In this episode, I sit down with Rachel Bowers for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast about the realities of scaling a pet care business. Rachel built Brooklyn Bark from a solo dog walking business into a large-scale New York City operation handling hundreds of visits per day, and this conversation goes far beyond growth tactics. We talk about what scaling actually feels like when you’re managing people, risk, emergencies, safety systems, client expectations, insurance, training, and the emotional weight that comes with caring for live animals inside other people’s homes. This episode also dives into the overlap between entrepreneurship and emergency response. Rachel now works in pet first aid, consulting, and volunteer firefighting, and the way she thinks about preparedness, SOPs, leadership, and crisis management has completely reframed parts of how I think about pet care businesses. If you own a pet care company and want to scale responsibly, this is one of the most important conversations we’ve released this year. 🧠 Key Takeaways • Pet care complexity increases dramatically with scale • Managing people is fundamentally different from providing service directly • Emergency preparedness must be proactive, not reactive • SOPs reduce panic during crisis situations • Teams need structured communication during emergencies • Fight, flight, freeze responses affect decision-making • Insurance gaps can create massive business risk • Safety protocols vary depending on geography and service model • Great leadership requires thinking several moves ahead • Preparedness builds confidence, trust, and operational stability 🚀 Join Us at the DogCo Business Summit Rachel Bowers will be speaking live at the DogCo Business Summit this October, diving deeper into safety systems, preparedness, crisis planning, and operational leadership for scaling pet care companies. October 2nd–4th 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In-person and digital tickets available 👉 https://dogcosummit.com ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Introducing Rachel Bowers & the DogCo Summit 1:19 – Building Brooklyn Bark into a large NYC pet care company 3:18 – Why pet care businesses are more complex than outsiders realize 7:25 – Scaling from solo operator to managing large teams 13:33 – Rachel’s transition into consulting, CPR & firefighting 22:28 – Safety systems & “oh sh*t” planning for pet care companies 24:02 – Michelle’s story about training a GM for crisis management 27:38 – Why emergency SOPs matter more than most owners realize 33:00 – The liability realities of scaling a pet care company 40:10 – “Safety is a system, not a vibe” -M
