Who is Ken Ehrman?

Meet Ken Ehrman, the Co-Founder of Halo Collar!

What is Halo Collar?

Halo Collar manufactures wireless, GPS-powered dog fences. The collar tracks your dog’s location in real time. It also functions as a traditional invisible fence, setting clear boundaries that your dog cannot cross, and sending pet owners notifications when their pets leave the safety zone.

Ken Ehrman’s Journey

Ken Ehrman, a Stanford-educated engineer, spent 20 years in the tech industry developing RFID and Internet of Things technologies for tracking high-value assets. His company provided tracking solutions for rental cars and Walmart trailers, among other applications.

The idea for Halo Collar came after Ken’s niece's 11-year-old rescue dog, Ruby, escaped an invisible fence and was struck by a car and died. Researching the issue, Ehrman discovered the scale of the problem: "10 million pets are lost every year and a million dogs are hit by a car," he says. This data convinced him of the market potential for a GPS-based solution.

Ehrman's product aims to offer advantages over traditional fences, including portability and ease of setup. He sees applications ranging from RV travel to accommodating elderly or disabled pet owners. The collars can be calibrated via GPS technology to keep dogs within a preset boundary. The animals are given gentle encouragements to stay within the invisible fence boundaries, providing a gentle alternative to the traditional electric fences. 

Business Growth and Revenue Strategies

Recognizing the need for expertise in dog behavior, Ehrman sought out a strong partnership. "The only dog expert I could even really think of was Cesar Milan, also known as “The Dog Whisperer”," he says.

Ken Ehrman's journey to partner with Cesar Millan was marked by persistence and strategic thinking.

"He was almost impossible to get a hold on," Ehrman recalls. After exhausting traditional methods, Ehrman found success through an unexpected channel. "LinkedIn was the answer," he explains.

Despite this breakthrough, the path remained challenging. Millan's team was skeptical, questioning, "Apple wants to work with us, Garmin wants to work with us, Google wants to work with us. Why would I ever work with you?"

After some back and forth, Ehrman eventually shared his idea with Millan. "Once I told them what the product was and how it helped save dogs' lives and how many dogs were lost, they were just like, we're in."

Quality Led Growth

Ehrman stresses the importance of quality in product development. His product incorporates high-end GPS, cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi chips to ensure comprehensive coverage and reliability.

 "Everything should be top of the line if you're going to try to create a company where you serve millions of customers who want to keep their dogs safe. It has to be world-class,” he explains.

He highlights their commitment to comprehensive functionality: "Use the best GPS chip, the best cellular chip, the best Bluetooth chip, the best Wi-Fi chip."

Ehrman also points out the advantage of replacing a more expensive existing product: "Not only were we replacing something but the existing status quo was more money." Using innovative technology, Halo Collar was able to replace the more traditional electric fence with a better, more affordable product.

He compares this to other innovations like the Ring doorbell, suggesting that offering a better product at a lower price point is "a great combination" for market entry.

Halo Collar’s CX Philosophy

Hallo Collar makes CX easy. The phone app features a Zoom link that allows customers to access CX with a click of a button—usually within 30 seconds. This feature makes it easy to troubleshoot problems and receive support regardless of where the person is located.

The brand has also experimented with AI to provide customers with a chatbot option. While Ken says that he prefers talking to a real person himself, he also recognizes that many customers like automated options. Their app provides options for both types of consumers.