Are your clients already buying food, treats, toys and other pet products from somebody else every month?

Have you thought about adding retail to your daycare, boarding or grooming business, but don’t know what to sell, how much stock to carry or where the hell to start?

And what if the easiest way to make retail work isn’t filling your reception with hundreds of products… but finding a handful of carefully chosen items that enhance the services you’re already selling?

In this week’s episode of the Pet Boarding & Daycare Podcast, Dom is joined by Melinda Stanford, owner of Bark & Bone, a luxury grooming, mobile grooming and pet retail business in Carmel, Indiana. Melinda shares the lessons she’s learned since buying an existing business in 2022, including why she’d rebrand much faster if she did it again, how creating a clear ‘brand kit’ now guides everything from recruitment and customer communication to the products they stock, and what it’s really like building a business alongside her husband.

Melinda also reveals some of the mistakes she’s made while growing the retail side of Bark & Bone and shares practical advice for daycare and boarding owners who want to introduce retail without turning themselves into a pet shop. 

She explains why service businesses should start with products they can bundle into existing packages, how adding just $6 of retail product helped them increase the perceived value of a $35 grooming upgrade, and why low-cost, high-margin impulse products can be a much easier starting point than food. 

Dom and Melinda also explore community partnerships, co-marketing and how becoming the trusted place clients turn to for MORE of their pet’s needs can create additional revenue without constantly hunting for new customers.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The Pros and Cons of Buying an Existing Pet Business – Why inheriting clients, staff and a working facility can reduce risk, but can also leave you dealing with somebody else’s decisions.
• Why You Need to Make the Business Yours – Melinda’s biggest regret after buying Bark & Bone and why she’d rebrand immediately if she could do it again.
• Why Your Business DNA Comes Before Growth – How defining your values, vision and brand gives you a filter for hiring, marketing, products and future decisions.
• How to Add Retail Without Becoming a Pet Shop – Why service-based pet businesses should start small and choose products that naturally complement what they already sell.
• How to Bundle Products Into Premium Services – The simple strategy Bark & Bone uses to make service upgrades feel significantly more valuable to clients.

Remember, registration is now open for the biggest Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo on the planet, which is happening at the famous Hershey Lodge. Click here to grab your ticket now!

Huge thanks to our sponsor Focus Answering Service. Remember, every missed call is a missed revenue opportunity; protect your reputation and scale your business with 24/7 live call support: focustele.com

Thanks also to our amazing guest this week Melinda Stanford, connect with Melinda on Facebook here

Want to work with the World Leading Pet Business Coach?  Add your name to the waitlist for Dom’s Exclusive coaching program The Dog Daycare Success Academy now by clicking here now. Episode Highlights

[03:16] – Dom shares a lesson from his first dog-training mentor about why great enrichment doesn’t require expensive equipment.
[05:28] – Why daycare owners don’t need a dedicated enrichment room or fancy equipment to start providing better experiences for dogs.
[11:09] – Dom previews his brand-new four-hour Pet Care Mastermind Experience at the Hershey Expo.
[15:52] – Why Dom has attended masterminds for ten years and the impact they’ve had on his own business and coaching.
[19:40] – Melinda introduces Bark & Bone and explains how she moved from veterinary medicine into grooming, nutrition and retail.
[21:00] – The pros, cons and hidden surprises Melinda discovered after buying an existing pet business.
[24:20] – How Bark & Bone’s brand kit became the filter for products, recruitment, communication and the entire customer experience.
[28:16] – Melinda gets candid about running a business with her husband and why learning to disagree has actually strengthened their relationship.
[31:50] – How to introduce retail into a service business, including Melinda’s strategy for bundling physical products into premium packages.
[40:00] – Why community events, strategic partnerships and co-marketing can help pet businesses reach entirely new groups of clients.