Pet Boarding and Daycare Podcast with Dominic Hodgson

Barkleigh Productions

Welcome to the Pet Boarding and Daycare Podcast, the show that shares the secrets to unleashing the next phase of your pet business growth.

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 145 – From Stagnant to Soaring: How One Dog Daycare Owner Reignited Her Profits After 20 Years

    Have you been running your dog daycare or pet resort for years, making a decent living, but wondering whether there’s still another level of growth available to you? Are you so familiar with the way your business operates that you’ve stopped noticing the opportunities sitting right under your nose? And what if the biggest opportunity to grow your profits, attract more clients and make your business more valuable isn’t some fancy new marketing strategy… but something you’re already sitting on? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom takes listeners behind the scenes of a private consultation day with Kim Buchanan, owner of Fetch Dog Resort in Zionsville, Indiana, and winner of Dom’s Marketer of the Year Award. Kim has been in business for 20 years and, before joining Dom’s coaching world, had reached a point where she was making a comfortable living, working around four hours a day and describing herself as semi-retired.  But although the business was doing well, it had stopped growing. After discovering enrichment and joining Dom’s coaching programme, Kim began transforming her business, introducing new services, increasing revenue opportunities, developing her team and stepping into a more strategic leadership role. Now Kim has a different goal. She wants to make Fetch Dog Resort as profitable, sustainable and valuable as possible, giving herself the option to retire or step away within the next five years. Dom spent a day touring her facility, meeting her team, exploring the local community and identifying opportunities that Kim had become too close to the business to recognise.  They discuss how to generate more demand, build relationships with influential people in the community, create a predictable pipeline of new clients and develop the systems that could make Fetch more attractive to a future buyer.  In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Even Successful Pet Businesses Leave Money on the Table – How 20 years of experience can sometimes make owners blind to opportunities that an outsider can spot almost immediately. How Enrichment Transformed Fetch Dog Resort – Why introducing structured enrichment allowed Kim to offer something different, increase revenue opportunities and create a more fulfilling experience for dogs and staff. The Power of Stepping Out of Your Business – How Kim moved from working in the daycare to developing a general manager, an enrichment manager and a stronger leadership team. Why Your Existing Clients Could Be Your Biggest Growth Opportunity – How deeper relationships with your best customers can introduce you to influential people, potential referral partners and new opportunities in your local community. How to Make Your Dog Daycare More Valuable and Sellable – Why building predictable lead generation, improving profitability and reducing owner dependency can create a better business, even if you have no immediate plans to sell. Why Fresh Eyes Can Fast-Track Your Business Growth – How an experienced coach, consultant or mastermind group can help you identify blind spots, challenge old assumptions and find shortcuts to achieving your goals. Remember, the Doors to the Dog Daycare Success Academy – the only international pet resort mastermind in the world – Are now OPEN! As this episode goes live, Dom is at the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey, and the doors to his Dog Daycare Success Academy (DDSA) are opening for a limited time. Kim’s story is a fantastic example of what can happen when an experienced pet business owner gets access to fresh ideas, expert coaching, a supportive network of ambitious owners and practical systems for growing a more profitable business. Find out more and apply at petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy Huge thanks to Kim for sharing her story and giving us an insight into how she grew her business. Find out more at Fetchresort.com A huge thank you to Canine Lab Testing for sponsoring this week’s episode. Did you know most dogs carrying parasites show no obvious symptoms, which means an undetected problem can spread through a busy daycare or boarding facility before anyone realises there’s an issue. Canine Lab Testing provides a quick, affordable and reliable way to collect samples on-site and receive results the next day. Their partnership with the National Veterinary Diagnostic Lab helps facilities protect the dogs in their care, reassure clients and potentially turn faecal testing into an additional revenue stream. Find out more at caninelabtesting.com Episode Highlights [01:42] – Dom introduces Kim Buchanan, her Marketer of the Year Award and the purpose of their private consultation day. [05:22] – Dog News: from canine Sunday roasts to doggy caviar and £550 VIP experiences, what luxury restaurants can teach pet businesses about premium services. [09:12] – Kim introduces Fetch Dog Resort and explains her goal of building a business she can retire from or step away from within five years. [13:10] – Why Kim’s business had stagnated after 15 years, despite providing her with a comfortable living, and how discovering enrichment changed her thinking. [15:46] – How Kim moved into a CEO role, developed her management team and used enrichment to create additional revenue opportunities. [19:01] – Why successful pet businesses need to keep evolving, including Fetch’s membership model, service positioning and potential rebranding. [20:31] – The unexpected value of touring Kim’s local community and discovering opportunities that demographic reports alone could never reveal. [24:51] – How Dom and Kim plan to build a more predictable client acquisition system that will also make Fetch more attractive to a future buyer. [28:29] – Kim explains how coaching has reignited her enthusiasm for the business and made her feel more confident about its future. [33:24] – Dom’s advice for creating your own business growth plan, getting fresh perspectives and surrounding yourself with people who can help you move forward faster.

