Meet Michelle Chu | Founder & CEO of KONOS

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

Hi Michelle, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I love this question because I love challenging the definition of success. It’s so subjective. To one person, my business, KONOS, may seem super successful—my social media content is active, my handcrafted dog leashes look sleek and minimal, and my website looks professionally done (thanks to my years of web development experience). To another person, I may look like I’m just starting out.

And I’m more inclined to agree with the latter.

At not quite four years in, I’m still a baby (business, that is). And I’ve already pivoted once in the last three years. When I launched this business in 2020, I started with single-ingredient freeze-dried raw dog treats. I’m a “go big or go home” type of person, and since it didn’t make sense from a volume standpoint to make the treats myself, I started by going directly to a co-packer.

But after three years of selling my single-ingredient dog training treats, I couldn’t afford to keep working on a larger scale. I decided to pivot to handcrafted rolled BioThane leashes and take a step back, bringing production in-house. But the core of my journey, and the answer to this question, is that the most important factor behind my success is staying true to who I am.

It’s a cliche answer. What does that even mean? And like success, one needs to define it for themselves.

Whether I was selling dog training treats or dog training gear, my brand, KONOS, has always been centered around the idea of empowering dog owners to build deeper relationships with their dog. When I first got my dog, Kono, whose legacy I’m building, I had no idea what reactivity was or the different types of dog sports you could do. I didn’t know anything about markers, or developing a communication system with your dog. But as I learned how to work with Kono on his reactivity, I developed a passion for dog training, and I love sharing our journey as transparently as I can through KONOS.

I’d like to think it’s that transparency that has helped me to build a community around KONOS, and community is something I’m really passionate about when it comes to building a company. Community, and authenticity, or staying true to who I am, is ultimately what I think will lead to the ultimate success of KONOS.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It all started with one dog. When I adopted Kono, a brindle American Staffy mix, in 2018, I had no idea what I was doing. When he started showing signs of reactivity, or overarousal to other dogs rooted in fear, I felt isolated and alone—I had no idea how to handle it. So I dove deep into dog training materials – podcasts, books, online courses, YouTube videos, anything I could get my hands on. And when I started KONOS, I started it with a vision to change the trajectory of people’s dog ownership journeys and to provide a safe, inclusive space for people to connect, support one another, and share resources.

KONOS is not just a brand of sleek and functional dog training gear—it’s a movement, a company with a mission to empower dog owners who want to do more for their dogs and give them a more fulfilling life.

What sets our products apart, other than how sleek they look, is that our rolled BioThane leashes are the most lightweight, durable, waterproof, and easy to clean leash you’ll own. The Everyday Leash, or our standard leash, is available in sizes from 3 ft to 6 ft, and good for all types of dog training, as well as just an everyday walk around the neighborhood. The Crosswalk Leash has a traffic handle that’s great for keeping your dog closer to you in busy areas. And The Odyssey Long Line, which ranges from 10 ft to 25 ft, is perfect for recall training or hiking. I’m also coming out with a slip lead soon, which is a product that has been requested the most of me by professional dog trainers, who make up a good portion of my customers.

I’m very excited for this year. There are a lot of new products I want to make, and I love the process of challenging myself with new designs or functionality. I’ve also got some ideas of how I want to expand the brand, so it’s going to be fun developing those ideas.

It has absolutely not been easy getting to this point. I don’t take it for granted at all, and unfortunately I’ve seen a lot of small business friends close up shop over the past year. There are a lot of lessons I’ve learned along the way—the lesson of inventory that I learned my first 6 months that cost me about $25k, the lesson of not selling fast enough to be able to sustain a product with a shelf life and having to pivot, losing over $6k on an agency that did nothing to help me with my ads….and many more.

But I’m still here, more resilient than ever and more ambitious than ever because I have a vision that I need to see through. Short-term, I plan on getting my leashes into the hands of a growing niche of dog owners who want more for their dogs or have had to deal with behavioral issues, as well as into various retail shops and dog training facilities nationwide. Long-term….you’ll just have to stick around and see 😉

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As much as training Kono is a part of my soul, so is eating. There are SO many restaurants I would take a friend who’s visiting.

Here’s a sample itinerary (based off a real itinerary I’ve made for friends):

Day 1:
• Coffee at Found Coffee in Eagle Rock (owned by my college friend, Annie Choi!)
• Hiking in Griffith Park
• Dinner at Bestia (make sure to make reservations a couple months in advance). The food is consistently good whenever I go, and it’s a dream of mine to go and just order unheard portions of the Bone Marrow Gnocchetti, the Chestnut & Mushroom Agnolotti, and Chocolate Budino Tart.

Day 2:
• Lunch at Grand Central Market
• Walk around Walt Disney Concert Hall
• Spend time at The Last Bookstore
• Dinner at KazuNori
• Drinks at Rhythm Room

Day 3:
• Runyon Canyon hike to look for celebrities but then give them space/privacy
• Lunch at Wax Paper in Frogtown (my favorite sandwich is the Steve Julian!)
• Afternoon coffee at La Colombe and a quick walk along the LA River
• Dinner at Baekjong KBBQ in Temple City

Day 4:
• Hike the Los Liones trail in Malibu
• Brunch at Malibu Farm Pier Cafe
• Wine tasting at Malibu Wines & Beer Garden
• Dinner at UOVO in Studio City

Day 5:
• Mid-morning yoga class in Highland Park
• Coffee at Civil Coffee
• Lunch at Triple Beam Pizza
• Bowling at Highland Park Bowl
• Dinner at Oseyo Shabu Shabu in East Pasadena

Day 6:
• Brunch at République
• Hike to the Griffith Observatory
• Dinner at Pijja Palace in Silver Lake

Day 7:
• Check out The Original Farmers Market at The Grove
• Go to The Broad in DTLA
• Dinner and rooftop drinks at Perch LA

This itinerary obviously adds up. Usually when friends visit, I also love to host dinners at my house and cook. So pick and choose which ones you want to go to out of these! And this is just a sampling of all the great food in the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I can’t shout out anyone without first shouting out my mom. She was a single mom, an immigrant from Hong Kong, who raised my sister and I by herself. When I first told her I was quitting my six-figure job to run my own business, she was supportive, albeit low-key scared for me. She also may very well be my #1 customer in terms of how many treats she actually purchased (full-price!) from me when I sold dog training treats.

While I started my entrepreneur journey before I met my current partner (on our first date, I told him I’d just quit my stable job to run my own business…thankfully he wasn’t completely scared off), I can’t imagine anyone else understanding what I’m going through the way he does. He started his own brand while we were dating, Cool Crocs, based on a cartoon character he drew years ago, and it’s been such a wild ride building our two businesses together.

Website: https://shopkonos.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopkonos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopkonos

Image Credits
Sarah DeRemer