Exiting a 7 Figure Business with Rachel Bowers
I sat down with Rachel Bowers for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast about the realities of scaling a pet care business.
Rachel built Brooklyn Bark from a solo dog walking business into a large-scale New York City operation handling hundreds of visits per day, and this conversation goes far beyond growth tactics. We talk about what scaling actually feels like when you’re managing people, risk, emergencies, safety systems, client expectations, insurance, training, and the emotional weight that comes with caring for live animals inside other people’s homes.
This episode also dives into the overlap between entrepreneurship and emergency response. Rachel now works in pet first aid, consulting, and volunteer firefighting, and the way she thinks about preparedness, SOPs, leadership, and crisis management has completely reframed parts of how I think about pet care businesses.
If you own a pet care company and want to scale responsibly, this is one of the most important conversations we’ve released this year.
Key Takeaways
• Pet care complexity increases dramatically with scale
• Managing people is fundamentally different from providing service directly
• Emergency preparedness must be proactive, not reactive
• SOPs reduce panic during crisis situations
• Teams need structured communication during emergencies
• Fight, flight, freeze responses affect decision-making
• Insurance gaps can create massive business risk
• Safety protocols vary depending on geography and service model
• Great leadership requires thinking several moves ahead
• Preparedness builds confidence, trust, and operational stability
Cheering You On,
M
Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit
If this conversation hit for you, this is exactly the type of work we’re going deeper into at the DogCo Business Summit.
October 2nd–4th, 2026
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Steve will be speaking live, and we’ll be working through these exact challenges, leadership, communication, and building stronger teams.
Learn more and grab your spot at: https://dogcosummit.com
Want a Real-World Example of What’s Possible?
If you want to see how clarity, leadership, and intentional systems can transform a pet care business, I’ve put together a case study showing how one company grew monthly revenue from $19,000 to over $73,000 in a single year. It breaks down the decisions, structure, and leadership shifts behind that growth, not just the outcome.
You can access the case study at dogcolaunch.com/case-study and see how DogCo Launch supports pet care owners who are ready to grow sustainably.
To learn more about how DogCo Launch helps pet care companies grow and scale, visit dogcolaunch.com.
Michelle Kline is the founder of DogCo Launch, and the host of the DogCo Secrets Podcast. Michelle spends her time helping pet care companies in the industry grow and scale their teams, increase their revenue, and increase personal profits - all while protecting their time. Learn more about Michelle here.
