The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast

Hosted by Dom Hodgson

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444

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Join the UK's leading and most controversial pet business coach Dom Hodgson, as he goes off the leash and shares the business building secrets that will fix your pet business. If you are a dog trainer, dog walker or a dog groomer then this show will provide the marketing education you need to put your business growth on steroids.

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June 12, 2026Episode 45825 min

Episode 454: Why Pet Business Owners Should Attend The 2026 Pet Pro Expo!

Are you creating content that actually moves people closer to buying… or just posting because someone told you to? What happens when you stop copying bland AI-generated slop and start showing the real personality, values, and story behind your business? And could one properly planned content system finally stop you staring at a blank screen wondering what to post? In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of the latest Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event at Lumley Castle, where the theme was Content in the Castle. You'll hear from attendees who left with clear content plans, new frameworks, and a far better understanding of how to create social media that connects, converts, and actually shows off what makes their businesses different. I also explain why the DDSA immersion events have become such an important part of the programme, how the asset-building curriculum works, and why business owners get the biggest results when they stop coasting and fully commit to doing the work. Then, in the second half of the episode, I'm joined by Vicky Clark from The Pet Accountant and Pet Pro Expo. We talk about why she created the event, why UK pet business owners desperately need more business-focused education, and what's coming up at this year's Pet Pro Expo in Birmingham — including the special bonus day I'll be running. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Better Content Matters – How stronger, more personal marketing helps you stand out from boring, beige competitors. The Content in the Castle Takeaways – What DDSA members learned from Steven Inalareedi's content frameworks. Why Immersion Events Work – How in-person masterminds create clarity, accountability, and proper action plans. The Problem With Copycat Marketing – Why relying on generic posts, AI slop, and bland industry advice makes your business invisible. Inside Pet Pro Expo – Why this UK event is helping pet business owners finally learn the business skills they were never taught. If you want to join the Dog Daycare Success Academy wait list, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy And if you want to attend Pet Pro Expo in Birmingham on October 3rd, head to: Petproexpo.co.uk Another huge thank you to our sponsors PawPal, who's amazing services you can find out more about here.

June 5, 2026Episode 45322 min

Episode 453 - Inside the Dog Daycare Success Academy: What DDSA Members Are Saying About the Pet Industries Transformational Mastermind

Do you know your business needs to change… but keep putting off the big moves? What happens when you put ambitious dog daycare owners in a room and force them to think bigger? And could the right accountability finally push you to raise prices, set proper goals, and get serious about growth? In this episode, I'm sharing more behind-the-scenes audio from the first Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event in Boston. You'll hear directly from DDSA members as they talk about their biggest takeaways from the room — from dreaming bigger and setting clearer 90-day goals, to targeting more affluent clients, adding premium tiers, and finally taking proper action on pricing. I also explain why the DDSA doors are closing again, what new members go through during onboarding, and why the programme is designed to help serious dog daycare and pet resort owners stop drifting and start building a more profitable, valuable, and focused business. If you've been sitting on the fence, wondering whether this is the right room for you, this episode gives you a real feel for the people, the energy, and the results inside the academy. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Big Goals Matter – How clearer one-year, three-year, and five-year thinking changes the way you run your business. The Power of Pricing Confidence – Why raising prices is often the first serious step toward better clients and better profits. What Happens in the Room – How peer feedback, hot seats, and 90-day accountability create faster action. Why Premium Positioning Works – How targeting affluent clients changes your marketing, service, and revenue. Who DDSA Is Really For – Why this programme is built for owners who want to do more, make more, and actually implement. Want to know more about how the Dog Daycare Success Academy can help you dramatically grow your dog daycare or pet resort? Then you need to enroll before the deadline on June 7th. Click here to enroll now! Thanks to our amazing show sponsor Pawpal. Click here to find out more about how their amazing booking app can help save you time and money. Find out more here

May 29, 2026Episode 45221 min

Episode 452 - Lessons from the 'Boston Profi-T Party' - Behind the Scenes at the First Dog Daycare Success Academy Immersion Event

