From Park Sessions to Payroll: What It Really Takes to Become a Dog Training CEO with Amber Quann

Many dog trainers accidentally build businesses that burn them out: 60-hour weeks, low prices, blurry boundaries, and no real way to step back. It doesn’t have to be like that. Treating your training business as a real company – with vision, pricing, and systems – is what changes everything. Today, we sit down with Amber Quann from Summit Dog Training, a 20-year industry veteran who scaled from solo trainer to a 12-person team and used that growth to buy her own commercial real estate. We unpack how the pandemic puppy boom pushed her into severe burnout and how a year of coaching helped her separate her identity from the company and promote herself to CEO. This episode is about shifting from “I just love dogs” to running a serious, profitable, CEO‑led training business – with real pricing, real systems and a company that can survive (and even be sold) without you. KEY TAKEAWAYS Don’t build your business as “I just love dogs, so I’ll train on the side.” Decide early that it’s a serious company and promote yourself from lead trainer to CEO.   Separate your identity from the business - that emotional distance is what makes growth, delegation and even exit possible.   Price for profit and sustainability, not guilt. If you want to pay good wages, give raises and survive rising costs, you must charge enough and accept that some clients will leave.   Treat software and card fees as the cost of doing real business.  Automated, upfront payments slash no‑shows and admin. Set a clear North Star so you stop chasing every “good idea.”  Look to other industries for better models, launch at 10%, then iterate – perfectionism is what keeps you stuck.   Build a business that exists beyond you: systems, brand and a trained team turn dog training from tiring self‑employment into an asset you could one day sell.   Aim for a healthy relationship with your business over the year, not perfect work–life balance every week.   If you only want to train dogs, that’s fine – but then bring in ops/CEO support instead of trying to wear every hat. BEST MOMENTS “Folks told me no one's gonna pay that for training -  Now I charge three times that.” “Look at something and take the bits out of it that are going to be relevant to you. You don't have to completely replicate it.” “It's kind of just been this, North Star almost, but continuing to reorient around it as the years have passed.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://summitdogtraining.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/summitdogtraining https://www.facebook.com/summitdogtraining 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/