Finance for Her – Milena Motricală: “Every setback carries a lesson. If I were starting again, financial tracking would be my priority.”

Driven by her wish to provide her five dogs with healthy, safe treats, Milena Motricală, a young entrepreneur from the Republic of Moldova, launched the Aufpet brand. The idea took shape in 2021 while Milena was a student in Iași, and what began as a personal project gradually evolved into a natural pet treats business now operating in both Moldova and Romania.

With a background in biology, Milena approached the idea from a scientific and practical angle. For a year, she tested recipes, dehydration methods, and product performance in different conditions. The first treats were made at home using a small dehydrator, with her cat, Mo, as the ever-present “quality tester.” Today, Aufpet offers 77 types of treats for dogs and cats, tailored to different needs age, size, allergies, and special diets. All recipes are developed by Milena, and raw materials are sourced from local farms near the Aufpet workshop in Bardar.

“I didn’t set out to build a big business. At first, I was just making treats for my own pets. The turning point came when I started to talk about Aufpet as a business not just selling treats through an Instagram account and when mentors believed in me and in the idea more than I believed in myself. That’s when it clicked.”

A key milestone in Milena’s entrepreneurial journey was her participation in the Ellevator Accelerator – Go to Market Edition, implemented by YEP! Moldova in partnership with UN Women Moldova. Following three months of training and mentoring, Milena was selected among five voucher beneficiaries, with financial support from Switzerland. Through the USD 4,000 grant, Aufpet invested in essential equipment to scale up and professionalize its production: a frozen meat saw to speed up processing and ensure consistent product sizing, a scale for more accurate quantity control, a computer setup to support record-keeping and operational management, as well as an air conditioner to maintain optimal working conditions in the production space.

One of the most important early decisions she says was to seek financing, move beyond home-based production, and invest in equipment that enabled higher volumes and better quality. “Applying for a grant and moving out of my home kitchen was the moment I started to think in a more structured, compliant way: what documents are needed, how production should be set up, what standards must be met. It was a difficult step, but a necessary one. That’s when ‘businesses started to mean more than just the product, it became about processes, rules, investments, and planning.”

Along the way, Milena learned that growing a business requires constant learning and course correction. “I’m still learning. Nothing comes fast for me. I’ve realized that every failure carries a message. If I were starting again, financial tracking would be my top priority. For an early-stage business, this is a practical lesson: without clear financial records and calculations, growth can become chaotic and decisions harder to sustain.”

Looking ahead, Milena is shaping her next steps with greater clarity and confidence. “When I started building 1-, 3-, and 5-year projections, I realized that without financing, growth would have been much slower. The equipment I purchased helped me scale production quickly and gave me the confidence to think bigger.”

Milena’s story underscores a clear takeaway: access to finance delivers the strongest outcomes when paired with hands-on support mentorship, training, planning, and guidance.