FRIZBEA’s Product-First Launch Strategy

Founders mapping out their launch strategy typically choose either a product-first or personality-first approach. While both offer benefits, going product-first allows the company to keep product quality and features front and center, rather than focusing on the charisma and connections of a founder or social media influencer. For FRIZBEA, an innovative digital ecosystem built specifically for dog owners, the choice was easy.

“From the beginning, I wanted FRIZBEA to succeed because people love the product — not because they are fascinated by the person who created it,” says Thomas Beasley, CEO of FRIZBEA. “That meant putting the founder story in the background and concentrating on building something dog owners would genuinely want to use.”

Beasley leads FRIZBEA’s product vision, business model, marketing strategy, and community design. Drawing on his background in databases and technology, Thomas is focused on building FRIZBEA’s platform and advancing its Clearwater-based technology story.

“I want people to discover FRIZBEA and say, ‘This is something I need because I love my dog,’” Beasley says. “The founder story can be told later. The product has to earn the audience first.”

FRIZBEA is the app dog lovers have been waiting for

FRIZBEA allows dog lovers to tap into a social home built specifically for dogs. The platform gives dog owners a place to celebrate the special moments in their dog’s life with a community that shares their appreciation of dog culture.

But FRIZBEA is more than just a social media platform. It’s a collection of powerful and convenient tools that make it easy to manage every aspect of a dog’s life.

“We approached FRIZBEA as an ecosystem rather than simply another social media feed,” Beasley shares. “The question we focused on as we were developing FRIZBEA was always: What can we build that gives dog owners reasons to come back tomorrow, next month, and years from now? That led us to develop the platform around multiple layers.”

One of the layers dog owners will experience on FRIZBEA is Beethoven’s Backyard, which adds a marketplace where pet-related businesses and service providers can connect with dog owners. This will give opportunities for groomers, walkers, sitters, trainers, veterinarians, products, vendors, and other parts of the pet economy to connect with FRIZBEA users.

FRIZBEA is also developing concepts to make healthcare records accessible to appropriate pet-care providers and to help owners find dogs that run off through a “Bling Alert” lost-dog finder.

FRIZBEA is a place for social connections without the drama

Dogs are a popular topic in the social media universe. But finding videos of playful pups or dashing dogs on Facebook or Instagram involves sifting through a lot of other content, much of which can be political and polarizing.

Beasley set out to give people something different: a place with more dogs and less drama. And his product-first strategy helped him achieve his goal. A product-first strategy keeps brands from getting caught up in polarizing issues, shifting the focus from personalities to product features. 

“People already have plenty of places online to argue about politics and everything else happening in the world,” Beasley says. “FRIZBEA doesn’t need to become another one of them. We want FRIZBEA to be a place people open because it makes them feel good. With FRIZBEA, the focus is dogs.”

Beasley believes dogs have an incredible ability to connect people who might otherwise have very little in common. Even when two people disagree about almost everything else, they will still stop to talk about their dogs. That is part of the culture he wants to protect with FRIZBEA.

“We aren’t trying to replace every social network,” Beasley says. “We’re creating a different kind of social environment — one where the common denominator isn’t politics, celebrity, controversy, or outrage. It’s the love of dogs.”

FRIZBEA is centered on dogs, the people who love them, and the businesses and professionals who care for them. The conversation starts with the dog and continues in ways that allow people to find the support and services they need to help their dog live its best life.

“Hopefully this doesn’t offend anyone, but with all the benefits you get from the platform, you should be asking yourself: If I’m not on FRIZBEA, do I really love my dog?” Beasley says.

FRIZBEA’s product-first approach promises users a better experience

Leaning too heavily on a founder’s identity can lead to sloppy development and execution, with the company thinking people will overlook problems because they get caught up in the personality. FRIZBEA avoided that risk by focusing strictly on developing a strong app that would serve users both now and in the future.

“One of the most deliberate decisions we’ve made is allowing FRIZBEA to establish its own identity before making the founder the center of the story,” Beasley says.