A former special education teacher in New York tripled his annual salary by switching his job to a dog walker, which now earns him more than $160,000 a year.
“I’m amazed at the lifestyle I can have as a business owner,” Michael Josephs, 34, told the New York Post.
In 2019, the 30-year-old started walking dogs in his spare time, he who already went on regular walks with his black labrador Willy. He then worked as a special education teacher at a private school, earning an annual salary of $38,000 USD, which equates to approximately $50,750 CAD.
Except, realizing how profitable the job could be, the New Yorker quit his job in July to start his own company, Parkside Pups.
Between July and December this year, he had already almost reached his annual salary as a teacher and had a dozen regular customers who paid him $20 for a 30-minute walk.
Last year, he estimated he reached $120,000 USD, or more than $160,000 CAD.
Since then, the company has grown with five full-time employees. It has its own app and offers dog walking, training and childcare.