Rana Atheya , Shailesh Visen, Gaurav Malik, Founders, DogSpot.in- the Leading Dog Portal in India

“All for the love of a K9”

Most people would be infuriated if I said that their venture has gone to the dogs. But Rana Atheya, Shailesh Visen, and Gaurav Malik are three entrepreneurs who would be very pleased to hear this. Their venture has not only gone to the dogs but is made for dogs and dog lovers. DogSpot.in is a small business idea was nurtured with entrepreneurial skill and canine love; that has today grown into India’s leading Dog Portal.

The site itself is very user friendly and contains information from basic canine upkeep to puppy adoption, dog shows and buyer’s information.

Yourstory learnt more from the threesome on how they turned something most people dismiss as a hobby into a flourishing business venture…

How did your love for canines turn into an entrepreneurial venture?

What started as a modest story 3 years back, is now on the cover page of some key publications in India. DogSpot.in is now India’s most visited dog portal. According to Alexa and Google AdPlanner, DogSpot.in has left its competitors behind by many folds. This is yet another example of following ones dream, believing in it and creating a success story. Everyone behind DogSpot.in is first a dog lover and then an entrepreneur. The passion for dogs is hence a common binding and driving force!DogSpot is a one stop platform for all the dogs’ needs. DogSpot aspires to solve problems in the dog world, by aggregating and organizing information, bridging gaps and hence bringing the community closer.

What kind of market share do your services command?

?      17,000 unique hits every day

?      Around 2300 Unique visitors everyday

?      12,000 registered users

How do you translate a site visitor’s love for dogs into a remunerative business model?

While the pet industry is showing an upward trend, it is yet to establish a strong foothold in India. In such a scenario, there is a need for someone to rise above the rest and bring in an organized platform for Dog lovers. This is precisely the space in which DogSpot functions. DogSpot is amongst the only organized online platforms for Dog related content in India.

Currently Getting revenues from advertising. Other expected sources of income are:

• Paid memberships
• Premium listings (hyper local)
• E commerce- online Pet Shop

What led you from 9 to 5 careers to a website for dog lovers?

We believe in a saying by Sramana Mitra “Entrepreneurship is not a career. It is a way of life.” Even during regular jobs we have been working like an Entrepreneur, and now looking at building more tangible and non tangible values for the society and DogDom. Key resources at DogSpot have left regular income jobs and are living their passion. What is the one aspect of your entrepreneurial journey so far that you would like to change?

We overlooked the potential of the business for the first two years and treated it as a hobby venture. An early entry into the organization with 100% dedicated effort would have helped us a much bigger scale by now.

What has been the biggest achievement in the growth of your organization?

We have managed to create an organization and brand in DogDom in a completely unorganized space without major investments.

Is your site a well recognized entity in and out of its niche?

DogSpot.in is a very well established player in Indian Pet Industry. It is recognized by all international pet/dog related events which happen in India every year. DogSpot is partner to companies and authorities who organize these events.

DogSpot got cover page appearance on Outlook Money 2^nd June 2010 issue as a key start-up with an investment of less than 4 Lakh.

What are your organizations goals in 2010?

• To make DogSpot Revenue positive
• Acquire More Premium and exclusive content
• Drive and sustain membership growth 100% yoy

How do you propose to scale up? Any strategic partnerships etc?

Online model is scalable from the reach point of view. Furthermore, we will be driving initiatives focused on both online and offline space. The focus will be to build assets like network of relationships with Kennel Clubs, Petshops, and Vetnarians, supply Chain for E Petshop, etc

We are already in strategic partnerships with Regional Kennel Clubs. We work very closely with lot of Public Service Organizations like SPCA, PFA etc.

Do you propose to be a solely online venture or there are plans to converge with offline services?

We will be a consumer a focused venture online where as offline we will be drive to establish strong distribution channel for lot of pet related niche products.

Yourstory wishes DogSpot and its three founders Rana, Shailesh, and Gaurav much success and luck with their work. On behalf of Indian dog lovers we give the trio two paws up and several woofs for their efforts in enhancing canine lives…