DogCo Secrets

Growth rarely stalls because you don’t want it badly enough. It stalls because there’s a bottleneck you don’t want to face. In today’s Hot Take episode, I talk about why businesses get stuck at the same revenue level, the same problems, and the same frustrations, and how the theory of constraints offers a much more useful way to think about growth. Instead of constantly pushing toward the next shi...

If 2026 has had a rough start for you, this episode is your permission to slow down, reset, and change the trajectory before the year gets any further away from you. In today’s episode, I talk honestly about why the start of February can feel like one of the hardest inflection points of the year, especially if January didn’t go the way you hoped. Whether it’s weather-related revenue hits, unexpect...

Thirty days into a new year is one of my favorite moments to pause, reflect, and get honest about how things are actually going. In today’s episode, I walk through a 30-day check-in for 2026 and share the questions I ask myself at this point in the year to make sure I’m moving in the direction I intended. Whether your year has started exactly how you hoped or already taken a few unexpected turns,...

Employee retention is one of the most important and most misunderstood levers in a pet care business, and it’s often the hidden reason growth feels harder than it should. In today’s episode, I break down why employees quit and what you can realistically do to keep them longer. I share the three most common reasons I see staff leave pet care companies and the specific areas I recommend focusing on...

When I first became an entrepreneur, there were a lot of things I didn’t understand yet, things that only come into focus after you’ve carried the weight of the business for a while. In today’s episode, I share five lessons I wish I had known earlier in my entrepreneurial journey. These are not tactical shortcuts or growth hacks, but hard-earned truths that have shaped how I lead, make decisions,...

Hiring and retention are the biggest bottlenecks I see in pet care businesses today, and they’re also the areas where small changes can unlock massive growth. In today’s episode, I’m joined by my good friend Doug Keeling, and we dig deep into what actually breaks down when companies struggle to grow their teams. Doug shares his personal journey from solo pet sitter to leading a 30-person team, and...

In this Hot Take episode of the DogCo Secrets Podcast, I’m getting very honest and very direct, because I genuinely want to see you win this year. I walk through three core mindsets that I believe must shift if you want to see real growth in your business. These are patterns I see over and over again with smart, hardworking pet care owners who care deeply about what they’re building, but feel stuc...

If this year is going to be different in your business, it has to start with clarity, not guesswork. I’ve found that grounding your goals in the local context of your business is one of the most effective ways to build momentum at the start of the year. In today’s episode, I walk through how to assess real opportunity in your local market. Too often, business owners focus first on competitors, pri...

In this Hot Take episode, I reflect on the single biggest leadership lesson I'm taking from 2025 into 2026 in leadership: the power of clarity. After returning to building a team following time as a solo founder, I'll share an honest look at what changed between an early hiring misstep and a year of rapid, healthy growth at DogCo. With a growing team and expanding responsibilities, I'll breaks dow...

In this episode of the DogCo Secrets Podcast, I sit down with Dan Reitman, owner of Dan’s Pet Care, to unpack a Facebook post he shared in my community that deeply resonated across the pet care industry. What started as a message to dog walkers and pet sitters working through Thanksgiving turned into a powerful conversation about conviction, sales, mindset, and how tools like AI can help service-b...

We are officially stepping into a new year, and in this episode, I want to talk about how to make 2026 a year that actually feels different. Not just busier, not just louder, but more intentional, more impactful, and more aligned with what you really want from your business and your life. I walk you through three specific shifts I believe make the biggest difference for entrepreneurs, especially p...

2025 stretched me, refined me, and clarified what actually matters. In this episode, I am reflecting out loud on the wins I am proud of, the areas where I fell short, and the lessons I am carrying into 2026 as a founder, coach, and human. If you are closing out a demanding year and thinking deeply about how you want to grow next, this conversation is for you. This is not a highlight reel. It is an...

