OverDog: Dog Daycare & Boarding Business Tips
154 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 24 ratingsThis is where dog daycare and boarding businesses can learn the top tips and business strategies to grow. Discover what the top dog daycares are doing to overcome challenges, improve everything they do and keep their staff and customers happy. Learn the latest in marketing pet businesses as well as creative ways to increase your brand's image and move your business farther, faster. Running a pet business can be difficult and often leave you feeling like an underdog. Not anymore - together we'll make you the OVERDOG.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
149: Big Takeaways From The Overdog Business Retreat
April 30, 2024 10:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MBIn April of 2024 we held the first annual Overdog Business Retreat designed to help dog daycare and boarding business owners learn some important business strategies, improve their mindset, make some new friends and relax a bit. And it was AWESOME! In this episode Fern sits down with Allison Jacobs and Kristen Perrus (from Scouts Honor) at the end of the event to reflect on some of the big take-aways and aha moments that we experienced during the retreat.
148: 7 things your pet business needs in order to grow
April 22, 2024 12:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBIf you have dreams of building your pet business into something amazing - maybe growing it to multiple locations and/or expanding your service offerings- you need to set the stage for all that to happen. If you do, your success is inevitable. If you don’t, you end up spinning your wheels and going no where. Today Fern gives you 7 things you can do today to prepare you business for the future. These will help better understand where you want to go and exactly how you can get there.
147: Learning From LECA’s Dog Training Curriculum
April 11, 2024 15:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBTraining continues to be a great service and revenue stream for dog daycare businesses but many struggle with how to structure the training programs to be both valuable to customers and good revenue sources for the business. Fern brings on Max Belenitsky of LECA Academy to share how they created their training program, which has a learning curriculum that sets the dogs up for success, while also keeping the humans very engaged.
146: Pet Business Myths Debunked
April 08, 2024 14:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBThere is a bunch of recurring topics in the pet industry that there's always a lot of debate on. Some of these are long standing myths that keep circulating with a lot of confusion on that actual facts of the issues. In this episode, Fern tackles seven of the most common myths about the dog daycare and boarding industry and gives you his take on them so you can better understand how to best address them in your own business.
145: Resort Spotlight - Social Pet Hotel & Daycare
April 01, 2024 13:00 - 49 minutes - 34.4 MBStarting a pet business from nothing and growing into multi-locations isn’t easy. However if you have the vision, are willing to do what it takes and stay open opportunities it can happen. In this episode, learn how Amy Hillis started Social Pet Hotel in North Carolina and has grown it into a thriving 3 location business that is setting high standards for pet care. Learn how she got over the early struggles, innovated with customer care and is helping to educate and advance the industry.
144: Tips For Better Revenue Management
March 26, 2024 11:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBDid you know there is a way to make more money without bringing in more customers? Well, there is, and not only that, with the help of technology much of it can be done behind the scenes with only a little bit of effort. Today you're going to learn the magic of revenue management from Chris Tilson, from the Kennel at Arbor Lane and Goose software. He shows us how to maximize the value of your services while taking the best care of your customers.
143: Bringing on a Trainer Into Your Pet Business
March 19, 2024 11:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBAdding training to your list of services just makes sense. Dog training is always a customers need, enabling you to better server people, it helps the dogs improve their behavior and brings in some extra revenue. As the dog daycare industry continues to evolve, it's important to pivot accordingly and training looks to be an important component for the future of this industry. In this episode, Fern chats with Mandy Eakin of Manners Matter on how to find a trainer and what to look for when y...
142: Doing The Things You NEED To Do But Don't Want To Do
March 12, 2024 12:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBLet's be honest here, you've been putting off a bunch of things in your business because you just don't like doing them. Maybe it's because they are boring or perhaps it's because you're not really good at them or don't know how to get them done. Whatever the reason, they might be very important to the success of your business and you need to get moving on them. In this episode, Fern will list some of those top tasks that you've been procrastinating and give you the kick in the butt to get...
141: Boosting Your Online Visibility by Improving Your Google Business Profile
March 05, 2024 00:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBYour Google Business Profile is one of the resources online that can get your business seen by more people by helping your business show up in search results. To make sure that happens and to rank higher than your competitors, you need to set it up and optimized correctly. In this episode, you'll learn some simple ways you can improve your Google business visibility and greatly increase your odds of people finding your business online.
