A 28-year-old tech professional is making strides in both professional and personal arenas by bridging the gap between the two and turning one of his passions into a “luxury” side hustle in New York, USA. Last year, Coby Goodhart consciously decided to juggle his full-time engineering job with an unconventional dog-walking business, according to People.
Having built Goodhart Dog Co. around his schedule as a full-time engineer, the side hustle now earns him over $6,000 a month, allowing him to spend time with dogs. Sharing how much profit he rakes in, Goodhart told People that his dog walking business “brings in north of six figures.”
To grow his client base and expand his side business, the New York-based engineer has relied on both old-school channels, including word of mouth and business cards, as well as the power of viral fame on the internet.
How does the full-time engineer manage his side business
After moving to New York in 2023, Coby Goodhart had a clear vision of finding a way to spend time with animals. His heartwarming desire prompted him to start walking dogs in his area. Two years later, his side business, Goodhart Dog Co, officially took off the ground, while he continued serving his full-time responsibilities as an engineer.
He recently told People, “Goodhart Dog Co. is something I’ve built completely around that schedule.” And so, he goes on these walks “in the mornings, on my lunch break, evenings, and weekends.” Goodhart further divulged that he gets up early for morning walks before his engineering job, squeezes some sessions in during his lunch break, and does more in the evenings after work.
Currently, all his clients are from Lower Manhattan. He admits to having built his clientele mostly through word of mouth. Although the business helps bring in over six figures annually, it’s not all about money for him. Given that he must punch in his daily job hours while simultaneously adjusting his side hustle commitments, Goodhart admitted that “it’s a lot” for him. Fortunately, he genuinely loves it all.
Nonetheless, since managing such tasks requiring big-time commitment would’ve been near-impossible all alone, Goodhart has brought on and trained another walker, whom he pays for the time when he’s at his day job.
Although currently working as a full-time engineer, Goodhart is wholeheartedly committed to growing his business to a level where he can comfortably shift his entire attention to the side hustle, which will ultimately become his full-time job.
More about the NY engineer who hopes to turn his side gig into a full-time business
In addition to traditional methods of growing his clientele, Coby vlogs his experience of running a premium dog care business on social media. He has documented countless days when he’s made $100,000 or $8,000 as a luxury dog walker in New York City.
“Pricing varies by client; factors like location, dog size, behavior, and schedule all play into it,” he highlighted in his interview with People. “It’s a luxury service, so I price accordingly and make sure every client feels that in the experience.”
Through his SNS posts, Goodhart has made it a habit to introduce all the dogs he interacts with through his side business to the world, adding a personal touch to the work he cares deeply about.
Mentions of his dog-walking business elude Goodhart’s LinkedIn profile. “I am an experienced engineer specializing in clean energy and project management, with a strong track record in both the public and private sectors,” reads his introduction on the professional platform.
As an Engineering Consultant at RER Solutions Inc., the University of Maryland graduate manages multi-million-dollar loan applications for clean energy projects with the Department of Energy, and collaborates with C-suite executives and cross-functional teams to ensure project funding and execution.