EnTrends

If you're looking for the perfect toy for
that perfect pooch in your life, then Jill
Gizzio, the founder of Dogtoys.com,
Inc., can help you. Started in 1997 with
$20,000 in personal savings, the
company's success has reached far
beyond that of Gizzio's first
expectations. In 2000 alone,
Dogtoys.com had sales of over
$600,000. It is a niche company that sells
only toys. Gizzio says the toys are all
unique and of high quality.

Gizzio says that she comes from a family
that encouraged "entrepreneurial
thinking." She has had hundreds of
ideas for businesses and Dogtoys.com
is her second attempt at starting one.
Her first business was a 70 seat deli in
Scripps Ranch, California. Her failure at
that business taught her valuable
lessons about how to survive the "start-
up" years.

She learned that you don't have to start
at the bottom of the food chain just
because you are a new business. Gizzio
says, "You must convince suppliers that
you deserve a better deal, better pricing,
and whatever else you can negotiate. If
they do not assist you, you won't be
around long enough to remain their
customer. One needs to maximize profits
from day one."

The pet supply industry has a renewed
respect for Dogtoys.com. Gizzio's
company was the first pet product
Internet company in the industry, and
now is the last one standing. Many
Internet pet supply companies have had
their failure highlighted by the media in
recent months. Dogtoys.com, however,
is still standing strong. This gives
credibility to the company and gives
Gizzio the leverage she needs to make
better deals and strategic relationships
within the 25 billion dollar a year
industry.

Gizzio now has other sister websites of
Dogtoys.com. There is Cattoys.com,
Petsavercoupons.com, and
Retailpets.com. The idea for Dogtoys.com
came after she realized how much she was
spending on dog toys for her own Jack
Russell Terrier, Brownie.

Gizzio said that the idea for Cattoys.com
came from customers expressing their
feelings of neglect over her company
selling exclusively dog items. The market
for cat toys is almost as large as those for
dog toys. Thirty-two million U.S.
households have at least one cat, and
thirty-nine million U.S. households have
at least one dog.

EnTrends asked Gizzio what a typical
workday as the founder of Dogtoys.com
involves. She said that it usually varies,
but before she had employees, it was an
all consuming endeavor. She worked
morning, noon, night, and kept her vision
alive in her dreams. Now, with six
employees, she spends her mornings, the
time when she feels the sharpest, drafting
new marketing ideas and establishing new
business relationships. She spends her
afternoons knocking out e-mail replies
and returning telephone calls.

EnTrends also asked Gizzio what she likes
most about being an entrepreneur and who
has been instrumental in her success. She
says that she loves to win at anything she
does. It's a thrill. As an entrepreneur, she
gets to name the game...compete in areas
where she knows her competition is weak
and pronounce herself the winner. She
says it's good for the soul and fuels her
desire to work harder.

Gizzio says that her number one inspiration
is her dad. He gives her the emotional
support she sometimes needs. He has had
many entrepreneurial successes and
failures, and at the age of seventy plus, he
still runs two companies.

Gizzio says that much of her free time is
spent in areas completely different from
work. She loves to window shop, watch
old movies, and do any activity that lets
her mind wander. It is how she feeds her
creative side without it feeling like work or
school. The other half of her free time is
spent sharpening her financial skills. Gizzio
says that she is addicted to CNBC and
reads business journals, magazines, and
other financial articles daily. (Perhaps
EnTrends?)

When asked what advice she would give
to other entrepreneurs, Gizzio responded,
"Believe in your strength, even when you
feel weak. Don't ever listen to someone
who is negative about your ideas. Starting
a business is like learning to paddle a
canoe. Rather than standing on shore
thinking about the journey, jump in as
soon as you can and go. Learning to go
(paddle) is the most sure way of sculpting
a successful niche."