Meet Aisha Byrd | CEO & Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aisha Byrd and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aisha, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The idea for my dog bakery was inspired by the love and dedication I have for my dogs Benjamin and Reese. I began baking Benjamin’s treats and birthday cakes to ensure that I could provide natural healthy treats for him since he had a very sensitive stomach along with allergies. I baked their treats 14 years and decided that I wanted to provide other fur parents the opportunity to feed their dogs natural gluten free treats. I have perfected recipes that are delicious for dogs and also protect them against obesity and diabetes. To ensure that we can cater to dogs at various life stages, my bakery offers a variety of treats and cakes for dogs of all sizes. We cater for dog birthday parties, puppy showers, gender reveal, adoption dates and a host of other celebrations and events. Although R&B Dog Bakery started as an ecommerce store, I later began to attend Las Colinas Farmers Market, Dog Expos and many community vendor shows. I strive to serve as an integral part of my community by donating treats to local animal shelters and supporting other small businesses that cater to fur families. As business has continued to grow I have expanded to our first store that opened in Arlington TX, on August 21, 2021. My bakery is committed to ensuring that all dogs are able to eat healthy, tasty treats free of the harmful additives often included in dog treats. My passion for my pets’ overall health has led to R&B Dog Bakery which will stay purposefully driven to the health of all fur families.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am most proud of how my brand has developed and it’s relentless commitment to providing quality products and our continued community involvement. My recent cause for excitement, was the expansion of R&B Dog Bakery to a physical location in Arlington as of August 2021. Starting my business has required innumerable amounts of dedication, time and research and I am very proud to have developed my own recipes and products for my dog bakery. This was challenging because the information I needed to formulate my recipes was not always readily available. There were a lot of trial and errors in this process but perseverance allowed me to develop the products I currently offer. I began to grow my brand throughout DFW through community events, donations and vendor markets which can be challenging as a new business. Navigating vendor markets is often a challenge because it’s difficult to know where to begin or how to be prepared. However, being professional is the key to success as an entrepreneur because you have to communicate with clients, city officials, chambers of commerce and other businesses. My advice is to always show up with a pleasant disposition, positive attitude and hardworking spirit. Embodiment of these attributes allowed my bakery to sign up for various markets and events after only one year. Consistently displaying these qualities built an excellent reputation and I am continually invited to numerous events by various cities and large pet vendor expos. R&B Dog Bakery will continue to expand and as we do I will ensure that we remain dedicated to quality treats and exemplary service to our customers and community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I truly enjoy spending time with my best friend because we have such busy schedules that we value the time spent together. My best friend lives in Chicago and if she was planning to visit, our first stop would be The Serenity Day Spa in Arlington, TX for a relaxing massage. We both love seafood so the next stop would be Red Claw located in Arlington TX for dinner. Our next stop would be to Allen Premium Outlets for a day of shopping. My best friend also enjoys museums so we would visit the Dallas Museum of Art and stop for an awesome snack at Cinnaholic. We both love to shop and support small businesses so I would also plan a shopping trip to some local farmers markets.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family has been very supportive of my business and I truly appreciate all of the love and help. I would especially like to thank my mother Camille and my son Gavyn. My mother has helped with numerous events, assist with baking and always provides words of encouragement. Gavyn is 10 years old and has been helping out with setting up for markets and packaging treats for the past 3 years.

Website: https://www.rbdogbakery.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/rbdogbakery

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rbdogbakery

Yelp: R&B Dog Bakery

Image Credits
@Nick White @Nikonnickk