Episode 307 - How to Switch to an Enrichment Doggy Daycare Model with Amy Hillis from Social Pet Resort
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Release Date: 07/21/2023
Episode 436: Why Live Events And Real Client Connections Create the Strongest Pet Business Brands
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What separates pet businesses that are simply “good” from those people talk about, remember, and proudly recommend? Why do LIVE (in-person) experiences build deeper trust than any advert, post, or email ever could? And in an increasingly automated (and ai obsessed) world, how can you still creates real connection with your clients? In this episode, I’m just hours away from the early-bird deadline for IMPACT 2026, and I’m joined by my Enrich U partner, Elite Mastermind member, and IMPACT speaker, Tim Jackson. Together, we dig into one of the most powerful — and most overlooked —...
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Episode 435: The Fast Pass: How to Leapfrog Your Dog Daycare Competition and Build A Premium, Destination Brand.
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Do you feel like you’re doing everything “right” — yet still progress in your pet business is slow and frustrating? What if business growth didn’t have to be a long, slow climb, but a sprint to the top of the pile? And what would change if you could skip the line and position your pet business at the front of the pack? In this episode, I’m back at my desk after a busy few weeks of travel, meetings, and event planning to share a simple but powerful idea: the Fast Pass. Borrowed from theme parks like Disney and Universal, a Fast Pass lets you bypass the queue and get where you want...
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Episode 434 - Takeaways from the Dog Daycare Elite Mastermind in Austin, Texas
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What actually happens when ambitious pet business owners step away from their facilities and into a room built for growth? How do these businesses move faster in three months than others do in three years? And what changes when you stop trying to solve problems alone and start tapping into collective experience? In this episode, I’m back home at Town Farm after a whirlwind trip to the U.S., sharing behind-the-scenes audio and reflections from our first Elite Mastermind of 2026 in Austin, Texas. You’ll hear directly from members as they walk out of the room admittedly tired, fired up,...
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433: Pet Business Perspective - How Looking Back Can Help Power Your Future Success
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
When was the last time you actually stopped to look at how far you’ve come in your business? What would change if you judged progress over three or five years — not the last three months? And how different would your goals be if you truly believed the next chapter could be bigger than anything you’ve built so far? In this episode, I check in from the middle of the Caribbean, recording from a cruise ship en route between speaking engagements in the U.S. Sharing travel chaos stories, football fandom, and my own evolution as a business owner, we explore why most entrepreneurs underestimate...
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Episode 432: Inside a Real Consultation Day with Dom Hodgson: How One Day of Strategy Can Save Years of Wrong Decisions
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
What actually happens during a full, in-person pet business consultation day with Dom Hodgson? How does Dom spot hidden opportunities, fix leaks, and uncover an entirely new growth path in a single day? And how can one focused conversation save you years of trial, error, and frustration? In this first episode of 2026, I give you rare, behind-the-scenes access to a real consultation day I did with Adam Delderfield (PBIC Marketer of the Year) and Stella Seminerio. Rather than theory or tidy case studies, you’ll hear raw audio recorded at the end of an intensive strategy day — capturing...
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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...
info_outlineWhat happens when a daycare is built around enrichment and the needs of each dog?
You are about to find out because episode 307 is an enlightening interview with Amy Hillis, the Chief Strategy Officer of Social Pet Hotel which she runs alongside CEO and husband Bill. They offer daycare, lodging, boarding and training in Charlotte and Pineville North Carolina.
Amy grew up in Sandusky, Ohio, she attended Ohio university where she gained a bachelor's degree in middle childhood education, this led to a position teaching middle school.
- After a successful decade in education, Amy felt something was missing from her life. Around the time husband Bill was doing an MBA and happened to be doing a business plan for a dog business. He realised that there was a real need for quality pet care in Charlotte.
So, in 2014 Amy highjacked Bills idea and Social Pet Hotel was born. She shares the business origin story, how they built an amazing team and expanded to a second location with a third just about to open.
Tune in to discover;
- Why they Social Pet Resort switched from regular daycare to an enrichment model
- Why not coming from a pet care back ground was an advantage when innovating and changing the daycare offering
- How they switched existing clients to the enrichment model <-- great advice here from Amy
- Why launching a daycare means involves lot of hustle, bootstrapping and reinvesting. Amy didn't take a salary for two months.
- Why offering an enrichment model enables you to stand out from the crowd AND charge higher prices.
- How Amy is marketing her third daycare differently than when she opened her first daycare.
- And much, much more...
Thanks to Amy for being so open and honest in this inspiring conversation.
You can find out more about Amy's amazing daycare operation by clicking here
Remember, if you are a USA based pet business owner you need to grab a ticket for my Pet Business Premium Pricing Secrets Masterclass in Orlando on September 30th. This is my last LIVE seminar in the USA in 2023, click here now to grab a ticket.
If you want more help and advice from me then you should grab a copy of my brand new book, How to Disnify Your Pet Business, click here to get your copy now
If you want to join the Pet Business Inner Circle where you can get access to hundreds of trainings and ask Dom anything inside the members only private forum, then click here now
To apply to join Dom's Diamond private coaching program click here now