Episode 313 - Disnifying Your Doggy Daycare with Luke Millington from Stay n Play
The Poodle to Pitbull Pet Business Podcast
Release Date: 09/01/2023
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_outlineStrap in folks, because todays guest has a brilliant pet business story AND an even more amazing doggy origin story to share with you...
I'm talking to Luke Millington, the CEO of Stay N' Play Doggy Daycare, who have two branches in Radcliffe and Bury.
He grew up in Stretford with his older brother Kyle, and enjoyed playing Rugby and trying to play football...
When he was 15 years old, he was sitting watching TV at a friends house Luke was attacked by a dog, and had to have 200 stiches and 6 hours of micro-surgery to fix his face. This transformed him from being someone who would cross a street to meet a dog, to being terrified of dogs for the next two years.
He has has a ton of jobs including Macdonalds - which he LOVED - then as a manager at Pizza Hut, Millies Cookies, a Juice bars, and in retail.
His family members have always ran business, so Luke always had an interest in business, which led to him doing his grooming and training qualifications, and in 2016 he opened Stay N Play Doggy Daycare.
Luke shares how he employed a multi-media approach to promoting his daycare, including posters, social media, networking and his website. This strategy took him from 2 clients on day one, to being full within six months, and in 2019 opened a second location which also offers hydrotherapy.
Tune in to discover;
- How chance conversation on a beach in Turkey led to Luke launching his dream dog business..
- Why you need to 'sell your staff' to reasure your clients, if you want to be able to step back from the business.
- How Luke initially advertised his daycare through networking and using 'guerilla' marketing tactics.
- The pricing mistakes Luke made, which you need to avoid if want to be able to quickly scale a pet business.
- Why Luke believes in doing research and surveys before opening a pet business - so you can tap into the local demand with the services you offer.
- Where they offer daycarre, grooming, training and pets as therapy services, like emotional talking therapies and reading therapies .
- Luke also shares how a visit to a local hospice inspired him to start offering pets as therapy services, which led to Luke developing a program which operates in four schools where he helps children struggling with emotional, talking and reading therapies!
This is a super insighful and inspiring episode, and you'll love listening to Lukes story, enjoy!
To find out more about Luke and what he has going on at Stay n Play click here now
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