The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast

Is your dog daycare still running on a business model that worked five or ten years ago? Are you cramming in more dogs, adding more staff, and working harder… only to watch your margins get tighter? And what happens if the pet industry changes faster than your business does? In this episode, I'm officially announcing IMPACT 2027 and laying out the big idea behind this year's event: The Great Dog Daycare Divide – How to Avoid the 2030 Pet Care Extinction Event. For the last 20 years, the pet care industry has been riding a huge wave of growth. If you loved dogs, worked hard, charged a fair price, and looked after your customers, you could usually build a successful business. But the market has changed. Competition is more sophisticated. Corporate operators and franchises are expanding. Costs are rising. Staffing is harder. Margins are shrinking. And dog owners are becoming more selective about where they spend their money. As a result, I believe the industry is splitting into two very different camps: pet care "muggles" still playing by yesterday's rules, and pet business "wizards" building more premium, experience-led, affluent-attractive businesses designed for the future. In this episode, you'll discover: The Great Dog Daycare Divide – Why the next few years will separate businesses that adapt from those that get left behind. Why the Warehouse Model Is Breaking – How more dogs, more staff, more hours, and more hustle eventually lead to thinner margins and burnout. What the New Model Looks Like – Why personalised care, premium pricing, automation, authority, and better leadership are becoming essential. The Signs You're Stuck in a Muggle Mindset – The phrases, assumptions, and habits that reveal your business needs an upgrade. Why IMPACT 2027 Is Different – How two days in Florida can help you rethink pricing, marketing, systems, customer experience, and the future of your facility. You'll also hear from Paul Paradis and Eve Molzhon, who share why deeper, more specific business education, better customer experience, and being surrounded by ambitious people can completely change the trajectory of your business. If you want to join me at IMPACT 2027 in Florida, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/impact27 The early bird offer is live now! Thanks to our amazing show sponsor Tailpro, click here to find out more about their amazing booking app.

Running a pet business is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, but it can also be one of the lonliest... Who can you talk to who understands the business critical challenges you face each week... And how much faster can you move when you're surrounded by people who are willing to share what's working? And....what could your business look like 90 days from now if you actually committed to making the changes you already know you need to make? Well, in this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of the latest Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event in Annapolis. The theme was world-class customer service, and we had two brilliant special guests join us. Vance Morris shared lessons from his Disney background on creating better customer experiences and memorable magic moments, while Leonard Raskin from Raskin Global helped the room think more seriously about building and protecting both business and personal wealth. But the real power of these immersion events comes from the people in the room. You'll hear directly from DDSA members about the changes they've made over the last 90 days, the ideas they picked up from their peers, and the breakthroughs they're taking back into their businesses. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Peer Learning Is So Powerful – How sharing ideas with other ambitious owners can shortcut years of trial and error. The Customer Experience Gap – Why thinking you provide great service and actually delivering it are two very different things. What 90 Days of Focus Can Achieve – From record revenue months to writing a book and making major operational changes. The Value of Getting Outside Your Bubble – How other owners can challenge assumptions, expose blind spots, and help you make better decisions. Why DDSA Feels Different – How coaching, accountability, community, and collaboration combine to help good businesses become exceptional. If you need helping taking your business to the next level then you'll be pleased to know the Dog Daycare Success Academy is now OPEN, and this is be the final opportunity to join this year... Don't watse any more time. Our next Immersion event is happening in San Francisco in October, then we'll be in Edinburgh in December. If you want to find out more, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy A huge thank you to this week's podcast sponsor, TailPro, the all-in-one management platform helping pet businesses save time, streamline operations, and deliver a better customer experience. Find out more at tailpro.uk.

