Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast exploring the topics of business, education,
technology and design.
I'm your host, Mr. Jason.
Join me weekly as my team and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun and uplifting.
Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders and inspirational stories
with an international flavor.
This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International
Community School of Bangkok.
In today's episode, we have the privilege of talking with another local business owner
about her journey in business, her love for animals and how we can take better care of
the creatures around us.
Pet Club is the brand name of her business, which has multiple locations throughout the
Bangkok metropolitan area.
If you're a pet owner or if you just love animals, this episode is for you.
But before we get into our first segment, let's hear our quote of the day and get some headline
animal news.
Our quote of the day comes from James Cornwell.
His quote is to have said, Pets are humanizing.
They remind us we have an application and responsibility to preserve, nurture and care
for all life.
Pets are more than just companions.
They can have a profound impact on our lives.
They remind us of our responsibility and duty to preserve and care for life.
They teach us compassion, empathy and patience.
They also teach us the importance of caring for something other than ourselves.
And they can help build character in us.
Now onto some animal news.
Here's the latest news in the world of animals.
We start with some practical zoo news from South Asia.
A new bill was passed in Bangladesh that specifically helps both protect both the zoo animals and
the visitors.
All zoo animals are to be kept in a humane and safe environment that protects both the
animals and visitors from each other.
Visitors who break the rules and injure or hurt any of the zoo animals can be charged
in court.
Now here's a happy elephant story from Thailand.
Gluay Hom, a young elephant that was rescued in 2019 by the Save Elephant Foundation, is
now regaining his last years.
Gluay Hom has spent time at a crocodile farm and was essentially treated like a circus
animal to the delight of tourists.
He was consistently treated abusively by his trainers.
He has been relocated to the Elephant Nature Park where he now enjoys socializing with
other elephants as he regains his health and strength.
And to finish off our new segment, here's a rather intriguing story about a hungry bear
from the US state of Colorado.
A bear raided a luxury resort in Aspen looking for food.
The bear entered the kitchen of St. Regis Aspen Resort around 11pm.
A surprise security guard who entered the kitchen was knocked down by the bear.
After getting away from the hungry bear, the guard quickly called 911 to report the incident.
The bear eventually left the kitchen after his midnight snack.
Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife have notified communities that bears are more
active in search for food this time of the year, as they are getting ready to hibernate
for the winter.
And that ends our headline animal news.
Thank you for the quote and headline news.
Now let's get into our first segment.
I'm joined by co-host Premmie and Rebecca and we welcome Mrs. Phuc, co-founder of PetClub.
Premmie will get us started with our first question.
Thank you for joining our show today.
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you do?
Hi, my name is Somriti or you can just call me Phuc, okay.
I'm a co-founder of PetClub.
What we do is we are a pet care retailer.
Right now currently we do offerings for the cow or fire businesses.
First is the pet store.
We're selling from pet food to like supplies, you know, all things you can imagine about
pets.
Second is grooming services.
You know, we do groom, body groom for both cats and dogs.
Okay.
The third one is veterinary services.
We do have our own vet.
Okay.
Mostly like preventive care, okay, to take care of the pet at the early stage like vaccination
and things like that.
The next one is pet hotel.
We do have both dog's hotel and cat's hotel.
And lastly is the pet pool, which is the pool for dog to go exercise.
Right.
Right now PetClub have about 30 offline stores, including online channels in marketplace like
PetClub, Zada, Shopee and our own website.
Thank you so much.
Our next question is light hearted.
Did you have a favorite pet or animal growing up?
Yes, of course.
I'm a dog person.
I'm a dog person and we always have dogs at home.
Zina was a little kid.
Okay.
Here's another fun question.
If you had to choose an animal that best represents your personality, what would you choose and
why?
Of course it's a dog.
It's a dog, yeah.
Zina, Zinika.
Because Dog is to me is represent trustworthy, curious.
Right.
Okay. Dog could be very aggressive as yet if he get acquainted in the family,
it could be tame and playful. But when it come to fighting,
it could be very aggressive for strangers. So basically, I think Dog's very sincere.
Yeah, and that's just like trustworthy and like loyal, loyal.
And moving on to some questions about your journey in your business.
Can you share about your educational background and then what influenced your decision
to pursue a career in business and specifically in the pet care industry?
