Pet Boarding and Daycare Podcast with Dominic Hodgson

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.

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.

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.

How many potential customers call your pet business every week while your team are too busy looking after dogs to answer the phone? How much could just ONE of those missed calls be worth if it was a boarding stay, a regular daycare client or a customer who stayed with you for the next ten years? And how do you make sure every caller gets a brilliant, personal experience without employing somebody to sit beside the phone all day? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by Barbara Ireland from Focus Telecommunications to explore a problem that affects almost every busy pet business: missed phone calls.  Barbara explains how a specialist answering service can become an extension of your existing team, learning your values, understanding how you want clients to be treated and even accessing your systems to take bookings, complete intake information and deal with enquiries.  Later, Dom catches up with Pet Boarding & Daycare Magazine editor Rebecca Shipman for a preview of this year’s Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey. Rebecca reveals why the growing event has added a fourth seminar room, the increased focus on business, marketing and CEO-level topics, and some of the new speakers and experiences attendees can expect.  They also preview Dom’s brand-new four-hour Pet Care Mastermind Experience, Brian Remo’s interactive keynote, the huge trade show and the networking opportunities that make Hershey much more than simply four days of sitting in seminars. In this episode, you’ll discover: The True Cost of a Missed Call – Why one unanswered enquiry could represent hundreds or even thousands of dollars in lifetime client value. Why Great Dog People Aren’t Always Great Phone People – The importance of having caring, capable people handling one of the most important customer touchpoints in your business. How to Outsource Without Losing the Personal Touch – How an answering service can learn your philosophy, values and processes so callers still feel like they’re speaking directly to your business. What an Answering Service Can Actually Do – From taking messages to booking boarding stays, completing intake information and working inside your existing software. How to Get More From the Expo – Why the seminars are only part of the value and how networking, the trade show and Dom’s new mastermind session can turn four days at Hershey into months of business progress. Huge thanks to our sponsor and this weeks special guest, Barbara Ireland 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 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! 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 Episode Highlights [01:28] – Dom previews the episode, including conversations with Barbara Ireland and Rebecca Shipman[03:26] – Dom shares the sad news of losing Derek, his Dogue de Bordeaux, just a few weeks before his 11th birthday.[08:00] – Barbara Ireland explains how Focus Telecommunications works as an extension of a pet business rather than simply taking messages.[10:15] – Why hiring naturally caring people matters when someone is representing your business on the phone.[13:43] – How Focus learns a business’s philosophy, customer service standards and personality before answering calls.[15:16] – The new business pet resorts could be losing when prospective customers reach voicemail instead of a real person.[19:00] – How outsourced call handling can reduce staffing costs while taking bookings, completing intake forms and managing customer enquiries.[27:40] – Rebecca Shipman joins Dom for a preview of the 2026 Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey.[30:21] – Why this year’s Expo has more elevated business, marketing and CEO-level content than ever before.[32:07] – Dom previews his first Pet Care Mastermind Experience at Hershey, plus the keynote, networking events and everything happening across Expo week.

Are you still setting your prices by looking at what every other daycare and pet resort in town is charging? Do you worry that increasing your prices will drive clients away, even though your costs, wages and overheads keep going up? And what if the reason you’re working harder, looking after more dogs and dealing with more stress… but still not making enough money is because you’re sitting in the wrong place on the pricing ladder? In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom shares highlights from his popular The Price is Right presentation and explains why copying competitors is one of the worst ways to price your services. Every market has cheap, middle and premium providers, and where you sit on that pricing ladder isn’t predetermined by your location, your competition or how long you’ve been in business. It’s a choice. Dom explains why pet businesses should be constantly looking for opportunities to move upstream, attract more affluent clients and increase margin rather than relying on cramming more dogs through the door. He also reveals the warning signs that suggest you’re undercharging, why premium pricing can actually help you attract better clients, and why the biggest thing standing between most owners and higher prices isn’t their customers at all… it’s themselves. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why You Need a Pricing Strategy – How your pricing influences the clients you attract, the marketing you do and ultimately the business you build. The Danger of Copying Your Competitors – Why basing your prices on businesses whose finances you know nothing about is a terrible strategy. The Pet Business Pricing Ladder – Why every market has cheap, middle and premium providers, and how you can deliberately move towards the top. Why You Need to Swim Upstream – How premium positioning helps you attract more affluent dog owners instead of competing in the crowded middle. Margin Beats Volume – Why simply putting more dogs through your facility creates more staff, more costs and more stress. The Signs You’re Undercharging – From overflowing enquiries to zero client resistance on price, the clues that tell you it’s time to charge more. 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 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! 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. Episode Highlights [00:51] – September promotional opportunities, from Scooby-Doo Day and Talk Like a Pirate Day to turning clients’ dogs into comic book superheroes.[04:29] – What luxury pet-friendly hotels can teach daycare and resort owners about premium upsells.[08:29] – Dom previews his new Pet Business Pricing Power Index and introduces highlights from The Price is Right.[10:11] – Do you actually have a pricing strategy? Why making pricing deliberate makes the rest of your business easier.[13:35] – The expensive chicken feeder and the danger of having a “sales prevention department” inside your business.[16:22] – Why you should never copy your competitors’ prices when you have no idea if they’re actually making money.[20:00] – The pet business pricing ladder and why there’s no predetermined pecking order in your market.[23:00] – Why business is a game of margin, not volume, and the importance of continually swimming upstream.[26:00] – The clients spending $800 and $1,500 on dog enrichment and birthday experiences, plus real examples of major price increases.[31:02] – The real business bottleneck, the fear that stops owners raising prices and the warning signs that you’re undercharging.