Pet Boss® Podcast with Candace

Hosted by Candace D'Agnolo of Pet Boss Nation®

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243

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Jun 2026

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About the show

This is a podcast for the local pet business owner. Get foundational business tips mixed with the latest secrets of what’s working now, especially in this challenging world. Hear honest conversations from industry peers working the streets of Main Street, where dog business is BIG business. So, if you’re a pet supply store, grooming salon, dog daycare, boarding facility, pet sitter or dog trainer - we welcome you! What really sets this show apart from others in this space is that your show host, Candace D’Agnolo, the CEO & Founder of Pet Boss Nation® - has started, scaled and sold successful pet businesses in almost every niche of the pet industry. Not only that, but her business had multiple locations, a team of 30 people, and annual revenue hitting multiple 7 figures. What this means for you is that you’ll get a holistic approach from someone who’s been on your biz journey from start to finish. Intrigued? Press play.

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60 recent

June 13, 202651 min

240: Can Indies Really Out-Compete Amazon and Chewy? (CEO of Wholesale Pet Says Yes)

Can indie pet stores really out-compete Amazon, Chewy, and Petco? Pearce Tibbles, CEO of Wholesale Pet, says yes - but it takes strategy, technology, and intentionality. In this interview, Pearce walks through how Wholesale Pet spent over a year gathering feedback from retailers and vendors before completely redesigning their platform. The result? AI-powered search, curated collections, new vendor tools, and a focus on helping independent stores compete on their actual advantages—not by trying to be Chewy. You will hear: ✅ Why Pearce is optimistic about indie pet stores ✅ The structural advantages indie stores have over big box ✅ The new AI-powered search that solves the "finding a needle in a haystack" problem ✅ Collections: how to curate products by season, pet type, or customer (and share them with other retailers) ✅ How retailers can find trending products across US indie stores in real time Plus how to avoid the financing trap, why changing your store layout bi-weekly drives foot traffic, and why inventory is your ATM. ABOUT Pearce TIBBLES CEO, Wholesale Pet Pearce Tibbles loves brick & mortar small business and believes it plays an indispensable role in local communities. He's passionate about finding new ways technology can help independents compete against ecommerce and big box stores. Pearce has spent most of his career with a foot in each world: he was a partner in a company that built an app for training restaurant and small retail store employees, owned and operated his own brick & mortar service business for many years, and has worked in software and technology for the past 8 years. When he started at Wholesale Pet in 2024, he brought with him a mindset focused on staying really close to customers, learning their businesses intimately—how they operate, what they spend money on, what their competitive challenges are—and figuring out ways to help them not just survive but succeed and outcompete ecommerce and big box stores. The new Wholesale Pet site is the first really big step in this direction, with more exciting developments coming in the months ahead. Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog

June 6, 202629 min

239: The NeeDoh Craze: What a Squishy Toy Teaches You About Viral Marketing In Your Pet Business

A squishy palm-sized toy with no celebrity endorsements and no big marketing budget just sold an entire year's worth of inventory in 9 weeks - and Candace watched it happen right outside her front door. In this solo episode, Candace breaks down the NeeDoh craze: how it started, why it exploded, and - most importantly - what the mechanics behind it mean for your pet business right now. She covers: ⭐️ How the NeeDoh Advent Calendar sparked a TikTok wildfire that turned an 8-year-old product into this generation's Beanie Baby ⭐️ The 5-part Pet Boss Nation framework for engineering your own viral moment ⭐️ Real action steps: auditing your shelves, setting up new arrival drops, building influencer relationships, and filming before you have a following Whether you're a retailer, groomer, trainer, or service provider - if you have products or services worth showing, you have the ingredients for a viral moment. Candace tells you exactly how to start building toward it! Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog

May 30, 202623 min

238: Why You Should Never Make Blanket Statements to Broad Audiences Again

This is a very special episode! Candace is inviting you into a recent Pet Boss University marketing training - a true fly-on-the-wall peek at what's happening inside the membership. This training is about customer personas: how to stop making blanket statements to broad audiences and start marketing to one specific customer type instead. She covers: 🙌 What a customer persona IS (and what it's NOT) 🙌 The difference between demographics and behavior 🙌 The specific questions to ask about your persona 🙌 Why marketing to everyone means marketing to no one Plus the behind-the-scenes look at how client data gets turned into actionable marketing plans with specific copy, visuals, and calls to action. It's different from regular episodes, but it's the kind of training that changes how you market your business forever! Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog

May 23, 202619 min

237: June Education Events You Don't Want to Miss (And a Secret About Dante and Dory's)

It's the start of summer - can you believe it? Half the year is already over, and Candace has some exciting announcements to share. She's covering 3 education events happening in June that you don't want to miss, plus a BIG announcement about what's coming for Dante and Dory's that took a year to make happen. She shares: 🙌 Why you should pitch yourself as the local pet expert in your community 🙌 The 3 educational events you won’t want to miss that will elevate your pet business 🙌 Where you can find and connect with Candace at this year’s SUPERZOO 🙌 The BIG announcement: Candace is launching… Oh wait!! You should listen to this episode to find out 😉 Plus why education without action is just entertainment, and how what started as a monthly tip turned into a weekly show that couldn’t be passed up! Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog

May 16, 202635 min

236: Part 2: How We Leveled Up the Farmer's Market Booth in One Week

This is part two of last week's episode where Candace talked about the five ways off-location events make you money. After another week at the Dante and Dory's farmer's market booth, she realized there were some things worth sharing - adjustments to the booth setup, the living SOP guide they're building, and an on-the-spot coaching moment with a new 17-year-old team member. If you're running events, managing a team, or trying to get systems out of your head and onto paper, this episode is for you! Listen to hear: 🐾 The booth setup mistake from week one and how she fixed it 🐾The living, breathing SOP guide that the team is living by and why it continues to evolve 🐾 The coaching moment with a shy team member 🐾 The three questions you should be asking yourself before every event Plus she shares why one item is the hottest right now, along with some useful advice on how to safely remove decals and why your food aisle needs more staffing attention! Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog

May 9, 202640 min

235: The 5 Ways Off Location Events Make You Money (Beyond Day-of Sales)

What if your best new customers aren't finding you online - they're walking right past a tent at a farmer's market, and you're just not there? Pop-up events, farmer's markets, street fairs, 5K runs, community festivals - when done right, they're one of the most powerful, affordable, and underutilized tools in an independent pet business's playbook. Candace is sharing exactly what Dante and Dory's is doing at the Galesburg Farmer's Market this season: the booth setup, the pricing strategy, the leave-behinds that work harder than business cards, and most importantly - the 5 ways events make you money that most people never count. She shares: 🙌 Why your booth needs to be a physical extension of your brand 🙌 The leave-behind strategy that drives future visits 🙌 How to train your team to represent your business at the front line 🙌 The 5 ways events make you money Plus the 4th of July patriotic pet parade idea that came from showing up consistently, the technology that makes checkout seamless, and why you can't be your town's best-kept secret! Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog

May 2, 202633 min

234: The Cash Flow Squeeze (And What to Do About It Right Now)

Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. The financial squeeze is real - and if you're feeling it, this episode is for you. Candace tackles the most pressing realities that independent pet business owners are facing right now: fewer customers walking through doors, shoppers stretching every dollar, unpredictable weather keeping people home, rising expenses, and growing competition. She shares: 🚨 The surprising lesson from a 66-transaction day 🚨Why you can't wait for things to get better 🚨 Creative partnership ideas you haven't thought of yet 🚨 The cash flow management habit that keeps you ahead of the squeeze 🚨The mindset shift that stops the spiral Plus insights from the PETS+ Brain Squad survey on what independent pet business owners are prioritizing in Q2 2026. Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram

April 25, 202633 min

233: What We Learned From 100 Customer Surveys (5 Insights That Changed Everything)

Candace sent out a customer survey for Dante and Dory's - and when the results came in, she had to stop and sit with it for a minute. Because everything she assumed about her customers was wrong. In this episode, she's pulling back the curtain on the entire process: how they built the survey, how they promoted it, what questions they asked, and most importantly - the 5 findings that genuinely surprised her and will reshape how Dante and Dory's markets, merchandises, and operates moving forward. She shares: ✍🏼 Why assuming you know your customer is costing you revenue ✍🏼 The 3 purposes of a customer survey ✍🏼 The exact process they used (tool, timeline, promotion strategy, giveaway structure - all replicable!) ✍🏼 What to do with survey data once you have it Plus the Pet Boss University Customer Survey Playbook - the guide that walks you through the entire process with templates, video trainings, and live feedback sessions. Transcript Show NotesJoin Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram

