How a Family-Owned Cat Litter Brand Scaled Without Losing Its Soul
Background
Planet Wise Products is a small, family-owned business born out of a genuine love for cats. Their goal: to produce a premium, all-natural Pine Cat Litter, manufactured locally in the U.S. with a strong focus on sustainability, cleanliness, and quality.
They wanted to keep their operation simple, local, and hands-on—focusing entirely on:
- Product design and testing
- Manufacturing and packagingMarketing and brand-building
- And most importantly, staying true to their family values
But as demand grew, so did complexity.
The Challenge
Retailers came knocking. Orders got bigger. Paperwork piled up.
Suddenly, this small, hands-on team was spending more time on EDI portals and freight scheduling than on the product itself.
Order processing, retail compliance, logistics, invoicing—it was all necessary, but none of it aligned with why they started.
They didn’t want to become operations managers.
They wanted to stay close to the product—and the animals they built it for.
The Solution
Planet Wise partnered with us to take the weight off.
We took over day-to-day operations—processing orders, managing compliance, coordinating freight, handling invoicing and accounting—so they wouldn’t have to build a back office just to keep up.
But more importantly, we gave them visibility without a burden.
Through our CrossBridge Analytics App, they now have real-time access to daily order volumes, inventory levels, open invoices, and sales performance—across every channel.
No digging through spreadsheets. No chasing down updates.
They know exactly where the business stands, without having to manage it.
The Result
Planet Wise stayed small—and got stronger.
They didn’t hire staff or set up an internal ops team. They didn’t spend their evenings buried in retail documentation.
Instead, they kept doing what they do best: making a great product and growing a brand that actually means something.
Everything else just works quietly in the background.
Key Takeaway
Planet Wise proves that even a small, passionate family business can scale like a big company, without hiring a team or building infrastructure.
With the right operational partner and real-time analytics, they’re free to focus on what they love… and leave the rest to us.
