![Cover of «Manuela Sanchez, Laika | Market Validation, Growth and International Expansion in E-Commerce [Ep. 91]»](/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Manuela-Sanchez-Laika.png)
The audio and video are in Spanish. These notes are a translation.
Competition in e-commerce has increased rapidly in recent years, and it is increasingly difficult to differentiate yourself with good products alone. Something more is needed.
Laika started as an online pet food store and has expanded into services such as veterinary care, boarding, and trainers, in addition to insurance and a membership, becoming an all-in-one online store for pets.
Today we spoke with its cofounder and Director of Growth, Manuela Sanchez.
Laika serves more than 300,000 pet owners in Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, and has raised more than 60 million dollars of investment from funds such as Softbank, JAM Fund, InqLab, and FJ Labs.
We talked about how they validated the idea for Laika, the growth strategies they used, and the multiple business lines they have developed. Manuela also told us why she believes it is necessary for a founder to lead international expansion, and the lessons she learned opening the Mexican market.
Youtube Timestamps*
[1:40] - Market Validation
- How did Manuela arrive at the fascinating world of startups?
- What was the pet industry like when Manuela analyzed it for the first time?
- What problems did Manuela find in the existing solutions, and how does that compare with Laika’s initial idea?
- In Laika’s first month, they devoted themselves to sending messages and contacting friends and family in order to get their first users. What metric did they use to evaluate the validation of their market?
- Manuela hired a development agency for her first product. What were the advantages and disadvantages of this decision?
[22:28] - Growth in E-Commerce
- At the start, Laika sold through marketplaces. What does Manuela advise entrepreneurs for evaluating and using marketplaces in their growth strategy?
- What are some successful acquisition strategies for growing the customer base? And how has the weight of paid channels evolved for Laika?
- Why did Laika take part in fashion events or car fairs as a customer acquisition strategy?
- In a previous interview, Manuela said that the world is omnichannel, that we will never become fully digital, since we are social beings, and that is why Laika is thinking about physical connections with its customers. What variables does she use to evaluate the choice between selling with 100% online channels versus a combination of online and physical stores?
- Laika is much more than an online store for pet food and toys. It has services such as veterinary care, hotels, trainers, walkers, and even a subscription, prime. How did Manuela know when it was the right moment to go from offering only products to creating its services offering?
- 70% of Laika’s sales come from the members of Laika Member. What are Manuela’s keys for successfully implementing a subscription model?
- What is the role of Laika’s membership? Is it an important sales line, or is it rather a retention strategy and a catalyst for the other business lines?
[42:12] - International Expansion
- When they expanded to Mexico, Laika’s launch did not work as they expected. What key mistakes did they make in that launch?
- Manuela previously mentioned that an important reason was that the founding team was not in the country and there was not that passion and soul to be able to make it work. Why does she consider the presence of the founding team to be key? What are the advantages or disadvantages of launching a market with a founder versus a local leader such as a Country Manager?
- Based on this experience and these lessons, what are the sequences and the steps Manuela would take to successfully launch a market?
[50:30] - Rapid-Fire Round
- Book recommended by Manuela
- Changes Manuela would like to see in Latin America’s startup ecosystem
- Entrepreneur Manuela recommends interviewing
Episode Mentions
You can find Manuela on LinkedIn
Recommended book: The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Entrepreneur to interview: Cristina Junqueira of Nubank
Discover More from the Startupeable Podcast
Listen to every episode at startupeable.com/podcast.
Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when a new one comes out.
Follow Enzo Cavalie on X: @enzocavalie.