From Jon: Empty shelves do not pay a retailer’s rent. I understand the frustration an out-of-stock creates, and I will not insult a dealer by pretending patience makes the disruption painless.
The choice behind the gap
Manufacturing at scale is less romantic than the finished bottle. Raw materials vary. Processes drift. Oversight changes. A run can look acceptable on paper and still fail to behave like the product riders and retailers were promised.
When a manufacturing partner cannot hit the same mark repeatedly, a brand has two choices: lower the bar or slow down. We chose to slow down.
I would rather have no product available than put our name on something that is not right.
What that decision cost
It cost sales. It created backorders. It put dealers in front of customers without the product they expected. At WESA, some partners stood in front of us angry, and they had every right to ask hard questions.
I am sorry for the disruption. I am not sorry for maintaining the standard. Shipping a product that quietly underperforms would move the problem from our inventory report to a rider’s barn, and that is the worse betrayal.
What changed
- Tighter manufacturing controls and verification before product reaches a bottle
- Smaller, more accountable vendor pools with fewer moving parts
- More hands-on oversight and less reliance on promises
- Less tolerance for variation because consistent must mean consistent
The operating standard
This is not a defense of every delay. It is a statement of responsibility. We communicate earlier, own the inconvenience, help dealers plan around gaps, and refuse to solve a short-term stock problem by creating a long-term trust problem.
Details matter. Standards matter. Sometimes doing it right means waiting.
Jon Conklin
Founder, Draw It Out® Horse Health Care Solutions
Bottom line: We will work the inventory problem, but we will not ask a rider or retailer to carry the cost of a lowered standard.