  2. Oct 28

    Ep. 144 – How to Reduce Staff Turnover in Your Pet Resort with Amy Hillis (Plus Your Ultimate Expo Survival Guide: Make the Most of Your Hershey Experience)

    Are you constantly recruiting, hiring and training new staff members, only to watch them leave a few months later? Have you tried handing more responsibility to your managers, but somehow everything still seems to come back to YOU? And what if the biggest obstacle preventing you from stepping away from the day-to-day running of your pet business isn’t your staff, your systems or your managers… but the way you’ve built the business in the first place? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by Amy Hillis, co-founder of Social Pet Hotel & Daycare, to discover how she and her husband Bill have transformed their three-location pet care business by putting people, leadership and culture at the centre of everything they do.  Amy shares the remarkable turnaround they’ve achieved, reducing staff turnover from a staggering 163% to just 22% in their most recent quarter, while getting all three locations profitable. She also reveals the critical mistake they made when opening their third facility, why they stepped away too soon, and what they discovered about the dangers of trying to delegate company culture before it’s properly established. They also explore what it REALLY takes to move from being the person doing the work, to managing the business, to finally leading an organisation that can operate successfully without your constant involvement. Amy shares how Social Pet has improved its hiring, onboarding, staff development and communication, why organisational charts should be built around positions rather than people, and how enrichment is helping the business stand out in a Charlotte marketplace with 181 active daycare and boarding providers.  Plus, with the Hershey Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo just days away, Dom shares his Expo Survival Guide, including how to identify the problems you need to solve, find the right people to help you and make sure you return home with a practical plan rather than another notebook full of ideas. In this episode, you’ll discover: How Social Pet Slashed Staff Turnover From 163% to 22% – The changes Amy and Bill made to their recruitment, onboarding, leadership development and company culture that helped them dramatically improve employee retention. The Biggest Mistake They Made Opening Their Third Location – Why Amy believes they stepped away too soon, what happened when they tried to delegate culture from day one, and how they eventually turned things around. How to Build a Business That Doesn’t Depend on You – Amy’s framework for progressing from doing the work, to managing the operation, to leading the organisation, so your business can grow without consuming your entire life. Why You Should Build Your Organisational Chart Around Positions, NOT People – The dangers of creating management roles for employees you like rather than designing the structure your business actually needs. How to Get the Maximum Return From Attending an Industry Expo – Dom’s practical guide to planning your visit, making valuable connections, choosing the right ideas and turning what you learn into profitable action. Don’t forget you can join Amy, Dom and all the other amazing speakers at the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey There’s less than one week to go!  The Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey is almost here, bringing together hundreds of pet care business owners, around 100 vendors and more than 30 speakers for three and a half days of education, networking and business development. If you’re serious about making 2027 your most successful year yet, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. Grab your ticket at petboardingexpo.com Thanks to Amy for being an awesome podcast guest. Find out more about social pet by going to socialpet.com A huge thank you to Canine Lab Testing for sponsoring this week’s episode. Most dogs carrying parasites show absolutely no symptoms, which means an undetected problem can quickly spread through a busy boarding or daycare facility without anybody realising there’s an issue. Canine Lab Testing provides a quick, affordable and reliable way to collect samples on-site and receive results the next day. Their partnership with the National Veterinary Diagnostic Lab helps facilities protect the dogs in their care, give clients additional peace of mind and potentially turn faecal testing into an additional revenue stream. Find out more at caninelabtesting.com To join the waiting list for Dom’s Dog Daycare Success Academy click here now  Episode Highlights [03:41] – Dom’s Hershey Expo Survival Guide: why you should arrive with three business problems you want to solve, rather than just a list of things you’d like to learn. [08:53] – How to evaluate the ideas you discover at Expo, calculate their potential financial upside and decide who will implement them. [11:37] – Why you shouldn’t come home with just a notebook full of ideas, and how to turn your Expo experience into profitable action. [16:33] – Amy Hillis reveals how Social Pet turned around its third location, made all three facilities profitable and reduced staff turnover from 163% to 22%. [19:53] – How Social Pet builds a stronger company culture through employee development, accountability, communication and experiences outside the business. [21:56] – Amy reveals the biggest mistake she and Bill made when opening their third location: stepping away too soon and trying to delegate company culture. [24:25] – How Social Pet uses enrichment, sensory spaces and unique experiences to stand out in a marketplace with 181 daycare and boarding competitors. [28:20] – Why you should build your organisational chart around the positions your business needs, rather than creating management roles for people you like. [31:26] – How structured communication, one-to-one meetings and consistent accountability help managers lead without everything falling back on the owner. [35:55] – Why Amy believes attending Hershey is one of the best investments pet business owners can make in themselves, their relationships and their future growth.

