Starting a Business Is Not Always a Walk in the Dog Park

Amy Nichols (pictured with her doggie pals), a former telecommunications sales executive, is the founder of Dogtopia, a national chain of upscale day-care centers for dogs. Her blog can be found here.

Ms. Nichols always knew that she wanted to care for animals. But, after college, she thought she should get a "real job."

Following in her father's footsteps, she chose telecommunications. In the late 1990s, she built a career working for a number of the big players: Bell Atlantic (which later became Verizon), Cable & Wireless USA and XO Communications. She moved up the ladder, starting in sales support where her job was to find outside contractors to install the purchased phone systems.

But she says after a while, the thrill of the chase left her "feeling empty," and she was ready for something else. She decided her next act would take her back to her first love—something involving pets, something that she could develop herself, and something that would allow her to bring Griffin, her Boston terrier, to work.

Learn how Nichols's telecommunications background contributed to her success as a business owner here. Fascinating story.

Photo credit: Kevin Wolf, WSJ