April 18, 202636 min

232: The Story is Everything: How to Get Free Local News Coverage with Whisker Media's Mary Tan

Want to see your pet business featured on the evening news but think you need a huge marketing budget to make it happen? Think again. Meet Mary Tan, award-winning TV reporter who covered major stories for Fox News, CNN, CBS News, and NBC News for 13 years - and now runs Whisker Media, a boutique strategic communications agency focused on pet-related businesses and animal welfare nonprofits. She's revealing exactly how she secured $40,000-$50,000 worth of free advertising for one pet retailer - and how you can do it yourself! They discuss: 🙌 What makes a story newsworthy and what the newsjacking technique is 🙌 The biggest mistake pet businesses make when pitching to news outlets 🙌 How to position yourself as the pet expert to local media 🙌 Why hyper-local media matters 🙌 Press release vs. email pitch - which is better?! Plus why Mary went from crime reporter to the "dark side" of PR, why news stations love animal stories and why small businesses get priority over big box stores. ABOUT MARY M TAN Chief Storyteller, Whisker Media LLC Mary Tan is the chief storyteller of Whisker Media, a boutique strategic communications agency where she focuses on strategic communications for pet-related businesses and animal welfare nonprofits. The mission of her agency is to donate profits back to homeless animal organizations, especially cat rescue groups. Before Whisker Media, Mary worked in animal shelter public relations and was a public information officer in city government. For many years she was also an award-winning reporter and anchor in cities like Atlanta, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and numerous other television markets. She reported on major stories for most of the major networks including Fox News, CNN, CBS News and NBC News. When not doing pet public relations work, the Wisconsin native is also a freelance writer for several pet publications including Pet Age, PetVet, Boarding and Daycare and Groomer to Groomer Magazines. Being an animal welfare advocate, Mary believes in adopting rescues. She has a nine-year-old kitty named Farley Waddlesworth, three two-year-old cats named Franklin and Fleur and a Schnoodle named Freddie. She lives in Buffalo, Minnesota. Transcript Show Notes Join Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram

April 11, 202639 min

231: Inside SUPERZOO 2026: What Makes It Essential for Pet Retailers and Brands (With WPA's Mike Karsting)

SUPERZOO is coming August 12-14, 2026 in Las Vegas, with an education day Tues, Aug 11, - and if you sell products, make products, or work behind the scenes in the pet industry, this is your must-attend event. Candace sits down with Mike Karsting, Senior Vice President of World Pet Association (WPA) and the driving force behind SUPERZOO, to talk about what makes this show essential for independent pet retailers, emerging brands, and anyone on the product side of the business. They discuss: 🐾 Why SUPERZOO is "the melting pot of the pet industry" (if you touch pet in any way, there's something here for you) 🐾 The New Product Showcase strategy and how Candace found a $25k client through the showcase 🐾 Education passes, grooming demos, networking meetups, and the Beach Party (there's something for everyone) 🐾The Groomer's Innovation Stage and new on-floor classroom you won’t want to miss Plus the Pets+ SUPERZOO sample box, why vetting attendees protects exhibitors, and Mike's advice for juggling education, shopping, networking, and parties! ABOUT MIKE KARSTING Senior Vice President, World Pet Association / SUPERZOO Mike Karsting has served as Senior Vice President of World Pet Association for the past five years, bringing more than 30 years of experience in event marketing, production, and management across both trade and consumer platforms. Prior to stepping into the SVP role, Karsting spent 18 years with TEN: The Enthusiast Network, including the last decade as Vice President of Events. There, he led the planning, production, and execution of major properties such as the EnduroCross series, Motor Trend International Auto Show events, as well as numerous custom car shows and live concerts. Karsting later produced multiple X Games throughout the world and served as Marketing Director at MotoAmerica and previously held a leadership role at Professional Bull Riders. As SVP, Karsting leads the strategic development and execution of the company's live B2B portfolio, driving growth through innovative event strategy, partnership development, and operational excellence. Leveraging on his extensive background in motorsports, automotive culture, and live entertainment, he is committed to delivering impactful experiences that elevate exhibitors, sponsors, partners, and industry attendees. Transcript Show NotesJoin Us Online Find us on Facebook Join our Free Pet Industry Facebook Group Follow us on Instagram Read our Blog