  3. Oct 21

    Ep. 143 – Is Your Pet Business Becoming Invisible? How AI Search Is Changing the Way Dog Owners Find You

    Has your pet business been open for 10, 15 or even 20 years… but suddenly the phones aren’t ringing quite as often as they used to? Are newer competitors and franchises appearing in your market with bigger marketing budgets, stronger Google rankings and making a LOT more noise? And just when you thought you’d finally got your head around Google and SEO… are you now wondering how ChatGPT, AI search, Bing and even Yelp mean for your pet business? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by the awesome Duane Carey from Impact Marketing to examine what’s happening in an increasingly competitive pet care marketplace. Duane is seeing long-established pet resorts that never previously needed to advertise suddenly finding themselves flat or even 10–20% down, while well-funded new competitors arrive with sophisticated marketing and advertising. They discuss why simply being brilliant at looking after dogs is no longer enough if prospective clients can’t FIND you, why pet businesses need a consistent pipeline of new clients even when retention is strong, and why waiting until revenues have already dropped can make turning things around much harder. Then Duane looks at the next big change: AI search. Google still dominates local searches such as “dog daycare near me”, but more consumers are using AI tools and AI-generated search results, creating new rules around what makes a pet business visible and authoritative online. Duane explains why information like PRICING now needs to be clearly available on your website, why Bing and Yelp may deserve more attention than they have in the past, and why the content on your website increasingly needs to answer the questions of humans AND the machines searching on their behalf. Plus, Dom shares a brilliant piece of dog research that provides a surprisingly useful lesson about creating marketing content that cuts through all the generic social media noise. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Long-Established Pet Businesses Are Suddenly Feeling the Squeeze – Duane shares what he’s seeing from operators who’ve been successful for 15 or 20 years but are now flat or losing revenue. Why Being Brilliant With Dogs Isn’t Enough Anymore – New competitors may not have your experience, but if they’re better funded and better marketed, prospective clients may never discover the difference. Why You ALWAYS Need a New Client Pipeline – Even with fantastic retention, dogs eventually age out of your services, which means new clients continually need to enter the business. How AI Is Changing Search – Why ChatGPT, Google AI and other tools are beginning to change the way consumers research businesses and the information search engines consider important. Why Hiding Your Prices Could Hurt Your Visibility – Duane explains why transparent website pricing is becoming even more important as AI tools search for clear answers to consumer questions. The Doggy Lesson in Dog Whistle Marketing – How research into the way dogs filter human speech provides a perfect analogy for creating specific marketing that cuts through a prospect’s endless stream of online noise. Episode Highlights [03:40] – Dom previews his upcoming US trip, San Francisco DDSA Immersion, mastermind and Hershey Expo — and why he still invests in coaching and masterminds himself. [10:00] – Dog News: fascinating research into how dogs identify important words inside continuous human speech. [10:57] – Dom turns that research into a marketing lesson: your prospects are filtering out generic social media content in exactly the same way. [13:43] – Duane reveals the worrying trend he’s seeing among pet businesses that have been operating successfully for 15–20 years but are now flat or down. [16:26] – Why well-capitalised franchises and new competitors can win attention even when established independents have greater pet care expertise. [20:41] – Why there’s no resting on your laurels anymore — and why marketing has a lag that makes acting BEFORE you’re desperate so important. [25:03] – Duane explains why he believes industry events like Hershey are increasingly important when owners are dealing with changing demand and increased competition. [26:31] – How AI is beginning to influence pet resort lead generation and why owners need to understand the changing search landscape. [28:30] – Zero-click search, AI-generated answers and why traditional Google search still matters enormously for local pet care businesses. [31:01] – Practical AI-search actions: put pricing on your website, answer important client questions and start paying attention to Bing and Yelp as well as Google. Hershey is getting VERY close now, but you still have time to grab a ticket and set yourself up for success in 2027. Start now by securing your place at the biggest Pet Boarding and Daycare expo in the world, click here to grab your ticket Remember, we have more than 30 live seminars, around 100 vendors and hundreds of pet boarding and daycare owners will be descending on the Hershey Lodge — from people considering opening their first facility to owners who’ve been operating for 20 or 30 years. Click here to grab your ticket now Big thanks to this weeks special guest Duane Carey, who will be in Hershey with Aaron Reiner delivering a deeper dive into AI and the future of search. Find out more about how IMPACT marketing can help your business by going to ImpactMarketing.net A HUGE thank you to Canine Lab Testing for sponsoring this week’s episode. Did you know most dogs carrying parasites show no symptoms, meaning infections can spread unnoticed through busy daycare and boarding facilities. Canine Lab Testing offers quick, affordable on-site sample collection with next-day results, helping you protect your pack, reassure clients and potentially create an additional revenue stream. Find out more at caninelabtesting.com

