What is Eat Your Own Dog Food?
The term 'eat your own dog food' means a company uses its own products and services.
How Does Eat Your Own Dog Food Work?
Let's say Company XYZ manufactures laptop computers. It eats its own dog food by making everyone who works in the home office use an XYZ computer. Through their repeated daily use for a variety of tasks, the employees soon realize that XYZ computers are slow, break easily and have terrible keyboard design. This gives Company XYZ a chance to redesign the computer.
Why Does Eat Your Own Dog Food Matter?
The idea behind eating your own dog food is that if it is good enough for paying customers, it is good enough for the employees of the company that makes the product. This is a statement of loyalty and belief in the mission, as well as an opportunity to improve the product. Accordingly, not eating your own dog food can create public relations problems. For example, if Company XYZ is making XYZ computers but using ABC Company computers in the office, it sends a message that the company doesn't believe in its own product enough to use it in the real world.