140: How to Properly Nurture Both Leads & Customers
February 27, 2024 14:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MBIt doesn't matter how many people you get to discover, inquire and come in to your business if you're not taking the proper steps to turn them into paying customers that stick around. To do that, you need to learn how to take control of the sales process, give each person the attention they require and make it easy for them to do business with you. In this episode we'll talk about how you should be nurturing new leads, as well as converted customers so that everyone feels taken care of and...
139: Bringing On a Partner To Help Your Pet Business
February 19, 2024 23:00 - 39 minutes - 27.2 MBStarting and growing your very own pet business can be very rewarding and profitable. However, many owners find themselves overwhelmed with the gazillion things you need to do on a daily basis, much of which are not very enjoyable to you. This causes many people to become so frustrated and exhausted that they wonder if it's worth the trouble. If you've ever felt that way and dream about finding someone with amazing resources that could help out with all that back end stuff so you could foc...
138: When is the Best Time to Do Marketing
February 13, 2024 15:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBMarketing is essential for success in every pet business. You'll constantly need to bring in new leads, educate your audience and build your brand in order to see long term, sustained growth. Often, success or failure of your marketing efforts hinges on the timing of your campaigns. In this episode we'll discuss how to determine when marketing is necessary and how to deploy campaigns throughout your sales process to improve your results, bringing you a greater return on your marketing inve...
137: How Perfect Pooch is Connecting with Customers
February 06, 2024 18:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBIn the episode of the Overdog podcast, Fern interviews Kelli from Perfect Pooch, a comprehensive pet care service. They discuss the successful strategies implemented at Perfect Pooch, focusing on personalized client services and staff incentives. Kelli highlights the importance of action and implementation in seeing results, sharing how proactive measures in training, customer engagement, and staff motivation have positively impacted her business. The discussion also covers innovative progra...
136: The Top 5 Trends In the Dog Daycare Industry
January 31, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBThe pet industry is constantly changing and evolving. As our human lifestyles are altered by events like COVID and the work from home movement, things that worked previously for your business are no longer effective. If you want to stay relevant and be able to compete with all the new businesses in your area, you need to understand the current trends in the industry and take the actions that will keep your business needed. In this episode we'll discuss some of the biggest aspects of the do...
135: Keeping Score In Your Business
January 23, 2024 13:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBAs an entrepreneur there's so many things you need to do on a daily basis that it can be hard to keep track of what's really important. To make sure you're heading in the right direction, you need to focus on the metrics that will have the biggest impact on your business success. By knowing where you're at and where you want to go, you can craft the proper plan to get there. In this episode we'll go over some of the KPI's (key performance indicators) you should know, monitor and continuall...
134: Building Authority For Your Business
January 15, 2024 14:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBLearn the strategies and insights that can transform your dog daycare business into a recognized authority in the field. From creating a nurturing environment for furry friends to implementing innovative services, we explore the key elements that set successful dog daycares apart. Get valuable tips on building credibility, establishing a strong online presence, and fostering positive relationships with both clients and their beloved pets. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just star...
Episode 133: Helpful Online Tools
January 09, 2024 12:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBThanks 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.
132: How to Differentiate Yourself From The Competition
January 01, 2024 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MBEvery 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...
131: Your Outlook Determines Your Outcome
December 26, 2023 17:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBHow 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 b...
130: 2024 Dog Daycare Business Predictions
December 20, 2023 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBOver 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 ...
129: Taking Enrichment To The Next Level
December 12, 2023 13:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBEnrichment 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.
128: Lessons From Walt Disney
December 05, 2023 14:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBI'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.
127: The Secrets of Staff Retention
November 28, 2023 01:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBEveryone 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 incred...
126: Do You Have a Business or a Job?
November 21, 2023 11:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBMost 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 th...
125: Big Takeaways From The Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo
November 14, 2023 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBI 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.
124: Building Better Leaders In Your Business
October 31, 2023 17:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBEverything 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 top...
123: Start Marketing Like Taylor Swift
October 30, 2023 15:00 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBTaylor Swift seems to be on an unstoppable journey to take over the world. She just become a billionaire and is the most popular artist on plant Earth. Whether you're a fan of her music or not, you can learn a lot from how she continues to build her brand and grows her empire. In today's episode we'll look at some of the ways Taylor markets and promotes herself, and how you can do similar things to build your pet business.