  4. Oct 14

    Ep. 142 – Growing Older, Staying Longer: How to Adapt Your Daycare to Keep Dogs and Clients for Longer

    Are you expecting a dog to fit into the same daycare programme at one, three, six and eight years old… even though the DOG has completely changed? Are you seeing dogs coming through your doors who need more help, more downtime or a different kind of social experience than they did five or ten years ago? And are you losing perfectly good long-term clients because their dog has “aged out” of traditional daycare — when you could be adapting the service around what that dog needs NOW? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by Mallory and Sam from Pack Pro and Fetch and Catch to talk about how daycare needs to evolve with the dogs inside it. Sam explains why sustained socialisation isn’t simply about putting dogs into playgroups and hoping they figure it out, particularly when many dogs appear to have less emotional bandwidth for long periods of social interaction. Mallory and Sam share how they continually evaluate their current groups, adapt environments as dogs mature and use enrichment, smaller groups, paired play and other options to keep dogs safely and happily using their services throughout different stages of life. They also lift the lid on what’s been happening behind the scenes at Fetch and Catch, where intentional staff development is helping them build the next generation of leaders from within. Mallory explains why owners need to deliberately identify and develop the people who could eventually replace existing leaders, while Sam shares her own journey from young canine coach to supervisor and Pack Pro coach over almost eleven years. Plus, Dom explores why pet businesses should think beyond what clients and dogs SEE and deliberately create multisensory experiences involving scent, sound and touch — borrowing ideas from Disney, luxury hotels, art galleries and other experience-led businesses. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Daycare Can’t Be a One-Size-Fits-All Service – The dog arriving at one year old won’t be the same dog at three, six or eight, so why should its daycare experience remain exactly the same? How to Sustain Socialisation Throughout a Dog’s Life – Why handlers need the skills and options to adapt play, enrichment, downtime and social interaction as dogs mature. Why New Dog Evaluations Are About More Than the New Dog – How your existing “inventory” of young, adult and senior dogs should influence whether and where a new dog fits into your programme. How to Build Your Next Generation of Leaders – Why successful owners deliberately identify potential future leaders rather than waiting until somebody leaves and desperately trying to replace them. What Sam’s 11-Year Journey Can Teach You About Staff Retention – How investing in ambitious young employees can turn what looks like an entry-level dog job into a genuine career. The Multisensory Pet Resort Experience – What pet businesses can learn from Disney, hotels, exhibitions and even Viking museums about using scent, sound, touch and other senses to create memorable experiences We’re now only around THREE WEEKS AWAY from the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey — and Mallory and Sam will both be speaking at this year’s event. Tickets available here And as Mallory says in this episode, Hershey isn’t simply about the presentations. It’s the conversations at the bar, around the fire and between sessions with owners at every stage of the pet business journey that can create relationships and ideas you’ll still be benefiting from years later. And your host Dom will also be delivering multiple sessions, including his four-hour Pet Business Mastermind Experience, with live hot seats and practical business development advice you can take straight back to your facility. No time to lose, grab your ticket at petboardingexpo.com Find out more about this weeks guests Pack Pro by going to Packprotraining.com A HUGE thank you to Canine Lab Testing for sponsoring this week’s episode. Did you know most dogs carrying parasites show no symptoms, meaning infections can spread unnoticed through busy daycare and boarding facilities. Canine Lab Testing offers quick, affordable on-site sample collection with next-day results, helping you protect your pack, reassure clients and potentially create an additional revenue stream. Find out more at caninelabtesting.com Episode Highlights [05:40] – Dom explores the growing use of scent in art, hospitality and experiential businesses — and what pet resorts can learn from it. [08:03] – Why scent should be more than something you use to cover up the smell of dogs and can become part of the client experience. [12:16] – Mallory and Sam share what’s been happening at Fetch and Catch as the business celebrates its 14th anniversary. [13:55] – How Mallory and Dan are deliberately developing their managers so those leaders can develop the next generation underneath them. [16:13] – Sam’s journey from young canine coach to supervisor — and how she’s now actively looking for the “little prodigies” she can develop herself. [19:30] – The moment Sam realised working with dogs didn’t have to be an entry-level job and could become a genuine long-term career. [26:07] – Sam previews her Hershey presentation on sustained socialisation and helping dogs remain successfully within daycare programmes. [27:51] – Are dogs becoming less resilient? Sam explains the changes she’s noticed in dogs since COVID and why some need more help navigating daycare. [30:49] – Why educating the OWNER about how their dog’s needs will change should be part of the daycare service from day one. [35:49] – How Fetch and Catch adapts the environment as dogs mature, including enrichment daycare, smaller groups and paired play rather than expecting the dog to adapt to one fixed programme.

