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 cost to becoming profitable, paying herself a real salary, and building a team with insane retention.
⏰ Timestamps
0:00 Welcome and why this episode matters
0:17 Meet guest Lauren Dunkle
0:52 The financial breaking point in 2023
2:03 Entering DogCo with a 78 percent labor cost
3:40 Learning to understand the numbers
4:50 How Illinois labor laws shaped her business
5:47 Transitioning from ICs to employees
7:01 Discovering and repairing the labor cost gap
8:48 Cutting labor cost from 78 percent to 52 percent
10:36 Paying staff well without destroying margins
12:49 Protecting profit and protecting your team
14:25 The mindset shift that changed her business
17:16 Why she did not fire anyone to fix the problem
20:32 Why profit matters for long term stability
23:00 Developing a data skill set from scratch
26:09 Deciding to drop pet sitting using clean data
33:01 Systems that allowed her to onboard 120 clients
36:00 Lauren joins the DogCo team and final reflections
This conversation is real, honest, tactical, and incredibly empowering for anyone who wants to run a healthier business without sacrificing values, team culture, or long term goals. I cannot wait for you to hear it.
✨ Key Takeaways
• How Lauren cut her labor cost from 78 percent to 52 percent
• Why labor cost is the most important number in a team based pet care company
• How to make data based decisions even if numbers make you nervous
• What it looks like to restructure a business without losing momentum
• The truth about growth curves, slow seasons, and emotional resilience
• How to position staff pay, benefits, and pathways in a high cost of living state
• How letting data guide decisions can help you scale cleanly and profitably
🚀 Ready to Scale Your Pet Care Business?
Mastermind enrollment is open for January 2026. If you want to work with DogCo, this is your window. Schedule your consultation at: dogcolaunch.com/mastermind
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Cheering you on,
Michelle