Today we’d like to introduce you to Allie Landis
Hi Allie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Funny story! I had recently moved back to Atlanta, GA (my hometown) after attending college (University of Rhode Island) and living in RI for 6 years. My stepmom had sent me a NextDoor post for a woman hiring for her dog walking company. I applied to be polite to my stepmom & dad, thinking this woman was their friend. Well, I interviewed and got the job. I told my them, “Hey, I was offered the job with your friend’s dog walking company”. It was only THEN that I learned they did not know this woman lol. BUT it had worked out, because if I had known this was a stranger, I never would have applied. That would have been SUCH a mistake because this was the beginning of some very serendipitous chain of events that led me to my dream career!
Once hired for the ATL company, I quickly realized how much of a “god wink” (as my dad used to say) this entire situation was. I had never had a job where I JUMPED out of bed, so excited to get to “work”. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to be OUTSIDE, while EXERCISING among the best company: DOGS! Just in a few weeks of working/walking, I was the happiest and healthiest I had been in a long time!
A year later, my boyfriend, Alan, at the time (now husband) and I had to move to Texas to help my family when my father became sick. Of course this was a no-brainer, family first! But I was devastated to leave all the dogs I had grown so close with behind. When we moved to Texas, I googled ALL the dog walking companies in Austin and sent EACH ONE an email. This was pre-covid, so everyone was fully staffed and not hiring, but I threw it out there that I would love to be on their team. Let’s Walk Austin’s owner at the time, Steve, answered my email and said “I’m not hiring at the moment, but I’ll interview you for when I do hire” (now as the owner, I realize this was SO smart on Steve’s part – hiring/staffing is one of the hardest parts of running a company!)
I went to the interview shaking with nerves, I had recently broken my wrist and was in a pink camouflage cast. Steve did a double take when I walked in only able to use one hand lol. At the end of the interview he said, “never mind, you’re hired now. But I do have one question: how are you going to walk dogs and pick up poop with one hand?” I responded “let me show you!” The following week we did training and I proved to Steve I could do it!
I worked for Let’s Walk Austin for a year until covid hit in 2020. Obviously work had stopped when the pandemic shut everything down, but we had quite a few clients STILL paying weekly just to support LWA even without us walking their dogs. It was incredible!
2020 was weird for the entire world – we were stuck at home, panicking about the virus, rightfully so. BUT, this stop-in-time due to COVID allowed me to be back home, on a quaint farm in Fayetteville, with my Texas side of the family. This was another “god wink” to my story. At the end of February 2020, my father unexpectedly passed away (not COVID related) and 6 months later, my 13 year young sister joined him in Heaven. Had we not had to quarantine for months, I would have still been working in Austin, missing out on the last 5 months my family and I would have had with my sister. while still grieving our father. Of course, during these losses, work was the last thing on my mind, but when I was ready to slowly get back to walking dogs, I fully credit this job and our four-legged clients to helping me survive my grief. If I had any other job, I’m not sure I could have gotten out of bed and shown up while battling my losses. Knowing there were dogs counting on me and getting to be outside, moving my body, truly was a saving grace. The saying “animals are the best medicine” could not be more true and my excruciating 2020 is a testament to that.
As the world slowly came out of quarantine, work picked back up. One day in 2021, Steve asked to meet me after my walks. Of course, I was panicking, BUT it turned out to be the best news that year: Steve asked if I was interested in taking over LWA! He wanted to move to Tennessee to start a pig rescue, so neat! I could not believe the offer – this was everything I had dreamed of! April 2021, I officially took over LWA!
The first year was a whirlwind of learning the business while also still walking 8-10 miles a day. I majored in marketing and wanted SO badly to put my skills to use, but the client referrals were coming in so fast I couldn’t do marketing to take on any more clients! What a great problem to have! I paid my business loan off SEVEN months early and was THRILLED that Let’s Walk Austin was 100% mine in February of 2023!