  5. Oct 7

    Ep. 141 – Stop Hiring Like It’s 2016: How to Recruit & Retain Great Gen Z Pet Care Staff

    Are you constantly advertising, interviewing and training new staff… only to find yourself doing the whole bloody thing again a few months later? Are you still hiring pet care staff using the same boring job ads and interview process you’ve been using for years — even though the people you’re trying to attract have completely changed? And how much is your staff turnover REALLY costing you once you add up the advertising, interviewing, training, overtime, uniforms and management time involved every time somebody leaves? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by Rich Schlatter from Purr’n Pooch to talk about hiring, training and retaining the kind of people who can eventually help run your business without you. With more than 20 years of experience across everything from huge 300-animal facilities to smaller independent operations, Rich explains why a pet resort only becomes truly scalable when the owner stops simply hiring bodies and starts deliberately building people. Rich shares how he’s completely changed the way he recruits younger employees, including replacing boring text-heavy job posts with videos designed specifically to attract dog-obsessed Gen Z candidates, and why he treats recruitment much more like marketing. He also reveals why one new hire can easily cost a pet business more than $5,000, how changing his recruitment process meant he could sometimes go eight or nine months without needing to hire anyone, and why his “coach-up” approach to staff mistakes focuses on retraining and development BEFORE reaching for the dreaded write-up. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Recruitment Is Really Marketing – Rich explains why you need to think about WHO you’re trying to attract, what matters to them and how your recruitment message needs to change accordingly. How to Attract Dog-Obsessed Gen Z Candidates – Why video, photographs and the right language can be far more effective than another boring black-and-white job description. A Better Way to Interview – How Rich gradually moves candidates from text and email to a short video call, facility tour and formal interview instead of throwing them straight into an intimidating face-to-face meeting. The REAL Cost of Staff Turnover – Why replacing just one employee can cost upwards of $5,000 before you’ve even considered the wider impact on your clients and team. Why Your Training Needs to Be Documented – How detailed processes, trainer sign-offs and trainee sign-offs remove ambiguity and create greater accountability. Coach-Up Before You Write-Up – Why an employee mistake doesn’t automatically mean they need disciplining — and how retraining, investigation and better coaching can often fix the real problem. A huge thank you to Canine Lab Testing for sponsoring this week’s episode. Most dogs carrying parasites show absolutely no signs, meaning an undetected problem can spread through a daycare or boarding facility before you even know it’s there. Canine Lab Testing provides a quick and straightforward way to test for parasites, allowing facilities to collect samples on-site and receive results the next day. Their partnership with the National Veterinary Diagnostic Lab helps pet businesses protect the dogs in their care, reassure clients and potentially turn faecal testing into an additional revenue stream. Find out more at caninelabtesting.com. There are now just FOUR WEEKS until the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey — the biggest pet boarding and daycare expo in the world, click here to grab your ticket Dom will be delivering multiple sessions this year, including his brand-new Top Dog, Top Dollar presentation and a four-hour Pet Business Mastermind Experience, featuring live hot seats and practical business development advice designed to help attendees turn everything they learn at Expo into action when they get home. You’ll also be able to see Rich’s full presentation, Hiring, Firing, Coaching and Development: Creating the Team That Will Run Your Business For You, plus there’ll be dozens of other speakers, a packed vendor hall and hundreds of fellow pet business owners. Grab your Hershey ticket at petboardingexpo.com Episode Highlights [03:52] – Dom shares the seven traits of super-successful pet business owners from his recent Pet Pro Expo presentation. [06:56] – How Dom’s latest DDSA training helps pet businesses use social media storytelling to build familiarity, provide proof and move local dog owners towards action. [13:54] – Rich Schlatter joins Dom and shares his 20+ years of experience across virtually every type and size of pet care facility. [17:30] – Why a pet resort only becomes scalable when the owner stops hiring bodies and starts building people. [19:36] – Recruitment is marketing: why Rich has moved away from traditional job descriptions and started creating eye-catching video ads for dog-obsessed candidates. [21:24] – Rich breaks down his candidate journey from text and email to video call, facility tour and eventually a formal interview. [26:43] – The eye-watering true cost of employee turnover — and why Rich calculated that replacing one team member could cost more than $5,000. [28:40] – Why every element of staff training should be meticulous, detailed and documented. [30:00] – Forget automatically writing people up: Rich explains his “coach-up” approach to mistakes, retraining and employee development. [34:14] – Why, even after 20 years in the industry, Rich still considers Hershey the most valuable pet care event he attends each year.

