Yellow Dog Turns 15
Summer of 2021 marks 15 years since Jay Livingood founded Yellow Dog Inventory. We asked him some questions about how we’ve made it here.
Our first ever User Conference
How did you get your idea for the business?
Before 2006, I was selling a high end golf/spa system to resorts. Our first prospect asked how we could help them with retail inventory management. I looked, and did not find anything that was good and/or affordable. And here we are.
What was your mission at the beginning? How has it changed to what it is now?
Make it a simple system to use, but powerful on its control and reporting. No change.
What difficulties have been unique to developing an inventory solution that folks in other industries wouldn’t understand?
It is very hard. 250+ integrations, 7 different costing methods, and 15 defined workflows. Never though inventory would be more complex than point of sale, but it is.
Honestly, why do you think the product has been successful?
We never quit. Yellow Dog as a company never quit listening, enhancing the software, training users, learning, and trying.
What do you look for in an employee, and how has that shifted over the last 15 years?
I can teach anyone the industry and workflows. I can’t teach them to be nice, how to work hard, have pride, and be a team player. I look for those as table stakes.
Why Norfolk, VA? What have been some pros and cons of building a business here?
Our previous Colonial Avenue Office
Well, I lived in Norfolk at the time. The biggest Pro is that we’ve found great employees – mostly coming out of hospitality. It’s an affordable city so we have been able to have more employees versus a more expensive city. The biggest major Con - it’s hard to fly direct to anywhere.
In the 15 years of running Yellow Dog, what has been your scariest experience so far?
Waaay back in the day, a previous employee caused a resort POS to shut down. We got them back up in a few hours, but it was obviously a situation no one ever wants to be in.
Practically, what would you like to have told yourself 15 years ago?
I would have told myself: design product right, and once. Put all the work on the front end in terms of design and workflow. Shortcuts always come back to haunt you.
What’s next?
Continue to expand the offering of the program to handle more types of businesses. Also, to provide some level of free coaching to our clients to further their use of our software.