, tell us a little bit about them. 

Terjesen: After nearly two decades in the pet industry, I’ve learned that choosing sides on this question can be professionally hazardous! ;)

I have three goofy, spoiled-perfect rescue dogs myself, but I genuinely appreciate both dogs and cats. One of the great things about working in pet is seeing just how different the relationships between people and their pets can be.

I’ve also developed an enormous appreciation for cats through my work. For years, so much innovation, marketing attention and retail space disproportionately went toward dogs. We’re now seeing much more creativity around feline enrichment, wellness, nutrition and understanding how cats actually want to interact with their environment.

So I’m sticking with “pet person.”

And perhaps that’s appropriate after spending 18 years surrounded by people who will happily spend an entire dinner discussing their pets as members of the family, because, of course, they are.

Erin Terjesen is the founder of Propel Communications and co-founder of Propel Execs, bringing 18 years of experience helping pet and consumer brands grow through strategy, marketing, commercialization and executive advisory. Today, Erin works as a strategic growth advisor, fractional CMO, investor and executive partner, helping founders and leadership teams navigate what’s next. Her work spans brand building, retail and e-commerce growth, customer acquisition, commercialization and measurable revenue strategy. She is passionate about helping companies move from ideas to action, connecting leaders with the right resources and expertise, and building brands and businesses designed for meaningful, sustainable growth.

Continue reading about other female leaders featured in our Women in the Pet Industry series.