Lisa Jackson has always wanted to work with animals, and now her passion has turned into her work.

Lisa runs Lisa Jackson’s Dog Training in Kempsey, which offers dog training, walking, gyms, day care and exercise. For Lisa, it is a dream come true.

She said: “I always wanted to work with animals when I was a kid but my dad always said no so I ended up working in banking.

“Funnily enough it helped in the long-run as when I started the business I had the experience and understanding of how businesses work.”

Lisa worked in banking and managing a newsagents, still dreaming of one day working with animals.

In 1999 she decided she had to make a change, saying: “I knew this was what I wanted to do and no one was going to stop me.”

After a spell working as a veterinary receptionist, Lisa decided to set up on her own with the help of her partner Darren who runs the dog kennel side of the business.

She is keen to praise her staff and stresses the importance of trust when looking after people’s pets:

“Trust is really important, with doing dog walking we have access to people’s homes so it is really important that they trust us and that we show we can be professional and trustworthy.

“We have a great team of staff and none of this would be possible without them.”

Lisa says she has learned a lot in her time in business, saying: "I have learned so so much.

"You have to keep time and be professional and show people that you love their pets as much as they do.

"We also want to diversify so we also sell pet products too - it is important that people know we don't just walk their dogs, there's so much more than that.

"And of course there are all the business skills you have to make sure you have too.

"You won't be in business very long if you can't pay your bills.

Lisa's team includes her partner Darren and help from Ashley, Emily, Hayley and Tracy.