S3 EP15: Lessons from Building Multiple Million-Dollar Pet Food Brands with Jeremy Petersen from identity Pet Nutrition

He built an $8.5M company in two years—then lost everything. Now he’s rebuilding from zero, on his own terms.

In this episode of Customer Growth Sessions, Pat Ahern sits down with Jeremy Petersen from Identity Pet Nutrition to discuss what it really takes to rebuild a company after failure—and why he’s choosing to do it without investors, big salaries, or shortcuts.

Jeremy shares the story behind his first company, Wild Calling, which scaled rapidly before financial struggles and internal decisions led to his departure and the company’s bankruptcy. He walks through the lessons learned from that experience and how they directly shaped the foundation of Identity Pet Nutrition.

Throughout the conversation, Jeremy breaks down his contrarian approach to building a modern CPG brand—from hiring for grit over experience, to using digital marketing instead of a traditional sales force, to maintaining strict cost control in an inventory-heavy business. He also offers a candid perspective on private equity, explaining why many founders regret selling and how independent operators can compete without giving up ownership.

Want to dive deeper? Check out Identity Pet Nutrition and explore their products and mission. You can also connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn or read more of his thoughts on Substack.

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