If MoBay entrepreneurs Denny and Veena Chandiram Chatani have been flashing broader smiles of late it might very well be the result of the many accolades being heaped upon their daughter Minali, who, along with Veronica Becchetti and Bill Wells, founded Wild One, a one-stop shop for curated, cross-category essentials for dogs.

“We make everything you and your pup need to walk, run, play, and live in style, from water, dirt and odour-proof leashes to all-natural grooming products and biodegradable poop bags,” Chatani informs the Style Observer (SO).

Indeed, the company launched in late 2018 with 10 core walk and home essentials, and has since expanded to all-natural grooming products, sustainable treats, design-minded toys and an airline-compliant travel carrier — a full selection of everyday essentials making every moment with your pet better and which has caught the attention of none other than lifestyle goddess Martha Stewart who referenced @wildone as a “brand known for their practical yet design-savvy pet gear”.

Chatani was, too, spotlighted in Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 to watch. “Both my parents are entrepreneurs in Jamaica, she tells SO. “I grew up watching them build a business, and I’ve loved building one of my own… Being interviewed by Martha Stewart magazine for doing work that I am incredibly passionate about is an honour and a privilege. I’m simply grateful for the opportunity to do this and for the opportunities that got me here.”

The partners’ back story is as adorable as their best-selling travel carrier… “Bill, Veronica and I met through mutual friends who run a consumer products platform. At the time we were all working in the very small world of NYC start-ups. A few of us had poor experiences shopping for pets and shared feelings of being overwhelmed as first-time pet parents. Getting a new pet is a huge responsibility; it shouldn’t be made more daunting by shopping for products — that part should be simple and worry-free. That’s why we built Wild One, to be a trusted, curated, cross-category one-stop shop that supports pet parents from day one,” shares Chatani.

“Each one of us,” continues Veronica Becchetti, “has a unique and complementary background for our business. Bill came from a role in finance and operations at Warby Parker, I was previously in product development at S’well and Minali at Sweetgreen doing the brand’s creative. Our respective backgrounds and institutional knowledge on how to build these functions at early-stage start-ups have helped to inform the foundation of Wild One. We’ve had the opportunity to implement learnings from our years in the industry and with growing start-ups and applied our institutional knowledge when building our own.”

Building a business has definitely not been without its challenges.

“One of the hardest parts of the first year in business for many entrepreneurs is staying focused on your main goals, and filtering through the noise. There are so many opportunities flying your way, from potential collaborations to new product ideas — all these ‘shiny objects’ that catch your attention. Sticking to the plan and staying super-focused on the year-one priority goals is not as simple as it sounds! But, we’ve done well so far — Bill, Minali and I are very disciplined about sticking to our plans and communicating to stay on the same page. That said, we leave some flexibility for opportunistic moments,” says Becchetti.

For Chatani, “There were a lot of emotional challenges: Moments of doubting myself and my ability to manage the weight of being responsible for not only a brand but a team, and their career growth. I’m lucky to have co-founders who are smarter and more experienced than I am — I’ve learned so much from them and their natural ability to manage teams. I regularly find myself inspired and motivated by their confidence.”

When the breakthrough comes, however, it leaves you gobsmacked!

“We launched our travel carrier in November 2019, and it made an enormous splash, both with pet parents and among the media. I remember seeing us everywhere on social media for months, and feeling like we had made something really different and special. The travel carrier is airline-compliant, meaning it was developed to meet TSA requirements, and serves as the ultimate convenient pet carrier for humans, while feeling like a home away from home for dogs. It’s been so popular that we’ve sold out five times!” says Chatani.

“While developing the travel carrier, we wanted to make sure it included features that pet parents require while on the go, like a shoulder strap that doubles as a travel leash, a sleeve that slides over your suitcase handle, an easy zipper window giving you quick access to treat your pup and a canopy setting for when you arrive at your destination so they have a little room of their own. We didn’t compromise at all in the design of the product; we wanted it to have superior performance to anything on the market while still looking sleek, and were able to accomplish that well,” adds Becchetti.

The three are enthused and with reason. Their steely focus has led to Wild One eking out shop floor space at Target, and although mum’s the word, international expansion has commenced. Hello, Selfridges and Harrods!

Knowing how fond SO readers are of their pets we asked Chatani and Becchetti to share a few tips on procuring products for their pets…

“The pet industry has been filled with commodity, fast fashion-like products for a very long time. We started Wild One to break through the noise of cheaply made products that don’t live up to our standards as consumers. I’d advise new pet parents to look for products that are well-made and contain quality ingredients they themselves would eat. Go for quality!” – Veronica Becchetti

“Do your research, but also trust your gut! All dogs are different — they have different personalities and tendencies, and as a parent, you know what’s best for your dog when choosing products for them. You’ll be the first to identify if your dog is uncomfortable in a certain harness, or if they need some calming supplements to chill out. Trust yourself and your pet parental instincts and find brands or resources that you trust as well.” – Minali Chatani