Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Miller.
Hi Erin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started out like many people, graduating from college and starting out in the workforce in my first job at a Grand Rapids advertising agency. Through the years and a few job changes, I had a long corporate career working for a multinational company in global marketing and communications. I enjoyed that part of my work life. I had the opportunity to learn a lot while doing great work with talented people, earn a Masters degree, be a part of many dream projects and see the world. I am grateful for all these experiences because it prepared me for the next step in my career.
My love for dogs started as early as I can remember. Our family always had animals including dogs, cats, ducks, rabbits, sheep and horses. Working with dogs and horses has always been my passion. I decided to make a career transition to something completely different in 2022. I was looking to do something that I was passionate about in my personal life. This passion revolved around dogs. I began my search looking for something around boarding kennels, training, canine daycare, grooming, etc. A career in the canine field was a natural transition for me. I have been showing and training my own dogs in American Kennel Club (AKC) competitions for the past 18 years. I have Champion and Grand Champion titles on my dogs in Conformation along with titles in Rally, Obedience and Canine Good Citizenship. I spent 12 years attending classes at a training facility with my puppies and adult dogs in areas such as nose work, agility, rally, obedience and conformation in addition to attending many clinics with other well-known professional trainers.
The opportunity to purchase the Bark Busters Grand Rapids territory came to me by chance through a friend and colleague. After spending a few months researching the company, analyzing the Grand Rapids franchise, and interviewing other Bark Busters trainers/franchise owners, I decided to move ahead and purchase the territory and go through the Bark Busters in-house training program. This allowed me to own and run the business and be my own boss. The Bark Busters master franchise in the US has certain rules that we are required to adhere to but we do have flexibility in some areas.
For the past 4 years I have enjoyed being the decision maker and most of all, helping people and their dogs have a better relationship. The best part is seeing the dogs transform once their humans are communicating in a way that they understand. It’s really rewarding to see my clients find relief and happiness in their relationships with their dogs and see the dogs relax and feel more secure with their humans. I always ask my clients “who wouldn’t love getting to work with dogs every day?” This is the most rewarding part of my job. Ultimately, our company mission is to keep dogs in their homes with their families and out of shelters or sadly from being euthanized. I think this is a very worthy mission that I work to achieve every day.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There are always highs and lows in life and we experience these in both our work and personal life. My first year in this business was eye opening. I learned a lot about how to run my business, manage my schedule and help behavioral dogs and their humans. At that time we were still moving through Covid and helping all the people who acquired dogs during those first couple of years. During this time there were so many people that needed help that my schedule was packed. Like every business owner, I want to give my clients the best experience and service I can. One of the biggest challenges in the first year was managing my very busy schedule and a very large territory. I have learned over the years how to better manage my schedule for client support to be the most efficient possible while still giving my clients the help and service they need and expect.
Today, business has come back to a more normalized level. Marketing a small business can be challenging with constant changes in technology and the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It’s not always feasible for small businesses to hire consultants or agencies to help stay on top of the latest technology and innovations. For a number of years businesses like mine have spent a good amount of their marketing budget on paid online search ads with Google, social media, and some traditional advertising tactics. The rollout of AI has given the public another option to search and find a business to meet their needs. This is changing how people search online. AI serves up businesses in a more organic way. This means small businesses have to participate regularly online with more high quality, useful content in more places such as forums, social media outlets, directories, blogs and the like. Pay-to-play is not enough anymore. The result is marketing costs per lead have increased, but business has not increased at the same pace. As a sole proprietorship, we are required to wear many hats and have a grasp of a lot of areas of business and marketing. This can sometimes be challenging.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bark Busters Grand Rapids?
Bark Busters was founded over 35 years ago in Australia and is the world’s largest dog training company. We operate franchises in 6 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan. You will find a Bark Buster trainer in most metropolitan areas around the United States. I have a large territory. Bark Busters Grand Rapids serves the greater Grand Rapids area all the way North to Big Rapids, east to Portland, West to Marne and South to Shelbyville and the area in between including Kentwood, Wyoming, Ada, Cascade, Byron Center, Comstock Park, Rockford, Caledonia to name a few. We help our clients resolve any behavioral issue they may be having through our unique, dog-friendly, natural training approach. We teach our clients to communicate with their dogs in a way that they understand. We call this “Speaking Dog.” These issues include aggression, separation anxiety, reactivity, leash manners, door manners, fence fighting, jumping, barking, mouthing and recall to name a few, along with obedience and puppy training. We come to our clients home where most people are having challenges and where the dog feels most comfortable. Each client and dog is different and I customize my training based on their needs.
I offer a “Life of Dog” support guarantee. If a client moves to another city or state, I can transfer that client to the Bark Busters trainer in that area for no charge. If the dog is re-homed, we can transfer the “Life of Dog” support contract to the new owner for a small transfer fee. The dog is covered with my support for the dog’s life. Clients will contact me sometimes years later if they have a question, a problem arises with the dog, or if they have a life change they need help with.
Bark Busters trainers are very collaborative, we consult with each other about specific cases on occasion. We will take a team approach with a case if needed, allowing our clients to benefit from the depth of knowledge and experience that many trainers can offer collectively to their specific case.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
In business and life, taking risks is not something that is comfortable for every individual. Historically, I have not always been one to step out and take big risks. It’s human nature to have a fear of failure. However, 4 years ago the opportunity presented itself to make a career change and I decided that it was the best time in my life to take a big risk and make a change.
It was a big decision to leave a long corporate career that was comfortable and familiar to me, but we only get one life to live and if we don’t step out and take risks we may miss out on something really great and have regrets later on. I took the plunge to make a career change and I am so glad I did. I have not looked back and I do not have any regrets. I was able to put my education and experience to work for me, writing a business plan, securing financing, getting a team of financial and legal professionals set up to help me along the way to make solid decisions. If anyone is on the fence, I would tell them to take the risk if they can. I go to work everyday and help people and help their dogs. This is something I am truly passionate about. Occasionally, my work is lifesaving. Sometimes I am the last chance for a dog before being given up to a shelter or worse yet, euthanasia. I believe every dog deserves a chance to live their best life and my job is to educate humans so their dogs can thrive.
In my work, I take risks every day I go into a client’s home to work with them and a dog I am unfamiliar with. I deal with aggression cases a lot. In fact, difficult behavior problems are Bark Buster’s specialty. I have to take safety precautions every time I enter a house. This is no different than someone working construction, or as a fireman. I am working with an animal and they can be unpredictable. There is always a chance of being bitten, so I have to really pay attention, use my knowledge around safety, dog behavior and communication to keep myself safe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barkbusters.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandrapidsbarkbusters/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/barkbustersgrandrapids
- Other: 877-500-BARK (2275)
