Thanks to technology you have some amazing things available to you that can help you build your business in many ways. These tools are readily available to everyone and very user friendly so even the most un-tech savvy personal can utilize them. 

In this episode, Fern goes over is favorite online tools and how you can use them in your business. 

Every year the dog daycare and boarding industry gets more crowded with new businesses vying for the same customers. It's never been more important to separate yourself from your competitors so that you can attract right kinds of people to your business and show everyone why you are the right choice. 

In this episode we'll go over exactly how you can determine what your competitive advantages are and how to showcase them in everything you do, helping your business become the best option for pet care in your area. 

How you look at the world around you is so much more important than you realize. Your personal mindset is greatly affecting everything that happens to you and if you're not careful, it can limit and often totally derail your success in all areas of your life. 

Fern shares his personal story on how he was able to transform his life from one of negativity and become the positive, outgoing person he is today. With some simple (but not easy) actions you can improve everything in your life and become the best version of yourself. 

Over the last couple of years the pet industry has been a bit of a roller coaster. We've had ups and downs but through it all, the industry as a whole has grown. But what's to come for the new year?

Some things are going to change in 2024 and this business is going to continue to evolve. If you can keep up with it all, your business should flourish, but those that can't will find themselves left behind. 

In this episode Fern discusses what he believes will be important in the new year and how you can set up your business for success in 2024 and beyond. 

Enrichment is a hot topic in the industry right now and many businesses are figuring out how to incorporate it into their current business model. Some pet businesses are taking it further and making enrichment a main offering. Pet Camp in San Fransisco is one such place that's really elevated the idea of enrichment to an exciting new level. 

In this episode you'll hear from Mark Klaiman, owner of Pet Camp, who tells us all about his cool new enrichment center. 

I'm a firm believer that dog businesses can learn a lot from looking at what other successful people and businesses are doing outside of the pet industry. And nobody - nobody - does it better than Disney. 

Walt Disney is my all time favorite entrepreneur and we can learn so much from his life and the way he and his team have created an unforgettable business. In today's podcast I'll go over some of the big lessons you can learn from Walt and how you can put it to use in your own business. 

Everyone in this industry complains about the constant employee turnover. It seems that most dog daycare businesses can't seem to find good staff have trouble keeping people for any length of time. 

There are a few businesses out there that seemed to have cracked the code and are experiencing great retention rates, as well as high engagement and happiness from their staff. 

Today you'll hear from Rich Schlatter of K9 Resorts in New Jersey, who shares what he feels is the key to his incredibly high staff retention. 

Most people who start a pet business do so with the dream of being their own boss and having the control and freedom of working for themselves. They no longer have to do what someone else tells them and now get to make the big decisions and grow the business they way they want to. 

The unfortunate reality for many is that they get sucked into doing the day to day tasks of running the business, like checking in clients, cleaning, working the play groups and all the other various odd  jobs that you, as the business owner, should not be doing. Soon you realize that you don't have your own business but have actually just given yourself another job. 

Today we'll discuss how you can break this cycle and back into the business owner role so you can make time for the big picture stuff that will bring you more success, freedom and happiness. 

I just got back from the Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo in Hershey Pennsylvania and wanted to share some of the things I learned there. I met so many great people and saw some amazing presentations that have opened my mind to new ideas and fired me up to implement in some things for future growth.

Learn what I discovered there, as well as what you should do with all that knowledge that you've learned.

Everything starts at the top and trickles down throughout your entire business. If you, as the senior leader, or your management team are not effective leaders, everything will suffer. Learning how to lead properly is a skill that is worth investing in for everyone of influence in your organization. 

To help you understand exactly how you can become a better leader and build leaders in your staff I brought Phillip Paris back on the podcast to discuss the specifics of this very important topic.