I went to Jilalongkorn University as an undergrad. I went to business school,
measuring in statistics. Okay. And then I went to the US for my master's degree
from UNC Chapel Hill. Okay. And then throughout my career, I've been working with all international
company until when I come back to Thailand and I help my parents' business. And here's my second
Thai business that I started off with. So who actually inspired me to pursue in a business
career, I would say is my dad. Yeah. Since I was a little kid, I see he's up and down
and he's the hard worker and he's such a real entrepreneur. And I think that's, you know,
grew in me. And now hearing about more about like your business background, we'd love to hear about
your first job or interview or internship, sorry. And what was that like and how did it shape
your decision to start your own business? I'm quite fortunate that when I was in the
last year at Jilalongkorn University, I went to have internship with a company. I think it's a
big manufacturing company. They have one section about market research and since I'm measuring
statistics, so what our internships is about finding the right product for them. So what I do
is I have a list of customer, their potential customer, and we go interview them. Yeah. So it's
like market research. Okay. So what I learned about that is that I'm very excited to know things that
I never learned in the school. When you get to interview, you know, people talk to the customers,
that's how you get insight. Right. So when I graduate, that's why I land my job, my first job
with Procter & Gamble in Thailand. And I land in market research department that even made it more
fun because I have a chance to be part of the team to do the launch of the new product of PHG,
like Pampers in that day. It's very fun. And lots of things that I learned. I think we learned about
that too in marketing class. It's a fundamental knowing customer is the fundamental of all business.
We talk about that a lot too, and like building like loyal customer base and trust fostering. Yes.
And you get to know that. And building onto that, starting a business is not easy. So what did the
beginning of your business pet club look like? What kind of challenges did you face? Oh, it's a
long story, but it's a good question. Yeah. Back then, you know, since I've been working in a big
corporate for such a long time. And when we start our new journey, when you start counting one,
I think it's the most difficult thing. First is you have to give up your passive income,
you know, your salary and things like that. And you have to burn your savings on your business.
So yeah, lots of guts that you need to have. Okay. And as I always tell my family and my niece and
my daughter and son, you need to have perseverance, you know, there will be so many fails, so many
issues, you eat it and get to the next level. So to be frank with you guys, it's not easy. Like you
study in the class or in the textbook, but you get to learn it and you get to know how to get up and
get going. I think that's the most important thing that I learned. It's different from when you work
for corporate or like when you do in the, you know, high school or in your university, you see in the
sandbox, you know, it's okay to fail because you have to know when to get up fast and get going.
It's part of the journey. Yeah. Wow. That's really insightful. And I think those are like good
comparisons to like good metaphors, like burning your savings or like the sandbox, right? You can
get up like in a more protective shelter kind of environment. You're allowed to experiment and try
and fail, but then you're onto the real world. And then when you fail, you can fail, you need to get
up fast. And I think the point that you brought up about perseverance is definitely very important.
Noa, and especially with how far Pet Club has come now when looking back onto business journey,
are there some key moments early on that helped the business grow?
Oh, actually, back when we first started, you know, even though I did a lot of research,
I have this concept, like when we all started, you know, it's very difficult for us to land the
first door. We drive all the way. I mean, we call many, you know, potential landlords, big shopping
malls. They're all like, no, we're not ready. Back then, 10 years ago, pet industry is not this,
right? You know, and they can't imagine how would I have this kind of store, you know,
nice shopping malls. So we end up opening the first branch in the Feng Tao shop house, you know,
by the roadside, you know, because we can't get into the shopping malls or go out anymore. So when
you asked me about the turning point, I would say when we start doing that for, I think, 25 years,
then it, we just get growing, you know, we have lots of what amount and how great our store is.
We got a call, we start getting a call from landlord and the shopping mall to ask if you
have any interest to go and open in the shopping mall, I would consider it as a very important
turning point for us. That's mean in terms of the market response, they accept us, they like pet
club, and that is the time when we start expanding. Yeah, I definitely see that. Those key moments
definitely must often play an important role in pet club. And onto the subject of success,
what does success look like to you and what things did you learn along the way? Yeah, I really like
this question, you know, and I put a lot of thoughts in this question too. To me, success is
achieving your goals and targets. And to me, as times go by, I find it's very effective and works
if you set the big goals and targets, and you also set the small part along the way. If you set the
big picture first, and then set a smaller target so that you can achieve, you know. And to me,
success is when you feel proud, you feel like, yes, I can do it. You feel confident. But as times
goes by, I think the most important to me rather than being successful is the journey throughout
to get to the success. I think that is more memorable. And I think the journey through
the success that make you become the better version of you, make you become stronger,
make you sharpen you. So what I'm trying to share with you guys is not just focusing on the goal,
but you also have to enjoy the journey. That is what you learn the most. I think that's always
a good reminder to have because you like a lot of the times, many people might be so focused on the
goal that they forget why they're trying to get there or the journey they're trying to get there,
or why they're trying to achieve the goal in the first place. So that's a definitely very
powerful reminder. And now closing in on our final question for this first segment is what kind of
advice would you give to specifically high school students who are interested in studying business?
