Meet the 2023 Dare to Scale Cohort – Petmall
Let’s rewind the clock to the beginning. How did your company come to life? Was it a eureka moment, a late-night brainstorming session, or a happy accident?
After a lot of traveling form London, to Shanghai to Boston and San Francisco as part of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, I came back to Bulgaria. I was never fond of shopping from physical stores and I was given the task to buy food for my dog. So, my solution was to go online and search for options of online specialty stores providing petfood. I was surprised to find out that there were not many players on the specialty market. However, I found one option that looked credible and placed on order for food and snacks. There was no confirmation mail, no call, nothing, but I though “OK, probably they will make the delivery directly”. Five days passed and still there was nothing. I called the website which was almost a mission impossible and after five tries I manage to find the person responsible for the website, however, the service was completely unacceptable, rude, and there was no order according to the person. As a result, I hung up the phone and looked for other websites which were offering similar products. Everything on the market looked like something made from a third-grade student and there was not even a phone numbers available to contact the website directly.
This was the “aha” moment for me. Is this not a good market? Why is there no good players on it? Is it too small?
As a result, I went online and ordered an Euromonitor report regarding the size of the market in Bulgaria and in less than a week I was hunting for some angel investors to support me in a new business venture. I was 100% sure there was an unserved market with a huge opportunity. In less than a year, Petmall.bg was born as the first pure player in the specialty pet food market. The first pure player because everybody else was first a physical store, that later launched an online store. And believe me, being online and offline is a completely different business. So, actually, I saw an opportunity in Bulgaria and after my 6 years of business education and hours of entrepreneurship classes I was extremely eager to try and start a business in my country.
Tell us about the accomplishment that makes you do a happy dance or fist pump in the air. What is your proudest moment to date?
The proudest moment for me is that I am proving that everything is possible! Petmall is proving that everything is possible. When I started the company, I had zero knowledge or experience in the pet industry, zero knowledge or experience in online sales, digital marketing, or any practical experience in online sales. I did not know how ecommerce functions. I am proud that in less than 6 yeas, my team and I, built the biggest online ecommerce website which wins numerous awards from “Best Pet Food Website” to “Best eCommerce Site Of The Year” for 2022. We are the fastest growing company in the industry. We have an omnichannel model with 13 physical stores and counting. We manage to grow over 50 % year on year.
Dare to Scale is here to help with your entrepreneurial journey, but we’re curious about your wildest dreams and aspirations! Do you envision scaling your company to new galaxies, conquering untapped markets, or revolutionizing your industry? Share your boldest dreams and let your imagination soar!
I would like to conquer the world with my company. Creating a brand that is in every household with pets. The universe is the limit. I would like to give unmatched customer experience to our clients and for them to become brand ambassadors.