The wealthy buy $175,000 'protection dogs' from this 51-year-old's business
A 51-year-old entrepreneur explains how her luxury protection dog business, S Fallen, was born out of personal safety concerns while living in Nairobi, Kenya. The company, now 20 years old, only became profitable in 2017 and has found its strongest footing in recent years by catering to ultra-wealthy post-COVID clients.
Summary
The founder of S Fallen describes the personal origins of her luxury protection dog business, which began when she was living in East Africa after meeting her former husband in Afghanistan. Upon relocating to Nairobi, Kenya, and discovering she was pregnant, she became acutely aware of personal safety risks in that environment. Rather than carrying a firearm or hiring a bodyguard, she sought a dog that could serve as both a companion and protector, sourcing from vendors in North America. This experience planted the seed for her business.
Reflecting on the company's 20-year history, she acknowledges a striking financial reality: despite two decades in operation, S Fallen did not become profitable until 2017. She describes this as a humbling but important milestone in the business's evolution.
Looking at the current landscape in 2025, she highlights a significant market shift driven by post-COVID migration patterns. Ultra-wealthy individuals are now traveling to her state and town one to three times a year, effectively bringing the target market directly to her. She describes the business's health as the best it has ever been and credits the last three to four years with helping the company find the right balance in the marketplace — one that ensures long-term stability and reassures dog owners that the business will be operating for another 20-plus years.
Key Insights
- The founder states that her motivation for starting a protection dog business was a desire to avoid carrying a firearm or hiring a bodyguard while pregnant and living in Nairobi, Kenya — making a dog the most viable safety alternative.
- Despite being in operation for 20 years, S Fallen did not become a profitable entity until 2017, which the founder describes as 'a little crazy to acknowledge.'
- The founder credits post-COVID behavioral shifts among ultra-wealthy individuals — who now visit her location one to three times per year — as bringing the target market directly to her business rather than requiring her to seek them out.
- The founder asserts that the business is in its best financial health at year 20, attributing this to finding the correct market balance over the last three to four years.
- The founder frames long-term business health not just as a financial goal but as a promise to existing canine owners — that S Fallen will remain operational for another 20-plus years.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Our original company was started in East Africa in [music] Kenya. I had met my former husband in Afghanistan and we were moving to Nairobi, Kenya and in the interim I had gotten pregnant. So all of a sudden as a soon-to-be mom, you're very hyper aware of your own personal safety in that type of environment. I did not want to carry a firearm in defense of myself. I did not want a bodyguard. So even though I had not been a dog person previously, it was the next best option. So we went out to vendors [0:30] in North America seeking a dog that could be both my best friend as well as my protector. [music] And…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from CNBC Make It
5 Common Phrases Manipulators Use And How To Defuse Them
Shadé Zahrai, an organizational behavior researcher, identifies five manipulative phrases and provides specific counter-responses to defuse them. The phrases work by introducing doubt, shifting focus, or invalidating emotions to undermine the listener's confidence and boundaries.
Why Gen Z Is Rethinking Marriage
Gen Z, particularly women, increasingly view marriage as optional rather than essential to the American dream, with only 33% of Gen Z women considering it integral compared to 43% of Gen Z men. Marriage rates have declined sharply from 64% of 25-year-olds in 1980 to 21% today, as younger generations prioritize financial independence and delay marriage, though financial advisers warn this strategy may actually hinder wealth accumulation.
Why Renting Is Growing More Attractive Than Buying
Rising home prices, mortgage costs, and maintenance expenses have made homeownership increasingly unaffordable for Americans, leading more people to embrace renting as a long-term lifestyle choice rather than a temporary alternative. Renting now offers financial predictability, flexibility, and lower costs compared to buying, even attracting wealthy individuals who could afford to purchase homes outright.
I Left The U.S. And Bought A House In Italy For $13K
Cassandra Trestle, 33, relocated her family to a small hilltop town in Abruzzo, Italy in 2023, purchasing a house for €11,500 in cash and spending an additional €15,000 on renovations. She details the dramatically lower cost of living in rural Italy compared to the US, including affordable childcare (€60/month vs $3,000/month in Seattle), quality food, and the lifestyle benefits of working remotely while prioritizing family and personal freedom over career advancement.
How My Passion For Medicine And Flying Earns Me $160K/Year
Eric Chan, a 29-year-old family medicine resident in Anchorage, Alaska, earns $160,000 annually while pursuing his passion for aviation medicine. He combines his medical career with flying interests, maintains frugal spending habits despite higher cost of living, and plans to join the US Air Force as a medical officer with aspirations of becoming a NASA flight surgeon.