  6. Sep 30

    Ep. 140 – Tough Talks & Tricky Situations: How to Prepare Your Dog Daycare Team for Angry Clients, Staff Problems & Unexpected Emergencies…

    Do your team leaders know what to say when a staff member isn’t performing, a customer is angry or something unexpected happens in your facility? Are you promoting brilliant dog people into management roles… and then expecting them to somehow figure out leadership for themselves? And how do you train your team for those difficult, stressful situations that might only happen once a year — but when they DO happen, you really need them to get it right? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by returning guest Alex Varney from Pinnacle Pets and Considerably Bold to talk about one of the biggest challenges facing growing pet care businesses: developing confident, capable leaders.  Alex shares the thinking behind her new Rough Call Leadership Deck, a set of 92 real-world scenarios designed to help pet care teams practise everything from underperforming employees and unhappy customers to emergency situations and those weird, unexpected problems that inevitably crop up when you’re running a busy facility. Alex explains why role-playing difficult situations before they happen can dramatically improve how your team responds under pressure, including the fascinating OODA Loop she learned about through her local police department. She also shares a painfully honest example of getting a difficult staff conversation wrong herself, explains how that mistake inspired her new Say This, Not That presentation at Hershey, and reveals why practising the words you want your leaders to use can prevent emotion taking over when it matters most.  Plus, Dom shares why consistent communication can become a powerful marketing asset for your pet business, and Alex reveals what happened when she finally implemented the substantial price increase she’d been putting off. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Great Dog People Don’t Automatically Become Great Leaders – Why leadership is a skill that needs to be deliberately taught, practised and developed. How to Train for the Weird Stuff – Why practising unusual situations, difficult conversations and emergencies helps staff make better decisions when the real thing happens. The Rough Call Leadership Deck – How Alex turned years of staff training notes and real-life problems into 92 scenarios pet businesses can use to develop their leaders. What Is The OODA Feedback Loop – Discover what Alex learned from the police about decision-making under pressure and how role-play can help your team respond faster and more effectively. Say This, Not That – How emotion can make even experienced leaders say completely the wrong thing — and why preparing for difficult conversations matters. Why Communication Is a Business Asset – Dom’s thoughts on podcasts, books and other media that allow you to consistently build familiarity and trust with potential clients. A huge thank you to Canine Lab Testing for sponsoring this week’s episode. Canine Lab Testing makes faecal testing quick and straightforward, allowing you to collect samples on-site and receive results the next day — helping you protect the dogs in your care, give clients extra peace of mind and potentially create an additional revenue stream for your business. Find out more at CanineLabsTesting.com Thanks also to our amazing guest this week Alex Varney, connect with Alex at ConsiderablyBold.com There are now less than five weeks to go until the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey, and Dom will be delivering THREE presentations this year, including his brand-new Top Dog, Top Dollar session and the Pet Business Mastermind Experience. You’ll also get the chance to see Alex Varney’s new Say This, Not That presentation, plus a packed line-up of speakers, vendors and pet business owners from across the industry. If you’re serious about making 2027 a bigger, better and more profitable year for your pet business, get yourself to Hershey. Grab your tickets at petboardingexpo.com Want to work with the World Leading Pet Business Coach?  Add your name to the waitlist for Dom’s Exclusive coaching program The Dog Daycare Success Academy now by clicking here now. Episode Highlights [02:14] – Dom introduces the newest member of the Hodgson household, Barbara the Brussels Griffon, and previews what’s coming up at Hershey [05:50] – Why ten years of podcasting has become an authority and business-building asset for Dom. [09:29] – Dom explains why regular communication creates familiarity, familiarity builds trust, and why pet businesses shouldn’t rely entirely on social media. [15:58] – Alex reveals what happened after implementing her biggest price increase in ten years — including the customer pushback she was expecting but didn’t get. [18:04] – Alex shares her experience since joining the Dog Daycare Success Academy and the impact it’s had on both her team and her leadership. [21:01] – Why promoting people into leadership without giving them the skills to lead creates problems — and how Alex began using role-play to solve it. [23:00] – A real example from Alex’s Rough Call Leadership Deck: how should a manager deal with an employee who isn’t keeping up with the pace of the business? [28:45] – Alex introduces the OODA Loop and explains why practising stressful situations helps staff make better decisions when something goes wrong. [33:30] – How to use scenarios and gamification in meetings, coaching sessions and everyday staff training. [35:17] – Alex shares the painful leadership mistake behind her new Say This, Not That Hershey presentation — including the three words she immediately regretted saying to a departing employee.

  7. Sep 23

    Ep. 139 – How to Add Recurring Retail Revenue to Your Pet Care Facility with Special Guest Melinda Stanford

    Are your clients already buying food, treats, toys and other pet products from somebody else every month? Have you thought about adding retail to your daycare, boarding or grooming business, but don’t know what to sell, how much stock to carry or where the hell to start? And what if the easiest way to make retail work isn’t filling your reception with hundreds of products… but finding a handful of carefully chosen items that enhance the services you’re already selling? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by Melinda Stanford, owner of Bark & Bone, a luxury grooming, mobile grooming and pet retail business in Carmel, Indiana. Melinda shares the lessons she’s learned since buying an existing business in 2022, including why she’d rebrand much faster if she did it again, how creating a clear ‘brand kit’ now guides everything from recruitment and customer communication to the products they stock, and what it’s really like building a business alongside her husband. Melinda also reveals some of the mistakes she’s made while growing the retail side of Bark & Bone and shares practical advice for daycare and boarding owners who want to introduce retail without turning themselves into a pet shop.  She explains why service businesses should start with products they can bundle into existing packages, how adding just $6 of retail product helped them increase the perceived value of a $35 grooming upgrade, and why low-cost, high-margin impulse products can be a much easier starting point than food.  Dom and Melinda also explore community partnerships, co-marketing and how becoming the trusted place clients turn to for MORE of their pet’s needs can create additional revenue without constantly hunting for new customers. In this episode, you’ll discover: The Pros and Cons of Buying an Existing Pet Business – Why inheriting clients, staff and a working facility can reduce risk, but can also leave you dealing with somebody else’s decisions. Why You Need to Make the Business Yours – Melinda’s biggest regret after buying Bark & Bone and why she’d rebrand immediately if she could do it again. Why Your Business DNA Comes Before Growth – How defining your values, vision and brand gives you a filter for hiring, marketing, products and future decisions. How to Add Retail Without Becoming a Pet Shop – Why service-based pet businesses should start small and choose products that naturally complement what they already sell. How to Bundle Products Into Premium Services – The simple strategy Bark & Bone uses to make service upgrades feel significantly more valuable to clients. Remember, registration is now open for the biggest Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo on the planet, which is happening at the famous Hershey Lodge. Click here to grab your ticket now! Huge thanks to our sponsor Focus Answering Service. Remember, every missed call is a missed revenue opportunity; protect your reputation and scale your business with 24/7 live call support: focustele.com Thanks also to our amazing guest this week Melinda Stanford, connect with Melinda on Facebook here Want to work with the World Leading Pet Business Coach?  Add your name to the waitlist for Dom’s Exclusive coaching program The Dog Daycare Success Academy now by clicking here now. Episode Highlights [03:16] – Dom shares a lesson from his first dog-training mentor about why great enrichment doesn’t require expensive equipment. [05:28] – Why daycare owners don’t need a dedicated enrichment room or fancy equipment to start providing better experiences for dogs. [11:09] – Dom previews his brand-new four-hour Pet Care Mastermind Experience at the Hershey Expo. [15:52] – Why Dom has attended masterminds for ten years and the impact they’ve had on his own business and coaching. [19:40] – Melinda introduces Bark & Bone and explains how she moved from veterinary medicine into grooming, nutrition and retail. [21:00] – The pros, cons and hidden surprises Melinda discovered after buying an existing pet business. [24:20] – How Bark & Bone’s brand kit became the filter for products, recruitment, communication and the entire customer experience. [28:16] – Melinda gets candid about running a business with her husband and why learning to disagree has actually strengthened their relationship. [31:50] – How to introduce retail into a service business, including Melinda’s strategy for bundling physical products into premium packages. [40:00] – Why community events, strategic partnerships and co-marketing can help pet businesses reach entirely new groups of clients.

