Hey {{first_name}} , it's Gerald.

I know it’s a Sunday morning, but I had something I wanted to share with you.

I've spent 16 years building European Doberman Stud from the ground up. In that time, I've watched countless breeders enter the industry, and quietly disappear within 24 months.

Last week, I broke down exactly why most new kennels fail and what separates the ones who make it from the ones who don't.

I talked to an up and coming Kennel owner recently. Great guy.

But he made the number one cardinal mistake that has a 100% failure rate: He didn't research bloodlines before buying foundation dogs.

He bought dogs from multiple breeders without understanding pedigrees, coefficiencies (COI), or genetic matching. Just bought dogs because of a breeders social media status. That's just putting two dogs together and making puppies without purpose.

1. No Website (Rented Land Mentality)** You're betting your entire business on Instagram. One violation—real or fake—and your account is gone. I've had EuropeanDobermanStud.com since 2012. Nobody can take that from me. My site has: - Health records for every dog - Pedigrees going back generations - Newsletter sign-up (200+ subscribers in first month) - Shop for products (dog food, semen shipping supplies) If Instagram bans me tomorrow, I'm still in business.

2. Starting With Studs Instead of Females This is backwards. Your kennel's reputation is built on YOUR bloodline—and that comes from females. Elite European breeders own 6-10 females and ZERO studs. They outsource stud services. Why? Because if you buy a stud from Rampart Kennels, every pedigree will say "RAMPART" all over it. You're promoting THEM. Import your foundation females from Europe. Build YOUR name on the pedigrees. Control the narrative.

3. No Branding or Logo If you don't have a logo, you don't have a brand. Period. Caesar Millan is a brand. His face is on dog food, treats, and training equipment. He's not making those products—but his BRAND sells them. I use DJ Art Tick Designs (Jennings) for all my logos. He does vehicle wraps, t-shirts, social media graphics. Get a logo. Make people feel part of something.

4. Not Posting Consistently Mr. Beast has the most YouTube subscribers on the planet. Know how he got there? He posts multiple times per day. Every single day. I have 15-20 tenants, a wife, a son, four dogs, two cats, and I'm the patriarch of both sides of my family. I STILL find time to post. You're laying in bed scrolling forensic files. POST. You're in the bathroom doing number two. POST. You have time.

5. Buying From US Breeders to Start Here's the truth: If you build your kennel off US breeders' dogs, their kennel name will be all over your pedigrees. Smart buyers will skip you and go straight to the source—the breeder YOU bought from. That's KFC's 11 herbs and spices. You know what it tastes like, but you'll never know the recipe. That's gatekeeping on a legit level. Import from Europe. Do your research. Use WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to connect with breeders. Build YOUR brand on original bloodlines, not someone else's leftovers.

Step 1: Build Your Website You need land you OWN. I recommend Miles Meyer for website builds. Control your narrative. Post health records, pedigrees, available litters, and a newsletter sign-up.

Step 2: Start With Foundation Females Import 2-3 females from Europe. Research bloodlines. Learn pedigrees like you're reading the Bible. Know what you're buying BEFORE you buy.

Step 3: Get a Logo Use DJ Art Tick Designs or find a designer. Make t-shirts. Build a brand people recognize and trust.

Step 4: Post Every Single Day Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube. Document what you're already doing. Feeding dogs. Training puppies. Show the process.

Step 5: Build Your Email List If you have 2,500 newsletter subscribers, if just 1% of those subscribers buy a puppy, that's 25 puppies sold from the newsletter alone. Go with K9 Newsletters to get your subscriber list started.

How did you like this week's newsletter? 🐕 Loved it! 👍 Good 💢 Needs work