Why do so many dog daycare owners stay busy… but still feel broke? Why do some facilities make more money with fewer dogs than others? And what happens when you stop thinking like a warehouse and start thinking like a premium pet business owner? In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes of the very first Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event in Boston — aka the "Boston Profit TEA Party." See what I did there.... The theme was simple: Profit First. Profit Always. Profit Every Time. Over two days we deep dived into pricing psychology, money mindset, profit stacking, customer development systems, aggressive follow-up, and the practical strategies that help dog daycare owners dramatically increase profits without cramming more dogs into the building. I'm also sharing some of the biggest breakthroughs members had in the room — from confidence around raising prices to understanding why affluent dog owners are the key to building a calmer, more profitable business. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Pricing Affects EVERYTHING – From staff retention and hiring to marketing, client quality, and long-term growth. The "Profit Per Dog" Philosophy – Why more dogs isn't always the answer to making more money. How To Move Clients Up The Value Ladder – Simple ways to increase customer value through upsells, enrichment, and better systems. Why The Traditional Meet & Greet Is Broken – And how induction programmes are transforming profitability and customer experience. The Power of Aggressive Follow-Up – Why most dog daycares leave a fortune on the table by failing to communicate properly with clients. What Profit Stacking Really Means – How layering multiple profit moves together can create rapid transformation in your business. I also share details about the upcoming DDSA immersion events including: Content In The Castle at Lumley Castle with Steven Inala-Reedy in June And World-Class Customer Service in Annapolis in August with Vance 'Disney Guy' Morris And if you want to attend my upcoming FREE live workshop: The New Rules of Profitable Dog Daycare: How Smart Operators Are Making More Money With Fewer Dogs — WITHOUT Scaling The Chaos Head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/workshop And if you want to learn more about the Dog Daycare Success Academy: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy

May 22, 2026Episode 45124 min

Episode 451 - How to Overdeliver in Your Pet Business: Lessons from Bryan Kurtz and Barry Jacobson

Are you giving your best clients the kind of experience that makes them stay, spend, and refer? What can Disney, Club 33, and world-class direct marketers teach you about premium pet care? And how do you build a daycare that doesn't just supervise dogs — but removes worry from their owners' lives? In this episode, I'm talking about two big lessons I picked up from Brian Kurtz and Barry Jacobson at a recent mastermind in Florida. Brian is one of the true legends of direct response marketing and the author of Overdeliver, while Barry spent decades helping Disney create VIP, luxury, and members-only experiences for some of their most valuable guests. I unpack how Brian's RFM principle can help you identify your best clients, reward them properly, and create higher-priced services around what they already want. Then I dive into Barry's Disney-style lesson that luxury isn't really about piling on more stuff — it's about removing worry, creating certainty, and making people feel genuinely looked after. If you want to build a more premium, experience-led pet business, this episode will help you rethink what "overdelivering" really means. In this episode, you'll discover: The Power of RFM – How recency, frequency, and monetary value help you identify your best clients. Why Best Clients Deserve More – How rewarding loyal clients creates more referrals, retention, and revenue. What Luxury Really Means – Why premium service is less about fancy extras and more about removing worry. Building a Fortress of Trust – How great daycare experiences give dog owners peace of mind all day long. Where the Industry Is Heading – Why smart operators are moving away from warehouse-style daycare and toward personalised, experience-led service. If you want work with Dom and join the Dog Daycare Success Academy wait list, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy Thanks to our amazing show sponsor Pawpal. Find out how their amazing booking platform can save you time and money with your own company branded app! Click here to find out more

