In today’s Hot Take Friday episode, I am sharing three specific, tactical things I want you to focus on next year if your goal is to increase profit in your pet care business. These are not abstract ideas or long-term theories. These are levers you can actually pull, starting now, that I see move the needle for companies over and over again.

I am talking about labor costs, recurring service models, and before and after hours fees, and I am being very direct about where I see businesses getting stuck, what growth will not fix, and where profit actually comes from in this industry.

If you feel burned out, underpaid, stuck, or frustrated that growth has not solved your financial problems, this episode is for you.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Labor costs above 60 percent will always bottleneck profit and growth

• Growth does not fix high labor, it often makes it worse

• Recurring service models protect margin better than one off visits

• As needed services should cost more, not less

• Before and after hours fees are one of the fastest ways to increase net profit

• Profit creates stability for you, your team, and your business long term

🎯 Mentioned in This Episode

• Episode 067 with Lauren Dunkle, where she shares how she reduced labor by over 24 percent in a high cost market

• Real examples from companies inside DogCo that have implemented these strategies successfully

🚀 Ready to Go Deeper?

If this episode is hitting close to home and you want hands on support applying these strategies to your business, mastermind enrollment is now open - doors close December 31, 2025.

The Mastermind enrollment page is - dogcolaunch.com/mastermind

We only open enrollment once a year. If working with DogCo is on your radar for 2026, now is the time to take action.