We had the good fortune of connecting with Hanna Keith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hanna, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Before starting my own business, having a work life balance was not too hard. I clock in, do my job work, clock out and go home and typically not have to think about job work until next time I go in. However, now that I started my own business, I found it really difficult to separate my work and my personal life at first! Everything was up to us, not only the obvious training of the dogs and our clients, but also the background stuff such as answering phone calls, emails, texts, social media, getting the name out there, buying supplies, etc! At first this was very consuming and lead to some burn out! Once our first year was over, we were able to see what areas could be consolidated, what responsibilities I could keep or give to my sister/manager, and we started implementing boundaries for both ourselves and others. Instead of being accessible 24/7, we don’t need to scramble to answer calls and texts after business hours unless we need to. We don’t work with clients every single day and have given ourselves more frequent mini vacays to decompress. We find that adding boundaries helped rekindle our passion for the business and we were just as productive if not more! I love my business and my clients but now that I can have fun and relax during my precious free time, I am a much happier worker!

What should our readers know about your business?
We moved to Texas August 2020 and started the business out of our home! We relied very heavily on word of mouth and by showcasing our training using client dogs and personal dogs out in public. We were very lucky to have gotten our name out so fast considering we moved here from a different state. It was hard work and is still hard work, but we enjoy what we do and love bringing our passion to new clients every day. My biggest challenge is that I never took business classes, so running the business itself is the hardest part of owning it! The training of the dogs and my clients is easy in comparison! However, we are able to really see what my clients enjoy and cater our services to them because of that. Our main goal is to show owners how to love their dog to the fullest and in the right way! We want to see our clients having fun, going to breweries, hiking around, and involving their dogs in their every day lives as much as possible! Our goal is to teach owners how to be the best trainer for their own dogs!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have a few favorite places to bring friends and family from out of state. This is Texas, so of course we need to experience some cowboy life, so we always take a trip to the stockyards to experience the cattle moving, the people dressing up, the music and food, and to take a horseback ride along the river!

Joe T Garcia is a great place to have a beautiful dinner in their gardens, you can never go wrong with their margaritas too!

Breweries are where we spend a lot of our time, False Idol has amazing and unique local beers, and Maple Branch has fun trivia nights and board game space!

Hiking along trails is another favorite and we can always be found exploring along Knob Hill Bike Trail!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to recognize Aubrie Keith. She is my sister, my best friend, and my business partner. She worked hard to learn how to be a dog trainer for me, she moved multiple states to join me on this crazy journey, and has been there with me every step of the way for this business. She is the one person I know I can lean on if there are bumpy roads, confusion, or need advice, and she is always ready to celebrate any of our successes!

Website: wahcanineacademy.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/wahcanineacademy?utm_medium=copy_link

Facebook: Wild at Heart Canine Academy

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