Build A Business That Doesn’t Need You, Plus 7 More Tips For Pet Pros

LEADERSHIPBuild a Business That Doesn’t Need You

On the Re:Thinking podcast with Adam Grant, Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, said her identity and the company’s were so intertwined for a decade, she couldn’t tell them apart — and it became suffocating. In your business, build staff and systems that run the floor, ordering and social media without involving you in every decision. It’s not just wellbeing — it’s succession and sellability. Document vendor relationships, reorder points and training to share.

CREATIVITYKeep Brainstorms Playful

Good moods often foster risk-taking and unusual thoughts, says Steven Kotler, author of The Art of Impossible. The anterior cingulate cortex becomes more sensitive when we feel safe and secure, which means brainstorming meetings should be light, fun and relaxed. Gratitude, mindfulness and exercise all support this state. A tense or anxious room, by contrast, shuts down creativity.

MOTIVATIONTeach the Growth Mindset

Stanford’s Carol Dweck discovered two mindsets: fixed (ability is static) and growth (ability develops). Fixed-mindset employees hide mistakes and avoid challenges. Growth-mindset workers seek feedback and tackle hard problems. The shift? Stop praising talent (“You’re so smart”) and praise process (“You worked hard on that”). Process praise works to build resilience.

SALESTalk Less, Sell More

Salespeople who babble sound nervous. Roy H. Williams, bestselling author of The Wizard of Ads, says confidence comes from brevity: “Always answer questions as asked. Provide the simplest answer in the fewest words. If your customer wants to know more, they’ll ask a follow-up” question. Silence isn’t failure — it’s often the close marching toward you.

GOAL SETTINGSchedule Your Strategy

Knowing isn’t doing because knowing doesn’t have a deadline. The Heath brothers, authors of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, found that abstract goals stay abstract. But add specifics and a timeline? Magic. “Drink more water” fails. “Drink 64 ounces of water daily” works. Strategy with no schedule is fantasy.

CUSTOMER SERVICEMake Your Store a Rest Stop

Holiday shoppers often arrive frazzled. Starting mid-November, offer leash hooks, bottled water, hot cocoa, a phone-charging station and a “five-minute gift finder” promise at the door. “It’s missing online — the human touch,” says Tammy Benda, partner at Bottom Line Marketing. Lower their blood pressure and raise your average ticket. Hot cocoa beats cold clicks.

LEADERSHIPFail Forward, Fast and Cheap

Leadership scholar Warren Bennis noted that almost every great leader could point to a personal failure that forged resilience. Embrace failure — but do it wisely: Fail cheaply (minimum viable experiments), fail quickly (to prove or disprove) and fail forward (extracting lessons each time).

MANAGEMENTFocus on Vital Behaviors

Don’t chase results — chase behaviors. Kerry Patterson, professor and coauthor of Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, says too many leaders confuse outcomes with actions. Watch your best people, identify the few moves that matter and make them standard. One company turned its service scores around just by locking in five behaviors: smile, eye contact, name yourself, explain what you’re doing and always ask, “Anything else?”