Exploring, you know. If you get a chance, explore yourself, get to know what you like and what you
don't like, what you dislike. And if you find things that you don't like, ask yourself if you
can put up with it, if you have to work with it, day in, day out. I think that would be my take
for you because when back when I was in high school, I didn't have this kind of class, you know,
I didn't have a chance to explore or talk with people who were in the real segment. But you guys
have, you know, I think this is amazing. That's great, thank you. Thank you for such good advice.
That ends our first segment, but we'll be right back after this short announcement.
Hey guys, get your tickets for Susico! Seas are almost filled up, please come and support our
amazing actors and actresses November 22nd and 23rd. We'd love to see you guys there. Moving on to
some local Thai events. Loy Krathong Festival 2023 is one of Thailand's most popular and visually
stunning annual festivals. This is Thailand's very own Festival of Lights. Loy Krathong is celebrated
during the full month of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar. This year, the festival is on
Monday, November 27th. We are back with our second segment. In this segment, we'll be focusing more
on the topic of pet care and responsible animal ownership. We also want to discuss industry trends
and get some advice about how better to love and pamper our furry friends. Bremy will get us started
again with our question. This question is about the pet care industry itself. What are some of the unique
features that make the pet care industry different for more traditional businesses?
Chewy, I like the cute aspect of this industry. I don't know how to say it in English, but in Thai,
I find it's mung ming, you know, dastling. Like in our office, we are pet-friendly office. Sometimes
we do have dogs and cats in our meeting room, you know. And when you work, of course, you can't avoid,
you know, stress and things like that. But when you come out and you see lots of, you see pets,
you see dogs and cats, you play around with them for a few minutes and you get better. This is
the charm of it. I mean, it's very, very charming. Yeah, that's what I like about pet. It's a happy
business. Yeah, it's really adorable. I agree. Those aspects definitely will make pet care
industry stand out. Our next question is about challenges. What are some challenges your business
faces within this industry, knowing that you are helping pet owners take care of their pets,
which may, which many people see as another member of their family?
I think this is a very good question too, because what we're dealing with is that loving ones,
like a family member. So I think dealing with care is very important. And so together with managing
their expectation, because of course they love our pets, that pets, and we also care for their pets.
But again, when you work with living things, you know, sometimes there are maybe some unexpected
incidents, like when we do grooming, if for dogs and cats, sometimes they stress out,
or maybe there's some incidents, some loud noise that, let's say my groomer still, you know,
cutting their nails. And then if all of a sudden the dogs feel stressed or whatever, some
environment that arouse their excitement, they may jump or those kinds of things. So
some small accidents might happen. But what we do is we try to inform the customer, the pet owner,
if that is happening. What we're trying to do is to be open and tell them straight forward what
happened. But of course we do it with tremendous care. But again, how could we manage the expectation
and understanding is very important, because it's not a dog, it's a dog, it's a cat, particularly
for cats, you know. Like last time, for example, last time the cats might be very timid and very
easy to handle. But this time she might be angry, she might be stressful. We don't know. So the time
that we do the service or the grooming might be different. So what we sometimes, customers don't
understand, how come this time you take like longer time, but last time it's shorter time,
things like that. I think it's more of managing expectation, because we do in the service business.
And there's so many variables that might occur, that there might be some incidents. So what we're
trying to do is inform the customer, educate our staff, and then make it all open. I mean,
straightforward communication, I think that's very important in our business.
That is definitely like a big challenge, because the pet care industry, the things that we're
dealing with is not like an inanimate object that can be bought or sold. It's a living thing.
It's a living thing, you know. So it's just like, just like humans. They have good day and they have
bad day. If you understand that, we have to, we do love them, but I think it does have to come with
understanding of that nature too. And now that like you've shared some challenges, or in some ways
your company takes on those challenges, and are there specific things that your company does that
are unique and different from others? I think there's, I wouldn't say we have one particular
challenges in this industry, given the fact that we do like five offerings, not just selling things,
but we do also offering subs. So I think that is very challenging. Again, back to what I just
said about, I mean, managing customer expectations and understanding. I think that's just the most
important things. And caring is what we're trying to focus in our, you know, in the pet club.
