From Minding 100 Dogs at 10 to Pet Insurance CEO | Alex Bedwani

Guest: Alex Bedwani, Founder and CEO of PetsOnMe, EO Sydney Member since 2025 Host: Linh Podetti, EO Sydney member since 2022, CEO of Outsourcing Angel. Alex Bedwani started his first business at 10 years old, minding dogs because his parents wouldn't let him have one of his own. Within a year, he'd looked after more than 100 dogs and subcontracted the work to friends. That side hustle grew into a pet care marketplace, until COVID wiped out 90% of it almost overnight. In this episode of the EO Business Podcast, Alex and Linh Podetti talk about how being sacked as an interim startup CEO led him to launch PetsOnMe, a pet insurance challenger, with no insurance experience. They cover why he refuses to compete on ad spend with the big brands, the employee-benefits channel no one else was using, and why his team is encouraged to tell customers "we're probably not the best option for you." Alex also shares the hotel lesson from his dad that shaped how he leads, why he sees rejection as redirection, how he learned to let go and trust his team, and why he believes comfort is more dangerous than failure. ABOUT ALEX Alex Bedwani is the Founder and CEO of PetsOnMe, a pet insurance challenger built to give pet owners a real alternative in a market where one company sat behind 90% of the brands. Before PetsOnMe, Alex built and ran a dog walking and pet sitting marketplace that began when he was just 10 years old. His customers kept asking which pet insurance they could trust, and when he couldn't find one he'd recommend, he built his own. A member of Entrepreneurs' Organization, Alex defines success as freedom, and he's passionate about creating opportunities for others and backing people when everyone else tells them no. CONNECT WITH ALEX Website: www.petsonme.com.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbedwani/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_bedders/ Chapters: 00:00 Starting a Dog-Minding Business at 10 04:15 Building a Pet Care Marketplace 07:05 Mentors and His Dad's Hotel Lesson 10:46 More Dogs in LA Than in All of Australia 13:57 COVID, Then Sacked as CEO 16:43 Getting Into Pet Insurance With No Experience 17:48 Why He Won't Compete on Ad Spend 20:48 "We're Probably Not the Best Option for You" 26:21 Rejection, Freedom and Letting Go 32:43 EO, Legacy and Believing in Others -------------------- ABOUT EO Entrepreneur's Organization (EO) is a global business network of 18,000 + influential business owners in over 220 chapters across 76 countries. We offer world-class events that encompass engaging entrepreneur and business stories, skills-specific workshops, and exciting social gatherings. Our mission is to drive both business and personal growth through peer-to-peer learning, providing support for the holistic entrepreneur experience covering business, family, community, and personal aspects. As a not-for-profit organisation, all our funds directly contribute to member benefits. If you're a business owner with revenues ranging from US$250k to US$1m, you can join our Accelerator Program. If your revenues exceed US$1m, you can join the main EO Program in your nearest local chapter. To join or find out more about your nearest chapter, visit https://www.eonetwork.org/why-join/apply-for-membership-form. For further information, please contact: Podcast Host Linh Podetti: linh@outsourcingangel.com.au General Inquiries: support@eonetwork.org.au EO Sydney: www.eosydney.com.au EO Global: https://hub.eonetwork.org/ EO Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneursOrganization -------------------- ABOUT THE HOST Linh Podetti is the CEO and Founder of Outsourcing Angel, a Sydney-based company that helps to create jobs for people in the Philippines while creating freedom for business owners around the world. Outsourcing Angel provides Systemise & Scale Up Services as well as Recruitment of Virtual Assistants to help business owners grow a business that doesn't rely on them. Linh has been an active member of EO Sydney since June 2022, and she actively seeks out opportunities to promote and uplift fellow entrepreneurs. Business Website: www.outsourcingangel.com Personal Website: https://www.linhpodetti.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LinhPodetti Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linhpodetti/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linh.podetti/ #Entrepreneurship #PetInsurance #BusinessGrowth