Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steven Tallas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Steven, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Good question! Things all happened with such an unexpected turn of events. My initial move was when I started a volunteer-based project called the Sit, Walk, and Barc Event, which later turned into more events and formed a coalition of other dog trainers, groomers, and photographers aimed to help shelter and rescue dogs get adopted and further offer affordable education and resources for fosters and dog owners.

Despite our love for this mission, money ran dry, and my team collapsed soon after. In an effort to seek a more financial standing, I went to every dog daycare in the area and asked if they would like to start puppy and adult group classes. I walked door to door, business to business, and even sat with business owners over coffee to discuss my vision of starting group classes at their facility, I got a few that took me up on the offer. One company even hired me as their in-house trainer.

Right before Covid-19 happened in 2020, I lost this gig and I had already devoted most of my time working solely for this company. I had little to no money and I couldn’t just start group classes again. The world was on lock down due to us all quarantining ourselves. I was doomed.

I had just enough money to invest in an amazing business advisor/coach at the time who helped me create my training programs and taught me how to promote them properly. It was just enough to push me forward in offering virtual lessons until I could start seeing clients in person.

I guess I’ve been business-savvy enough to get me by. I operated my little gig as a fully profitable company. I had all my client information in manila folders, made cold calls, hired an assistant, and later hired a trainer. And this was a time I could just hit the pause button and say, “This makes no sense! Steven, you didn’t have any money to do this.” But I lived like I did and life gave me that to me.

I can say that I restarted my company a good 3-4 times already in different cities, but I’ll leave this for a future part of my story for now.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I spent about 10 years specializing in behavior modification for dogs. I often find myself in front of families as one of their last resorts for specialized cases. This work has my heart as I grew up dealing with reactivity in my family’s dogs. Recently, I fell in love with canine fitness training, for which I put the same amount of thorough effort as I do with behavior work.

I have been putting myself through continuous schooling in both behavior and fitness and speaking with individuals who specialize in these respective fields.

That’s honestly what I would like to provide for the world through my work… Just for a way for people to fully enjoy spending time with their dog(s) for as long as they can. Through this work, we may be able to add a few extra healthy years to our dog’s lifespan and get involved in some interesting, sporty things along the way, whether it’s agility, nose work, or obedience.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth has been the most effective strategy for me. I feel like that speaks volumes as a thank you from previous clients. I try to put as much effort as possible into my clients and do whatever I can to support them. Dog training is both an art and a science. I share the scientific knowledge as a foundation for my clients understanding, but the art of creating a relationship that this specific client wants with their dog is where the fun part comes in.

Some clients want a calm dog to take to coffee shops, others wish for an active and reliable dog to go hiking with them, and others want a relaxing companion that behaves when guests come over. Without talking about breeds here, each activity has a certain expectation level that a dog needs. I love that I can create that for pet owners while also being the dog’s advocate.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Most of my business foundation comes from Houston, TX, and that city will always have a big piece of my heart. To create independence, I moved to Austin, TX, and brought my business with me. Unfortunately, my Houston clients couldn’t come with me. I hired a trainer to take over my Houston clientele at the time as I coached her from afar, but there was a good year where I would travel back and forth from Austin to Houston every other week to train with the Houston trainer and the clients there. That is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive one way. I ended up blowing through a car doing this. It was a pricey lesson to pay.

I didn’t have clients here, so I worked with a local non-profit in Austin for a bit. It brought me back to my roots on why I started my volunteer-based project, but I always loved the hustle of having my own company. It was only a matter of time until I made the next jump into the next chapter of creating Venture Dog Training all over again in a new city.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://venturedogtraining.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturedogtraining/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Venturedogtraining
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-tallas-cdtk-dip-cbst-cbcc-ka-498026180/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@venturedogtraining2497/featured
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/venture-dog-training-austin-3?osq=Venture+Dog+Training&override_cta=Request+information

Image Credits

Steven Tallas, Dip.CBST, CBCC-KA, CSCC
Venture Dog Training