Are your prices attracting the wrong kind of clients? Could charging more actually make your pet business more desirable? And how much is fear costing you every month you remain underpriced? In this episode, I'm tackling one of the biggest and most expensive problems in the pet industry: undercharging. After coaching more than 3,000 pet business owners over the last decade, I've seen the same pattern repeatedly. Owners start too cheap, stay too cheap, and allow the complaints of one or two vocal penny-pinchers to dictate their entire pricing strategy. I explain why low prices don't necessarily make your services more attractive, especially to affluent dog owners who want the absolute best care for their pets. In fact, being too cheap can create doubt, damage the perception of your service, and actively repel the premium clients you want to attract. You'll also discover the psychology behind the Chivas Regal effect, why doubling the price of a product can increase its perceived value, and what your business needs to build if you want to command premium prices year after year. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Fear Is Dictating Your Prices – How complaints, Facebook groups, and bad advice convince owners they've reached an imaginary pricing ceiling. The Hidden Cost of Being Cheap – Why low prices attract more difficult clients while pushing affluent prospects towards your competitors. The Canine Chivas Regal Effect – How increasing a price can improve perceived quality, desirability, and status without changing the product itself. What Makes a Business Premium – The authority assets, signature systems, client experiences, and social proof that make higher prices believable. Why One Price Increase Is NEVER Enough – How to become the kind of pet business that can confidently increase prices year after year. Remember, every day you remain underpriced, you aren't only losing money. You're attracting more of the clients you don't want and building a business that becomes increasingly difficult to escape. A huge thank you to the podcast sponsor, TailPro, the all-in-one management platform helping pet business owners save time, reduce admin and deliver a better customer experience. To find out more and book a free discovery call, visit tailpro.uk. To join my free live webinar, How to Build a Highly Profitable Dog Daycare That Attracts Affluent Clients and Commands Premium Prices, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/webinar

Is your marketing full of facts, features, and offers… but completely lacking in personality? Are you letting AI-generated beige gruel make your pet business sound like everyone else? And could the stories already sitting inside your business become your most valuable marketing assets? In this episode, I'm sharing a powerful lesson inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, a 1,000-year-old piece of visual storytelling that recently travelled from France to the British Museum under extraordinary levels of protection and security. The tapestry survived revolutions, wars, occupation, and almost a millennium of change because somebody understood a fundamental truth about human nature: the best way to preserve an idea is to wrap it inside a story. I explain why this matters more than ever during the current AI slopocalypse, when millions of businesses are using the same tools to produce the same polished but soulless content. Your competitors can copy your services, prices, offers, and website structure. What they cannot copy is your journey, your experiences, your failures, your victories, and the moments that shaped how you run your business. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Stories Outlast Advertising – How storytelling helps ideas, businesses, and brands remain memorable for generations. The Problem With Feature-Led Marketing – Why clients care less about your facilities and qualifications than the meaning behind them. How to Escape the AI Slopocalypse – Why your real experiences and emotions are impossible for competitors or technology to commoditise. The Stories Already Inside Your Business – How origin stories, client transformations, mistakes, and victories become powerful marketing assets. From Content Creation to Story Selling – How to repurpose your core stories across email, podcasts, videos, articles, and social media. Another huge thank you to our fantastic sponsors Tailpro, whose amazing services you can find out more about by going to tailpro.uk If you want to join my free Premium Pricing Pet Care Blueprint masterclass, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/webinar

