As I ’m indisputable you ’ve start up to realize , I ’ve been using my tangency to obtain audience with professionals in the pet industry . My goal withthese interviewsis not only to highlight the business that the person is involved with , but to cultivate pet parent about dissimilar products and services that are available to them and to help them infer what happens behind the scenes of the party and manufacturers that they support .
This hebdomad I was capable to address toMaarten Hemmes . He is the founder ofPetMate Singapore , a mobile app that connects pet parents with a doggy chauffeur . Right now , as its name suggests , the app is only available in Singapore . You ’re probably wondering why I would be interested in a service that was n’t available in the commonwealth that I live in .
wide-eyed . I like the concept , and I call up there is definitely a market place for it here in the U.S. Think of all the pet parents who could do good from a canine taxi armed service . aged frankfurter proprietor who do n’t force could get a ride to the groomer , the vet or the detent park . Teenage dog owner could get a ride to their furred friend ’s appointment if their parents were at work or out of the firm .
PetMate Singapore
Interview: Do You Want to Be A Doggy Chauffeur?
Some pet owners do n’t own cars . If they last in an urban expanse where public transportation is available , they may take not to have their own vehicle . That ’s great if all your andiron - related field day are within walking space , but you usually ca n’t take pets in a even taxi cab and you surely can not bring them on the subway or public bus .
That ’s where an app like PetMate come in handy . With the push of a few buttons you could have apet - friendlydriver on their way to take you wherever you need to go . But how would you get a company like this up and run ?
Maarten in reality runs another troupe call CarPal – a personal messenger overhaul that is also used via a smartphone app . PetMate was a natural progress , and for that reason was very soft to get started . He used a lot of his impinging from his first business endeavor to help get PetMate off the ground .
Photo: PetMate
It was also his experience with CarPal that led him to the idea for PetMate . Maarten realized that a lot of CarPal customers were looking for pet - well-disposed ride . There was a with child need for pet transport in the area , and it seemed meet to start a sister company that could cater to those need .
The first phase of beginning PetMate involvedtesting the marketand exploring the options available . They cursorily realized that it would be a good idea to set in motion a company that specialise in chauffeuring pets . Parent caller CarPal uses freelance driver as couriers , so it seemed fitting to do the same for PetMate .
They launch a group of be CarPal driver who were also pet parent and did n’t take care ship animals . Because Maarten had already worked with a great team of designers to create his CarPal app , it was easy to make a conclusion on who he should work with this sentence .
Photo: PetMate
The designer helped to create an app that was drug user friendly , and Maarten tell me that the entire support squad is the same as well . The only difference is the driver , make thing on Maarten ’s end much easy .
Since he already had all the contacts and support that he needed , it actually only take about 2 or 3 months to develop and set in motion the PetMate app after he had decided to do it . Of of course , the examination andmarket researchthat was performed beforehand took a few months as well . That ’s still much quicker than it would commonly take to explore the business , find the right intent team and look for for the correct employees .
PetMate just launched in September of this class , and like any new business organization it still needs some time to really catch on with pet parents . Things are look good so far , and Maarten say they have already seen revenue development and they have many reelect customers .
Photo: PetMate
Do n’t allow this success story take in you . Starting a business usually is n’t this easy , and it was n’t so easy for Maarten the first time around . What you may learn from Maarten is that once you start a business , networking and create contacts in the manufacture is exceedingly important . You never know whenyour businessmay grow or you may need help from those contacts .
As with most business organization , customer atonement is the most important thing for Maarten to be cognizant of . Because the customer are only in link with the driver , it is a challenge to understand their wants and pauperization . charter a doggy chauffeur is not a necessity , and if customers are n’t satisfied with their avail they will not be likely to requestthe serviceagain . Maarten ’s stage business relies on 100 % customer satisfaction .
To make certain that they hire reliable , trustworthy drivers , each candidate must participate in a personal interview , and the society supervise them closely during a tentative full stop . customer are also always welcome to supply anon. feedback about their experience with PetMate and any of the PetMate gadget driver .
Photo: PetMate
Maarten also explain to me that it is crucial to proffer favored parent the choice of riding with their positron emission tomography . Not all proprietor take advantage of this option , but he says about 90 % do . If dog owners observe a chauffeur that they can desire , they can request that driver for succeeding slip and they may be more apt to let their canine companions tease alone .
Because the company is new , it is imperative to collect client feedback to help the company grow . Maarten secern me that flop now representatives from PetMate personally adjoin every client after their first ride to find out if they enjoyed their experience . Customers can also call at anytime to cover any confident or negative feedback they may have .
presently , drivers are only available between 6 a.m. and midnight . Maarten says there has never been a request for a driver during off hours , but he also says that they would attempt to accommodate the pet owner if that were to materialize . As thebusiness growsthey will most in all probability be usable for transport 24 hours a day . PetMate also volunteer a special hotline for users that have an emergency and take a ride at once .
At this point , PetMate has more drivers than line , so they are more than capable of keeping up with the requirement . Maarten knows that the ratio will deepen as the business organisation grows , and he ’s ready for that . The company is focalize on marketing right on now , as they are trying to enlarge . If that selling pays off , they may have more job than drivers in the dear future .
As a business possessor you always require to be quick for the challenges that you will face . Many of them will pop up unexpectedly , but the best thing you could do is plan for the future tense . If , like Maarten , you could see a likely issue come down the expressway , plan for it now . Do n’t wait until you ’re staring the trouble in the face before you make a decision . If you have a plan in property , when the problem does move up you will be ready and there will be no need to stress or panic .
As with most entrepreneur , Maarten is looking to expand his company . Market enquiry is read that there is an interest group in preferred chauffeurs in many other parts of the world , even over sees . Who cognise , maybe we ’ll be find out PetMate become available in component part of the U.S. before long .
