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Pet treat business feedback humbly requested

Ioachim

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Good afternoon, Fastlaners.

I have recently started execution process to start a small online business to sell unique and proven imported dog and cat treats and dietary supplements from a certain foreign country (I live in US). They are quality and human grade items and I am certain they will bring value to the pet market.

I would highly appreciate any feedback or criticism on my plan:

The steps I have taken so far;
1. I have identified potential treats and dietary supplements I would like to import and sell. They will already come manufactured, so I do not have to do it.

2.I have identified a few potential suppliers/manufacturers. I have nearly secured one supplier that can provide me with 2 or 3 different treats/dietary supplements. I will need to find and secure more.

3. I have sent an inquiry email to FDA and USDA to find out what government regulations must be met for importing and selling the products in US. I will also call them after the holiday. This step may be most difficult to complete (Mr. Walter gave me a very valuable insight on it-thank you!!), but I must pass it to import to US.

4. Identified a reasonably priced agency to file an LLC and other papers with.


Does my concept meet CENTS/CENTS Commandments?

Need: There are so many dogs and cats in US. The market is huge. (https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx) unique, quality pet treats and dietary supplements will bring much value to the pet market in US.

Entry: Apparently you need to find a supplier and meet government requirements to import. Then you will need to build up your business, etc. There is a good barrier, I would say.

Control: I plan on selling on my own website (I will use wix.com), Ebay, Etsy, and maybe Amazon. I will try to supply to pet/grocery stores and other online sellers, such as chewy, PetSmart, etc. I will hire free-lancers on fiverr to professionally make banners for websites and other selling platforms.

Scale: Unfortunately, unlike a software, I will have to simply import more when sales go higher if market likes my values. But I would not have to manufacture them by myself.

Time: I will have to work hard to build up my own brand and business. I will need to "prove myself" before being able to supply to big grocery brands.


Short terms goals:
I do not want the business to be a cute little home made cookies seller. I want to do it properly and grow up my brand. I will first need to be cleared from the government that I can import the items I want. I hope their regulations put an end to my business idea. When the business launches, I will need to find ways to advertise and find stores that will buy my items, so I can increase sales amount.


It feels like there are so many barriers and problems to solve ahead of me. It gets me a little nervous as well, and I get no emotional support from my family either. My mom is urging me to find a second job waiting tables. But I know the rewards of success is unlimited.

Thank you.
 
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George Appiah

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Short terms goals:
I do not want the business to be a cute little home made cookies seller. I want to do it properly and grow up my brand. I will first need to be cleared from the government that I can import the items I want. I hope their regulations put an end to my business idea.

I don't live in the US, and I don't have any personal experience with this industry anywhere in the world. But I know an American chap doing something similar in another entrepreneurial community where I hang out, and from what I can recall from that thread, there certainly are regulations and standards certifications to meet, especially with the kind of vision you have.

My worry though, from the above-quoted paragraph, is that it appears you're looking for the green light to import, or the vision is dead.

That sounds contrary to what you wrote under the commandment of ENTRY, don'cha think so?

Entry: Apparently you need to find a supplier and meet government requirements to import. Then you will need to build up your business, etc. There is a good barrier, I would say.

The thing about the commandment of ENTRY to always keep in mind is that, if it's so easy to do, everyone would be doing it. From the late Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" he gave before he died of pancreatic cancer a couple of months later:

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
― Randy Pausch, Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams (aka The Last Lecture)

So, rather than thinking if you don't get the green light to import that will "put an end to my business idea", if you truly believe there's an unmet market need here and you're convinced you have a great value proposition, perhaps you should rather be thinking about how you're going to marshal the troops to meet those government regulations, if any.

In the forum discussion I mentioned ealier, one name that came highly recommended in that thread for importing FDA-regulated goods in commercial quantities was FDAImports.com (no affiliation). This page on their website gives some basic insight on what you're looking at as far as government regulations are concerned: FDAImports.com: Food & Beverages | Pet Foods

Good luck, and stay frosty!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
 
Last edited:

Ioachim

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Feb 9, 2018
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NJ
In the forum discussion I mentioned ealier, one name that came highly recommended in that thread for importing FDA-regulated goods in commercial quantities was FDAImports.com (no affiliation). This page on their website gives some basic insight on what you're looking at as far as government regulations are concerned: FDAImports.com: Food & Beverages | Pet Foods


Thanks, I will check it out. I appreciate it.
 

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