Episode 284 - Juggling a Pet Sitting Business, Conference Organising and Adopting Seven Children, with Jessica Milam
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Release Date: 02/13/2023
Episode 431: Dom's Big Pet Biz Lessons of 2025: Are You Growing a Pet Business or Building a Life You LOVE!
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What happens when you build a successful pet business… but forget to build a life around it? Why do so many hardworking pet professionals stay busy, stressed, and tired — even when the business is technically “doing well”? And how can you stop reacting to the year ahead… and start designing it on purpose? In this end-of-year episode, I hit pause between Christmas festivities to reflect on what 2025 really taught me about business growth, and also about my energy, downtime, leverage, and clarity. For me this was a year filled with travel-heavy months and packed event schedules...
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What Dog Daycare Owners Can Learn from a World-Class Copywriter, with Mike Samuels
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What actually separates businesses that blend in with the crowd… from the ones that stand out? Why do some owners seem to escape the race to the bottom on price, while others feel permanently squeezed? And what does behavioural psychology, copywriting, and niching properly have to do with running a predictable and more profitable dog daycare? In this episode, I share a special conversation recorded at the Elite UK Mastermind with Mike Samuels — one of the most renowned copywriters and behavioural psychology specialists in the world. While Mike doesn’t work in pet care, the lessons he...
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Episode 429: How to Build Your Daycare to Sell (Even if you Never do) with IMPACT 26 Keynote speaker,Tieja Heikkila
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What happens to your business when the economy shifts, jobs disappear, and your clients start feeling the pressure before you do? How resilient is your pricing, your positioning, and your client base if AI starts replacing roles your customers rely on? And what really changes when you experience Dom’s coaching in person — not through a screen, not in theory, but live and unfiltered? In this episode, Dom pulls back the curtain on why Teija Heikkilä was the only choice for keynote speaker at IMPACT 2026 — and why her message lands harder now than ever before. Teija isn’t talking...
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Episode 428: It’s Time to Disnify Your Dog Daycare: Get Your FAST-PASS Ticket to Success!
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What if you could transform your daycare into the Disney of your town, the place affluent owners brag about, pay more for, and refuse to leave? What would happen to your business if you mastered experience, enrichment, pricing, systems, and upsells in just two days? And what could next year look like if you finally stopped running a wacky warehouse… and started running a wonderland for dogs? In this week’s episode, I come in hot with the announcement I’ve been dying to make: The Disnify Your Dog Daycare LIVE Impact Success Summit is coming to ORLANDO in 2026. And it’s going to be the...
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Episode 427: Dom Hodgson's Thanksgiving Reflections: The Game-Changing Pet Biz Lessons I’m Grateful For (That Will Grow Your Business Too)
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What would happen if you stopped for a moment and actually looked at how far you’ve come in your business? How much easier would things feel if you recognised the wins, the lessons, the mistakes, and the mentors who helped you get here? And what breakthroughs might you unlock if you took stock of everything you should be thankful for as a pet business owner? In this Thanksgiving-themed episode, I take a breather from the post-Hershey whirlwind to reflect on the major moments, decisions, and people that have shaped my business journey. From leaving Imperial Tobacco, to finding the right...
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Episode 426 – Mission Enrich Launch Week: A Sneak-Peak at the Book and the Movement It’s Sparking…
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Ever wondered what actually goes into launching a book that could reshape the way dog daycares think about enrichment? What happens when you return from a whirlwind U.S. expo, jump straight into coaching calls, and then dive headfirst into recording your next audiobook? And what is it about enrichment that has daycare owners buzzing, levelling up, and leaving rave reviews within days? In this episode, I check in from a frosty, Christmas-tinged Town Farm to share the story behind the launch of Mission Enrich, my newest (and most unusual) pet business book. Fresh off the plane from Hershey,...
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Episode 425: The Hershey Debrief: Enrichment Wins, Book Launch Buzz, and Behind-the- Scenes Highlights from the Expo
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What really happens when you take your business across the pond and into one of the biggest pet care expos in the world? How do you turn an event stand into a sales machine, attract 20+ new members, and launch a brand-new book in the middle of it all? And what does it take to keep your energy (and sanity) when you’re juggling clients, speaking gigs, and international travel all in one week? In this episode, Me and Tim Jackson check in from Heathrow Airport after an unforgettable week at the Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo in Hershey. Between two days in New York, the Mission ENRICH...
