4 days ago
The Sound of Success
From Manchester to millions of furry listeners worldwide, Amman Ahmed turned an unconventional idea into an 8-figure business - without outside funding. Here's how he pioneered a new genre, one bark and beat at a time.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
When Amman Ahmed first noticed the calming effect of ambient music on the office dogs, he didn't just see a cute moment - he saw a business opportunity. As the founder of Music For Pets, Ahmed has carved out a unique niche in the wellness and entertainment space, crafting original music and videos designed specifically for animals. In this interview, he shares how he bootstrapped his way to global success, navigated the unknowns of a brand-new genre, and why he still finds joy in every note - even after hitting eight figures. Entrepreneur UK finds out more.
What inspired you to start your business?
While we were making relaxing music for humans we noticed the impact it was having on the dogs in the office. This was a totally new frontier for music - unproven, with a lack of research and data, we were stepping into the complete unknown. We wanted to explore methods to create a new genre of music that would have a positive impact on the mental health of dogs.
What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
It was incredibly challenging at first, as we were defining a genre of music that didn't previously exist for a different target audience. This was exasperated by the fact that the whole business was entirely self-funded, originally based out of Manchester. The biggest challenge was proving the proposition would work and demonstrating the value to pet owners from the very beginning. We overcame this by being somewhat obsessed with our end users, empowering them to feel like they were part of our journey too.
How did you secure your initial funding (if any)?
We didn't go for any funding - I bootstrapped the business up to an 8-figure exit and retained 100% ownership.
How do you handle failure or setbacks?
Firstly, failure is a great blessing. The best way to handle failure is to remove the emotional side, instead opting to analyse the situation objectively. I've found it useful to talk about the setback with a close friend or business mentor to gain another perspective from someone external to the situation, then working through it in the most level-headed way possible.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to scale up their UK based business to an annual revenue to £5M?
Just focus on increasing by 5% at a time. Sometimes rushing to scale can backfire.
What are you working on now? Why does this still excite you?
We've just released our first collaboration album, featuring four GRAMMY winners, including ANATEUS. This is the first time we have stepped outside of our core production and worked with artists to push the boundaries of sound for dogs and humans to enjoy together.
