Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 375: Craft Over Clicks: Building A Purpose-Driven Pet Business

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Brandon Salazar with Big Pup Fashion a good neighbor?

A tiny dog, a very specific collar, and a problem no big-box store could solve—this is how Brandon Salazar sparked Big Pup Fashion. What started as a hunt for the right ribbon, nylon, and hardware turned into an eight-year commitment to handmade, customizable pet accessories that reflect each pup’s personality. We dive into the craft behind collars, leashes, bandanas, and holiday pieces, and we unpack the surprising truth about sourcing: no faceless dropshipping, just American-sourced materials and careful, in-house assembly.

Brandon opens up about the realities of wearing many hats—father, founder, and commercial pilot—while growing a brand on limited time. He shares why Instagram remains his primary marketing channel, what he hopes to do once he can bring in help, and how authenticity and product quality keep customers coming back. Beyond the products, the heart of Big Pup Fashion is its people. You’ll hear how flexible, entry-level roles have helped team members like a single parent and a recent refugee gain experience, learn new skills, and step into the next chapter of their lives. It’s pet fashion with purpose, rooted in community and opportunity.

We also talk legacy, resilience, and building a future worth handing to the next generation. Brandon’s childhood struggles shaped a mission: create stability, empower others, and craft goods that last. If you love pets, value American-made craftsmanship, and care about small businesses that lift people up, you’ll find a lot to love here. Explore Big Pup Fashion on Etsy and the Dog Pack app, and get inspired to choose gear that tells your dog’s story. Enjoy the conversation, share it with a fellow pet lover, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review to help more neighbors discover the show.

To learn more about Big Pup Fashion, go to
 🔗 www.etsy.com/shop/BigPupFashion

Big Pup Fashion

For questions, message directly through their Etsy shop.


SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a pet fashion company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing our good neighbor, Brandon Salazar with Big Put Fashion. Brandon, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm doing great. A blessing to be here.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Now we are excited to have you on today to learn all about you and your business. Can you start off by telling our listeners just a little bit about your company and how you got started?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, so Big Put Fashion. Uh we sell customizable collars, leashes, um, anything you can think of in the pet industry, bandanas, little scrunchies, any holiday, uh holiday collars, all those things, any sort of accessories. Um, we do sell like little pearls, dog tags. Anything in the pet industry, in the pet world, we sell. Anything you can think of that regards to fashion. We sell little holiday scrunchies, perfect for you know every holiday of the year, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, anything you can think of.

SPEAKER_02:

Amazing. Now, how did you originally get into this industry?

SPEAKER_01:

So this Big Buck Fashion has been around eight years, and this happened about eight years ago, exactly. Where I was shopping for my little uh Mauti poop, she's about four or five pounds. Um, we went to like Pecco, uh Pet Smart. We even checked out a couple of uh online uh shops as well because we were looking for a collar for her. Um there isn't anything that was uh customizable. We wanted this specific ribbon on a specific nylon color with a specific hardware color, and we couldn't find that anywhere. So you know, little uh light bulb came up above my head, and uh that's when Big Putt Fashion was born.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. So it was really based on a need at the time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes. Um, I've I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and um, you know, the definition of an entrepreneur is uh solving a problem, right? And someone who solves a problem, and I just that was a problem that needed solving, so I got right to it.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, Brandon, I don't know much about the pup fashion industry, but what is the most common myth or misconception you come across in your industry?

SPEAKER_01:

So that's a really good question, actually. So a lot of people think, you know, even one of my uh siblings, uh name's Lalo, he thought that we outsourced everything, like, oh, you must get it from China, you must drop ship everything and just sell it at a higher price. No, that's definitely not what we do. We handmade, handcraft, even some of our things we hand stitch, like those flowers. Um everything that you see on our website is made right with our hands. And then um nothing that is outsourced. The only thing obviously is nylon and the hardware. We can't make that. We can't make that in, we can't make that ourselves. So we use an American supplier, like uh shout out to Country Brook. Uh we everything's American sourced, American made, you know, providing obviously American jobs for people.

