K-9 Coach Appears on CNN 'How We Got Started'

When CNN producers approached the owner of about appearing on their new small business series “How We Got Started,” Amber Burckhalter was taken aback.

“We’re just really passionate about what we do,” she said. “It’s part of everything that we do—my family and my professional life. When people approach us and want to hear about our business and are really excited about what we do here, sometimes it’s a little surprising.”

But when a business’s story is as amazing as K-9 Coach’s it’s no wonder she’s been asked the secret to her success. Burckhalter, a Certified Master Trainer and Certified Pet Dog Trainer, started her business as a one-woman dog training service in the parking lot of an animal hospital in 2001. A decade later, she’s running an award-winning small business. In 2011 K-9 Coach was named Cobb County’s best small business by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and in 2012, Burckhalter was nominated best small businessperson at the state level.

“I was really lucky,” she said. “The stars have just aligned. Some of it was just sheer determination, the refusal to say no. And some of it was just being in the right place in the right time.”

Burckhalter said she thought the attention K-9 Coach received from its awards is what attracted CNN to profile her business. A week before the feature was scheduled to air, a camera crew spent about five hours filming classes and interviewing staff for the feature. The segment aired Saturday, Aug. 18.

Burckhalter plans to keep the momentum going. K-9 Coach will open a second location in north Georgia in September. She also plans to publish a book later this year. Burckhalter said she’ll continue her work to help dogs and facilitate better relationships with their owners. 

Watch K-9 Coach's 'How We Got Started' feature online.

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