Episode 292 - How an Aggressive Dog Inspired Katie Casell to Become Miami's Premier Force-Free Dog Trainer
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Release Date: 03/24/2023
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are your prices attracting the wrong kind of clients? Could charging more actually make your pet business more desirable? And how much is fear costing you every month you remain underpriced? In this episode, I’m tackling one of the biggest and most expensive problems in the pet industry: undercharging. After coaching more than 3,000 pet business owners over the last decade, I’ve seen the same pattern repeatedly. Owners start too cheap, stay too cheap, and allow the complaints of one or two vocal penny-pinchers to dictate their entire pricing strategy. I explain why low prices don’t...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are you drowning in ideas but struggling to decide what deserves your attention? Do you keep consuming more information without actually making meaningful progress? And what are the three things your business genuinely needs from you over the next 90 days? In this episode, I’m sharing the highest-return investment I’ve ever made in my business: hiring a coach. After spending two painful years trying to build an online store without a clear strategy, vision, or plan, I eventually realised I didn’t need more information. I needed someone who could help me ignore the noise, identify the...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Is your marketing full of facts, features, and offers… but completely lacking in personality? Are you letting AI-generated beige gruel make your pet business sound like everyone else? And could the stories already sitting inside your business become your most valuable marketing assets? In this episode, I’m sharing a powerful lesson inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, a 1,000-year-old piece of visual storytelling that recently travelled from France to the British Museum under extraordinary levels of protection and security. The tapestry survived revolutions, wars, occupation, and almost a...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are you creating content that actually builds trust… or just chasing likes, views, and followers? Why do some businesses last for centuries while others disappear almost overnight? And what if the real purpose of your marketing isn’t visibility, but risk reduction? In this episode, I’m sharing the biggest lessons from our recent Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event at Lumley Castle, where the theme was Content in the Castle. You’ll hear how DDSA members used the event to create stronger content plans, build deeper trust with future clients, and connect with other ambitious pet...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are you trying to push through the second half of the year on fumes? When was the last time you properly stepped away from the noise of your business? And could pressing pause actually be the thing that helps you move faster when you return? In this episode, I’m sharing a lesson from a recent week away in Menorca with Beth, where we did very little on purpose. No laptop, no emails, no social media, and no heroic “just checking in” nonsense. Just rest, reading, swimming, talking, and a proper reset after a very busy first half of the year. I explain why downtime is not a luxury, but...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are you winging your accounts and hoping everything is in the right box? Do you know whether you should be a sole trader, limited company, or something else entirely? And could one bad finance decision quietly cost your pet business thousands? In this episode, I’m joined by Vicky Clark, founder of The Pet Accountant and Pet Pro Expo. Vicky works exclusively with pet businesses across the UK, helping groomers, walkers, trainers, boarders, daycare owners, and other pet professionals get their finances, bookkeeping, tax, and business structure properly sorted. We talk about the biggest...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Where do your best business ideas actually come from? Are you looking outside the pet industry often enough… or just recycling the same tired advice as everyone else? And could one strange book, old advert, or random story spark the next big idea in your business? In this episode, I’m sharing four business lessons from a secondhand bookstore in Boston. Before the first Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event, Beth and I stumbled across Brattle Bookshop, and what was supposed to be a bit of sightseeing quickly turned into an hour of rummaging through dusty old books, picture books,...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Is your daycare safe, professional, certified… yet completely forgettable? Are you losing attention because your business looks and sounds like every other pet resort in town? And what would change if you stopped playing it safe and started making your business more interesting? In this episode, I’m asking a blunt but important question: is your dog daycare too boring? After recent Dog Daycare Success Academy trainings around goal setting, vision, and building more fun into your business, I’m digging into why fun, personality, entertainment, and experience matter more than most pet...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Are you creating content that actually moves people closer to buying… or just posting because someone told you to? What happens when you stop copying bland AI-generated slop and start showing the real personality, values, and story behind your business? And could one properly planned content system finally stop you staring at a blank screen wondering what to post? In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of the latest Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event at Lumley Castle, where the theme was Content in the Castle. You’ll hear from attendees who left with clear content...
info_outlineThe Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Do you know your business needs to change… but keep putting off the big moves? What happens when you put ambitious dog daycare owners in a room and force them to think bigger? And could the right accountability finally push you to raise prices, set proper goals, and get serious about growth? In this episode, I’m sharing more behind-the-scenes audio from the first Dog Daycare Success Academy immersion event in Boston. You’ll hear directly from DDSA members as they talk about their biggest takeaways from the room — from dreaming bigger and setting clearer 90-day goals, to targeting more...
info_outlineKatie Casell was born, raised and still still lives in Miami - a true Miamiam - where she now serves the community as Miami's number #1 force-free dog trainer.
Katie has been holding a dog leash since she was in dipers, and grew up with a love for dogs and horses, a passion she inherited from her animal loving dad, who also trained dogs, horses and parrots.
She worked as a groom aged 17, but then fell into a sales job selling pest control, before she started 20 year career with a floral importer.
Katie could see the writing on the wall with her sales job, and so started her own side hustle pet business in 2002. This ran alongside her regular job until 2011, when she adopting an agressive dog called Brisco, the dog who inspired a life-long love and career in dog training.
A cancer scare in 2017 finally gave her the push to follow her passion, and go all in with her dog training business.
Katie has been on thorough training journey learning from some world class training mentors, and she ended up specialising in helping leash reactive and leash agressive dogs with her private one to one training services. She also does puppy sessions to provide some light relief from the intensity of the aggressive dog cases.
In this awesome interview you will discover;
- How creating connections with local vets helped stimulate referrals and bring clients to her fledgling business
- Why Katie and I are cooking up an exclusive, high-end, luxury offer for her affluent dog training clients
- Why she niched to aggresive dogs as an homage to her first dog Brisco.
- Why you need good training AND business mentors IF you want to accelerate your career.
- Why dog trainers need speak to dog owners fears in their marketing materials
- The amazing sliding doors moment that led to Katie finding her husband...
Katie was a great guest, and an awesome coaching client I love working with, you'll get so much from her inspirational story.
To find out more about Katie's services check out her website here
To grab a ticket to the next leg of Dom's USA seminar tour click here
To get access to £1997 worth of FREE pet business marketing materials click here now
You can grab a copy of Dom's brand new book How to Disnify Your Pet Business, click here to get your copy now