by american express open, helping you get business done. hi there, everyone, i m j.j. ramberg and welcome to your business . the show dedicated to helping your growing business. we re not the only ones who like to indulge. our four legged friends are apparently fans to, and when ron leff ooh the founder of the first ever network for canines, he got tails wagging around the world. have another treat? many people will be surprised to learn that dogtv, 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 just gave me the saddest eyes in the world like a puss and boots kind of cat. he said don t go. ron levi the founder of dogtv realized his television could be
in 2014, discovery communications became a minority stakeholder in the company. the channel also launched online. expanding its reach from 15 countries to 75. dogtv is now in more than 12 million homes around the world. and apparently, humans are also getting hooked. including actor billy bob thornton. you know, 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 with stress, we designed something that is 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, if you really do, 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.
they ran with it. soon dogtv popped up all over the country and across the globe. in 2014, discovery communications became a minority stake holder in the company, launching online expanding the reach from 15 countries to 75. dogtv is now in more than 12 million homes around the world, and, apparently, humans are getting hooked like actor billy bob thornton. that s a ha-ha thing here, it s a tv channel for dogs, but when people learn about the studies, that it works and helps with separation anxiety and stress, we design something that is not less than revolutionary, to me, if you have an idea, no matter how crazy it is, if you really, really believe in it, if you really do, 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 and best product work with the best people in the world, get great
network meetings it wasn t a great thing. i think the second the fourth person in the meeting took off his phone and started e-mailing his wife we knew that we were in trouble. we knew that they were not really taking us that seriously. presentation didn t look good at all. the evidence wasn t demonstrated correctly to these people. they needed a major dose of legitimacy. so ron and gilad got pet experts and the humane society on board. and then, in 2012, they tested the product in a small market to get invaluable data to prove the demand existed. and it did. that move was a game changer. 24 hours after we launched it was on good morning america, david letterman s show, leno and fallon. it s flattering. but that was not the idea. we wanted to save these people for later on. although they weren t prepared for the onslaught of stories unleashed by the media, they ran with it. soon dogtv was popping up all over the country and across the globe.
get great partners as i did. do all that, and people will take you seriously. ron levi started dogtv himself and got 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 is quite 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 the 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 find 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 planet dog in 1997, he knew that