Meet Amy Pishner of Valor K9 Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Pishner.

Amy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Valor K9 Academy was a passion that turned into a career for me. I grew up loving dogs, but it wasn’t until after I got out of the military that I realized I could become a full-time dog trainer. After going through certification schools, I moved to Chattanooga, TN and opened Valor K9 Academy in April 2014. What started as an apartment-based business has since grown to serve clients nationwide from our two locations: Chattanooga, TN and now Spokane, WA. We are known for our top-notch dog training using the latest in scientifically-proven training methods.

Valor K9 Academy specializes in puppy training, basic to advanced obedience training and behavior rehabilitation training. We’re oftentimes a dog’s third, fourth or even fifth trainer – and we’re always the last trainer the dog will need. Valor K9 Academy was founded on hopes & dreams, and we continue to dream of an even better future for both our clients and the dogs they love.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth, no, but I think that it’s been no more or less challenging than any other start-up. Being an entrepreneur is hard – being an entrepreneur with zero backgrounds in business, sales, marketing or finance has been even harder! The hardest thing about being an entrepreneur is knowing what my own limitations are. There’s a point where you push and push and push yourself to figure out, say, how to create a website, and there’s a point where you realized that no amount of research, dedication to the task at home or genius is going to solve the problem for you. Knowing what you’re capable of – what you can and should do yourself – versus what lies outside of your realm of abilities is tough to figure out. My chief complaint is that I have been terrible with deadlines (especially for paperwork and taxes), and because of it I’ve paid a lot of unnecessary late fees and extra taxes. It’s terribly defeating when you realize that, somehow despite your best efforts, you failed to pay a simple tax two quarters ago and now that tax has grown to be twice the amount it should’ve been thanks to late fees and interest.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Valor K9 Academy – what should we know?
Valor K9 Academy is a veteran-owned and operated dog training company. We specialize in puppy training, basic to advanced obedience, and behavior retaliation training for dogs of all ages and breeds. We are known as dog trainers who pride ourselves on excellent results and customer service. When you become a client at Valor, you’re not just a number or a minute to us. We get to know you. We want to know how best to serve you and your dog, so that you can have an outstanding relationship with your dog. We want to see dogs and owners both happy and thriving in their relationship together. We are known as dog trainers who fix the dogs other trainers can’t help, won’t help or don’t help. We rehabilitate the dogs that other trainers give up on – the red-zone dogs who have serious aggression problems for whom we are oftentimes their last chance. We never give up. We never say that a dog can’t be trained. We’re open about our training methods, we’re honest in our evaluation of dogs, and we set achievable goals for both the owner and the dog.

What I am the most proud of is how we get new clients. Approximately ninety percent of our clients are referrals from satisfied clients, veterinary clients and other pet-based businesses. The rest come from social media and online searches. We don’t pay a penny for advertising.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
For some reason, this question was the toughest for me to answer. I guess it’s because I’ve never stopped to consider anyone’s quality or characteristic that is most important to success. I think it’s a combination of willingness to work hard, solve problems, exceed expectations, to never give up, never quit, never accept failure. So much of who I am is because of how I was raised, so if I had to point to something to explain my success it would be my parents. They raised me to be an honest, respectful, hardworking individual who believes in myself, believes in my dreams and never gives up. They are the reason I am the way I am today. I owe it all to them for the way they raised me and for their ongoing support and love.