SPEAKER_02:

Now we know marketing is the heart of every business, it is what keeps your business going. So who are your target customers? And in terms of marketing today, how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_01:

So marketing, right? We when it comes to marketing, that I would say that's not my my greatest strength. Um, I I'm a father, I work a full-time job and I work a full, uh obviously I operate big butt fashion full-time, and I also fly planes. So I'm also a commercial pilot, which uh I'm basically working every day, right? When it comes to marketing, I try what I like, I do what I can. I use Instagram mainly, that's my main source. Um, I do plan to one day hire someone um to kind of take care of that part of the industry, but at the moment, uh it's just not in hand's reach. I I do my best I can with Instagram.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, have you ever thought about having your own podcast?

SPEAKER_01:

That's a really good question. Uh I have not, never really thought about it. Right now, I think my most important thing is my family and providing what's best for them.

SPEAKER_02:

That is a beautiful mindset to have. Now, outside of work, what do you and your family like to do for fun? You said you're a father. How many children do you have?

SPEAKER_01:

One and hopefully just one. Uh we like to go on uh any sort of adventures whatsoever. If it's uh you know trying out new places, new restaurants, maybe um we do love to um go to little playrooms here and there. Uh we do love to go out and eat as a family. We're kind of foodie people. Um but most importantly, we like to spend time with our own family, you know, our siblings, my mom, my dad, her her mom and dad. Um, that's just that's what really keeps us truly happy.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember today about big pub fashion.

SPEAKER_01:

I want you guys to remember that um everything that Big Put Fashion makes is truly handmade and handcrafted. Um our employees, um we like to hire people who are really trying to get a start at somewhere. So um just giving them you know a fresh start, maybe something on their resume. Um like for example, I do kind of want to shout out two of my employees. Uh her name's Jackie. She is a single parent. Um, this is her first job, and while she's going to school, you know, she's she has the benefit of being able to work for a company that's very flexible with their schedule. And I have another employee that's Sarah that just uh that same thing. Uh she was going to school. She's actually a refugee from Pakistan. Um they barely knew the language, and you know, I we were able just to help her out a lot. Uh, she went to school, like I was saying, and uh we were very flexible with her. And thankfully now uh she's actually a nurse, and I'm just kind of really thankful and blessed to be able to provide that for uh people that really need it.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, Brandon, you mentioned multiple times how important family is to you. So I have to ask, do you see yourself taking this legacy of big fashion and passing it on to the next generation?

SPEAKER_01:

Most definitely, most definitely. Um I really want to pass this down to my son. Um, me growing up, um we grew up really poor, uh, living in the garage and um my siblings sleeping in the kitchen. And I thought that was I thought that was normal. I thought that was just a normal thing people did. Um, and as I got older, I understood that I understood that that wasn't normal. So I kind of wanted to make something for myself. I kind of wanted to for my own family to never ever have to go through that ever again. And if I can just do that for my next generation, if I can just give them something to hang on to, something to work on, then like I would be truly happy.

SPEAKER_02:

And where do you see this business going five, 10 years from now? You know, do you see it just staying a small store? Do you see it being worldwide? Where are you looking to take this business?

SPEAKER_01:

Most definitely better at marketing, right? I have to that's the key thing right now. And uh it's definitely something I have to work on if I'm gonna have if I'm gonna reach, you know, globally. Um, but I could definitely see this uh being a million-dollar industry for sure. Uh the pet industry itself is a billion-dollar industry, and if if by even just acquire just one percent of that um and providing you know American jobs and still being able to give these people a fresh start somewhere that would just uh that would just be amazing for me.

SPEAKER_02:

So, Brandon, where can our listeners go to learn more about big pup fashion?

SPEAKER_01:

They can go on bigpuppetfashion.etsy.com. Um that's where majority of our product is going to be. Uh, we just got listed Burley, about maybe a week or two ago on Dog Pack app. So you can download the app. Um, which is a couple of our just some of our product on there. We're still kind of adding more. So it's just just got released. Uh, you can also go follow us on our Instagram at BigPutt Fashion. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, Brandon, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much. It was truly a blessing being here today.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gmpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two two one nine three four four four four four five.