Just how closely does digital approval translate to real-world financial support?

J.J. Israel, founder of West L.A. dog treat company J.J. Pip’s Doggie Chips, is about to find out.

Looking to grow her tiny pet food business to the next level, Israel took to crowdfunding website IndieGoGo.com in an effort to raise $15,000. After only a couple of days on the site, her campaign – featuring a friendly English bulldog mascot – landed the most visible spot on the website’s small-business page.

Placement, however, doesn’t guarantee a flood of money, and last week, with 32 days left in her 45-day fundraising campaign, Israel had raised only a little more than $2,000.

A former funeral arranger, Israel, 46, founded J.J. Pip’s six years ago, promising her dying mother that she wouldn’t give up on an entrepreneurial dream.

But expanding sales of her dog treats beyond a handful of specialty pet stores hasn’t been easy. To reach more stores, she needed a distributor, and to get a distributor, she needed a bigger product line.

But expanding a line of dog treats takes more money and manpower than Israel, who bootstrapped her business with personal savings and sacrifice, has handy. Her only employees, she jokes, are Lolita and Julietta, her taste-testing Chihuahuas.

“I’ve been doing this for six years as a one-woman show and that’s very challenging, to say the least,” she said. “It’s time to really shove my efforts into the next phase. I’ve got to hold my breath and jump, and let the general public determine if this is worthy of pursuing further.”

Her goal, which she needs to reach by midnight May 10, is “actually much less than I will need in real life, but you also have to set a realistic goal, or it’s not going to succeed,” she said.

– Bethany Firnhaber