How Red Dog Designs Grew One Relationship at a Time

Building Something Better Together

When Jen Hilgenberg and Mindy Leher started Red Dog Designs (asi/305674) in 2012, they weren’t starting from scratch. Jen worked in promotional products, while Mindy owned a glass etching business. After realizing how well their businesses complemented each other, they decided to join forces.

Today, the business is approaching $2 million in annual sales, built on a simple philosophy: personal service.

That philosophy carries through every customer interaction. Clients work directly with the owners, not layers of account managers.

“If you have an issue, whether I’m coaching on a baseball fi eld or she’s at her daughter’s birthday party, we’re going to answer the phone.”

That hands-on approach has helped the company earn loyal customers and grow steadily over the years.

 

Finding Suppliers They Could Trust

Like many new distributors, one of Red Dog Designs’ biggest challenges wasn’t finding products. It was knowing which vendors to trust.

Customers regularly asked for items they had never sourced before. Searching online often meant taking a chance on unfamiliar suppliers, uncertain quality and unpredictable delivery times.

“I think one of the biggest things with joining ASI® was being able to easily vet trusted suppliers,” Jen said. “That was huge for us.”

Having access to supplier ratings, industry relationships and a network of vetted partners gave them confidence to recommend products knowing they could stand behind them.

Finding The Right Products Faster

As customer requests became more varied, speed became just as important as trust.

With ESP+, Jen and Mindy can quickly search for products and find trusted suppliers, making it easier to respond when customers ask for the latest trending item or something hard to source.

“Everyone sees products on social media and asks, ‘Can you get it?’” Jen said. “What’s beautiful is we usually can say ‘yes’ because we can jump right onto ESP+ search and find those items.”

That ability to move quickly is part of Red Dog Designs’ customer experience.

“It’s a great feeling to tell customers we can customize just about anything because we’re pretty confi dent we can.”

 

Growing Alongside Their Community

Red Dog Designs has built strong relationships with local schools, PTAs and youth sports organizations throughout South Jersey.

By creating online fundraising stores (ESP+ Stores) featuring apparel, spirit wear and promotional products, they’ve helped organizations raise money while making ordering easier for families.

For Jen and Mindy, the impact is visible almost everywhere they go.

“I’ll walk into the grocery store or pick my kids up from school and see people wearing something we made,” Jen said. “It’s a really awesome feeling.”

The fundraising programs have also created lasting partnerships.

 

More Than Business Growth

While revenue has grown dramatically, Jen and Mindy measure success differently today than they did when they celebrated their fi rst $1,000 order.

“We went outside, had some beers on the patio and said, ‘Oh my God, we sold $1,000.’”

Now, with nearly $2 million in annual sales, the milestone they’re most proud of isn’t just fi nancial.

Growth has given them something even more valuable: balance.

“Now we’re able to be here full time, coach our kids and spend time with our families. We truly have a balanced life and love what we do.”

 

Advice For New Distributors

Looking back, Jen believes one lesson stands above the rest.

“If you are a new distributor coming into this industry, the fi rst piece of advice I’d give is don’t say yes to everything immediately.”

Instead, she encourages new distributors to understand the process, think through the logistics and focus on solving the customer’s real need.

“Always look at the bigger picture of what the client needs. Usually there’s a way to make it work.”

 

Where Relationships Come First

From two complementary businesses to a thriving promotional products company, Red Dog Designs has never lost sight of what made it successful in the fi rst place: treating customers like partners.

Today, ASI and ESP+ help Jen and Mindy continue delivering that same level of service, whether they’re sourcing the latest trending product or supporting a local fundraiser.

For Red Dog Designs, success isn’t just measured by sales. It’s refl ected in the relationships they’ve built and the impact they’ve made throughout their community.

 

Explore how ASI can help your business grow like Red Dog Designs.

Want this Success Story as a PDF? Click here to download.