Ninis Samuel

ninis-and-kerby

Name: Ninis Samuel

Title: Founder & CEO BarkHappy Inc.

Bark Happy Twitter

Bark Happy Facebook 

Bark Happy Instagram

Ninis Twitter

Ninis Instagram

Age: 35

Married/Single: Single

Kids: No, but my dog Kerby is my son!

City you live in: Austin

A typical day in my life includes…

hanging with my dog Kerby (a.k.a our Chief Puppy Officer at BarkHappy), running the day to day of my startup, usually a boot camp gym class or a bike ride, and lots of time spent thinking about food and where to go eat next!

I was born…

just outside Chicago. I’ve lived all over including in the Phoenix/Chandler area in the past for a long hot summer. After living in Seattle and Chicago I still miss real winters though…have you heard? Winter is Coming…

My favorite thing about Arizona…

the biking trails! When I lived in Phoenix, it made me fall in love with biking …of course except when there were those crazy sand storms that covered the city!

I’m listening to…

Feel the Love (feat. John Newman) by Rudimental. Uplifting with great beats!

My family…

is amazing! I don’t deserve them. Without my family and my loving parents I’d be nowhere. I’m the middle child and a lucky uncle to 3 little nephews and 2 baby nieces. The give the best hugs!

If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…

Anthony Bourdain, you know you’d find some great eats and would be fun to hang with. He probably has some great stories.

One thing I cannot live without…

ice Cream…the fat kid in me is on a mission to find the best hot fudge sundae in every city.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…

a Pilot, I thought it would be so cool to fly for a living. Now I just love to travel as much as I can on planes to fun places around the world or my fave cities.

I’m inspired by…

my dog Kerby. He inspired me to create BarkHappy. Seeing how much he loves being social, meeting new people and going places with me. Adopting him from a rescue years ago changed my life. Now there are thousands of people all over the country and their dogs enjoying experiences because of an app he inspired.

The one person who motivates me is…

Bill Gates. He’s the ultimate entrepreneur that changed the world, and now giving away his entire fortune to charities and causes to better people’s lives. I’m fortunate to have met him in the past when I worked at Microsoft and I think he sets a great example to the world’s billionaires to give back. Especially in a world where you look around and so many of the rich and famous just waste their money on stupid things, more should follow his example and better the world.

If I could change anything in the world, it would be…

to end all the hate we’re seeing around the world lately. It’s the root of so much war and death. Humans have to be better than this.

The perfect day would be…

spending the day with my pup, ordering the entire menu at a new restaurant to share with all my best friends, exploring a new city on foot, all followed by a nice long full night of sleep in a super comfy bed (yes I miss sleep these days).

My first job was…

working at a sporting goods store when I was 16. I loved the employee discounts!

My favorite escape…

movies…I love going to the movies at an actual theater. Something that doesn’t require lots brainpower. There is something about that smell of popcorn and watching something fun (especially scary movies) with a friend and having an audience around you…its the best. Popcorn with extra butter of course!

My life…

is full of happy dogs, good food, great people..and tons of great experiences that have made me grow as a person. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I’m currently working on…

taking BarkHappy, my startup, to the next level. Its a free mobile app for dog lovers! We just went nationwide and we’re building a growing social platform for dog owners to make new friends, and find dog friendly places and events. Its my dream come true..a mix of my technology background and passion for dogs. Every day is full of excitement and stress, never a dull moment!

Always…

surround yourself with good people. I believe the people in your life are a reflection of who you are.

Never…

forget where you came from, and the people that helped you. Staying grounded is the best way to ensure success

Favorite Quote…

Eat Well. Travel Often. Bring Your Dog” – my motto

Biggest Dream…

to be able to give back on a large scale to help other entrepreneurs and non-profits. There are so many great startups and charities that need help, I’d love to be able to do so one day.

My Pet Peeve(s)…

  1. People that lack of ambition. It doesn’t matter what you do in life, but have passion to be better!
  2. Restaurants that don’t take reservations and have like 2 hour waits…sorry no way.
  3. People that walk slow in the airport..why do I always get stuck behind them?
  4. Anyone who abuses or hates dogs.
Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts