We’ve come a long way since the Women’s March in 1956 and celebrate women’s month to highlight achievements of South African women, inspire others to succeed, and to continue to strive towards gender equality.

We’d like to share the story of our Happy Hounds founder, Emma, and her journey of entrepreneurship and ambition to make the world a better place.

Emma hails from Zimbabwe and is deeply passionate about the African continent. Her entrepreneurial journey has always been driven by social impact and innovation. Her career has progressed through digital, technology, and entertainment spaces, focussed on human engagement with the purpose of driving substantial change. This diverse experience has shaped her approach to business, with an emphasis on the importance of community, sustainability, and ethical practices.

Emma’s Professional Achievements

• Top 10 Women in Science & Technology in Africa
• Top 50 Women Globally in Mobile Entertainment
• Top 100 Business Woman in South Africa
• 20 Most Powerful Women in Technology in Africa
• Digital Emmies Judge: served for 4 years

Entrepreneurial Story

• Executive Director of Cape Digital Foundation, providing opportunities through digital connectivity and promoting Smart Townships.
• Founder and CEO of Bozza, a global marketplace for African musicians, poets, and filmmakers, securing funding from both South African and Silicon Valley investors.
• CEO of Breakdesign, where Emma led the company to become one of the top 5 global developers for Nokia.
• Founder and CEO of Triggerfish Animation, Emma established the company as the largest and most successful animation studio in Africa.

The Journey to Happy Hounds

While Emma’s entrepreneurial roots are at the intersection of technology and entertainment, her pioneering spirit and love for animals led her to explore new opportunities. During Covid lockdown, Emma recognised the essential need for fresh dog food and the growing market within South Africa. Motivated by her unwavering love for her rescue dogs, Squirrel, Bindy and Jessie (and now a new family member, foster fail Quitie), Emma began making a certified fresh dog food with ingredients sourced from local farms using ethical practices.

Her passion project quickly evolved into Happy Hounds, a company dedicated to delivering certified, organic, fresh food directly to customers.

Embracing femininity in entrepreneurship: building success through collaboration and empowerment

As a female entrepreneur, Emma discovered that the unique strengths inherent to women are not just advantages but pivotal in building a thriving and profitable business. While acknowledging the ongoing discussions around gender bias, she chose to lean into the strengths that come with being a woman rather than dwelling on the obstacles. She harnessed traits like empathy, a willingness to collaborate, and a strong sense of community to propel her business forward. These qualities enable women to create vital supportive networks, foster innovation, and drive collective success. By embracing these powerful attributes, women can turn the very aspects that set them apart into levers of success, reshaping the business world and championing profitable, sustainable enterprises.

From the outset, Emma prioritised building a robust support network, recognising that success is not a solo journey but a collective effort. This network of mentors, peers, and advisors has been instrumental in guiding her through the entrepreneurial landscape, providing valuable insights and unwavering support.

In light of this, empowering others, especially women, has been at the heart of her business philosophy. By fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment, she’s seen firsthand how collaboration can drive innovation and growth. The Happy Hounds team thrives on open communication and shared goals, breaking away from the classic hero’s journey often highlighted in male-dominated narratives.

To further implement this philosophy, our Happy Hounds business approach emphasises the power of community. We engage with our customers, partners, and stakeholders in a way that builds lasting relationships and mutual respect. This collaborative mindset has not only strengthened our brand but also created a loyal customer base that feels connected to our mission.
In a world where gender biases persist, Emma chooses to focus on the attributes that make female entrepreneurs distinctly powerful. Through collaboration, empowerment, and community-building, she’s created a business that not only succeeds but also uplifts others along the way.

Happy Hounds: Emma’s vision for the company

Our Vision is to be the number one trusted leader for pet wellbeing in South Africa. We’ll achieve this by putting food back into dog food and remaining resolute in our mission to support pet health and the sustainability of our planet. We focus on making fresh, certified, delicious and sustainable pet food and delivering it directly to our customers. While doing so, we develop the understanding of how pet food affects the well-being of our pets, the welfare of farmed animals, community value-chains and planet sustainability. Every step is taken with care!

Happy Hounds milestones and achievements

Here are just some of the major milestones we’ve achieved under Emma’s leadership and we’re excited for the many more to come.

• Raising investment to build our own commercial kitchen, ensuring full control over production quality and costs.
• Formulating all our recipes with recognised pet nutritionists and obtaining necessary certifications to qualify as Complete and Balanced (required by Department of Agriculture).
• The launch of our new treats and toppers, expanding our nutritious product line.
• Developing and building our e-commerce website and tech stack that supports customer service, inventory management, and fleet and delivery optimisation.
• Improving our logistics by purchasing our own delivery vehicles.
• Building our team to 13 full time employees over a two year period.

Impact on the community and our industry

Empowering women at Happy Hounds

We foster a company culture and support initiatives that empower female employees. Currently, 7 out of our 13 team members are women, reflecting our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Our entire C-suite is also female, further demonstrating our dedication to empowering women in leadership roles. We actively work to create an environment where everyone, especially female team members, can thrive and achieve their professional and personal goals.

Community involvement and giving back

We have a long-term vision of becoming a carbon neutral company with closed production loops. It’s a big dream for a small company, but we are on course and take steps every day to get there.
We work with local organisations and shelters and are committed to creating jobs and leaving as light a carbon pawprint on our planet as possible.

We support:

• 5 UrbanFarms, 20 small-scale farmers (mostly women)
• 5 artisanal fishing boats, income for 22-30 fishers

Advice and inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs

We asked Emma for some words of wisdom to guide aspiring female entrepreneurs, they are:

1. Leverage your unique strengths by embracing the qualities that make you different. For women, traits like empathy, collaboration, and a sense of community can be powerful assets in creating a successful business. Don’t try to fit into a stereotypical mold but rather use your strengths to your advantage.
2. Build a strong support network. Success in entrepreneurship is rarely achieved alone. Surround yourself with mentors, peers, and advisors who can provide guidance, support, and encouragement. A strong network will help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities.
3. Empower others. Make empowerment a core part of your business philosophy. By uplifting others, especially women, you can create a positive and inclusive work environment. This not only enhances team morale and productivity but also fosters innovation and growth.
4. Adopt a collaborative approach. Collaboration is a key driver for success. Foster open communication and shared goals within your team. Break away from traditional ideas of personal gain and focus on collective effort. Collaboration can lead to more creative solutions and a stronger, more resilient business.
5. Engage with your community by building strong relationships with your customers, partners, and stakeholders. Engage with them in meaningful ways, by listening to their feedback and showing that you value their input. A community-focused approach can create loyal customers and advocates for your brand.
6. Focus on the positive.While acknowledging the existence of gender biases, choose to focus on the positive aspects of your journey. Highlight your achievements and the progress you’ve made to empower and inspire others.
7. Stay resilient and determined. Entrepreneurship comes with its share of challenges so be resilient and determined in the face of obstacles. Your ability to persevere and adapt will be crucial to your success.
8. Be Authentic by sharing your story and experiences. Honesty and authenticity resonates with people and can inspire them to pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams. Your journey, with all its ups and downs, can provide valuable lessons and motivation for others.

By embracing these principles, aspiring entrepreneurs can build businesses that not only succeed but also make a positive impact on others.

In the spirit of Women’s Month, we hope Emma’s story and our Happy Hounds journey has inspired you to fiercely chase your dreams. We celebrate the women forging their own paths and uplifting others to do the same.

Happy Women's Month!