Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Kim.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was working at a technology Hedge Fund, which at that time was financially rewarding and intellectually challenging but was missing something intrinsically. However, it wasn’t clear until my life changed when I adopted Maya in 2007. I adopted Maya amidst of the pet food recall, where thousand of pets died to due contaminated food with many more thousands affected. I was looking for a safe food option for her, but I found it shocking that many of the brands of foods recommended to me by my friends, colleagues and family had all been on this recall list.
A group of really intelligent and caring pet lovers all feeding contaminated foods due to a lack of knowledge and awareness. This inspired me to want to do better for our pets. I wanted to create a better way for not only me, but others to find the right, safe and healthy foods for their furry companions. I truly found the passion and purpose of being able to share our knowledge and inspire people to create a healthy lifestyle for their pets.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The industry is rapidly evolving faster than since we’ve been a part of. There is a lot of consolidation and institutional capital coming to space. As a result, some of the changes in the food side of the business has made it harder than ever to discern what are the best options for our best friends. More sophisticated marketing has led to further consumer confusion. As a result, our mission is more important than ever. We do a lot of due diligence for the customer so they don’t have to.
Another obstacle is that as we grow, we need to maintain our growth of internal talent to keep pace with the growth of the company. If we don’t grow together, we will grow apart. One internal mandate is to continue to create a culture that attracts passionate pet people who care about the work we do and investing in their training and development to help them be successful in inspiring healthy pet lifestyles, one pet a time.
Please tell us about Healthy Spot.
Healthy Spot was founded by Andrew Kim and Mark Boonnark in 2008, following the 2007 pet food recall. Healthy Spot has removed the guesswork by ensuring that every stocked product meets stringent pre-selection criteria for the premium quality of ingredients. All Healthy Spot products are organic, natural, raw and/or eco-friendly and made with responsible manufacturing practices. In addition to pet supplies, Healthy Spot offers full-service grooming, small dog daycare and obedience courses taught by nationally recognized trainers. Healthy Spot is committed to inspiring healthy pet lifestyles by creating authentic experiences and fostering community, one pet at a time.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I was always drawn to animals at an early age and was fortunate to have always grown up with dogs. Dogs are such special creatures and like many, feel a unique connection that I feel deserves to be celebrated. I am grateful to have started a business that elevates the standard of care for our own furry friends.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6089 BRISTOL PKWY #200, Culver City, CA 90230
- Website: https://healthyspot.com/
- Phone: 424-227-8686
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyspot/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthySpot/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/healthyspot
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/healthyspotstore
Image Credit:
Healthy Spot
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