Maddie Hale initially began dog walking to get out of the house after studying at home all day as a teenager.
School had long been a source of anxiety — she describes having “awful, awful panic attacks” that made traditional classrooms feel impossible — and spending time outside with dogs became a way to cope. Now, the 20-year-old has turned that hobby into a six-figure business.
“I sort of moulded my job around myself,” she says.
A turning point came in 2023 when Hale bought a van for the business. “That was sort of my switch,” she says. “That was like, 'Oh my God — this is a real business.'” The company now brings in roughly 15,000 pounds (about $20,232) per month. Although all of Hale's friends chose to attend university, she says she works for herself — not just for freedom, but also for her mental health." It has given her a “second boost in life.”
Building the business involved a steep learning curve: She dealt with burnout after scaling too quickly and had to build trust with customers whose house keys she handled — something that paid off as word of mouth spread.
Today, her team of five employees serves more than 200 dogs each month across a 5-km (3-mile) stretch of northwestern England.
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