Make Money by Reinventing the Dog Fence | Ken Ehrman

Travis Makes Money

Ken Ehrman is the founder and CEO of Halo Collar, the leading GPS dog containment system that’s revolutionizing pet safety. With a background in IoT and a history of building tech companies—including taking one public in 1999—Ken teamed up with celebrity dog behaviorist Cesar Millan to create a next-generation “invisible fence.” Since launching in 2018, Halo has quadrupled sales, surpassed $100 million in annual revenue, and sold over 200,000 collars, all while giving pet owners the freedom to create a “backyard everywhere they go.”

On this episode we talk about:

• Ken’s entrepreneurial journey from yearbook ad sales to founding and scaling multiple tech companies

• The early days of IoT, RFID, and what it was like to take a company public with just $3 million in annual revenue

• How the idea for Halo Collar was sparked by a real family tragedy—and why the market was ready for a better solution

• The power of partnerships: how Ken connected with Cesar Millan to bring dog expertise and credibility to the product

• Why Halo’s GPS-powered, AI-enabled collar is more than a tracker—it’s a portable, wireless fence you can set up anywhere

• The business lessons behind Halo’s exponential growth: leveraging existing demand, innovating on proven products, and solving real pain points for pet owners

• Smart scaling: how Halo used a direct-to-consumer model, negative inventory, and global fulfillment to fuel rapid expansion

• The importance of product-market fit, recurring revenue, and building a brand that dog owners trust

• Ken’s framework for evaluating new business ideas and the difference between “nice-to-have” and “need-to-have” products

Top 3 Takeaways

1. Innovate Where Demand Exists: Halo succeeded by improving an existing solution (the invisible fence) in a massive, established market, rather than trying to create demand from scratch.

2. Solve Real Problems, Not Just Sell Features: The best products address urgent needs—like keeping pets safe—rather than relying on “nice-to-have” technology.

3. Smart Partnerships and Operations Win: Strategic alliances (like with Cesar Millan), creative fulfillment, and a focus on customer experience enabled Halo to scale quickly and efficiently.

Notable Quotes

• “What’s the best solution that there could be? That’s always my mindset, whether I’m selling yearbook ads or building a tech company.”

• “People are already buying fences for their dogs. We just made it portable, smarter, and safer.”

• “If you can find things people are already buying, you’re not pushing a boulder uphill—you’re meeting a real need.”

Connect with Ken Ehrman:

• Website: halocollar.com

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