That June, my husband (known as Big Al to our clients) and I opened our first franchise in Denver, Colorado: Let’s Walk Denver! And in August of 2023, Alan and I moved to Houston to open our second location, Let’s Walk Houston! LWH picked up SO fast that by May of 2024, Alan was able to leave the corporate world, managing South Texas for Pernod Ricard USA, to join me full time living out our dream career! To share a quote I wrote when announcing this exciting career change to our team & clients: “Alan had been very much involved prior to leaving his job, but now he’s all in. He traded spirits and liquor for slobber and love!”
While Let’s Walk Austin was my first “baby” and always will be, Houston has been such an incredible decision to start another location. We were immediately welcomed by EVERYONE – even people who did not have pets to use our service were sharing our information, connecting us with resources we didn’t even consider and supporting us in every possible way! Plus, it’s been SO fun getting to run two companies in two different cities and learning their quirks! I joke that I could write a book about owning a business in Austin VS. Houston lol.
Today, we have managers in both our Texas locations as we continue to grow both our staff and clientele! We’ve even had some clients we walk for ask to join our team because they love what we do and want to be part of it. I can’t think of a better compliment! Every day feels like a pinch-me-this-is-too-good-to-be-true type of job and I am BEYOND excited to see where this big ‘ol “god wink” will take us next!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Of course I’ve had my struggles, as any growing business owner does, but I feel blessed they’re struggles in this industry! Even when I’m stressed, I’m surrounded by animals, not sitting at a desk job or stuck on the phone!
I’d say my biggest challenge and something my older brother as an entrepreneur himself has always reminded me: “the goal is to work ON your business, not IN your business”. Because I LOVE walking dogs SO much, it’s hard to physically pull myself out of the market and do the admin side of owning a company. Though, I do both, walking 6-10 miles a day and coming home to schedule, payroll, answer emails, manage employees, social media and marketing. I would like to find a better balance lol.
Hiring managers to help take some of the admin load off of myself has been a HUGE relief. As much as I wish I could do it all on my own, I know it’s not possible or sustainable! Plus, our two managers, who were walkers prior, were eager to jump in and help when they saw how much of a workload there was! We LOVE team players!
I’ve definitely had my days/moments where I questioned myself and the workload I overload myself with (this past June Alan and I had our first day off after 94 days of walking, whew!) But I just can’t stop – I love dogs and walking and our clients and these companies we have built too much! I’d say that’s another good problem to have, though I am actively working on creating a better work/life balance lol. Stay tuned!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Let’s Walk Houston is a woman-owned, professional dog walking & pet sitting company! We are 100% customizable to our clients needs. We offer everything from 30, 45 & 60 minute dog walks (rain or shine) to in-home pet sitting! And we work 24/7! As a “crazy dog mom” myself, I know EXACTLY how I would want my babies cared for and that’s exactly the service we strive for!
Every visit, whether walk or overnight, is tracked on our app that logs when we arrived, where we walked by GPS map, a detailed write up about our fun, the BEST photos, potty report and time clocked out! So many of our clients say they feel like they’re on the walk with us when they receive our visit reports! (We even have some clients who are teachers and they put these write ups on the projector in their classroom for their students to read/see! How cute!)
We aren’t limited to just dogs either! We have PLENTY of clients with just cats who have us come over and play with their kitties – just when you think the dream job can’t get any dreamier! We also have taken care of chickens (my second favorite animal!!) And it doesn’t stop there, our clientele list includes ducks, rabbits, turtles and horses!! I have an Austin client who sent me to Pagaosa Springs to take care of her two horses last summer!
We’re different from Wag or Rover in multiple ways, most importantly, myself and my team are trained and insured to do this! We never have a stranger walking into your home, trust me – we have LOADS of clients come over from Wag & Rover and the horror stories we’ve heard are awful! We offer a complimentary free Meet & Greet so clients can put a face to the name and decide if we’re a good fit!
I know it’s stressful to leave your fur babies AND home in someone else’s hands! So much could go wrong! Heck, I BARELY travel if our two dogs, Maisy and Cowboy, can’t come because I am so worried about them if they’re not with me. So, that is 100% our goal: provide the pet care we’d want for our dogs so we can enjoy our holiday!
We also have a couple of clients who are connected to Austin, Houston AND Denver and we get to care for them amongst all three cities! I feel very blessed we get to love on animals across the country! How lucky are we?!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Oh boy! There’s SO many people to credit and thank for where I am today! I love this question!
