Blanky: when a great friendship sparks a great idea
Similar in many ways, and complementary in others, Pedro Caseiro and Ricardo Parreira, on this International Friendship Day, share the story of how their complicity gave birth to Blanky.
They met at the Universidade Católica while Pedro was completing his master's degree in Business Administration with a specialisation in Finance, and Ricardo Parreira was studying for his master's degree in Strategy and Entrepreneurship.
With similar paths, they both pursued careers in consultancy. And their pains also turned out to be the same. They realised that they also shared sleeping difficulties.
That's how the idea for Blanky began, a company that brought the first heavy blankets to Portugal and whose mission, according to Ricardo, is “to help people sleep better”. This idea was expanded and today encompasses comfort and well-being, with sheets, towels and more.
Aligned in almost everything, they know each other so well that, as Ricardo explains: ‘sometimes I'm already countering my argument because I already know what Pedro's vision is going to be.’
They share everything from the most trivial things, such as their passion for sport, to their business mindset. I ‘take more risks, but Ricardo is slightly more grounded,’ explains Pedro, who is responsible for marketing and sales, while Ricardo focuses more on the technical side, dealing with materials and ensuring product quality.
In practice, this makes them complement each other. While ‘I want to get products to market sooner and faster, Ricardo makes sure we wait to get things on time,’ he shares.
They also share an ethical vision of business. "It was with us before, but Católica at least helped to maintain it, boost it and guarantee it. It has to do with the way we want to treat suppliers or clients, for example," explains the duo.
This is why Pedro emphasises the importance of ‘creating a company that creates value in terms of economic sustainability’, but also moral sustainability.
Ricardo recommends “investing a little in doing things right from zero”. This doesn't mean not making mistakes. It means knowing how to make mistakes. 'We try to make a lot of mistakes and make small ones so that we can always survive them,' and learn from them, comments Pedro.
As such, the launch of new products has to create value and be innovative. As is the case with the bamboo sheets, which use a particular material for a new purpose.
With a consolidated project and a shared mission, they cannot imagine travelling this path, which began in the middle of the pandemic - the most challenging time possible - with anyone else.
According to Pedro, having his best friend by his side, whom he trusts completely, has certainly made the process easier and more collaborative.
‘When it goes well, we're both there to celebrate and laugh,’ says Pedro, but also to share the pain, adds Ricardo.
As they emphasise, creating a company from scratch is a test of endurance and resilience, not a sprint, but a marathon. And to get to the end, the right partner, or in this case, best friend, makes all the difference.