Manaal Maniyar, born and brought up in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, had always been interested in technology and gadgets. After completing his MBA, he secured a high-paying job with FMCG Reckitt Benckiser Group, but he wanted to do something impactful and run his own business. He joined Uddan, where he built a team of 150 people and a monthly business of Rs.5cr, before moving on to Dealshare India.
While working, Manaal met Einstein, and his pet Labrador and the two quickly became inseparable. When Einstein was eight months old, he broke his leg, and during his treatment, he became quite overweight. Concerned about Einstein's health, Manaal began researching the pet food industry and discovered that pet nutrition is not taught in veterinary curricula, leading to unhealthy pet food products. He also learned that the pet food industry is not regulated worldwide, allowing brands to put whatever they want into their products.
Determined to create a healthier, organic dog food, Manaal travelled to the UK to meet with professional nutritionists and entrepreneurs who were developing organic dog and cat food. After a year and a half of research and recipe development, Manaal created a completely organic recipe made from meat and vegetables, all procured organically. The dog food has no chemicals, preservatives, or synthetics, and can be stored in a cool, dry place with a shelf life of one year.
Tail Blaze, the leading pet food company in India, is the brainchild of a humble entrepreneur named Manaal Maniyar. The story of Tail Blaze is an inspirational one that highlights the dedication, passion, and commitment of a man who wanted to create something that would make a positive impact on the world.
After completing his MBA at the age of 22, Manaal landed his dream job at FMCG Reckitt Benckiser Group. He was the highest-paid student in his batch that year, and it was a big achievement for him and his family. However, Manaal was not motivated by money alone. He wanted to do something of his own and make a positive impact on the lives of others. He believed that if he could create something that was truly valuable, the money would follow.
Manaal worked at Reckitt Benckiser for two years and was later transferred to the east Indian states of Orissa, Kolkata, and Bihar. His role at the company was in sales, where he managed 55 distributors and more than 200 people. This role gave him a thrilling experience and taught him valuable people management and people skills. However, Manaal was still not satisfied, as he wanted to start something of his own.
To gain more experience and learn how to build a company from scratch, Manaal joined Udaan, the biggest B2B startup in India at the time. He built a team of 150 people and a monthly business of Rs.5cr, which was a massive achievement. However, Manaal left Udaan after 15 months as he wanted to do something even bigger on a national level.
It was at this point that Manaal's life took a parallel turn, and he met his pet Labrador, Einstein, on 14th March 2020. Manaal describes Einstein as a very active, brilliant, and smart dog who understands the Hindi language completely. The idea behind naming his pet Einstein was that Sir Albert Einstein was born on the same day.
Manaal and Einstein spent the entire lockdown together for 1 and a half years, becoming closer than ever before. They developed a strong bond, and Manaal describes their relationship as being like that of a mother and a child, a feminine relationship.
During the lockdown, Einstein had an accident, and his leg broke into two pieces. Manaal took care of Einstein's daily activities and became even closer to his pet during his treatment. Due to his accident and treatment, Einstein, who was only a year old, became overweight, weighing 40 kg.
Manaal was concerned about Einstein's weight and started researching the pet food industry. He discovered that pet nutrition is not taught in the veterinary curriculum in India or abroad. Brands were only selling or recommending food products in which they were getting better margins, which meant that they were putting unhealthy and junk food into their products. He also discovered that the pet food industry is not regulated worldwide, which allows brands to put whatever they feel is beneficial for their brand.
During that time, he had been developing a recipe for a completely organic dog food made from meat and vegetables, all procured organically. His recipe contained no chemicals, no preservatives, and no synthetics, and had a shelf life of one year, making it an ideal choice for pet parents who wanted their dogs to eat healthily. He tried the recipe on his pet, Einstein, and the results were amazing. Einstein had become energetic, and his broken limb had completely healed.
Manaal then decided to test his organic dog food on dogs in his vicinity, and the results were the same. He realized that this organic food was expensive for the Indian market, but he believed that pet parents who wanted to see their pets healthy would be willing to pay for it. In July 2022, he left his job to start his own company, Tail Blaze.
The idea behind the name Tail Blaze is that it gets every dog’s tail blazing and is similar to trailblaze, which means to do something new. Manaal believed they were doing something new with their organic, completely natural dog food. The brand colours were chosen as blue and yellow because dogs can only see these colours.
Tail Blaze is a brand backed by science, logic, and heart. In just six months, Tail Blaze won five national awards and one international award. They were able to reach the homes of a few Bollywood celebrities and cricketers who put up stories for Tail Blaze, and they now have 18-19k followers on Instagram. Despite good word-of-mouth, the revenue wasn't doing well. Manaal never wanted the revenue, but he wanted to build the company's perception and go deeper into the market.
In January 2023, Tail Blaze is poised to launch 50 premium organic products, most of which will be patented. The company aims to launch more than 500 products by the end of the year, including grooming products and accessories. They recently hired a new team member, a small Shizu named Madam Curie, who is helping to launch their grooming range.
Tail Blaze is planning to supply the massive Indian market at India's price point, as well as the international market, including Italy in May and Thailand in October. The company now has three outlets, one in Bangalore that makes food, one in Surat that makes cosmetics, and one in Kanpur that makes accessories.
What started as a company consisting of just Manaal and Einstein is now a company of more than 50 people. Tail Blaze is having a new office and factory launch in Bangalore on 10th Feb, and the aim is to make billions of tails blazing across the globe. Manaal's father has been his mentor, always supporting him and doing everything he could to help. His father was upset after Manaal left his well-paying job, but he understood his son the next day. His mother, on the other hand, did not speak to him for 3-4 months.
Manaal's wife, Palak, has been an equal business partner, supporting him emotionally, and mentally, and with business advice. He attributes his success to his father, wife, and pet Einstein. Being a founder has its perks, including the freedom to do what you want. However, it also comes with sacrifices, including no family time, no personal time, and little sleep.
Manaal is happy with all the sacrifices because he is doing something he truly believes in. He advises young people not to jump into entrepreneurship without understanding its downsides. It's uncertain, and there are many cons. However, if you take the first step and start somewhere, you'll figure it out as you go along.
Simply put as Manaal believes: “Risk hai to Ishq hai!
Manaal Maniyar,
Founder, TailBlaze
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