Do you need more revenue in your business… but feel like everything takes too long to implement? What if you could flick a few simple "money switches" and see results this week? And are you avoiding the simple actions that would actually bring more cash into your business? In this episode, I kick things off by sharing what's been happening inside the Dog Daycare Success Academy, including a brand-new bonus training I delivered called the "Profit Booster." The goal? To help owners make more money fast by using simple, practical actions that can be implemented immediately. I break down the idea of "money switches" — small changes, offers, or conversations that can unlock revenue quickly — and why most business owners avoid them, even though they're often the fastest route to growth. Then I'm joined by Eve Molzhon, who shares insights into her upcoming Leadership Summit in Chicago, where the focus is firmly on the business side of pet care. Eve touches on staffing strategies and securing legal protection, as well as working to build new revenue streams. In this episode, you'll discover: The "Money Switch" Mindset – How small, fast actions can unlock immediate revenue in your business. Why Owners Avoid Selling – The real reason you hesitate to ask clients for money (and how to fix it). Quick Wins That Actually Work – Practical ideas you can implement this week to boost cash flow. The Power of Accountability – Why setting deadlines and challenges forces action and results. Building Smarter Revenue Streams – How memberships and recurring income can stabilise and grow your business. If you want to join the waitlist for the Dog Daycare Success Academy, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy And if you want to level up your business knowledge even further, check out Eve's upcoming Leadership Summit at: doghandleracademy.com Thanks to our amazing show sponsor Pawpal. To find out more about their amazing app go to Pawpal

Do you know what you want from your business… or are you still trying to keep too many plates spinning at once? What happens when you finally get ruthless about focus? And could the next breakthrough in your business come from letting go of something that's still "working"? In this episode, I'm recording from the clifftops near home after a few days away in Spain, a Sunderland derby win, and a big push toward the first Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event in Boston. With the Academy launching strongly and the first live curriculum sessions just around the corner, I've been reflecting on one of the biggest shifts I've made in my own business this year: getting crystal clear on what I want to build, who I want to serve, and what I need to let go of in order to do it properly. I share why I made the decision to shut down coaching programmes that were still profitable, why I streamlined everything around dog daycare and pet resort owners, and how that clarity has already changed the way I think, plan, and operate. I also read a message from a long-time client that captures what this journey has really been about over the years — not just growth, but community, confidence, and building a business that fits your life. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Clarity Changes Everything – How getting clear on what you want makes decision-making faster and easier. The Cost of Keeping Too Much – Why profitable offers can still hold your business back if they no longer fit the vision. Business Should Fit Your Life – How to shape your business around the future you actually want, not just what's working today. The Power of Community – Why aligned clients and a shared journey make business growth more enjoyable and more sustainable. What Real Focus Looks Like – How streamlining your offers and audience creates momentum, energy, and better results If you want to learn more about the newly launched Dog Daycare Success Academy, click here now Huge thanks once again to our sponsors PawPal, who's amazing services you can find more about here: https://pawpal.uk

Are you ambitious about growing your pet business but feel like you're missing the systems to actually make it happen? Have you been to the big industry conferences but walked away thinking, "That was interesting… but what do I actually do next?" And what if the real key to growth isn't more information — but better structure, accountability, and the right people around you? In this episode, I'm doing something a little different. Rather than me interviewing a guest, I'm the one in the hot seat. Tim Jackson — my Enrich U partner, Elite member, and Dean of Enrich U — turns the tables and interviews me about my brand-new programme, the Dog Daycare Success Academy. We recorded this during day one of an Elite Mastermind meeting here in Sunderland, just after I presented the new programme to the group. Naturally, there were plenty of questions — about why I'm evolving the Elite Mastermind, what problems the new academy is designed to solve, and why the pet industry is entering a new era where the old ways of running a daycare simply won't cut it anymore. This episode is part one of a longer Q&A where we dig into the thinking behind the programme, the changing landscape of the pet industry, and the marketing assets modern dog daycare businesses need if they want to compete and grow. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Elite Needed to Evolve – The thinking behind transforming the mastermind into the Dog Daycare Success Academy. The Missing Marketing Assets – The systems most daycare owners don't have (but desperately need). Why the Industry Is Changing – How increased competition and smarter operators are raising the bar. From Ideas to Implementation – Why structured curriculum and immersion events accelerate progress. Building a Business Asset – How the academy helps owners make their facilities more valuable, scalable, and profitable. If you want to learn more about the newly launched Dog Daycare Success Academy, click here now Huge thanks once again to our sponsors PawPal, who's amazing services you can find more about here: https://pawpal.uk