Introduction to episode

The Boss Brown Women podcast is a show for and about inspiring women, and the heartbreaks, lessons and triumphs they experience on their journeys to success. My name is Lavanya Aneja, and I’m the creator and host of this podcast. 

Today I’m interviewing someone truly special: Rashi Narang, Founder and CEO of the iconic Heads Up For Tails (HUFT). As a pet lover, Rashi was familiar with the pure, unadulterated joy that pets to our lives-- so when time came for her to get her own pet, she wanted the very best for her furry friend. However, the lack of options and transparency in the pet care industry in the country left her feeling frustrated. So when time came to start her entrepreneurial journey (outside of selling mani-pedis to her family members ;)), she knew it would have to be to revolutionize the petcare industry. In this episode, we talk about her journey, and how she converted her passion into a massively successful business.  

Podcast Episode Summary

1. Rashi shares how she always had entrepreneurship in her blood-- as a child, she made a business out of charging her family members to give them mani-pedis! 
2. After she got her first dog, Sara, she was determined to provide good quality food and merchandise for her. She was surprised to only obscure imported goods without any real information about what they contain or how they’re made.
3. She knew she couldn’t be the only one who’d want better quality products for her pet; and so she made it her mission to start a company that would provide just that: Heads Up For Tails. 
4. For a long time she was turned away from manufacturers and retailers alike, no one believed there was a demand for her products. She put together a pop-up store and got completely different feedback from her customers-- they loved her product and wanted more! That’s when she learned a very crucial lesson: always stay close to your customer. 
5. After establishing a retail presence in Delhi, Rashi had to move to Singapore for over 7 years, proving a really challenging time for her and HUFT. Still, she woke up everyday with a fire in her belly, feeling such a deep sense of purpose with HUFT that she couldn’t ever contemplate giving up.
6. After she moved back to India in 2016, Rashi merged HUFT with a pet company, Paws, in Bangalore to expand their reach across the country. This proved to be a game-changer for her, moving from a lonely journey to building something with people you can trust.
7. A big part of HUFT’s mission for Rashi is also educating people on what their furry family members need: What do they need to be happy? What do they need to be fed? How to exercise them? How to work on mental growth and stimulation? To achieve that, they have all sorts of experts on hand: for nutrition, training, grooming etc. 
8. On finding co-founders: Being an entrepreneur is a hard lonely journey, it teaches you a lot along the way. However, should the opportunity present and you find someone who shares your passion and drive for your project, where they could make a valuable difference by coming on board as co-founder, why not?
9. On leadership: Rashi believes herself to be the exact opposite of what “typical” leaders are meant to be like. Her introverted, shy nature is in direct contradiction to the quintessential Type A leader personalities. After attempting to portray only those qualities, Rashi realized she didn’t have to change herself to be a good leader. Some leaders lead from the front, and some from the back like shepherds; both are equally as important. Her conclusion after over 10 years in the business: just be authentic.   

Quotables

“Animals truly provide an unconditional love to us--where else would you find a love like that? I truly think they deserve so much in return.”