Good Manners dog Training, Asia Poe: Harper College

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Chicago leads the nation for the highest density of dogs in the U.S., averaging 1,037 dogs per square kilometer. With so many dogs sharing the bustling urban space, well-mannered behavior is essential for a harmonious environment. Asia Poe opened Good Manners Dog Training to address this need in the northwest suburbs, focusing on practical, real-world training to ensure that dogs develop the skills needed to coexist peacefully with their owners and the community.

Poe is the pawfect person to channel canine calm, holding a degree in zoology with concentration in animal behavior from Michigan State University. Since 2019, she has apprenticed with a variety of experienced trainers and led her own classes. Name a negative behavior and Poe has most likely worked to overcome it, including pulling, jumping, aggression, nipping, or just not listening. She has also worked with acquainting dogs to new situations, such as preparing for a baby, going on a trip, boarding a plane, or becoming a service dog.

Launching her own business was the next logical step as Poe sought more freedom—both for herself and her training programs. She favors flexibility over one cookie-cutter method, knowing that every dog is unique and there are a variety of solutions to try. “I found that training doesn’t need to be militant. Most people don’t need police dog level of obedience, they just want good manners for their dog. They want to coexist peacefully and to enjoy going out together,” Poe explained. “By focusing more on continuous progress rather than absolute perfection, the training experience is much more fun and successful.” Naming her business Good Manners Dog Training, thus, was obvious.

Poe is now able to work with clients in their home environment as well as taking “field trips” that involve distractions and other real-world scenarios that aren’t possible in the sterile training ring. She is also able to customize training packages to meet everyone’s budget. “I hated not being able to help people who needed training but couldn’t afford it,” Poe said.

Poe began working on her new company in January 2024. At that time, she was still working as a dog trainer at a facility but started to do in-home lessons on the side. She had a large clientele and great reputation with her employer, but wanted to work for herself. She needed to understand the steps to transform her side job to her full-time job. After a friend mentioned the SBDC to her, Poe found the Illinois SBDC at Harper College.

“When I first met with the SBDC, I knew absolutely nothing,” Poe said. As a start, she asked for help with LLCs, tax compliance, finances and marketing. She also needed help transitioning to self-employment without causing any conflicts with her former employer.

Poe works with SBDC Advisors Marge Johnsson and Dennis LaPorta, Jennie Johns and Cheri Kretsinger.

Marge Johnsson advised Poe about each of the detailed steps required to set-up her own business, including legal entity structure, obtaining an EIN number, bookkeeping, basic tax reporting, and setting up bank accounts. She also provided encouragement and feedback to Poe about taking the leap to being fully employed in her own business. To help her grow her potential client base, Johnsson encouraged her to join Facebook groups popular with families with dogs.

Dennis LaPorta began by sending his New Business Startup Email to Poe, outlining important start-up considerations such as licenses, entity type, insurance, research resources, and more. They discussed available grants and loans, banking options and cash flow. Due to the nature of the business, LaPorta cautioned Poe about the risk of short-term revenue streams from limited-time customers and potentially having to attain new clients at a high rate every month. He recommended adding sustainable revenue streams that would allow her to retain customers and increase sales. He also advised expanding her presence through networking and collaborations such as joining chambers of commerce and pet-related businesses to discuss cross-referral possibilities.

Jennie Johns helped Poe finetune her logo, making it more usable long term. She has also provided guidance with the Good Manners Dog Training website, which is now in the final stages of development. Poe learned valuable tips from Johns to make the site more appealing to potential clients, such as providing information in a succinct manner with clearly identifiable call to action buttons on the page.

Cheri Kretsinger advised Poe how to better design her group class flyer, to make it more eye-catching and effective. Kretsinger also helped with Poe’s logo and website, advising her how to arrange information on the page so that the most important verbiage is seen first.

Poe credits her SBDC advisors for helping turn her dream into a reality, though the startup process hasn’t been without its ruff days. She admits that Johnsson gave her a lot of hard truths that were not necessarily what she wanted to hear, but crucial to her future success. “I wasn’t thinking about things from a business perspective,” Poe said. “They helped me prioritize, plan and look out for things I didn’t even know to worry about.”

Poe considers Johnsson her head cheerleader and is grateful for ongoing check-ins that ensure she continues on the right track.

“The more I talked with my advisors the less things felt so intimidating and big,” Poe said. “With slow and steady progress, learning one thing at a time, the SBDC made the process approachable. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so impossible.”

When asked if she would recommend the SBDC, she answered without hesitation, “Yes, definitely!”

Poe is actively working on creating a website and has scheduled her first group class. She continues to build more clientele by getting the word out and trying new, fun things. She plans to expand her retail product offerings from leashes and collars to products branded with her logo including portable water bowls, tennis balls, outdoor mats for place command, and more.

Expanded services are also on the horizon. Poe wants to open her own physical location with training sessions for obedience, agility, retrieval and service dogs. She also plans to launch a day-training service, where clients drop off their dogs for one-on-one training with Poe during the day. Afterwards, the client learns how to replicate the process at home.

Poe’s advice to others wanting to start a small business? “Take it one step at a time. Learn the basics – big picture first, then smaller logistical steps as you go along. Don’t get overwhelmed.