Courtesy Warren London

After graduation, some find a job and stick with it through their entire working career. Others start on one career path and then find something new to pursue.

For Eric Bittman, a Towson alumnus, it was the latter.

Bittman began his college career in 2000 when he moved into Prettyman Hall. In 2004, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration with a concentration in management. Soon after, he became a tax accountant and worked for the next six years at accounting firms Grant Thornton and J.H. Cohn LLP. While Bittman said he earned valuable tools at these jobs, but knew the profession wasn’t for him.

One day, Bittman’s father-in-law, who has been a manufacturer in the cosmetic beauty business for 30 years, brought Bittman to his factory to learn the ropes and behind-the-scenes work of getting a business started.

With that knowledge and determination, Bittman became the founder of Warren London, a company that sells dog grooming and spa products to dog owners and retail stores around the world.

“It took me about a year and a half to set up and then launch my company,” Bittman said in an e-mail. “[It’s] a long tedious process, and things that you think will take three days turn into three weeks.”

The idea for the company derived from Bittman and his wife, Sara’s, love for dogs. They met in 2005 and bought a Boston Terrier, which they named Maurice.

“When I met Eric, he was working as an accountant, which he was never really happy doing,” Sara Bittman said in an e-mail. “He doesn’t like being stuck in an office all day working for a bunch of other people that don’t really know him, so he always wanted to be on his own, devoting his time to building a business rather than punching a clock at a large corporation.”

After about six months, Maurice developed severe skin allergies and began to suffer from dry and itchy skin. Even his medicated shampoos didn’t help.

“I decided to use my love for dogs and lifelong desire to start my own business and try to create products that would help my dog and other dogs like him live a happy and healthy life,” Bittman said. “Being a business major at Towson, I left with a well-rounded education that has helped me in areas like accounting, business law, and an assortment of management and marketing classes, which have helped me become a confident entrepreneur.”

Warren London has natural products created from ingredients collected around the world, according to Bittman.

A few products they sell include “pawdicure” fizz tablets, grape seed oil paw moisturizer, paw sanitizer, and 10-in-1 after bath spray.

“Dog grooming doesn’t have to be as boring as shampooing the dog, cutting their hair, and trimming their nails,” he said. “Dogs deserve better than that. Every dog deserves a spa day, and Warren London has created a line for not only groomers to create new spa treatments, but many of these services can be easily done at home for a fair price.”

As of now, Warren London products are offered online and at a few local pet stores. The company is also in the process of developing products like dog nail polish pens.

“Warren London is so excited for the future and some of the new products we are working on,” he said. “I hope to help in any way I can to fight for animal rights and stricter safety laws, which is something I hope to get more involved in as I work in this industry.”

To learn more about the business, go to the Warren London website.