  8. Sep 16

    Ep. 138 – How to Legally Protect Your Pet Business Brand: A Crash Course in Copyright with Shahrina Ankhi Krol 

    What would happen if another pet business copied the name, logo or slogan you’ve spent years building a reputation around? What if they trademarked it before you did… and then legally forced YOU to stop using it? And how much would it cost to rebrand your entire business, rebuild years of goodwill and explain to all your existing clients why you’ve suddenly changed your name? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by pet industry attorney Shahrina Ankhi Krol to talk about one of the most valuable — and most overlooked — assets in your business: your brand. Shahrina explains why your business name, logo and slogan aren’t simply bits of marketing, but valuable assets that need protecting, and shares the frightening story of a pet business owner with four facilities who assumed nobody would ever care enough about her business name to take it… until a larger company did exactly that and eventually sued her to stop using it. Dom and Shahrina also break down the difference between trademarks and copyright, the mistakes pet business owners make when using photographs and other people’s content, and the increasingly complicated question of who actually owns something created using AI. Shahrina explains why growing your visibility without protecting your brand can actually increase your risk, what can happen to years of customer goodwill if you’re forced to rebrand, and why trademark protection should be viewed in much the same way as insurance — something you put in place BEFORE something goes wrong. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why Your Brand Is a Business Asset – How your name, logo and slogan become valuable pieces of intellectual property as your business grows. The Danger of Waiting Until Something Goes Wrong – Why discovering somebody else has registered your name can lead to legal bills, damages and a complete rebrand. Why Bigger Businesses Could Be Watching You – How successful ideas and brands can attract attention, particularly as you become more visible. What’s the Difference Between Trademark vs Copyright – Shahrina’s simple explanation of what each one protects and why pet business owners need to understand the difference. The Hidden Danger of Going Viral – Why promoting an unprotected name, logo or slogan to more people can actually leave your business more exposed. Remember, registration is now open for the biggest Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo on the planet, which is happening at the famous Hershey Lodge. Click here to grab your ticket now! Huge thanks to our sponsor Focus Answering Service. Remember, every missed call is a missed revenue opportunity; protect your reputation and scale your business with 24/7 live call support: focustele.com Thanks also to our amazing guest this week Shahrina Ankhi Krol, connect with Shahrina at ankhikrollaw.com Want to work with the World Leading Pet Business Coach?  Add your name to the waitlist for Dom’s Exclusive coaching program The Dog Daycare Success Academy now by clicking here now. Episode Highlights [03:59] – Dom introduces Shahrina Ankhi Krol and the importance of trademarks, copyright and protecting your pet business brand. [08:19] – Dog versus Vogue: the trademark battle that provides a perfect introduction to this week’s topic. [10:22] – Shahrina explains her legal work with small businesses, startups and pet industry clients across the United States. [11:16] – From archaeology and excavating Viking sites in Denmark to unexpectedly becoming an attorney. [18:29] – How a very extravagant cat birthday party helped Shahrina discover a huge gap in the pet industry. [20:11] – Why most business owners don’t think seriously about trademarks until something bad happens. [21:01] – Why your name, logo and slogan could be three of the most important assets your business owns. [25:34] – The four-location pet business owner who ignored the risk, only to eventually be sued and told to stop using her own business name. [31:55] – Trademark versus copyright: Shahrina gives a simple explanation of the difference and what each protects. [33:35] – Can you copyright something created using AI? Shahrina explains the current grey area around human and AI-generated work.

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Welcome to the Pet Boarding and Daycare Podcast, the show that shares the secrets to unleashing the next phase of your pet business growth.

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