Molly Miller Entrepreneur

My current challenges are figuring out where to find funding. I have decided on the 2 manufactures I want to use but do not have inventory. I realize that the pet product industry is competitive, but the amount of money spent on pets each year is growing and we want to position ourselves as one of the major retailers who can provide big business prices with small business morals. In order to do so, I need serious SEO help and web development help.

I have my business registered in the state of North Carolina, I have a Shopify website that I plan to utilize when I get inventory, I have a pitch deck and have found the manufacturers I want to use.

After receiving funding, I need to get packaging and logo workups from a professional so that I order inventory. I also need to find developers and SEO specialists to scale my website.

I plan to start attending local trade shows, pet adoption days, fairs, etc with a booth with samples of our products. I also plan to attend the local adoption days with what I am calling "Gotcha Day Baskets," which will have free samples of our wipes and some cute welcome home toys/utensils for pets.

My motivations to work with a mentor are because I need guidance in where to go from here. I know roughly the plan I should take but I have not opened a business before. I am confident that my idea is good, but I know I am a small fish in a big pond and could use whatever resources and advice I can find.

Muddy Buddy Pet Products will be a pet product retailer but with proprietary products that are the Muddy Buddy Wipes. Pet wipes are not a new invention, they are already purchased on a large scale from major retailers like Amazon, Chewy & Walmart but these wipes measure 40cm by 40cm, as opposed to the usual wet nap sized (roughly 5 inches). The goal for these wipes is that they are actually large enough to wipe down pets with one towel sized wipe, as opposed to needing a handful to thoroughly clean the pets. The other option for wipes are wipes that I've found from a manufacturer that come in a compressed form, about an inch long, and when activated with a little bit of water, expand into large wipes as well ; these ones are ideal for travel. The goal of Muddy Buddy Pet Products is to provide the same quantity and quality of pet products that retailers already provide but with a philanthropic focus. In the year 2021, $123 billion was spent on the pet industry & the largest consumer group was millennials, at 32%. Research suggests that millennials are the most conscious shoppers when it comes to their impact, the business ethics, sustainability, etc, so Muddy Buddy Pet Products will pride itself on giving back. 5% (this is the figure I have started with but is subject to change pending more financial research), will be donated to a reputable non-profit organization. However, the consumer will get to choose with non-profit their percentage will go to when they checkout on the website. Financial transparency is important to consumers, so the goal is for people to feel good about where their donations are going. We will also have a contact form for consumers to elect local, small non profits and each month that one will be included in the list of choices at checkout so that our philanthropic efforts can be seen on large and small scale.