May 15, 2026Episode 45026 min

Episode 450 – What Affluent Dog Owners REALLY Want From Your Dog Daycare

Are you creating content that actually attracts the right clients… or just posting because you feel you should? Do affluent dog owners really spend more on everything — or only on what matters to them? And how can your daycare become one of those things they see as worth paying premium prices for? In this episode, I'm joined by Steven Inala-Reedy from A Content Space, who'll be the special guest at our upcoming Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event at Lumley Castle. We talk about consistency, content mistakes, why follower count matters less than most people think, and how pet business owners can create meaningful content without spending their entire life glued to a phone. Then, after the break, I dig into what affluent dog owners are really looking for in a dog daycare. Using Tyson Fury, private jets, Asda shopping, Dan Kennedy's affluent marketing lessons, and my own experience helping pet businesses reposition themselves, I explain why wealthy clients don't spend more on everything — they spend more on what matters. And your job is to make your daycare matter. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Content Consistency Wins – How showing up regularly beats chasing viral hits and follower counts. The Real Content Mistake – Why most business owners post without research, structure, or strategy. What Affluent Buyers Value – Why premium clients care about time, expertise, status, convenience, and experience. How to Be Seen As a Pet Pro Expert – Why books, guides, frameworks, awards, and authority assets help you claim top dog status. The Power of Membership and Experience – How exclusivity, themed enrichment, and "velvet rope" positioning attract better clients. If you want to join the waiting list for the Dog Daycare Success Academy, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy Thanks to our amazing sponsor Pawpal. To find out more about how Pawpal can help your business go to Pawpal.uk

May 8, 2026Episode 44920 min

Episode 449 – Finding the Hidden Money in Your Dog Daycare WITHOUT Adding More Dogs

Are you trying to fix your profit problem by adding more dogs through the door? What if the money you need is already sitting inside your existing client base? And how could a few simple offers create a quick cashflow surge without adding more chaos to your facility? In this episode, I'm sharing a practical training on how to find the hidden money in your dog daycare. After the first Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event in Boston, where we focused heavily on profit, pricing, labour costs, and 90-day goals, I wanted to give you three simple ways to increase revenue without chasing more new clients. I explain why most daycare owners default to the "more dogs" solution, why that often leads to more stress rather than more profit, and how existing clients are usually the fastest and easiest route to extra cash. From sending direct offers to your current list, to increasing attendance, to creating a proper value ladder, these are simple moves that can unlock money already sitting inside your business. If you're busy, full, and still struggling to make payroll, this episode will help you stop looking only at volume and start pulling the profit levers that actually matter. In this episode, you'll discover: What Hidden Money Really Means – Why your existing client base is often your fastest route to extra profit. The Three Ways to Grow – How price, frequency, and client value drive revenue without adding more chaos. The $1,000 Email – Why one simple direct offer can create a fast cashflow bo Getting Clients to Come More Often – How increasing attendance from existing clients creates easy money. Building a Value Ladder – Why good, better, best services help affluent clients spend more with you. If you want to add your name to the waiting list for the Dog Daycare Success Academy, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy Thanks to PawPal our amazing show sponsor! Check them out here

May 1, 2026Episode 44816 min

Episode 448 – The Most Dangerous Place to Run a Dog Daycare… The Middle of the Market

Are you stuck in the middle of the market… busy, stressed, and still not making enough money? Do you already have a handful of dream clients who buy everything, never complain, and happily refer others like them? And what if the fastest way to grow your profits wasn't to take more dogs… but to deliberately attract more of those better clients? In this episode, I'm recording from Boston after the first two-day immersion event for my Dog Daycare Success Academy members, and I'm unpacking one of the biggest shifts a pet business owner can make: intentionally targeting more affluent dog owners. Every time I get a room full of daycare and pet resort owners together, the same truth shows up — dramatic change usually comes from pulling just a few key levers, and it's almost never the lever owners think they should be focused on. Using a recent article about Disney's pricing strategy as a backdrop, I explain why trying to stay in the middle of the market is one of the most dangerous places to run a dog daycare. Disney has moved away from mass accessibility and toward higher spend per guest, fewer people in the parks, and a better overall experience. I believe the same shift is happening in dog daycare and pet resorts — and the owners who understand it early will be the ones who thrive. If you've been wondering whether premium positioning is really worth it, or whether it's time to move away from the "warehouse-style" model, this episode lays out exactly why the future belongs to businesses that do more with fewer, better-fit clients. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the Middle of the Market Is So Dangerous – How being "average" keeps you busy, stretched, and underpaid. What Disney Can Teach You About Profit – Why fewer customers spending more can create a far stronger business. The Power of Intentional Targeting – How attracting affluent dog owners changes the quality of your clients and your margins. Why Volume Isn't the Answer – How more dogs often leads to more pressure, more stress, and less profit. What Premium Really Creates – Why a more experiential, personalised model makes your business more enjoyable, profitable, and valuable. If you want to add your name to the waiting list for the Dog Daycare Success Academy, head to: petbusinessmarketing.com/successacademy Thanks to PawPal our amazing show sponsor! Check them out here

