Ryan Farrugia

If you find yourself needing to pull yourself out of life’s drama for a while and focus on what truly matters, we feel you and we got you. If this is so, what’s there more to matter about if not our beloved pets? Pets matter and pets have their needs. Life on Point reached out to Pet Shop Malta to learn more about Malta’s Largest Online Pet Store, which not only takes care of pet needs but also of their owners’ as they provide an efficient and easy service by delivering all needs right to your doorstep.

You’re Malta’s Largest Online Pet Store. Tell us about your idea, your vision and your dream… What inspired you to develop your idea?

Online shopping for one’s daily needs was not so common in Malta let alone to shop online for pet needs. In today’s world, everyone is constantly on the go. Having the convenience to order your items at the comfort of your own home, being delivered to your doorstep and avoiding traffic and parking issues, saves you not only time but also money. The idea of an online pet shop originally started in 2011. When I had discussed this concept with different suppliers of pet products, everyone was very hesitant that this idea would flourish into a profitable business. Despite this, I knew that this would be a success, so I rolled up my sleeves and began the process of setting up the website as well as getting in touch with suppliers. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, the project had to be put on hold, yet meanwhile, I had started working with a local distributor of pet products. After a couple of months working with the company, I had brought forward the project I was working on and my employer was interested in exploring this further until Petshopmalta.com was established in 2014. Being a start-up, my employer had invested heavily in the company with regard to tools, systems, hardware and advertising. When we embarked on this project, I was the only employee carrying out all duties from creating and updating the website, placing orders with suppliers, collecting such orders, preparing invoices for the customers and delivering the customers’ orders. It was practically a one man show. It entailed perseverance and commitment resulting to what the company is today in 2022 – a company with five employees each having their own separate duties and responsibilities from handling orders, seeing to customer needs, deliveries and collecting products whilst also acting as a team member to support each other where necessary.

Needless to say that the company’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the financial investment done by my employer. Since my employer had a solid background in the pet industry, it provided me with indispensable insight and knowledge about the market. Not only has he provided constant support, believed in me and in my project but recently has also given me the opportunity to become the owner of the business which I worked so hard for, and for this, I will always have a lot of respect towards him.

What distinguishes your business from other Pet shops?

We try our best to make as much products as possible available in order to reach a vast range of customers. Indeed we have over eight thousand products available on our site, with more products being included on a regular basis. We also aim at providing great customer care and try our best to assist to all our customers’ needs.

Furthermore, in June 2021, we decided to open a retail outlet as a franchise of Petshopmalta. com. The pet shop needed to be different from your ordinary pet shop. A lot of research was carried out in regard to the design of the shop as well as other important aspects. My wife played a crucial part in designing the shop. Being the creative person she is, not to mention a perfectionist, I knew that the finished product would be nothing less than exceptional. A lot of sweat and tears went into the retail outlet. Whilst I was doing the gypsum, my wife was placing down the parquet flooring and building a display table from wood which she designed specifically for the ‘boutique’ area as she likes to call it.

It was important for us to offer our customers a shopping experience where one is able to take his time and look around in a welcoming, tranquil and organised environment with staff members ready to help them with any queries related to food, snacks, bedding, harnesses, collars, leashes, grooming products, products related to hygiene and other related matters and so on. Our aim is to not only guide our customers on the ideal products for their circumstances, but to also build a relationship with them and their furry pets. We want our customers to feel at home.

We are very pleased to say that we have a lot of customers coming over to the shop who are becoming pet owners. It gives us great pleasure to be the chosen pet shop for these new owners. We feel excited for the new owners and become part of their new journey. We genuinely care about our customers and their furry babies.

How much time do you spend working on your business each day?

Honestly, too much. My wife has also left her professional career in the financial services industry to join me in building this business further. Between the online shop and the retail outlet, we both spend around thirteen hours a day during the week. Since the retail outlet is also open on Saturdays and Sundays, we spend another six hours each day.

Commitment, dedication and perseverance is key to the success of a business.

What has been your most satisfying moment in business so far?

While I dedicate a lot of hours to the business, at the end of the day, it gives me great satisfaction when our customers commend us on our customer service which proves that our dedication is being appreciated. Also when a new customer visits the shop, their reaction is priceless and we have received wonderful comments on the design of the shop and that means our hard work paid off.

We feel very protective of our personnel and do our best to ensure a professional and ‘happy place’ to work at. Seeing our team joking around and enjoying their work is also a very satisfying moment. In every business, you will have moments where you are challenged with HR issues however we are pleased that we have now completed our team with the latest staff members. A business is not successful if you do not have the right people on board.

Why did you decide to become a business owner, and why a pet shop in particular?

Being an animal lover and pet owner myself, working in the pet sector came naturally to me and also to do it with a passion. I’m lucky enough to have a wife who is also an animal lover and as a hard worker as I am. We make a great team.

What does success mean to you?

The meaning of success for me is very vast. It’s not only to run a profitable business but to also have a great relationship with all stakeholders particularly our customers, our suppliers and last but not least our staff members.

Looking back at your entrepreneurial journey so far, if you could do one thing differently, what would it be?

I believe that every circumstance or decision taken has got us to where we are today. As my wife tells me, everything happens for a reason and the decisions taken so far, whether good or bad, has taught us of taking a different or same approach in regard to future decisions.

How do you see yourself in two years’ time? How do you foresee your growth path?

We have a couple of future projects in mind, but I will not reveal these for now. I’ll just leave that to the reader’s imagination.