In today’s Hot Take Friday episode, I am sharing three specific, tactical things I want you to focus on next year if your goal is to increase profit in your pet care business. These are not abstract ideas or long-term theories. These are levers you can actually pull, starting now, that I see move the needle for companies over and over again. I am talking about labor costs, recurring service models...

Automation is not always about doing more faster. It is about getting your time back so your business can actually support your life. In this episode, I sit down with my friend, mentor, and DogCo automation expert Robert Strickland to talk about how pet care business owners can use systems, AI, and intentional automation to reduce burnout, reclaim time, and scale sustainably. Robert shares his jou...

If you have the ambition to grow a seven-figure pet care business, I want to share a few ways I would encourage you to start operating right now , even if that level still feels far off. In today’s Hot Take episode, I break down three core behaviors I consistently see in companies that successfully scale past the seven-figure mark. This is not about chasing growth for growth’s sake. It is about le...

What if your business could support your life instead of consuming it? In this episode, I sit down with Angela Watts to talk about what it really looks like to intentionally design your role inside your business, rather than letting the business dictate every hour of your time. Angela shares her full journey from early hustle, burnout, and chaos to building systems, leadership, and a role that pro...

The holidays are here, and if you run a pet care company, you already know this season can feel like a beautiful mix of gratitude, chaos, logistics, and stress. In today’s Hot Take episode, I am breaking down the most effective ways I have found to support your team during the busiest and most emotionally loaded weeks of the year. This is one of the most important leadership topics we cover inside...

Most pet care owners do not have a planning problem - they have a rushing problem. In this episode, I break down the five skills that separate reactive business owners from strategic ones. If you want 2026 to be your strongest year yet, it starts with learning how to slow down, follow the data thread, ask the right questions, and manufacture real accountability. If you want support in scaling your...

In this Hot Take Friday episode, I am sharing three honest truths that I wish I could tell coaching clients when they are deep in the struggle. These are insights I hold closely in my own business, and they shape how I coach, how I lead, and how I navigate hard seasons. Some of these truths are not always easy to hear in the moment, but they absolutely transform how you show up in your business lo...

If you have ever wondered whether you can turn a struggling pet care business into a strong, scalable company, this episode is for you. Today I sit down with my friend, DogCo Team Member, and DogCo Mastermind member, Lauren Dunkle, to unpack one of the most inspiring business transformations I have ever witnessed. Lauren went from ending a year at a major financial loss with a 78 percent labor cos...

In today’s Hot Take Friday episode, I am slowing down a bit and sharing something personal. This week felt like the perfect time to pause, reflect, and talk honestly about what I am most thankful for inside DogCo right now. Running a relational business can be messy and beautiful all at once, and I wanted to bring you behind the scenes of what that looks like for me. If you are growing a pet care...

If you are building a long-lasting, scalable, and stable pet care company, you will love this conversation with Kristin Skelton, founder of Floofins and Company. We talk about starting small, growing a team, planning for long-term success, navigating seasons of life and business, creating a supportive network, and building a business that supports your life. This episode is packed with insight for...

In today’s Hot Tip episode, I am walking you through a 2026 financial planning crash course. We are only weeks away from a brand new year, which means this is the perfect moment to take stock of your finances, tighten up your money systems, and set yourself up to scale with confidence. I am sharing the exact things I am doing inside DogCo as we grow our team. These are the foundations I believe ev...

In this episode, I sit down with my friend, long time client, and now DogCo team member, Maris Sonnabend, to talk about the real journey of scaling a pet care business, navigating big life changes, and building a company that truly supports your future. Maris shares how she went from doing everything herself to running a thriving team of 27, stepping out of the field, taking maternity leave, and n...

In this week’s Hot Take episode, I want to talk about what happens when you’re halfway in on your business, and why that middle ground is the hardest place to be. I’ve had seasons where I was half-in and half-out, and they were always the most exhausting, confusing, and least successful seasons of my life. I’ll share a conversation I had with my husband that changed the way I approach my work, and...