The Biggest Mistake I Made with DogCo in 2026 (So Far)
The more I’ve learned and grown as a business owner this year, the more clearly I’ve been able to see everything I still want to improve. What I didn’t expect was how easily that awareness could turn into insecurity, hesitation, and even a desire to become less visible inside my own business.
I’m peeling back the curtain on one of my biggest lessons from 2026: learning that two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time. DogCo can be creating meaningful, life-changing results for pet care companies AND still have areas where I want to become a better leader, improve our systems, and create even more impact. If you’ve ever struggled to celebrate how far you’ve come because you’re hyper-focused on how far you still have to go, this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways
- Growth often reveals how much more there is to learn
- Becoming more skilled does not automatically make you feel more confident
- Seeing opportunities for improvement does not erase the progress you have already made
- Two seemingly contradictory truths can both be true at the same time
- Your business can be deeply impactful and still have areas that need work
- Constantly focusing on what is wrong can make it difficult to protect what is already working
- Business owners need enough perspective to recognize both their strengths and their blind spots
- New clients often need tangible early wins before they are ready for deeper, more difficult work
- Better leadership does not require believing that everything you have done before was wrong
- Insecurity can quietly reduce your willingness to market, lead, create, and be visible
- You can honor how far your business has come while continuing to push yourself toward what it can become
Join Me at the DogCo Business Summit
If you’re ready to become a stronger leader, see your business more clearly, and build a pet care company capable of creating greater impact without losing sight of what is already working, I’d love to have you join us at the DogCo Business Summit, October 2nd-4th in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In-person and digital tickets available —> dogcosummit.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.