DogCo Secrets

Michelle Kline
  • 5.0 (4)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Ready to scale your pet care business? Practical advice you can implement easily and quickly to 10x the growth of your business, musings on the current state of the pet care industry, and all the tips and tricks I've learned from coaching over 200 companies in the last two years.

  1. 2D AGO

    4 Things I got Wrong in 2026 | Ep. 111

    In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain a bit and sharing four assumptions I made coming into 2026 that either weren’t correct or should have been on my radar earlier. This year has already forced a lot of growth for me, and I’m realizing that some of the biggest lessons aren’t about what’s working, they’re about what I missed.   I walk through everything from the identity shift required when your team scales quickly, to how changes in AI and search are impacting lead flow, to some personal decisions around travel and energy that didn’t play out the way I expected. We also get into a tactical miss around marketing cadence, specifically how stepping away from audience building too early created friction when it came time to promote something new. If you’re in a season of growth or things feel a little messy right now, this episode will help you think more clearly about what might be happening underneath the surface and how to adjust. And if you’re looking to grow alongside other operators who are thinking this way, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. 👉 https://dogcosummit.com ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Why I’m reflecting this early into the year 1:30 – The “messy middle” of growth 2:00 – Mistake #1: Not making the identity shift to CEO 4:20 – Leading vs collaborating inside a growing team 6:00 – Mistake #2: Misreading changes in SEO and AI discovery 8:00 – Why lead flow has shifted in 2026 9:30 – Mistake #3: Overloading the first half of the year with travel 12:00 – The cost of poor energy and calendar planning 13:30 – Mistake #4: Neglecting audience building early in the year 15:30 – Give vs ask, and why marketing felt off 🧠 Key Takeaways • Rapid growth requires an identity shift as a leader • You can’t scale a team while operating like an individual contributor • How businesses get discovered online is changing quickly • SEO alone is no longer a reliable lead source • Asking better questions early leads to better decisions • Poor calendar planning creates unnecessary stress and risk • Energy management is just as important as strategy • Audience building must happen before you need it • Giving value consistently builds trust and conversion • Marketing without value feels forced and less effective 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If you’re serious about growing your pet care business and want to be around others navigating similar challenges, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 👉 https://dogcosummit.com –M

    17 min

  2. 5D AGO

    How I Doubled My Team's Tips | Ep. 110

    In this episode, I’m sharing one of the more controversial strategies I’ve used in my business, and one that had a direct impact on increasing take-home pay for my team. As a business owner, there are real limits to how much you can increase wages without putting pressure on your margins. I ran into that ceiling myself, and instead of pushing further on hourly pay, I started asking a different question: how can I increase what my team takes home in a way the business can actually sustain?   That led me to rethink how tipping works inside a service business, and more specifically, how systems influence behavior. In this episode, I walk through the exact shift I made, moving from an “opt-in” tipping model to an “opt-out” system, and how that simple change significantly increased tips for my team. We also talk about the concept of friction, how small barriers inside your systems shape client decisions, and why where you place that friction matters. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and I want you to make the decision that feels aligned for your business. But if you’re looking for ways to better support your team financially without breaking your model, this is worth thinking about. 🧠 Key Takeaways • Wage increases are often limited by business margins • Systems can influence behavior more than intention alone • Opt-out models typically outperform opt-in models • Friction determines what actions clients take or avoid • Small system changes can create a significant financial impact • Tipping can be structured intentionally, not left to chance • Supporting your team may require creative problem-solving • Transparency is key when implementing changes like this 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If you’re serious about building a stronger, more sustainable pet care business, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 👉 https://dogcosummit.com

    7 min

  3. APR 27

    Knowing When to Invest & When to Play it Safe | Ep. 109

    In this episode, I’m breaking down when it actually makes sense to invest in your business, and when it doesn’t. I’m very pro-investment, but there is nuance, and knowing the difference is what allows you to grow strategically instead of reactively.   I walk through three scenarios where investing tends to make sense, including when you see a clear return, when you’re solving a specific skill gap, and when an investment frees up your time. We also get into the other side of this, the conditions where you should be more cautious, especially around financial stability, lack of savings, or being behind on taxes. If you’ve ever felt unsure about where to put your time or money, this episode will help you think more clearly about how to make those decisions. If you’re ready to take your business seriously and surround yourself with other operators doing the same, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. We’re bringing together top speakers and real operators to help you grow and scale with clarity. 👉 https://dogcosummit.com ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Why investing needs more nuance 1:30 – Time vs money as forms of investment 3:00 – Infinite opportunities, limited resources 4:00 – The DogCo Business Summit announcement 5:15 – Scenario 1: Clear return on investment (80/20) 7:00 – Why data matters before spending money 8:30 – Scenario 2: Closing a specific skill gap 10:15 – Scenario 3: Buying back your time 12:00 – When NOT to invest (financial stability, savings, taxes) 14:30 – Final framework for making better decisions 🧠 Key Takeaways • Not all investments are created equal • Time is often your most expensive resource • Invest more into what produces disproportionate returns • Data should guide your financial decisions • Solving a clear skill gap can justify investment • Buying back your time creates long-term leverage • Avoid “panic investing” without clear direction • Financial stability should come before major risk • Savings create flexibility in decision-making • Strategic thinking leads to better long-term growth 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If you’re serious about growing your pet care business and want to be around others doing the same, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. October 2nd–4th, 2026 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Learn more at: https://dogcosummit.com -M

