Our approach is to own the entire customer experience: Anushka Iyer

While the global pandemic has bought economies to a halt and massively disrupted businesses, it has also fuelled start-up dreams and we even saw several Indian start-ups achieve Unicorn status during the pandemic period. The times have never been better for budding entrepreneurs to give wings to their start-up dreams.

The Government, too, has come up with various schemes to support its ‘Vocal for Local’ drive. A case in point is the recent Rs 1,000 crore Start-up India Seed Fund announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Start-up India International Summit 2021 held earlier this year.

Adgully is turning the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series – START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands, and Apps.

Anushka Iyer has always been an ardent animal lover. She observed that most people buy pets as status symbols and really don’t know how to take care of them. She also sensed a huge gap in education & awareness about pet health care in pet parents. Keeping this in mind, Wiggles.in came into existence to make pet care easier and more accessible to pet parents. Incidentally, the start-up derives its name from Wiggles, Iyer’s 3-year old Lhasa Apso, who is also Wiggles’ official mascot.

Iyer has woven her professional journey extensively around social entrepreneurship, making a difference and ecosystem building. Before this stint, she worked with the Indo German Chamber of Commerce and other brands in the ecommerce space.

In conversation with Anushka Iyer, Founder and CEO, Wiggles.in, speaks about her start-up, adapting to the pandemic disrupted environment, enhancing customer experience and much more.

What need gap did you want to fulfil with your start-up? What is the core business proposition?

The pet industry is an antiquated space, with offerings being B2B focused. Our approach is to own the entire customer experience by providing hassle-free doorstep offerings to pet parents for their pets and making petcare affordable, easy, convenient and curated by vets for pets. At Wiggles, we are building a 360 degree petcare ecosystem where anything and everything that pets and pet parents need for their furry companions is provided for. We also aim to create awareness about preventive healthcare for pets to ensure that they lead a healthy and happy life during their life span from puppy to senior and we can guide them as their #PartnersInPethood during this journey. At the core of all of this is education and spreading awareness about important aspects of pet care that pet parents should know. We have recently launched our #BondedByBlood initiative to unite pet blood donors to recipients who are in need of blood and we are creating an online pan-India repository of pet blood donors, which can be accessed by any pet parent when their pet is in need of urgent blood donation.

How did you identify your TG? Did you carry out any feasibility study prior to starting your business?

Getting into this business, I was fully aware that it would not be an easy climb uphill. Identifying my target audience began with experiencing first-hand what could go wrong when a qualified veterinarian was not available or pet parents would self-medicate their pets with human medicines, which was disastrous for them. I have always been part of a lot of animal welfare and rescue groups. Here, is where I was able to garner knowledge about the atrocities that were happening when it came to quality petcare and this helped me establish my target audience. Most pet lovers were found to be in the age group of 15-48 years of age and that was a great number to begin working on our start-up. No business has ever been built without a thorough study about the market and trying to fully understand the pulse of your customers. So yes, I went old school and conducted a study wherein, I realised that there was a gradual shift waiting to happen as pets were no longer being looked at as just guard dogs, but were actually being revered as companions for life. Today, pethood is the first step to parenthood. So, this sealed the deal for me and justified my calling about building a petcare brand.

What were the challenges that you faced in your start-up journey and how did you overcome them?

Challenges are a part and parcel of the start-up journey and I have had my fair share, especially during the lockdown, where we as a team had to cross insurmountable difficulties to ensure we took responsibility and were there for our pets every step of the way by operating 24/7. Right from ensuring our teams were given the protection they needed, from PPE kits, gloves and masks to being forced into production of dog and cat food and delivering fresh food across Pune, to helping pet parents get the medicines they needed at the right time, we did it all. At Wiggles, we are not just fair weather friends, but here for the good times and the bad ones too. At the end of the day, it’s important to believe in yourself and your team, because there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle out there.

Funds/ finance is the prime issue of almost all start-ups. What can the industry and the Government do to address this issue and ease the capital requirements of start-ups?

We all do better when we work together. Working towards the collective goal of ensuring start-ups thrive in this ecosystem rather than just survive is key. The industry and government could work with start-ups to come up with innovative solutions to infrastructure problems, technical aspects, data storage on the cloud or any other areas in varied departments. Direct grants and zero-interest unsecured loans could be a start for blooming start-ups till they are able to break even. Corporate taxes could be reduced. The government could lease property to start-ups with a 3-month rent waiver that will help in the initial stages when business is taking flight. The government could help promote the business by foreseeing customer demand through its ‘Vocal For Local’ and ‘Make In India’ initiatives. There is a place for everyone to open shop and thrive if you can create a niche audience for your offerings. Start-ups should build on that premise and receive financial backing from the government, because ultimately if the start-ups grow so will the economy.

Prime Minister Modi has just announced a Startup India Seed Fund. How do you see start-ups benefiting from it?

The Startup India Seed Fund was announced by Prime Minister Modi in April 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic as the lockdown affected most start-ups. This fund has come as a ray of hope to entrepreneurs as it will help them with financial assistance, prototype development, product trials, market-entry, commercialisation, hiring skilled workforce on the premise that their business idea has the potential to become big and provide employment and training to our workforce.

How is digital helping you further your business?

By embracing digital transformation, organisations have not only met customer demands, but also increased remote working and reduced operating costs. Utilising digital transformation to reduce physical customer interactions, switch to managed services and move to a distributed workforce solution can help companies become more cost-effective. With digital, the organic reach is greater, the engagement is genuine and the speed with which business gets done is faster and propels it further. Wiggles grew 7X during the pandemic by pivoting and embracing digital transformations. Within 72 hours into the lockdown, we launched Wiggles SmartVet, vet consultation via video call, backed by medicine delivery across India. By being there for pet parents 24/7 across India, our online community Wiggles Tribe on Facebook grew to over 15,000+ active members. We have managed to cultivate a sticky customer base by providing wholesome vet approved content about pet care. Going digital creates businesses that are more aligned with customer demands and resilient in the fast-moving digital future.

What were your key learnings so far? How do you see the start-up ecosystem progressing in 2021?

To start with an idea and build it every day requires a lot of discomfort, uneasiness, and creativity. Start-up lessons unique to each entrepreneur’s journey are woven seamlessly into every aspect of their journey. The pandemic taught me to not give up but rather take the plunge and persist. You need a mission to sustain you through the dark times – that vision and mission is what keeps you going. At the end of each day, you should feel like you made a difference in someone’s life. Then, that job will become more than a job – it will become your passion. I also realised I will never be fully ready. The time is always right to take a chance on ourselves. The best lesson I learned in business was that there was never going to be a time when my company would be fully prepared to scale until it simply did. Lastly, it is absolutely crucial that you stay one step ahead. Through the years, we have pivoted many times as a brand. The ability to adapt and innovate is extremely important. If you’re able to stay one step ahead, there’s a chance to prosper.

What would be your message for the budding entrepreneurs?

Enjoy the ride! Sometimes we get caught up in the black and white of success and failure, that we forget to enjoy the journey. Chances are, if you have created an idea, you will love it. Don’t worry about success or failure; just find a comfortable spot in the gray area and work hard. Failure isn’t your worst enemy. It’s the fear of failure that is your enemy. Follow your instinct and you will be just fine.