We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristina Black a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kristina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I was 23 years old. My daughter was three months old, and I was working two jobs to make ends meet. Every month was paycheck to paycheck and maybe some cushion change to get by in between. I kept hoping that my partner would find a better job and make things easier. That’s what partners do, right? Wrong. After being left with all of the bills and no way to pay for daycare so I could work, I was offered an opportunity to return to college. I would have to leave the life I had built in Denver, which was comfortable, even if it was a daily struggle. Even worse, I would have to return to school, something I had never been very good at. It was a risk. Who’s to say I wouldn’t fail out of college like I had after high school? Would my daughter and I ever have our own place again? How was I going to afford college? I was nervous, but none of it mattered when I looked at her, sleeping peacefully in her crib, unaware of the trials life held for us. I knew she deserved better; she deserved a life with structure and stability, and the risk would be worth it. And it was. It was a struggle for years, and there were times I thought the frustration of balancing college, work, and parenting might break me. But it didn’t, and I graduated six years later with a degree in Education. Even though I am transitioning out of education, the experience taught me that life without risk doesn’t allow for growth. I’ve been able to face many of my own fears throughout the years since I took this risk and it’s made me a more confident a self-assured person. My daughter is sixteen now. She’s excelling in school and volleyball. I’m starting my own business, which feels like a dream come true. Sometimes we talk about how far we’ve come since we were living in our small campus apartment, eating ramen noodles and doing our homework together. I’m glad she’s able to see that life doesn’t always give us what we planned, but if we are brave enough to take risks, we can make our lives into anything we want.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Kristina Black, and the Front Range location for World of Dog Training. I was an English teacher for eight years before starting this business. I knew in my gut that I was not longer happy in my career, and I was struggling to decide where to go next. I was doing personal training on the side, but it wasn’t close to becoming my full-time job. This is when a friend of mine heard Ryan Matthew’s interview on a podcast and put me in touch with him. I learned about his Train-the-Trainer program and it was perfect. I had grown up as an only child on a ranch, so most of my time was spent with animals (horses, dogs, cows), and I loved working with them. I had always dreamed of making a living out of training, but I had not idea how to go about it. This program is unique because Ryan not only has an excellent system for training dogs, but he also taught me about the business side. Working with dogs every day is incredible all on its own, but having the freedom that owning your own business gives you is even better. The training system is unique in that it is geared toward the real world and it’s individualized for each dog, their owner, and the owner’s specific goals. There is more than one way to train a dog, and this system honors what works best for each dog through modern balanced training. Not only do we train using various techniques, but we come from a place of understanding the psychology of the dog and honoring that throughout our training. I provide puppy training packages for those owners looking to build a solid foundation for their new puppy, behavior modification packages for those owners who are facing a specific challenge with their pet, board and train packages for owners who don’t have as much time or have dogs that require more intervention, off-leash freedom package for owners who are committed to being able to have their dog off-leash, and advanced group training for those who want to learn more advanced skills while building relationships with likeminded people. I know how important our relationships with our dogs are, and I’m thrilled to be helping people create both a better understanding and relationship with their dogs.
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.
I bought the Front Range location for World of Dog Training. I bought it because I wanted the freedom of owning my own business, and I wanted nothing more than to work with dogs. Though it’s not a franchise, each location is lucky enough to have a pre-established brand. The founder, Ryan Matthews, has provided me with website design, ads/marketing tips, logo, tagline, and mark, on top of personal instruction and guidance for his training program. This saved me a lot of time and money in the long run. The most exciting part was that it allowed me to jump right in and get started as soon as I completed the training program.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I took a sharp left in my career when I went from teaching English to owning my own dog training business. I knew I wasn’t happy in my career anymore. That said, it didn’t really seem like anybody was. Granted, I had a steady income that paid the bills, good insurance, three months of vacation, and a comfortable retirement plan that I could enjoy if I was willing to be unhappy in my career for just thirty more years. Even with all of these benefits, I knew life could be better and I was meant to do something else. I came upon Ryan’s program just a few months in, and I knew in my gut it was the right direction for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.worldofdogtraining.com/frontrange
- Instagram: wodtfrontrange
- Facebook: World of Dog Training Front Range
Image Credits
Jaxon Pics Photography