After losing his job due to his employer going out of business, Joustin Cordary got the idea of starting a dog-walking company and ran with it. The 33-year-old, who founded Running with Rover about a year and a half ago, offers various canine services. For more info, visit www.running withrover.com.

Tell us how this became your reality? I had a career in marketing. They used to let us bring our dogs into work. But after they lost their second round of funding, I was like, “What am I going to do?” My dog had actually become my passion. And my friend said I should start a dog-walking company.

How does your business differ from others? Most dog-walking companies in The City have just one plan. I kind of saw it more from a business perspective. There are going to be people who don’t need their dog to be out two hours. So I created a half-hour-to-45-minute outing. Or dogs who need to use the bathroom in the middle of the day, I created “Stop and Drop.”

Did you have any fear when you ventured into this line of work? For sure. I ended up jumping into something. I had no experience walking dogs. ... It takes a big leap of faith to try and follow your passion.