Make sure that all the staffs have the true understanding and caring for pets,
so that we can create trust for the pet owners who come to pet club. I think this is very important.
Can you explain what this industry may look like in five or 10 years,
and what are some of the trends you're noticing? Of course, as to see for see, this market will
continue to grow, given the fact that now, today, people have a smaller family size, micro family,
and pets becomes, you know, the friends or the family member. So I foresee this market will
continue to grow. And definitely, when the market grows, you will have newcomers, more newcomers,
to come in this market, because the market has opportunity. To me, this mean it's not a bad thing.
I mean, I think this is great, you know, when you do business, and if you look around yourself,
and it's only you who competing or in that industry, you should ask yourself, why are you there?
Okay, so to me, I mean, when the market is growing, when the newcomer coming in,
I think this ensure me that we're in the right business. But it's how is more of the question of
how could we make our service and offering better to continue to have a good position
in the business in the industry is more of that question to me. Yeah, so more interaction, more
growth. Yes, yes, I foresee the potential growth as yet is more of the pressure. And it's a drive for
us to continue to do better, so that we can continue to be in the leading position to secure
a market leading position in the industry. I think this is my my point. Yeah, I see that. And
that's really insightful. Thank you so much for sharing. And now on to more specifically about pet owners.
What are some specific things pet owners can do to help contribute to the overall health of their pets
and the environment in which they live? I think having a pet is not just having a dog.
Yeah, again, back to that point, I is still living things. So it's like your baby is
complete responsibility. I think pet owner to a certain point, you have to develop to be a pet parent.
Right. You know, how you train your dogs, you know, when particularly right now all the
many places become more pet friendly. You can bring pets to, you know, to restaurants, to shopping mall,
like in Europe or in the US, pets can go anywhere, even subway or on the bus, you know.
But in Thai, I think we're just starting, you know. Of course, there are people who like pets
and people who don't like pets. I think it's the overall responsibility for us as pet owners
to make sure that our pets won't disturb others who don't like. Because we're living in the same
society. I think that will promote the pet friendly environment in Thailand. To me, it's how you
turn yourself to be just an owner, to be a pet parent. I think this is very important and it's crucial.
Thank you. And those are some very practical things. For our final question, we'd like to ask our
guest for advice. This is about business. So what practical advice would you give young entrepreneurs
who dream about starting their new business? I think having a dream is very important, okay.
But dreams will just become a dream without actions. So once you have the dreams, you explore
your dreams, you know, don't be scared. Just try it out. The earlier on you can have a chance to
start, I think it's the better off. And just do it. And when you face issue or problem,
or obstacles, just always tell yourself it's an ingredient of success, okay. I would like to share
a quote that I find very, very good about having perseverance, which I always say is good for all
the entrepreneur. It's from Winston Churchill, okay, as my closing, okay. Success is not final.
Failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue that counts. I think this is good for all the
entrepreneurs. Oh, that's really powerful. Thank you so much again for being on our shows, our
guests. Oh, very pleasure. I'm very excited to be here. Thank you so much. Thank you. And with those
final words of wisdom and advice about animal care, we have run out of time. Thank you again, Mrs. Pooke,
for telling us your personal journey into business and giving us insight into the world of pet care.
I'm only sad we couldn't have a furry friend with us here in the studio today. And now shifting gears
to something we promised in our last episode, our raffle drawing winners. We received a number of
audience submitted questions for our previous episode, and each participant was entered into
a raffle drawing. We have seven prizes to give away. So without further ado, the Students
Incorporated team drew the seven winning names and they are AOE, Miles, Julian, Caris, Jonah,
Kylie, and Ken. Again, the winners are AOE, Miles, Julian, Caris, Jonah, Kylie, and Ken. Now if you
heard your name, you have two weeks to claim your prize. Please come see me, Mr. Jason, at room 201A
and I will give you a few more instructions. Thank you and congratulations again to those seven prize
winners. As we end this episode, I'm reminded that we share the planet not only with a lot of other
people, but we share it with a lot of other creatures, big and small. And some happen to be
our pets. Maybe you're a cat person or maybe you're a dog person. Either way, taking proper care of
our furry friends teaches us a lot about responsibility and patience. Check out Pet Club
online at PetClub.co.th. They even have a swimming pool for pets. As always, this podcast would not
be possible without the hard work and support of our international student production team.
All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives
sharing copyright-free images, videos, and music. And we are signing off until next time.
We are Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.