Meet In Pups We Trust of Target Takeoff Pets 2021

This is the fifth installment in an interview series with the 2021 Target Takeoff Pets cohort. Participating companies are sharing, in their own words, details about their innovative companies. All interviews have been conducted by the Target Takeoff Program Management Team.

Meet In Pups We Trust.

TT: What’s the one-liner description of In Pups We Trust?

Videlle: In Pups We Trust creates pet care products from a pup’s point of view, which means we think about your pup first.

TT: What inspired you to start In Pups We Trust? What makes what you are doing different from anyone else in the marketplace?

Videlle: I was inspired to start In Pups We Trust after my dog, Indo, hurt his paw while traveling in Cuba. I needed something to keep his paws moist and clean, and I felt like a bad dog parent because I couldn’t find anything. Shortly after, I created and began traveling with travel-sized products which we still use daily.

Our products are all-natural, not tested on animals, and made with your dog in mind first. We take a mindful approach to pup wellness; we use ingredients that dogs actually like. It’s important for us to educate our pup parents, for example, dogs hate citrus scents so skipping lemon scented products for your pup is important. We make sure everything is up to paw so our pup parents don’t have to.

TT: How did you decide it was the right time to join an Accelerator? What are you most looking forward to getting out of the Target Takeoff experience?

Videlle: I knew the time to join an Accelerator was now because In Pups We Trust has grown faster than I could imagine; the way to learn things you don’t even know you know is through new opportunities. Hitting retail shelves is a huge personal goal for me; the opportunity to learn, receive mentoring and feedback from the Target team is an amazing opportunity.

TT: What currently keeps you up at night, as the founder/leader of In Pups We Trust?

Videlle: Sadly, right now the state of the USA keeps me up at night. It’s hard to push  paw washes into people’s faces when people that look like me are being killed so frequently. As a black woman, it’s something I just can’t ignore. I funnel my frustrations by speaking openly about biases in the pup community from animal adoption prejudice to specific breed stereotypes.

TT: How do you stay motivated through the ups and downs of growing a business?

Videlle: I take breaks. In the beginning I was always on “GO,” I realized that it kept me in a reactive state which made it hard to go with the up and down flows. Mondays are my bonus days: I can sleep in, research, journal, work or not work, with no pressure.

TT: Fast forward 1 year from now: where do you see your company and your team?

Videlle: One year from now I see In Pups We Trust as a larger community for pup parents. I see a pup loving team that loves working at In Pups We Trust, fly pup packaging on Target shelves near you.

For more information on In Pups We Trust and their products check out inpupswetrust.com

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