122: 5 Reasons Why Dog Daycare Businesses Fail
October 24, 2023 13:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBThey say "success leaves clues." I believe that's true but failure also gives us valuable lessons that can teach about success. I've found that businesses that experience problems have certain things in common that cause or greatly contribute to their ultimate failure. In this episode, we'll go over the top 5 issues that are plaguing failing dog daycare businesses, as well as what you can do to avoid and/or improve these areas in your own business.
121: Black Friday Deals Done Right
October 17, 2023 13:00 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MBFor one week (or more) every year people are ready and happy to spend lots of money. If done right, Black Friday promotions can mean a giant cash infusion right before the holidays. Many businesses, however, miss out on this prime opportunity because they don't understand how to structure a good offer or market it effectively. In this episode we'll break down how you can take advantage of Black Friday by finding the right promotions for your business and how to properly advertise it so th...
120: The 17 Laws of Success
October 10, 2023 13:00 - 48 minutes - 33.4 MBJust under 100 years ago Napoleon Hill published his success principals after studying and interviewing the most successful people in the world. He found that all the top successes did some of the same actions to build their empires and compiled these into a course on how anyone can achieve great results by following the same principals. Reading these and then putting them into action has greatly changed my business and life. In this podcast I'm going to share Hill's 17 principals of succe...
119: Using Email Newsletters To Connect With Customers
October 02, 2023 14:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MBA giant problem in the dog daycare industry is that you don't get much time with the paying (human) customers. That means you need to find creative ways to get in front of them if you want them to feel connected with you and your business. One easy way to do this is with regular email newsletters. In today's episode we'll discuss why they are so powerful, what to put in them and exactly how you can get them done.
118: Work-Life Balance For You AND Your Staff
September 25, 2023 22:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBThe term "work-life" balance it thrown around a lot these days, however I don't think people are having the right conversations about this topic and most people are not properly prioritizing it. In today's episode Patrick Lyons from Culture By Design comes back on to teach you why this is so important, as well as how to implement it for yourself and all your employees.
117: How To Avoid Burnout
September 19, 2023 13:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBRunning your own business is a lot of work. There's always so much to do and never enough time to get it all done. So, we do what all entrepreneurs do, we put our heads down and grind it out. We sacrifice our time, energy and often, our sanity for the good of the business. The problem that so many face in the dog daycare industry is that you can only keep that up so long and then you fall apart - mentally and physically. In order to make your business a success AND feel good doing it, you ...
116: Solo Dog Play as a Service
September 12, 2023 12:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBTraditional group play dog daycare is great for many dogs, however it's not the right environment for all. Those dogs that are not a good fit for group play typically have to be turned away because most businesses are not set up to handle single dogs that can't be in the groups. Learn how The Yellow Dog Barn has turned solo dog play into a lucrative revenue stream and one of their most in demand services. Discover how they handle the dogs, as well as, how they structure their days to manag...
115: Customer Appreciation
September 04, 2023 15:00 - 24 minutes - 16.5 MBI know you really love your customers but do they know? Too often we are so concerned with the day to day activities of running a dog daycare business that we neglect to continually show our existing customers just how much we appreciate them. In this episode, we'll discuss some ways you can make your customers feel the love from your business, keeping them coming back for years to come, while feeling compelled to tell everyone how awesome you are.
114: Staff Appreciation
August 28, 2023 18:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBJust about every single dog daycare business owner struggles with staffing issues. It's always the number one complaint, and yes, dealing with staff is challenging, stressful and exhausting. However, your staff is the backbone of your business, whom without, you would never be able to keep your doors open. On this episode we'll be discussing ways to show your employees some love, so they feel better about work and help them stay longer with less problems.
113: Running Limited Time Offers
August 21, 2023 19:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBIf you're looking for a cash injection into your business, you need to think about creating a special offer, available for a set limited time. You might be familiar with this concept and perhaps have tried it in the past, however, to be really successful you need to make sure you do it right. On today's show I bring back on Allison Jacobs of Scout's Honor to share what she did to take her results from $800 for an offer to $34,000.
112: Getting Your Business Found Online
August 11, 2023 15:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBWith increased competition in the industry, combined with a rise in online web searches, it's never been more important to get your business to show up at the top of Google. In this episode you'll learn why SEO is so important right now and some tips on how you can boost your own rankings in online searches.
111: Pruning Your Business
August 08, 2023 00:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBIf you want your business to thrive you need to do some regular gardening on it. Just like flowering plants, to keep your business healthy, you need to cut out some parts in order to allow the others to reach their full potential. No matter what stage your business is at, it's a good idea to constantly take a few steps back and see what areas could use a little pruning. In this episode, we'll discuss the benefits of regular business trimming and how to do it.
