Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in dog training but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Miranda Hitchcock, Co-Founder of Every Dog Behavior and Training, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Every Dog is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing inclusive, accessible dog training and behavior resources to the Austin, TX community. So we're all about serving the folks that don't currently have access to quality behavior support, whether due to finances, language, or other barriers.
We hope that Every Dog will serve as a hub for dog training and behavior information in Austin. We look forward to providing classes from manners to dog sports and offering webinars from local and national experts. We hope to use our paid products to subsidize affordable and free options available for those who need it and to work with community partners to provide behavior support to people who normally wouldn't reach out to a trainer. We're here to offer science-based, ethical resources for dog owners and to be a trusted source for referrals and information.
Tell us about yourself
I started working with dogs as a volunteer at an animal shelter in Maryland. I then taught puppy classes and reactive/fearful dog classes before moving to Austin. I was the Shelter Operations Manager for Austin Animal Center and oversaw the shelter's behavior program (including working with my awesome co-founder, Michele) and animal care before leaving to start Every Dog. I'm currently completing a Master's Degree in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare from Virginia Tech.
When Michele and I were working in animal shelters and private training, we found that MANY of the dogs were struggling with behavior issues. We saw dogs who couldn't safely be around other dogs, bit people when afraid, or couldn't handle their need for attention without jumping and biting. In most cases, these challenges could have been prevented with early behavior support and training, like basic puppy socialization at critical times and early behavior intervention.
But we also knew that dog training and behavior weren't accessible to everyone in our community. Most professional training is expensive (and rightly so- it requires time and expertise). The field is unregulated, so there are unqualified and sometimes unethical trainers who will promise quick fixes and make things worse. Dog training can sometimes be inaccessible and uninviting, and resources for Spanish speakers are highly limited. We knew that to make dog training available to our whole community; we would have to dig deep to find solutions to these challenges. So we founded Every Dog as a 501c3 nonprofit organization to help overcome these hurdles.
We're motivated every day by the progress we're able to make and its impact. So many families can get training support because of our financial assistance programs. We started a webinar series that features BIPOC trainers, and it's amazing to provide representation for new (or aspiring) trainers of color. We're reaching thousands of people worldwide with our free webinars and working with local shelters to offer classes for their dogs. With small decisions, we can impact many people- and that's highly motivating!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of our biggest accomplishments has been becoming financially sustainable in 2 years, despite starting right before the COVID lockdowns began in early 2020. The first year was rough, and Michele and I funded the nonprofit completely. But in mid-2021, we were able to take on our first paid trainers and begin offering more services, and now (mid-2022), we have 10+ people on payroll (part-time) and are paying fair, living wages. We have the funding through our programs, donations, and grants to be able to launch new programs and do more for our community.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
It can be really hard to balance between taking new risks and being responsible/cautious. As an organization, we're really nimble but constantly have to think about what we're ready to take on when to take the leap, and when to take it slow. There's no one else to make those decisions for us! So we have to manage feeling like we're not doing enough and simultaneously overwhelmed!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find a great partner or a great team, if at all possible! Michele and I have an amazing partnership where we complement each other's strengths and skills. I can't imagine doing this without her.
- Think strategically about what your goals look like and set values or mission statements that you can use to hold your organization accountable. There's lots of cool stuff we could do as an organization, but we're really careful to make sure that everything we do fits our organization's ethos and helps achieve our mission.
- Find ways to set regular checkpoints for progress. It's so easy to go months (or longer!) without evaluating how things are going. But taking the time to slow down and see where you've come from and want to go is critical for making progress!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.everydogaustin.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EveryDogAustin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydogaustin/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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