    16 min

  4. APR 24

    Top 3 Takeaways from My Conversation with Steve Beck | Ep. 108

    In this episode, I’m breaking down my top three takeaways from my recent conversation with Steve Beck, and why I think they matter so much for how you lead your business right now. The biggest one is this, avoiding hard conversations is often the real bottleneck in your business. Not operations, not marketing, not lead flow, but the things you know need to be addressed and haven’t.   I also talk about why inconsistent feedback creates bigger problems over time, and how normalizing feedback early and often changes the entire dynamic of your team. And finally, we get into something that I think is non-negotiable for leaders, you cannot create psychological safety for your team if you are not practicing it yourself. This episode is a quick reflection, but it’s one I’d encourage you to take seriously. If something here stands out to you, it’s probably worth addressing directly. 🧠 Key Takeaways • Avoiding hard conversations creates hidden bottlenecks in your business • People problems are often the root of stalled growth • Inconsistent feedback makes small issues harder to fix later • Frequent feedback makes teams stronger and more adaptable • Leaders set the tone for how feedback is received • Psychological safety starts with the leader, not the team • You can’t expect vulnerability if you’re not modeling it • Addressing problems early prevents bigger breakdowns 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If this episode resonated, this is exactly the kind of work we’re diving deeper into at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th, 2026 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 👉 https://dogcosummit.com

    8 min

  5. APR 20

    How Hard Conversations Can Save Your Business with Steve Beck | Ep. 107

    In this episode, I’m joined by Steve Beck: someone I’ve known for a long time and someone whose work has become incredibly relevant for the clients I serve today. We talk about one of the most overlooked challenges in growing a team, navigating people, conflict, and communication in a way that actually moves the business forward.   If you’ve ever felt like your business got harder as you added more people, or like you accidentally became a “people leader” without being trained for it, this conversation will resonate. Steve shares how most team issues don’t come from big moments; they come from a lack of clarity, avoided conversations, and delayed feedback. We also get into what actually creates psychological safety on a team, why insecurity shows up in leadership, and how to start addressing problems earlier, before they become much harder to fix. This is one of those conversations that will challenge how you think about leadership, not from a theory standpoint, but from what actually happens inside real teams. Learn more about Steve on his Website: 👉 https://www.cstevebeck.com ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Introducing Steve Beck + why this conversation matters 2:00 – From loving animals to managing people 4:30 – Why most people problems are actually preventable 7:30 – The real friction point: lack of clarity and expectations 10:00 – Why feedback breakdowns create team issues 12:45 – Can leaders create psychological safety? 14:30 – Signs ego is driving your leadership 16:00 – Avoiding hard conversations and the cost 17:45 – “Everything you want is on the other side of a hard conversation” 19:30 – Courage vs fear in leadership 22:00 – Why avoidance turns into resentment 25:00 – How to normalize feedback early 27:30 – Catching problems before they compound 30:00 – How great teams review and improve consistently 31:30 – What Steve hopes for businesses in 2026 🧠 Key Takeaways • Most team issues come from delayed or avoided conversations • Clarity of expectations prevents the majority of conflict • Leadership requires a completely different skill set than execution • Psychological safety starts with the leader • Insecurity shows up as reactivity or avoidance • Hard conversations are unavoidable if you want to grow • Feedback should be frequent, not reserved for big problems • Avoidance leads to resentment and bigger breakdowns • Strong teams normalize feedback in all directions • Growth requires courage, not the absence of fear 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If this conversation hit for you, this is exactly the type of work we’re going deeper into at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th, 2026 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina Steve will be speaking live, and we’ll be working through these exact challenges, leadership, communication, and building stronger teams. 👉 https://dogcosummit.com -M

    37 min

  6. APR 17

    My Number 1 Rule on Feedback | Ep. 106

    In this episode, I’m sharing a simple rule we use at DogCo that has had a significant impact on how our team operates: if you have feedback to give, give it within 24 hours. Most issues inside a team aren’t big at the start, they become big because no one addressed them early. They are often a result of avoided conversations, delayed feedback, and an attempt to keep things comfortable in the moment, which creates much bigger problems later.   This episode is about normalizing feedback as part of your culture, not something that only happens when things go wrong. When feedback is consistent, timely, and expected, it becomes easier to give, easier to receive, and far less emotionally charged. If you want a stronger team, better communication, and fewer “hard conversations,” this is a rule worth implementing. 🧠 Key Takeaways • Delayed feedback creates bigger problems over time • Most “hard conversations” could be avoided with earlier input • Feedback should be normalized, not reserved for mistakes • Timely feedback reduces emotional weight and tension • Consistency builds trust across a team • Avoiding feedback limits growth and clarity • Feedback is one of the most valuable tools for development • Strong teams are built on clear, ongoing communication 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If you’re serious about building a stronger team and scaling your pet care business, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina 👉 https://dogcosummit.com

