How two Adelaide mates were inspired by their pets to create a multi-million dollar business
In 2019, tradie Jye de Zylva noticed this pet kelpie was out of sorts.
His dog was significantly stressed, and sometimes even missing, when his owner would return home each day from the job site.
Jye teamed up with his mate and entrepreneur Davie Fogarty, and the pair created an innovative line of dog beds aimed at calming anxiety and stress in their furry friends.
The 26-year-olds founded Pupnaps, which is the first of its kind and is largely inspired by a unique circular design.
“The first design we settled on was one that kind of emulates a dog curling up in their mother’s womb,” Jye told NCA NewsWire.
“It’s a really common way for dogs to sleep and it gives them comfort.”
The company saw a flood of success and regularly surpasses $1million in monthly sales from selling 4,000 beds a week.
Jye said the success of the company took them both by surprise.
“It took us probably six to seven months and we did our first million-dollar month, which was really exciting in terms of the success and what it meant.”
He said, “It was something that I didn't really expect in my wildest dreams; coming from being a chippie only six or eight months before that.”
The Pupnaps line included four different dog beds: the original dog calming bed, as well as an orthopaedic memory foam bed, an orthopaedic floor rug and a calming furniture couch.
Jye is a firm believer that the success of the company was aided by the pandemic, and pets having increased anxiety after their owners returned to offices for work.
“Anxiety can really impact a dog’s quality of life, not to mention the guilt and fear that owners have whenever they need to leave their pets alone,” Mr de Zylva said.
“It’s really rewarding to create a product that has been successful but also one that is helping dogs and their owners to live better lives.”
Image credits: Instagram @pupnapsofficial