CRHoy
Designer Valeria Chirino stands out for her particular style of illustration, where animals are the central characters. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the time of becoming an entrepreneur, decided to create a venture related to pets.
The young woman comments that “Guru, Guau, Miay” (Tel. 89734795/ www.facebook.com/GuruGuauMiau), started three years ago as a thesis project on a responsible animal ownership website, a concept that eventually became a company.
When I worked on the design of the digital platform, my dog got lost… It was at that moment that I thought that everything would have been much easier if he had had a plate. That’s why, when I found it, I went to buy a plate, but I did not like the options I found,”
explained Chirino.
So Valeria considered creating a venture that would offer a “tailor made products” for pet owners. To do this, she took all her savings and in the purchase of machines and technology.
Two and a half years ago, the girl opened Facebook and Instagram accounts to publicize her products and get people to place orders.
The idea is that everything can be customized. If someone wants to see their dog dressed as Wonder Woman or eating a hamburger because it’s a greedy eater, it can be done. The goal is for the pet to have unique everything. We have plates, necklaces, straps, handkerchiefs and for their owners we have shirts, pictures and cup holders,”
said the designer.
The name of the venture came from the fact that the platform seeks to educate people on how to be a better pet owners, hence the word “guru”, which is synonym with “expert”. And, since Costa Ricans mostly have cats and dogs, she added the sounds this animals make (in Spanish).
Valeria points out that this project has been progressing little by little, because she has always had a full-time job. But two months ago, she quit and began to devote herself completely to her business.
For now, what I’m doing is trying to make the brand have an online store and I wish it could be with the E-commerce platform, so I could sell in other countries. Then I would like to expand the workshop and buy different machines so I can offer other types of products or have different finishes and set up a [physical] shop where people can go with their pets and make the process even more personalized,”
concluded the designer.