Hidden Gems: Meet Sara Spevacek of Adventure is Barking

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Spevacek.

Hi Sara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical & Health Education. Although I’ve always been involved in the dog world (I started showing dogs as a little kid in shows like the Westminster dog show) I never considered having dogs be part of my career. After I graduated, I knew teaching in the schools wouldn’t be the best fit for me so I got a job as a receptionist at a dog boarding facility in Fairfax, VA. The owner of the facility let me teach basic classes while I gained hours towards a certification to train – once I got started in the dog training field, I knew that’s what I would be doing for the rest of my life. I started Adventure is Barking in 2018 while also working full time at a pet store. COVID changed everything in a good way for the dog training industry – everyone got a dog and my business was booming after just a short period of time! I went from having to work another job to having 4 full time employees in about 2 years total and we’re continuing to rapidly expand.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Overall, I have been blessed with a smooth road although being a business owner always means there will be a few speed bumps along the way. I think every industry had to get a little creative at the start of COVID whether you were busy or not. When COVID first started, all of my boarding business for that spring break cancelled. At that time, I wasn’t fully relying on my company to financially support me but I used it as an opportunity to figure out how to be innovative in the industry and expand at a time when everything else was scared of the future, I quit my retail job to focus on the growth of my company and was able to create a couple online programs that gained us a following until we were able to start in person services again.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our focus at Adventure is Barking is dog training outside of the classroom setting. We offer all levels of training with real world distractions so that your dog is trained no matter what setting you are in. ​We are also working to encourage all dog owners to continue to train their dogs beyond Basic Obedience by offering fun dog-friendly events and adventures.

We are also known for our individualized training approach – we believe there isn’t a “one size fits all approach for training as every dog and owner learns definitely. I love forming relationships with my clients – I truly enjoy training the people as much as I enjoy training their dogs.
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Life is an Adventure. Live it with your Dog.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
When I decided it was time for me to transition into being a business owner as opposed to running training services for other businesses, I decided to quit my current job with $400 total in my bank account. It was scary as heck but I needed to take that leap to push myself to the next level. I think taking risks is part of being a successful business owner but I also think it’s important to educate yourself about the pros and cons of each risk. What are you going to do if things doesn’t work out how you want them to? How are you going to handle to repercussions of the risk? If you’re currently employing other people, what risks can you take that don’t affect the ability to pay your employees?, Etc. So overall, yes, I think risk is important but I also think it’s important to be thoughtful and educated when taking risks.

Pricing:

• Private Training: $100/hour session
• Group Classes: $160/6 weeks

Contact Info:

• Email: Sara@adventureisbarking.com
• Phone Number: 612-751-7277
• Website: https://www.adventureisbarking.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureisbarking/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventureisbarking