For our 2013 Anniversary print magazine, the cover story featured three Entrepreneurs who excel in very different industries. Our TC Trailblazers are Abby Gnanendran, Ahalya Kumaran and Vipoositha Gnanenthra. Over the next three weeks, we will be featuring each Entrepreneur individually in our Spotlight section. Their stories will inspire you, so don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from these passionate men and women.
Earth Rated PoopBags was not the first product that Abby Gnanendran believed in. From the young age of 16, Abby was bit by the entrepreneurial bug. Starting with web design, selling services, and experimenting with numerous different ventures helped Abby discover his present career path. Although he pursued a degree in Business and Administration, Abby believes that the most valuable training he received was the learning process of trial and error from multiple passion projects throughout his life. “Being an entrepreneur fulfills me. I could make money, I don’t have to make money. As long as I’m trying to be different and create something different, that’s what makes me happy”.
Earth Rated started as a group of friends with a vision to produce eco friendly pet products, who decided to band together to start the company as a side project. Abby and his partners recognized that people have passion for their pets and often treat them like a member of their family. They discovered a product that was able to sell itself and decided to transform this product into a sustainable company that has the potential to develop numerous pet related products with green values as it’s core.
In North America alone, the pet industry is worth approximately 55 billion dollars and Earth Rated has managed to meet the need for biodegradable and compostable bags that consumers were looking for. Founded in April 2010, Earth Rated PoopBags are now in 5000 stores, including 300 stores in Europe, as well as stores in Japan, Taiwan, Canada and the United States. Although it is now a successful and thriving business, in its early stages Abby says that they were able to overcome the initial start-up obstacles by finding creative ways to outsource their logistic needs and by using the individual skills sets of each of the partners in order to build a strong foundation for their company.
Abby strongly believes that the key to a successful venture is to stay focused. Although it is important to try different experiences and ideas, Abby stresses the importance of not trying to do too many things at once. “You should pick something you are passionate about and are ready to put all of your time and energy into bringing to fruition. With the right idea, focus and commitment, success will come with time”.
