From Corporate Life to Tug-E-Nuff: Resilience, Networking and Growing a Dog Business with Danny Nelis-Rouse

Running a dog business isn’t just about being good at what you do with dogs. It’s about getting noticed, building relationships, creating a customer experience people want to return to, dealing with the unexpected and having the confidence to keep putting yourself out there. All of which Danny Nelis-Rouse  from Tug-E-Nuff has experienced and successfully navigated. In this episode, he shares hiw journey from a small agility-focused business to a bigger brand, and the lessons he’s learned about networking, resilience, customer service and putting yourself out there. Danny shares how Tug-E-Nuff started with his mum making a food toy for her collie who couldn´t be persuaded to play, why working with dog trainers opened up a new market, and how he became more confident as the face of the business. We get into handling controversy, owning your mistakes, managing difficult customers, knowing when to wait before responding, and why sometimes the best thing you can do at a disastrous event is look for the opportunities underneath the s**tshow. KEY TAKEAWAYS Own Your Mistakes: If something goes wrong, don’t become defensive. Listen, acknowledge it, and work out how to put it right. Networking Is A Long Game: Building genuine relationships and finding your club creates opportunities long after an initial conversation. Don’t Wait For People To Come To You: Events and social media provide opportunities to start conversations, build awareness, and create relationships. Don’t be a wallflower; engage with people whenever you can. Sell Solutions Not Products: Understand the problem your customer is trying to solve and demonstrate that you have a solution. Explaining how your product or service solves a problem is what matters. Push Yourself Outside Your Comfort Zone: You probably won’t be as bad at it as you think. Try new things, learn from them, and use that experience to grow. BEST MOMENTS “I’ve worked on myself a lot… I would have hidden behind the business and been like nobody wants to hear about me. But they do.” “You've got to just be resilient and pick yourself back up again if anything gets in the way and find the opportunities.” “Ask, what is it that you offer people, and how can you identify the pain that those people are in or the problem that they have?” “I wouldn’t feel comfortable just selling somebody something and saying bye, you’re on your own now.” ABOUT THE GUEST https://tug-e-nuff.com Tug e Nuff partner programme - https://partner.tug-e-nuff.com/ SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705 Email: hello@caninebusinessacademy.com ABOUT THE HOSTS Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies are dog behaviourists, business strategists, and co-founders of Canine Business Academy—the UK’s go-to hub for dog professionals who want more than just a logo and a dream.With a combined passion for dogs and business done properly, Jo and Vicky have helped hundreds of canine professionals build sustainable, profitable businesses rooted in real impact.🏆 Their award-winning work has earned recognition including:– UK StartUp Awards: Business to Business (Midlands)– Small Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Small Business 2025– Business Awards UK: Most Innovative Pet Product 2024– Plus shortlists at the Women in Business and Great British Businesswoman AwardsThey’re also No.1 bestselling authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy, featured on BBC Radio, FOX, NBC, and more—with 63,000+ downloads of this very podcast.Their philosophy is simple:Give a shit. Get shit done. Get results. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/