Big Al – My husband, the dog dad to our babies (and newly a cat dad cause I brought a cat home one day LOL) and the muscle on our teams. From the get-go, when I just started as a walker for the company in Atlanta, Alan was supportive. (Unfortunately a lot of the world does not consider dog walking a “real job” but they couldn’t be more wrong!) Alan was excited for me when I received the first walking gig and once he saw how happy and healthy I was, he started mentioning doing this for the rest of my life! Then he made one of the biggest sacrifices – moving to Texas with me. When I was visiting my family in December 2018, my parents told me dad was getting sicker and asked if I would move to Fayetteville to help. I said “of course, but let me chat with Alan”. My dad responded: “I already have. He’s already on board”. Three months later, Alan said goodbye to the state of Georgia after only ever living there his entire life and “followed me to Texas” as he likes to say (with our 2 dogs and bunny in the truck). Once we got to Texas, he continued being my biggest cheerleader. I think Alan was more excited when Steve offered me to buy LWA than I was at first LOL. He said “This is everything we’ve ever wanted!!” While also working his full time corporate job, Alan helped me anywhere and everywhere he could – on night walks, when I was double booked, interviewing applicants, etc. But most importantly, he was and still is there on days I am exhausted mentally and physically and keeps me going.
My mom – My mom is not just a listening ear when I need one, she’s a sounding board for ideas, my second set of eyes on any marketing material, another one of my biggest cheerleaders and honestly the inspiration to keep going on days I feel like I can’t. Not only does my mom continually wake up each and every day after losing her husband AND child, she does so with grace, love and hope. If my mom can do it, I can do it.
My family – I have family all over to thank: Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York! Most importantly thanking them for still loving me even when I’m working 90% of the year and miss so many holidays and family trips. I definitely feel guilty saying “yes” to clients and “no” to my family, again I’m working on finding the balance! In addition, I have received some of the best business advice from my family: my stepmom & dad helping me restructure my pricing when I had to raise rates, my brother & mother-in-law with their own entrepreneur experience and my older sister as a lawyer for fun, legal questions. And especially my younger sisters and brothers who are the comedic relief I cherish when I’m working nonstop!
My friends – Similarly to my family, my friends have been sacrificed to my work schedule and I hate it (as many of my clients have said before and I totally agree “we need to clone you!”) BUT, they’re full supporters of what I’m doing and understand I’d be there if I could!
Steve, the previous owner of LWA – I feel like it all started with Steve answering my email and hearing me out even though he was not hiring! From there, he saw my potential and offered LWA to me. I will always feel in debt to him and the opportunity that came from our paths crossing!
My team – This is truly a team player career. We are out walking rain or shine, often on HOT Texas days, supporting each other as we love on dogs across the country! Let’s Walk could not be ANYWHERE it is without each and every one of my hardworking walkers who sacrifice their time with their own pets and family to love on our clients! I feel so lucky to have them on what I call the “dream team” (cliche, but SO true). This job is not just “dog walking”, it’s being trusted in client’s homes, in their personal life, taking care of their fur babies – that is a LOT. And not everyone can walk 6-8 miles a day! So, so so proud of the teams we have built and the incredible people I have met!
My clients! Especially River & Dakota’s parents – I keep saying it, just when I think the dream job can’t get dreamier, it does! This job has not only introduced me to some pretty incredible and special animals. but also their parents. Alan and I have plenty of clients who have turned into friends and even a couple that are family. We invited River & Dakota’s parents to our wedding and have spent 2 Thanksgivings together. I started walking their babies in 2019 twice a day, five times a week. They lived on a dead-end street so there was only one way to walk lol and I got to know River and Dakota real well. With their parents working and traveling often, I started spending more nights at their house than my own (and I didn’t mind! River and Dakota are SO similar to me and Alan’s dogs, Maisy and Cowboy, that I felt right at home!) When they moved to Colorado last year, we were devastated. Austin didn’t feel the same anymore and still doesn’t. BUT, they still fly us out to Colorado to watch their babies when they have to travel! I feel so lucky I get to love on them in such a beautiful place! I’ve also had two other clients fly me out to their vacation homes to take care of their babies when they had to take a vacation from their vacation! I am so thankful they trust me/want me that much they send me to Pagosa Springs and Newport Beach to watch their pups! I can’t think of cuter tour guides to show me around! Also want to thank all the clients who see our hard work and appreciate all we do. We have clients ask what snacks our team likes for walks or overnights, leave sunscreen out for the hot, Texas days, offer to make us breakfast after walks, give us Hot Hands for the 2 cold days of the year, the list goes on!!
