Page 9 - PHR - Business In Action Magazine 5.9.23 (1)_Neat
P. 9

S THE COFOUNDER                                                                                                                                                                        experience and lack of accessible
                  AND CEO OF FUZZY,                                                                                                                                                                      veterinary care, I began reimagining
                  Zubin Bhettay leads a                                                                                                                                                                  the overall pet care journey to
          revolutionary solution for pet health.                                                                                                                                                         improve access to quality care.
          Fuzzy’s convenient digital service
          drastically reduces prices for pet                                                                                                                                                             What were the early days of
          owners while responding to surging                                                                                                                                                             Fuzzy like?
          demand for affordable care.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Fuzzy started with a small group of
          And the consumer response has                                                                                                                                                                  people who were incredibly passionate
          been nothing short of extraordinary.                                                                                                                                                           about solving a problem we all
          Between April 2021 and April 2022,                                                                                                                                                             identified with in caring for our own
          Fuzzy witnessed a 533 percent                                                                                                                                                                  pets or working in the veterinary
          increase in telehealth consults. Last                                                                                                                                                          industry. Pet care is broken, and once
          year, Fuzzy acquired pet-supplement                                                                                                                                                            we got that in our heads, we heard and
          company Dandy, expanded its in-                                                                                                                                                                saw it everywhere. So we hustled—we
          app services, and initiated strategic                                                                                                                                                          went to dog parks every morning at
          partnerships with various pet retailers.                                                                                                                                                       7:00 a.m. to speak to as many pet
                                                                                                                                                                                                         parents as possible. We experimented
          Bhettay shares the moment that                                                                                                                                                                 with growth tactics daily to acquire
          opened his eyes to a gap in the pet                                                                                                                                                            customers and then obsessed over
          health industry, his reasoning behind                                                                                                                                                          the quality of the product we were
          the business decisions that have                                                                                                                                                               delivering. Everyone contributed
          made Fuzzy successful, and the                                                                                                                                                                 beyond their role or title at the
          power of putting consumer needs at                                                                                                                                                             company to make solving this problem
          the forefront of its business model.                                                                                                                                                           a reality. I always advise founders to
                                                                                                                                                                                                         celebrate every one of the small wins in
          What is Fuzzy?                     24/7 live chat and telehealth for pet   at home. By spending seven hours                                                                                    the early days; it’s easy to overlook the
                                             parents, custom care plans, and     in the waiting room and leaving                        Over the course of the company’s life span,                      power of those victories.
          At Fuzzy, we’re on a mission to    vet-curated products.               with a $2,500 veterinary bill, I
          make pet care more accessible,                                         witnessed firsthand the financial and                we’ve put pets and their caretakers–both pet                       What is the greatest challenge
          affordable, and equitable by making   Why was this company founded?    geographical barriers to pet care. At                parents and veterinarians–at the center of all                     you’ve faced as Fuzzy’s leader?
          veterinarians and their thoughtful                                     present, three out of four pets will
          recommendations available          I founded Fuzzy in 2016 after rushing   not receive the care or medicine they               our efforts to reimagine the care journey.                      Making the hard decision to pivot
          anywhere, anytime. We are a one-   my dog, Mo, to an emergency clinic   need due to cost and overwhelmed                                                                                       from our original business model and
          stop shop for pet wellness with    only to learn the issue was treatable   veterinary clinics. Fueled by my own                                                                                let go of a number of very talented





       6 / BUSINESS IN ACTION                                                                                                                                                                                              businessinaction.com / 7
   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14