“I never imagined that I could make my dream job come true by opening my own dog walking business,” says Diana Mondragon, a dog lover from Mexico. Diana came to MEDA in early 2011 to turn her passion for dogs into a pet care business. Diana proudly graduated from MEDA’s free Business Development training, comprising six classes covering everything from marketing to licensing to operations.

It was then time for Diana to meet with her one-on-one coach, who provided her with assistance to complete a detailed business plan and application for a start-up grant. This job coach helped Diana garner access to variegated products and services to make a business a success. This included: building credit through a secured credit card and lending circles; a seminar to learn about the tax liabilities of being self-employed; and computer classes on building a website from scratch. With the help of MEDA, Diana also obtained her dog walking certification, Pet First Aid and CPR training.

A year after she first came to MEDA, Diana created her dream business with the clever name of Green Urban Dog Fitness Club. Her specialities? Dog hikes, doggy daycare and sleepovers.