The Scaling Series: Scaling Phases of Pet Care Businesses - $100k-$200k

I’m breaking down one of the toughest and most defining phases for pet care business owners: the $100,000 to $200,000 revenue stage.

This is the season where owners are often stuck with one foot in the field and one foot in administration, trying to juggle everything while building a team of three to seven people.

I share the risks, bottlenecks, and strategies to help you break through this phase and set your business up for long-term growth. If you are feeling stuck in the whirlwind of daily tasks or struggling to retain staff while keeping clients happy, this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways

• The $100K to $200K phase is one of the hardest growth seasons in pet care businesses
• Owners often get stuck juggling fieldwork and administrative work, limiting growth
• Lack of systems and SOPs can hurt client experience and stall retention
• Protecting windows of time for business-building is essential
• Two hiring pathways: keeping full-time clients vs creating stability for staff
• Retention improves when you prioritize stability for your team
• Running lean financially may be necessary to push past this bottleneck
• Focus on building scalable systems to avoid chaos as you grow

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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.

Do you want to scale your pet care business? Consider joining us at the DogCo Business Summit - the first pet care conference focused exclusively on business scaling in this industry - September 26 - 28, 2025. In-person ticket sales end August 31.