April 24, 2026Episode 44715 min

Episode 447 - The Lie Most Dog Daycares Are Living (And Why It's Keeping You Stuck)

Are you busy, fully booked… and still not making the money you expected? Have you built a business that looks successful on the outside but feels exhausting on the inside? And what if the real problem isn't your marketing… but the client model you've built your business on? In this episode, I'm unpacking what I believe is one of the biggest lies in the dog daycare industry — that being busy equals being successful. Fresh back from a couple of days away in Spain, I found myself reflecting on why so many daycare owners struggle to take time off, and it led me down a rabbit hole of conversations, comments, and patterns I've seen repeated over the last decade. We dive into the ongoing debate around pricing, premium positioning, and marketing to affluent dog owners — including some pushback I've had online — and I break down why sticking with a low-price, high-volume model is one of the fastest ways to stay stuck, stressed, and underpaid. I also share lessons from my own journey building a premium pet business, why the market is shifting whether you like it or not, and what you need to do if you want to future-proof your business and actually enjoy the lifestyle you set out to create. In this episode, you'll discover: The "Busy = Successful" Myth – Why being fully booked doesn't automatically mean you're building a profitable business. The Real Cost of Low Pricing – How attracting price-driven clients leads to more stress, less loyalty, and weaker margins. Why the Market Is Changing – How competition, rising costs, and smarter operators are forcing a shift in the industry. The Premium Positioning Advantage – Why targeting affluent dog owners leads to better clients, higher profits, and a more stable business. What Needs to Change First – Why this isn't a marketing problem… it's a business model problem. If you're ready to rethink your pricing, positioning, and overall business model, you can learn more about the Dog Daycare Success Academy, and add your name to the waitlist by clicking here now Thanks to our amazing show sponsor Pawpal. To find out more about their amazing app go to Pawpal

April 17, 2026Episode 44615 min

Episode 446 – The Big Profit Boosters: 7 Ways to Make More Money in Your Pet Business This Week

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

April 3, 2026Episode 44527 min

Episode 445: Celebrating The Unsung Heroes in Your Pet Business (And Why They Matter More Than You Think)

Who are the unsung heroes in your business… and are you doing enough to recognise them? Could the real growth in your company be coming from people, systems, or decisions you've started to take for granted? And what happens when you build a business where everyone wins — not just the owner? In this episode, I'm joined by Alison Jacobs, one of the new success coaches inside the Dog Daycare Success Academy, and we talk about what made IMPACT 2026 so powerful, what makes the new academy different, and why in-person learning still delivers breakthroughs you simply can't get any other way. But before that, I open up a wider conversation about the "unsung heroes" in business — the people behind the scenes, the systems quietly doing the heavy lifting, and the premium pricing strategies that often make the biggest difference without getting the credit. I share some reflections from my own business too, including the huge role Beth has played behind the scenes over the years, the systems that help keep things moving, and why recognising your key people matters if you want to build a stronger, more motivated team. In this episode, you'll discover: Who the Unsung Heroes Really Are – Why your biggest business assets may be the people and systems working quietly in the background. Why Recognition Matters – How shining a light on key team members boosts morale, trust, and long-term performance. The In-Person Learning Advantage – Why live events and immersive coaching create faster breakthroughs than passive learning. Systems That Deserve More Credit – How CRM, onboarding, and premium pricing quietly drive growth and stability. Why Client Success Fuels Everything – How helping your clients win creates a ripple effect that strengthens your whole business. 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