110: Resort Spotlight - K9 And Co Adventure Camp
July 30, 2023 15:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBOn today's show I invite on one of my newer clients, Tahlia Henderson of K9 and Company, who's doing some cool things with 3 dog daycare facilities in Australia. Learn how she's leveraging her existing space and taking great care of both the dogs and her human clients by taking action and trying stuff out. Tahlia shares her amazing growth strategies as well as her unique service offerings and how she plans to develop the business over time.
109: Benefits of Content Marketing
July 24, 2023 15:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBOf all the kinds of marketing you can do for your business, my all time favorite is content marketing. By putting out value into the marketplace you don't have to sell so hard and will find you get a lot more warm leads reaching out to you (instead of you having to hustle so much, making lots of offers to a cold audience). Learn how you can do content marketing, including examples, tools and use cases in this week's episode.
108: Resort Spotlight: Playful Pack
July 18, 2023 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBLearn how Playful Pack began with a dream of opening a single dog daycare, then grew it to multiple locations across the East Coast and now have begun franchising. Oh, and they did all that in a very short period of time. Discover the secret to their success, the lessons they learned along the way and how they plan for the future.
107: 10 Ways To Increase Website Conversions
July 11, 2023 11:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBYour website can and should be one of your greatest tools to showcase what you do, build trust with the viewer and lead them to take the next step with you. Unfortunately, many websites are not really set up properly and instead of moving people into a buying decision, they are confusing them and causing them to click away. In this episode, I'll go over 10 different ways you can improve your website in ways that will make it easy for people to find what they are looking for and to take the ...
106: Connecting Better With Your Customers
July 03, 2023 14:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBThere's one GIANT problem with the dog daycare business model . . . you don't get much, if any, time with the human paying the bills. Sure you get countless hours with their dog, however the person footing the bill rarely gets any personal attention. Because of that, there can often be a big disconnect between the customer and the business. If you want to strengthen your relationship with your customer base, making them feel more connected to your business and increasing their loyalty to yo...
105: Resort Spotlight: The Bark Yard
June 23, 2023 12:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBBritt and Sully from The Bark Yard in South Portland, Maine join us to share their story of making their dream of opening a dog daycare business a reality. You'll hear how they got creative to get the town to change the zoning laws, how they built out their services and learn about their early success. These guys are doing great things in only a short amount of time.
104: Starting, Expanding & Selling Your Business
June 20, 2023 00:00 - 48 minutes - 33.6 MBLearn some valuable lessons from someone who started her own dog daycare from the ground up by herself, grew it to a second location and then sold them both. Lori Zimmerman, former owner of Pups@Play in New Jersey comes on to share her story on how she was able to do it all. She's going to tell you the big lessons she learned, the mistakes to avoid and the things that make the biggest difference for success.
103: Should You Offer Discounts
June 13, 2023 00:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MBPeople love saving money and getting good deals. In the quest to acquire more customers it's tempting to discount your services to try to make them more appealing for people to buy BUT is it really the right thing to do for your business? In this episode we'll discuss the good and the bad of offering discounts, as well as how you can use them the right way for your business.
102: Summer Marketing Ideas
June 05, 2023 17:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBSummertime is a time of brief change. School is out and people looking to travel more which means they will most likely also be changing they way they utilize your business. This means you need to adapt your marketing campaigns in order to see continued success. What worked before summer doesn't usually work during summer. In this episode I'll share some of the marketing campaigns I run for my clients and give you some idea on what you can do during this very unique time of year. This e...
101: Boosting Daycare Numbers On Slow Days
May 30, 2023 14:00 - 23 minutes - 16.1 MBMost dog daycare businesses find themselves busy the same days every week, while the other days are consistently slow. As a business, the obvious opportunity for more revenue is to get more dogs in on those light days, which usually tend to be Mondays and Fridays. Today we'll discuss some different things you can do to get those off day numbers up and even out the flow of dogs coming for daycare every week.
100: How To Improve the #1 Asset To Your Business: YOU
May 23, 2023 13:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MBAs you grow your dog business I'm guessing you spend lots of time and attention on how to improve your facility, your services, your operations and everything else in your business. However, you probably neglect the single biggest influence on the success of your business - you. Everything in your business is affected by you. So it would make sense to take really good care of yourself and do things to improve yourself and how you show up for your business each and everyday. Let's look into...