    6 min

  7. APR 13

    How I'm Using AI in 2026 So Far | Ep. 105

    In this episode, I walk through how I’m currently using AI inside my business and what I’m learning as I go. I share a few specific ways it’s been useful so far, along with a challenge I created to get more intentional about how I use it.   I’ll be honest, I don’t consider myself an early adopter when it comes to technology. It’s not something I naturally gravitate toward. But after hearing a compelling argument about how businesses that ignore AI right now may end up in the same position as those that ignored the internet, I decided to take it seriously. So this is not a “perfect system” episode. This is a real look at how I’m learning, testing, and building a working understanding of AI in real time. If you’ve been hesitant to explore AI or you’re not sure where it actually fits in your business, this will give you a practical starting point without overcomplicating it. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Why I decided to take AI seriously 1:10 – The risk of ignoring AI right now 2:30 – Where I draw the line with AI 3:45 – Using AI to synthesize content into tools 5:15 – Turning ideas and SOPs into usable outputs 6:40 – Using AI for analysis and feedback 8:20 – AI as a thinking and planning partner 9:45 – My AI learning challenge 11:15 – The importance of context when using AI 12:45 – Treating AI like an employee 14:00 – Using AI to support, not replace thinking 🧠 Key Takeaways • AI is a tool to support how you work, not replace you • Ignoring AI right now may put businesses at a disadvantage • Synthesizing information is one of the most practical use cases • AI can help bring clarity to data and decision-making • Context significantly improves the quality of output • Treat AI like something you need to train and refine • It can be useful as a thinking and planning partner • You don’t need to master it, you need to start using it • Structured practice accelerates learning • The goal is better clarity, not less thinking 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If you’re serious about growing and scaling your pet care business, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina We’ve brought together top operators and speakers to give you real strategies for growth, leadership, and scaling. 👉 https://dogcosummit.com

    14 min

  8. APR 10

    Redesign Your Workflow in 3 Hours | Ep. 104

    In this episode, I’m talking about something that has become a major focus for me recently: designing a systems workflow for your team. If you’re looking for one of the highest leverage areas in your business right now, this might be it. As DogCo has grown, I’ve had to rethink how work actually moves through the business. What worked when it was just me or a very small team stopped working quickly once we added more people. Communication started breaking down, things weren’t as visible, and it became harder to track who was responsible for what. I share a personal realization I had recently. I was asking my team to operate inside structured systems, but I hadn’t fully done that for myself yet. Once I built out my own workflow inside a project management system, it immediately changed how I think, how I prioritize, and how I execute. So this episode is about what happens when you move from individual effort to structured workflow, and why that shift is critical if you want your team (and yourself) to operate at a high level.   I walk through how I’ve been building this out internally, from capturing meeting notes and turning them into actionable tasks, to creating project dashboards that give visibility across the entire team. I share some great tools that can be used to accomplish this.  I also talk about building what I would call a “second brain,” a system for capturing ideas and resources in a way that actually helps you solve problems over time, instead of constantly starting from scratch. If you feel like things are slipping through the cracks in your business, or like your team isn’t as aligned as they could be, this episode will help you start thinking differently about how work gets done. 🧠 Key Takeaways • Workflow design is one of the highest leverage areas in your business • What works for a small team breaks quickly as you grow • Lack of visibility creates confusion and missed communication • Systems create accountability and clarity across a team • You need to operationalize yourself, not just your team • Organized thinking leads to better execution • A “second brain” helps you retain and apply what you learn • You don’t need perfect systems, you just need to start • Most workflow systems can be built in a few focused hours • Treat yourself like an operator inside your own business 🚀 Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit If you’re ready to take your pet care business to the next level, I want you in the room at the DogCo Business Summit. 📍 October 2nd–4th, 2026 📍 Winston-Salem, North Carolina We’ve brought together some of the best speakers and operators in the industry to give you real strategies for growth, scaling, and leadership. 👉 Learn more and grab your spot at: https://dogcosummit.com

    10 min
See All (111)

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Ready to scale your pet care business? Practical advice you can implement easily and quickly to 10x the growth of your business, musings on the current state of the pet care industry, and all the tips and tricks I've learned from coaching over 200 companies in the last two years.

Information

  • Creator
    Michelle Kline
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    111
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Michelle Kline
  • Show Website
    DogCo Secrets

You Might Also Like