Pet Tech LLC | Application Preview
Pet Tech LLC is seeking government grants to hire a fractional Chief Marketing Officer to enhance their marketing efforts. The founder has managed marketing tasks independently, but finds the current methods rudimentary and feels the need for expert assistance. The business aims to participate in significant pet trade shows, which are costly, ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 for each three-day event, with major shows costing between $3,000 and $4,000.
The business strategy focuses on leveraging trade shows, local events, and various forms of digital marketing. Initially, sales are online/e-commerce based, with plans to introduce products in brick-and-mortar stores, starting with samples. Additionally, the company is working with a prominent Service Dog organization to integrate their product into training programs.
The founder emphasizes his dedication, balancing family life with two young daughters and a full-time job, while managing 90% of the business's operations alone. This has led to missed opportunities due to lack of marketing expertise. The founder envisions a successful future for the business in five years, aiming for continued growth.
Pet Tech LLC stands out in a competitive market with its unique product—a patented 24/7 video camera with a two-way speaker and a notification feature. This product functions as both a potty training tool and a life alert system for service dog handlers, addressing a critical need for emergency communication. The founder aims to explore insurance coverage for the product to make it more accessible to potential customers, thus increasing its value in the market.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 883452705
Location: Framingham, MA, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: Less than $100k
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
We would like to hire a fractional CMO to assist in marketing. I do not have experience in email, social marketing, ads, or website build. I have done it all on my own up to this point, but it's rudimentary and has gotten to a point where I need someone with experience. There are also many pet trade shows throughout the year, but the costs add up significantly. Anywhere from $1,500 - $10,000 for the 3-day show. The two big ones cost $3,000 - 4,000 for the week and I would love to be able to attend one of them next year (March and August).
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Business Plan
Our plan is to leverage trade shows, local events, and email/social/ad marketing. We are starting out with just online/ecommerce sales. We would like to slowly get some units into brick & mortar locations with a sample unit in the store to try out. We also have a few Service Dog companies (one very big one) that are currently sampling the product and testing it out with their trainers to incorporate it into their training programs. Then eventually into the big box retailers by attending the two big trade shows each year (Global Pet in Orlando in March and Super Zoo in Las Vegas in August). I wake up at 3am everyday to start my day. My wife and I have two little girls (almost 3 and almost 1) and I work all day until 5pm when I have pick them up from daycare. I have done 90% of the work myself up to this point and just need the help with some of the email/marketing/content creation. I've learned a lot over the past year+, but I'm not an expert and there are opportunities that have been missed due to my inexperience. I have a path of where I want this business to be in 5 years through a couple sales channels. We are going to be a successful business, it's just a matter of how quick. We are the only product on the market that does what ours does.
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Self Identified Competition
Furbo (https://furbo.com/us): 360 dog camera Fluent Pet (https://fluent.pet/): Talking buttons for dogs We are a combo of the two. A 24/7 video camera, 2-way speaker, and are patented for our push notification to your phone when your dog presses the button. Our product is the only one out there on the market, and it's officially patented as of a month ago. It was initially created as a potty training smart button for dogs. And it still is that. However, it's also the equivalent of a life alert for service dog handlers. This space has reacted incredibly to our product as a need for their home. A recent person I spoke with is prone to seizures and her dog is trained to act a certain way when she has one. However, if no one is home when the dog reacts, it's irrelevant. With iPupPee, the dog presses the button and it instantly alerts her emergency contact, her husband, that she has had a seizure. He answers the app and it takes him directly to the 24/7 camera on the unit and can see/talk through the unit to his wife. He can then either hurry home or call 911. We want to also have an option to have that call forwarded to 911 if the emergency contact doesn't pick up. I want to also look into seeing if there is a way to get insurance to cover this, which would help every service dog handler purchase the product.
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Contact Applicant
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