"When you start in business you will make mistakes; learn from these mistakes and then put them aside and move forward" with Patra de Silva
/
Patra de Silva, the President & CEO of NHV Natural Pet, is a senior business executive with extensive experience in product development, manufacturing, and marketing. Being a student of Ayurveda, Ms. de Silva is a strong proponent of a holistic lifestyle, and is a passionate advocate for women globally and is involved in mentorship programs for female entrepreneurs.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
The first thing most people wonder is where I'm from. When I say I'm from Canada they will always ask: where is the accent from? I was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada with my family when I was a teenager (many moons ago). We left Sri Lanka during the civil war and moved to Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. I helped my family start their own business and got into being an entrepreneur myself at a very young age.
What inspired you to start your business?
I was inspired by one of my own pets, a sweet and feisty beagle I rescued on a trip back to Sri Lanka. Sadly, Lady is no longer with me, as she passed a few years back. She lived to the ripe old age of 20 and she is still my inspiration (and my guardian angel). Lady was from the streets of Sri Lanka and, as a puppy, I think her survival depended on scavenging for food. This was always a habit of hers, even when I was feeding her a healthy home-cooked diet. As a result of her difficult start to life, we were spending a lot of time at the veterinarian dealing with all types of GI issues.
During this time, I was involved in a company that manufactured herbal supplements for people. Out of concern and frustration for Lady's health and wellbeing and after doing a lot of research, I started trying some herbs on Lady and found that these helped her tremendously.
Back then, there was no one developing supplements for animals, so I decided to start a company that made 100% natural plant-based herbal supplements for pets. We put together a team of experts including vets and herbalists and after extensive research, we developed the NHV line of products. It was always very important to me that we’d have a line grounded in research and science.
Where is your business based?
The company is located in the city of Vancouver, in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. All our products are made in Canada and we ship globally.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
After extensive research, I found that we would be entering a very niche market. Human supplements were getting to be extremely popular. We knew that what was trending for people, would soon be trending for pets. Pets are part of the family and as a pet parent myself, I knew I wanted to do more to help keep my fur baby healthy.
What I found in doing some research was that people were doing what I had done at the beginning, which is to give human supplements to their pets. But a pet requires a very different dosage of supplements or prescribed medication as their metabolism is different and not everything that we take as humans are safe for them.
The first step was creating a line of products that were safe for pets. I put together a team of experts that worked diligently on herbs that were safe for pets, dosages, formulations, etc. Some of the most important things were to make sure that what we produced for our pets was 100% natural, free of preservatives and additives, and that it was human grade and safe for long term use. Once the line was developed we focused on selling the products to wholesalers.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
When we first started over 20 years ago, online shopping was new. Today, online shopping is essential to our business. I think that for us it has been the ability to reach millions of people globally through our website that are looking for information and products. If you are looking for help on the internet, the first thing you do is “Google” your needs.
We have a great online presence and we thrive on our digital community through our social media channels. We see our social platforms as the new “word of mouth” and we treat our customers as if they are our friends and family. Our marketing team understands those building customer relationships is key to grow our digital community and is what increases awareness, globally. We are very proud of our community and what we have created in the last few years after we started investing so much effort into our social media team.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
When we first launched the line, we focused on selling the products to the B2B market. At that time, these products were a new concept and very niche. We were supplying our product to one main reseller and had been doing so for several years when they decided to basically copy our line, and have it produced by a different supplier. They decided to call it the “new and improved” products, and this was a big challenge as it came out of the left field. This is when we decided that we would launch our e-commerce store as customers were looking for the product they were used to. Today, I can say we’re glad we made this move. Through our online presence, we were (and are) able to reach these people and build our digital community. I’m really proud of my team and all the work they put to create these amazing relationships with customers from all over the world, whether it’s on emails, through social media channels, or through our online chat.
How do you stay focused?
I think the focus is super important in being able to achieve a goal. I find that writing out my to-do list is very helpful and then crossing it off as you complete a task is very gratifying.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
To me, one of the most important things is being there for a pet parent. We have an amazing team of dedicated pet lovers and pet professionals, including veterinarians that are always happy to help a pet parent. There is nothing more terrifying than being told your pet has a health issue. Being able to speak, email or chat with a compassionate professional can help ease so many fears and stresses.
We also invest in doing clinical research on our products with various universities both in the US and Canada, which sets us apart from the competition.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Relaunching our website. Making that decision was the right one for an effective online cart. It is a big decision and one that any entrepreneur in e-commerce should undertake with care and research. With the website and e-commerce came our reviews and the digital community. Giving voice to many pet parents all over the globe through social media is our proudest strategy. I would even say it came naturally to us, becoming this shoulder they could cry on and release their worries or a friend that they can tell stories to. We started shedding light on pet parents that had a story to tell about their fur babies and we noticed that this helped us build this community that only brought us amazing customers and grew our global family.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Never give up, believe in yourself, and never take no for an answer. When you start in business you will make mistakes; learn from these mistakes and then put them aside and move forward. Always remember to celebrate your achievements! Human nature makes us dwell on failure or mistakes; learn to move past this. Always be compassionate and don’t let your ego get in the way of success.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
My favorite app is BigCommerce as it lets me see what is happening in the online store 24/7.
Book – this is a hard one to pick. I love reading as it helps me decompress. One book that has stayed with me is Roméo Dallaire – Shake Hands With The Devil; it was a compelling and eye-opening account of the genocide that happened in Rwanda. Eckhart Tolle A New Earth is a great spiritual guide.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
Analytics, as it provides insights to our customers, and how to better serve them. And people, specifically my team. They are the ones talking to our customers daily and listening to what they say, which makes us understand how to better serve them and help their pets.
Who is your business role model? Why?
I belong to a few different women’s organizations such as WPO (Women Presidents’ Organization), GYB (Grow Your Biz), and IWF (International Women's Forum). There are some amazing ladies that I have had the honor to meet. They inspire and guide me.
How do you balance work and life?
This is a tough one for me. I do get caught up in my work, so my work-life balance does not always go according to plan. I think when you are an entrepreneur and you set your sight on a goal you can easily fall off the work-life balance wagon. This is something I am working on!
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I love going for a walk with my fur baby Chaya on the beach, and spending time in the garden. Just being outside in nature helps nurture the soul.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
This is a very difficult one to answer. With COVID-19, plans have changed completely. I had travel plans for trade events, conferences, and etc. that have all been canceled. Sadly, we are living through some unprecedented times due to COVID-19, so I plan to stay on course to stay focused and continue to do what we do best which is helping pet parents and pets in need. During these difficult times, we have continued working remotely to be able to provide the help everyone needs.
How can our readers connect with you?
Follow us on social media, send us DMs, an email, or even give us a call. I always read each and every comment and review that comes to us.
● https://www.nhvnaturalpetproducts.com/
● https://www.facebook.com/NHVNaturalPetProducts
● https://www.instagram.com/NHVnaturalpet/
● https://twitter.com/NHVNaturalPet