Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deniz Benba. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Deniz, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Before moving to the U.S. this summer, I spent the past twelve years living in Tokyo. In Japan, I pursued my creative life as an artist. I wrote short sketches and performed at small bars where the international community gathered for open mic nights. After hopping from one open mic to another, I eventually needed a break — a quiet space for myself.

Around that time, a friend of mine who owned a small shop in Yokohama’s Chinatown introduced me to some yarn he imported from Turkey. It was called t-shirt yarn — soft, colorful, and made from recycled textile scraps. The label said “Recycled,” and somehow, that single word became a turning point for me.

I decided to make a basket for my living room using that yarn. I taught myself crochet and designed a pattern inspired by traditional Turkish motifs. As I worked, my two cats became completely fascinated by the basket — curling up inside and refusing to leave. Naturally, I had to make more baskets just for them!

That’s when I realized how much animals loved these soft yet sturdy handmade nests. I began creating more baskets for friends’ pets and saw the same reaction — cozy, happy animals, and delighted owners.

In Tokyo, I knew many talented Turkish women who were skilled with their hands. I thought, what if we could create something meaningful together — beautiful, sustainable, and functional? And so, Sweet Dream Baskets was born — at the intersection of the pet world, sustainability, community empowerment, and design.

Deniz, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

All my life, I’ve been drawn to creativity — making things with my own hands, observing other artists, exploring ideas, and finding inspiration everywhere. I’ve always been passionate about bringing people together too — organizing events, creative groups, and entrepreneurial projects. Before starting Sweet Dream Baskets, I worked as the program manager of an artist-run black box theatre in Istanbul, where collaboration and community were at the heart of everything we did. Sweet Dream Baskets is my first venture that operates as a business. I’m proud that we’ve built something that transforms waste materials — textile scraps that would normally end up in landfills — into beautiful, functional products that people and pets truly love.
Sweet Dream Baskets LLC is ready now, operating based in New York. Everybody is welcome to explore our website to find beautiful accessories for their pets. Other than that, Sweet Dream Baskets is a creative manufacturing partner for pet and other companies globally. I encorage businesses out of the pet industry to investigate too how they can serve pets and their families. We are here to support businesses define their needs and what they would like to offer. If you have some business idea that you would like to elaborate with us or discuss how we can work together, please contact us at [email protected] to set an appointment. If your decide to move forward in the pet industry, we define your goals and needs, and can create a collection of handmade pet beds, accessories for your company. We also do OEM, private label manufacturing, branding, content creating, event organization, and import-export.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2019, when I decided to start Sweet Dream Baskets, I put my whole self into it. Living in Japan, a country where I didn’t fully speak or understand the language and no local network, that was not easy — but it didn’t stop me.

I knew that to visit knitters and attend events, I needed to drive. So I enrolled in driving school in Japan, earned my license, and began traveling across Tokyo to neighboring prefectures like Saitama, Yokohama, Kawasaki where my knitters lived.

There were many moments when I asked myself, “Where am I? What am I doing?” Yet I kept going — driving through the endless streets of Tokyo with a car full of handmade baskets, moving from one dog show to another cat event.

Looking back now, I truly admire that earlier version of myself — the one who kept going despite every challenge. That resilience became part of Sweet Dream Baskets’ spirit and story.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Throughout these years, Sweet Dream Baskets had both direct to customer and wholesale clients. We met a lot of our customers on Instagram. Especially our individual customers. Some of them became our repeat customers, fans, ambassadors.

The wholesale customers came through various networks; our sales manager knew some pet shop owners we contacted, or we had some introduction through other friend pet-brands. Pet events, trade shows have been also useful for meeting new audiences and customers.

In both cases, the secret is to cultivate good relationships and growing them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetdreambaskets.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet_dream_pet_baskets/
• Facebook: Sweet Dream Baskets
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/deniz-nesime-aygün-benba