Leaders

Born and raised in India, Skandashree Bali worked in the corporate sector in different fields for almost 10 years and then left her cushy job to venture into the entrepreneurial journey. Entrepreneurship was always at the back of her mind, which inspired her to establish not one but two ground-breaking businesses – BrandWise Advise and Pawland Domestic Pets Boarding in Dubai.

There were many challenges in the path, including brand acceptance and stiff competition from the established players in the segment. Despite her struggle, she stood strong on her choices, had clarity in her goals, and was un-wavered by external influence. Nonetheless, within a significantly short period, all the hard work and perseverance paid off; both her brands were able to carve a niche of their own in their respective industry. Her dream is to make pet parenting convenient which strengthens the bond with the pet and inevitably reduces the pet abandonment rate. She believes with the right mentorship & support for pet parents, this dream will come to fruition. Let’s hear it from Skandashree as she speaks about her ventures and more.

What are some important features of your expertise as an entrepreneur?

I believe, as an entrepreneur, the ‘Why’ factor is extremely vital for successful execution. Executing dreams, goals or vision needs immense consistency, and perseverance. I have kept my journey flexible for learnings and imported pivots to arrive at the destination. Pawland is in the B2C space and the dynamics here are extremely challenging. Adopting Kaizen (Japanese meaning continual improvement) has helped me constantly stride towards new levels of customer excellence and witness visible impact with our pet parent customer base.

Tell us about the underlying idea behind Pawland and some of its most unique features.

They say becoming a mother brings a whole new & fresh perspective to life. The day when a little two-month-old puppy came into our lives, my husband & I found a new dimension to our lives. We named him Pluto and he became the inspiration for Pawland.Especially among the millennials, we wish to be pet parents whilst having the freedom & flexibility in our routine. With Pluto at home, it got stressful each time we had to go out. Constant worry knowing that he is lonely back home was unsettling and stressful.

My research on similar challenges that other pet parents might also be experiencing validated my hypothesis that pet sitting with customized services to pet parents would strongly solve many problems for pet parents. In this journey, I met another doting pet mom and a fantastic woman – Kejal Jhaveri, with whom I resonated similar interests and concerns. We got to brainstorming and ideating on how to build a strong foundation, wherein the sole motto was to help pet parents by giving them trustworthy & verified pet sitters. In addition, we provided customized pet care packages to address the real need of the pet & the pet parent. Pawland has garnered high levels of recurring customers which shows a sign of confidence in our customers in trusting our brand.

Talk about your other venture, BrandWise Advice.

My first job was at a Public Relations firm based in Bangalore – The PRactice. Albeit a short stint, I won awards for my creative campaigns. I further went on to win All India’s prestigious PR Moment 30 under 30 Award for PR Skills in 2019. That’s when I decided to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. In 2020, I founded BrandWise Advice, a digital marketing agency offering innovative & experiential marketing, integrated digital marketing & creative content creation services. BWA aims to understand customers’ sentiments and bring freshness & creativity in our design, excitement & energy in ideating powerfully unique ideas and passionately delivering quality projects.

Throw some light on the most critical challenges you encounter as an entrepreneur.

In an entrepreneurial journey especially at a young age, there is bound to be a lot of learning throughout the course. Unfortunately, it has a heavy bearing on financial capital. There is always a point of contention on the right timing for equity dilution for raising capital. One of the ways we have managed to counter it was via debt financing as it is way cheaper comparatively. Also, my husband, Sharath’s expertise & backed-up mentorship gave me the confidence to use various debt financing instruments to execute my ideas & witness quantum leaps with results.

"Successful leaders don’t manage teams but lead them. This is a powerful force multiplier for an organization"

The second tough one was the barrier to entry for a new business. Petcare is a crowded market with so many daycares & boarding facilities. Creating a whole new segment & trying to grow at the desired pace is quite challenging with limited capital. With the experience of BWA backed up, we try to spread awareness through innovative ways via an integrated marketing approach.

What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders & entrepreneurs?

Have absolute clarity on your goals and a strong ‘Why’ factor. Lead from the front. Successful leaders don’t manage teams but lead them. This is a powerful force multiplier for an organization. Play to your strengths & build a team to counter your weaknesses. And most importantly you ought to believe that you can make it, So, be confident and surround yourself with influencers who will help you achieve big things.

Skandashree Bali,  CEO & Co-Founder,  Pawland Domestic Pets Boarding

An alumnus of Christ University (where she was provided leadership opportunities) Skandashree is an award-winning marketing strategist and founder of two leading business ventures in Dubai.

Awards & Recognition:

PRMoment 30under 30 Award

Share the Good Award – 2016 by The PRactice Strategic Communications

Cultural Ambassador to Japan – 2014