MY ANIMALS – Ooof, the dog mom & cat mom guilt I have being gone so often and spending my time with other dogs & cats gets to me (just ask anyone around me lol, I’m always asking “what do you think Maisy is doing right now?” when I’m not with her). They still love me when I come home smelling like every other dog in Houston and I’m exhausted. I have to thank them for being the BEST sports when I’m at client’s homes more nights of the month than at my own home. Though, I tell them I do this so I can provide the BEST lifestyle for them and that’s exactly what I do!
Dex Treats – Another “god wink” to our story. Back in 2019, my sister, Haley, invited me to help run a booth at the Austin Junior League Christmas Show (SO much fun btw). While there, we did some shopping of course, and stopped at the Dex Treats booth! I didn’t know it at the time, but the owner, Marla, would become not only a good friend 4 years later, but another inspiration and HUGE connection for Alan and I! Fast forward to 2023 when we moved to Houston, we stopped by Dex Treats and reconnected! Since then, Marla took Let’s Walk Houston under her wing and introduced us to dozens of wonderful dog parents in Houston and let us tag along to SO many events! This connection and friendship has been invaluable to our move and Let’s Walk Houston’s growth! We could not be bigger supporters of Dex’s Treats!!
Houston in general – This is broad, but it’s SO true. From the second we moved here, Houston has welcomed us like no other city I have ever lived in! From our gym, F45 Rice Military, to leasing office’s where we are walking a resident’s dog, EVERYONE has said “Give us a flier! We’d love to get you some business!” I even designed door hangers and put them around neighborhoods and got a client from someone who received the hanger, but didn’t have a dog herself, yet she gave it to her friend who has 2 pups and we’ve been walking her dogs for over a year now! I don’t feel like I can adequately express the sense of community and support Houstonians have been. We are forever grateful!
Ken from Ken Walks Dogs – Okay, this is SO cool! Ken and I connected when he started following Maisy’s instagram account LOL. One day, Alan and I were walking the dogs in Austin and Ken drove by us and immediately recognized Cowboy (he’s so big, he’s hard to miss!) He pulled over and we officially met in real life! From there, Ken, who owns his own dog walking business, could have been competition, however became not only a friend, but a MASSIVE mentor. He is another listening ear who gets the stress of the industry, he’s answered my questions and given me so much insight! We’ve leaned on each other and helped our teams when we’re overbooked – I feel so blessed to have such a great relationship with another company in such a small city like Austin! He leaned on me after I opened my second location in Houston as he later opened his second location in LA. This past summer when I was dog sitting for a client in Newport Beach, Ken and I got to connect! Neither one of us could believe we were on the stunning West Coast, living our DREAM of caring for dogs!!
Jane from See Jane Walk – Before Steve sold LWA to me, he introduced me to Jane, owner of another dog walking company in Austin. Again, this could have been competition, but Jane feels like a bff I can call to chat, vent and ask questions any time of day because she gets it! I always say this, but it’s SO true: there are enough dogs for all of us. Jane has been in the industry way longer and is an inspiration! It’s so neat I have these connections and resources to reach out to.
Pricing:
- 30 minute walks – $30
- 45 minute walks – $45
- 60 minute walks – $50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.letswalkhouston.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letswalkhouston/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=lets+walk+houston&oq=lets+walk+houston&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgsIARBFGAoYOxiABDIGCAIQRRg7MgkIAxAAGAoYgAQyCAgEEAAYFhgeMgoIBRAAGAoYFhgeMg0IBhAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMgYIBxBFGD3SAQgyNDI2ajBqNKgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#mpd=~6502203341701326095/customers/reviews
