hi there, everyone. i m jj ramberg, and welcome to your business, the show dedicated to helping your growing business. for any person that turns on the tv, the channel and streaming options are seemingly endless. but turns out we re not the only ones who like to indulge. our four-legged friends are apparently fans too. and when ron levy, the founder of the first ever network for canines, tapped into dogs true delights, he got tails wagging around the world. have a little treat. many people will be surprised to learn that dog tv, the first ever network dedicated to nonhumans, was actually inspired by a cat. i used to leave my cat charlie alone every day to go to work, and one day he just gave me the saddest eyes in the world like a puss and boots can t.
soon dog tv was popping up all over the country, and across the globe. in 2014, discovery communications became a minority stake holder in the company. the channel also launched online, expanding its reach from 15 countries to 75. dog tv is now in more than 12 million homes around the world, and apparently humans are also getting hooked, including actor billy bob thorton. there s a ha-ha thing here, and it s funny. it s a tv channel for dogs. but when people start to learn about the studies, that it can actually work and help with separation anxiety and stress, we designed something that s not less than revolutionary to me. if you have an idea, doesn t matter how crazy it is, if you really, really believe in it, just go and do it. pretty much every crazy idea can somehow get to the market. just go and do it, but do it right. make the best presentation, the best product, work with the best people in the world. get great partners, as i did. do all that, and people will
take you seriously. ron levy started dog tv himself and then got in the partners to help him grow it. the skills that make a great founder aren t necessarily the skills that make a great ceo later on. once the business gets past the start-up stage, it s common for a founder to step aside and hire someone else to run the show. but it can be really, really hard to find the right person. that s the challenge the founder of a dog toy company faced, and his search took years. it s such a major decision. it s important to get it right. it s a big deal to kind of release the reins to someone with your brand. alex fisher knew the day would eventually come. since the beginning, i ve always known how smart i was or wasn t, and i always knew i needed someone else to run alongside. in his mind, the change was inevitable. when he launched his company
ron levy, the founder of dog tv, realized it could be a quick fix. he reacted surprisingly. i took pictures and thought, wow, this is amazing. but turning on just any channel wasn t an option. if you leave on any animal channel or any news channel, you might see something scary, like a crocodile. there s a bomb somewhere that is on the news. it can actually increase their stress. it s not good for them. in that moment, the concept crystallized. a 24/7 channel just for cats. the idea ultimately went from cats to canines. after hearing from pet owners that dogs are a lot more needy when left on their own. in 2007, the pet industry was a $40 billion business. ron felt strongly that owners might be willing to fork out a small fee for their four-legged friends to be entertained by pooch-appropriate shows, but selling the actual concept to