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Episode 424: The Biggest Breakthroughs from the 2025 Doggy Daycare Business Bootcamp- Pricing Wins, Positioning & Profit Power Plays
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Ever wondered what breakthroughs are possible when you step away from the business and into a room full of people who “get it”? And what did a room full of those ambitious pet pros learn that helped them raise prices, specialise, and start leading their clients (instead of being led by them)? Did you see we missed last week’s episode and wonder if I had finally taken a day off?, Well, fear ye not because in this episode, I return after a non-stop US trip to share what went down at my latest business bootcamp. After a marathon week in Maryland and Washington — including masterminding...
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Episode 423: The Pawpal Story, The All-in-One Pet Care Booking App that Solves your Business Scheduling Woes
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Still running your business with sticky notes, spreadsheets, and late-night messages? What if you could turn that chaos into a seamless system that saves you hours, grows your profits, and upsells clients automatically? And what happens when a dog daycare grows 200x in size—and creates the tech to make it all work? In this week’s episode, I sit down with long-time Elite members Sarah and Pete Stevens of K9 Adventures and Pawpal UK to reveal how they went from a disorganised dog van full of cash and confusion… to running one of the UK’s most advanced, organised, and profitable pet care...
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Episode 422: Stop Going It Alone: Why Smart Dog Daycare Owners Get Help (and Stubborn Ones Stay Stuck)
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are you still trying to fix your business problems alone because you’re afraid of outside influence? What could change if you let a fresh pair of eyes look under the hood and point out what you’re missing? And how much faster would you grow if you stopped winging it and started working with people who’ve already been where you want to go? In this week’s episode, I share a field report from Elite member and Enrich U co-founder Tim Jackson, who spent 24 hours on site with fellow Elite members, and Enrich U scholars Sarah and Pete Stevens at K9 Adventures London. Tim reveals how their...
info_outlineThis weeks guest is one of the busiest pet professionals I've ever had on the show...
Jessica Milam is the CEO of Fur Services Fur Pets, a thriving pet sitting business in Aubrey, Texas. She also runs a Sign Gypsies franchise, is on the board and plays a big role in the Texas Pet Sitters Conference, and in November 2021 she and hubby Chris adopted seven children!
Born in an entreprenuerial family Jessica was great at maths at school, and ended up using those skills doing accounts and systemising her dads air conditioning business.
She had dreams of starting her own boarding and daycare facility when she finished her degree and bachelor's, but a lack of funds meant
Jessica took the unusual step of starting and growing a pet care business whilst at the same time working full time for her dad. A motorcylce injury forced her to take a step back, and it was then she decided to go full time with Fur Services Fur Pets.
Since then the team has grown dramatically, they just celebrated their best year ever, and won Naaps Pet Sitter of the year 2022.
In this packed episode you will discover;
- Why it's a total trip working in the business with hubby Chris, but why you also need clearly defined roles when you work with family members.
- The unusual benefits that happen when you start a pet business, whilst also working in a full time job
- How to ride the wave of scaling up with staff and letting people go as demand for services changes over the seasons.
- Why there's always an opportunity to start a pet business even if you have no experience, and no money!
- What an organisational team looks like for a national pet sitting conference
- How Jessica survived for nearly six months with hardly any sleep as they adopted a family of seven children aged 6-13!
And much, much more...
Tune in now to find out more about Jessica's amazing story tune in now!
Find out more about Jessica's business click here now
To find out more about the Texas Pet Sitters Conference click here now
To find out about Dom's USA tour of his Grow Your Pet Business FAST! seminar click here now
And if you enjoyed that you should grab a copy of my brand new book How to Disnify Your Pet Business, click here to grab it now
To sign up for Dom's FREE Five Day Disnify Your Pet Business Challenge, click here now
To grab a ticket to IMPACT 23 - The Disnify Your Pet Business Success Summit, click here now