What does it take to build a pet care brand that lasts?
Akshay Gupta, Founder of Benny’s Bowl, and Kunal, Founder of Goofy Tails, have built businesses in the pet care market that’s changed significantly over the years.
Both saw a shift in how Indians think about pets. But how they built and scaled was very different. Here’s what their journeys reveal.
The Gap They Saw
For Akshay, the biggest insight came from talking to pet parents. People were no longer calling themselves pet owners. They were calling themselves pet mamas and pet dads.
That shift became even clearer after Covid. People spent more time living with their pets and started seeing them as a bigger part of the family. For Akshay, that was when the category felt ready for something big.
Kunal saw the change too, but with a different perspective. He believes caring for a pet is not the same as caring for a baby. Pets need the same love, but the way you care for them is different.
Both saw an opportunity in a market where people wanted better care for their pets.
The Decision That Looked Wrong
For Akshay, getting into the category itself looked like the wrong decision at first.
The industry told him that his pet food would never sell. Most investors said it would not work.
It took 48 pitches to get the first investment.
But he kept at it. Today, Benny’s Bowl has scaled to a point where Akshay believes it can reach the next ₹100 crore mark.
Kunal faced a different dilemma. He had run his company bootstrapped and profitably for 11 years. Giving up some of the way he had always operated was difficult.
Six months after closing the round, he saw the difference. The knowledge, expertise and capital from the VC helped him scale faster and do things that were earlier held back by lack of capital.
What They Won’t Compromise On
For Akshay, it is focus.
He sees brands jumping into too many categories in the hope of growing faster, especially after raising capital. He believes that a business needs to master one category before moving to another. Otherwise, you spread yourself too thin.
For Kunal, it’s the integrity of the ingredients.
At Goofy Tails, there will be no fillers and no fluff in the food, even if that slows growth or reduces margins in the short term. For him, quality and the life of the pet come first.
Why Do Pet Care Brands Fail?
According to Akshay, one problem is a lack of perseverance.
People see the hype around startups and expect a business to take off in the first one or two years. But it took him four years to make his first penny in profit.
Kunal believes the bigger problem is a lack of research.
Some businesses start because of FOMO. They see someone else build a ₹100 crore business and jump into the same space without knowing the reality.
His advice is not to just follow a trend. Research the market and understand how you are going to build something that lasts.
What They’d Do Differently
Both founders would make very different choices if they were starting today.
Akshay would put in more cash early, build the factory he wanted and then scale it.
For him, building with a partner can become a challenge when the partner is not able to scale at the same pace. A factory would give him more control over quality and consistency.
Kunal sees it differently.
He would not build a factory because the capital cost could slow down a D2C business. Instead, he would go into distribution sooner.
He realized that while you can build a beautiful business on your own website, customers still like buying from platforms they are already comfortable with.
That means being available where customers already shop, whether that is Amazon, Blinkit, Zepto or Instamart.
Where Pet Care Is Headed
For Akshay, the next big shift is preventive care.
Food will be a big part of it, but it will also include behaviour, feeding habits and how people care for their pets.
Kunal sees a shift in how pet food is sold. Today, brands often tell people that if they love their pets, they should buy a particular product. He believes pet parents will increasingly look at what the food actually does for their pets.
He also expects pet food to become more tailored to individual needs, rather than one product being made for every pet.
Powering the Business Behind the Growth
A growing consumer business needs more than a good product. It needs the infrastructure to make every purchase simple and reliable as the brand scales.
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No One Way to Scale
Akshay believes in staying focused, building through challenges and not giving up too early. Kunal believes in product integrity, researching the market and giving customers a reason to come back.
For both, it comes down to building for the long term. Don’t hop onto a trend. Build something that adds value to a consumer’s life. Don’t just build for the first purchase. Build for the second one.
Heavy discounts can drive a first purchase. Building a brand that lasts takes more.
PayU powers growing businesses, so founders can focus on building what’s next.