The Pet Industry is Growing Rapidly

About this episode

Shan A Salam interviews Tharun Lee Jose, director of Kerala-based pet care brand Roms N Raks, discussing how the company expanded into an omnichannel retail and pet grooming chain. Tharun shares his transition from a banking career to entrepreneurship, beginning with animal farming and joining Roms N Raks full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic. He explains the company's growth strategy across Kerala and Bangalore, balancing company-owned stores, joint ventures, and franchise models. The conversation explores retail operations, including how combining product sales with professional grooming salons drives profitability and achieves fast operational break-even. Tharun outlines the criteria used to select prime store locations, the establishment of an in-house grooming training academy to overcome staff shortages, and their private-label pet accessories brand. He also discusses developing their ecommerce and mobile app platforms to prepare for quick commerce, as well as leveraging artificial intelligence tools for content creation and business efficiency.

Key takeaways

1. 1Combining high-margin pet grooming services with product retail allows large-format pet stores to achieve sustainable profitability and faster break-even.
2. 2Transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship is less risky when side ventures or savings replace a substantial portion of essential living expenses beforehand.
3. 3Franchising works best when franchisors align incentives by only taking royalties after franchisee outlets achieve operational break-even.
4. 4Selecting store locations near complementary anchor businesses like car showrooms and major retail chains helps validate the presence of high-income target customers.
5. 5In specialised service industries facing talent shortages, establishing an in-house training academy ensures consistent service quality and creates an internal hiring pipeline.
6. 6Launching in-house private labels under a distinct brand identity enables wholesale distribution to competing retailers without channel conflict.

Chapters

1. 00:00Highlights
2. 01:42Introduction and Pet Love
3. 04:29Starting poultry farm business with family support
4. 10:35Discovering Roms N Raks grooming services
5. 14:32COVID impact and joining Roms N Raks full time
6. 19:09Franchise model expansion and operational policies
7. 30:37Bangalore operations and master franchise partnership
8. 40:09IKIGAI and Pet Love
9. 47:31Offline focus and transition to online presence
10. 53:33Online Segment of Roms N Raks
11. 01:00:05Current Operation of Roms N Raks
12. 01:12:07Groomers training academy and service excellence
13. 01:14:25Adopting AI