Member Article

Cramlington woman leaves finance career to launch dog treats business

A Cramlington woman who became disenchanted with her career in finance has launched a subscription dog treats business which provides owners with a monthly box.

Following a start up loan, and help from TEDCO’s Ready for Business programme, Zara Moustapha launched her Happy Hound Box business at this year’s crufts.

The subscription based service allows dog owners to spoil their best friends with high end treats and hygiene products which are sourced from a variety of suppliers based in the UK, USA & Europe and often not available in stores.

Zara said: “I’ve always been a dog lover and was keen to set up a business which allowed me to work around our four legged friends.

“I found there was a gap in the UK market for an online subscription service that would provide healthy treats and toys to dog owners, so I decided to exploit what I saw as a unique opportunity.

“It also gave me the chance to work for myself, which was much more appealing than working for somebody else!”

With help from TEDCO business advisor Bill Hartshorne, Zara secured a start up loan which meant she could start trading.

Zara said: “The main challenges I faced were getting prospective loan financiers to accept the proof of concept, obtaining agreements with suppliers and making the market aware of our existence.

“Bill’s support has been invaluable to me – through his guidance he has simplified the whole process of setting up Happy Hound Box, making it an enjoyable experience rather than a stressful one!”

Zara added: “Launching at Crufts was definitely a great showcase for the business and helped to ensure that I got off to a great start, generating interest from dog lovers all over the globe.”

Bill Hartshorne, business advisor at TEDCO said: “It was a huge coup for Zara to launch her business at Crufts this year and since then I’m delighted to say that demand has increased rapidly for the Happy Hound Box product.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Zara, helping her to turn her idea into a reality – she saw a gap in the market and went for it and it’s great to see how happy she is being her own boss.

“I’m looking forward to providing ongoing business mentoring and guidance to ensure Happy Hound Box continues to be a success.”

Five percent of the proceeds from each box goes to help dogs in need – in 2014 Happy Hound Box’s beneficiary is The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Zara said: “It was important to me to be able to give back through my business so the more Happy Hound Box succeeds the more money goes to charitable causes, which is a great motivator for me. In the short term I’m working hard to build up Happy Hound Box’s market share in what is still a new market here in the UK.

“Longer term, the plan is for Happy Hound Box to be the consumer’s first choice when subscribing for their dog’s monthly treats. Anything is possible if you have the belief, patience and determination to succeed – and a Ready for Business advisor like Bill.”

TEDCO Business Support delivers the national Ready for Business programme across the north east region. Ready for Business aims to create 6,000 businesses with 10,000 new jobs, is supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and Barclays and is delivered by the Cavendish Consortium, a partnership between some of England’s leading enterprise agencies together with the National Enterprise Network.

To find out more about the programme or series of free Barclays Get Ready for Business seminars running across the region please visit www.startupedge.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .