Sara Barnes: I started a dog walking business to deal with depression

Sara Barnes, founder of dog walking business Who Lets Your Dog Out?, is the ultimate inspiration for anyone looking to take the leap and pursue their passion.Despite having a successful career as a project manager and a taste for adventure that saw Sara travel the world, she still felt unfulfilled and struggled with bouts of depression. To deal with the stress of her 9-to-5, Sara took a 6-month break from corporate life and decided to walk dogs for a summer. That's when she realised her true calling and got to work setting up her business. Within just three weeks, Sara found her first client and quickly expanded her services to include dog boarding. Fast forward a few years, and Sara’s an award-winning entrepreneur with several best-ever months under her belt, she's taken on staff, and is on track to have her best year yet.On this episode of Sound Advice: Entrepreneurs Unfiltered, Sara shares how she ditched the desk job, put her mental health first, and built a thriving business that’s not just super profitable, but fun to run too. 

Om Podcasten

As a small business owner, you'll have a million different questions. The award-winning Sound Advice podcast is the place to go for answers. In Season 1, we talked about how to make your business financially successful—in year 1 and beyond. Writing a business plan that works, finding your first customer, starting up with zero capital, and being tax compliant—you name it, we covered it. For Season 2, we dug even deeper into what it’s really like to run a business, with unfiltered advice and real, human stories from successful founders and CEOs. The wait is over: Season 3 Entrepreneurs Unfiltered, now explores business from the perspective of startup superstars, from British fashion, PR, and human rights guru Lynne Franks’ experience growing London Fashion Week from scratch to Christopher Money, founder of Kith and Kin, on having the guts to start a business with a Spice Girl. Season 3 is jam-packed with essential tips, stories, and ways to build a business from the ground up. With a little help from your host and esteemed finance journalist, Bex Burn-Callander, get a everything you need to build your own business future one episode at a time.