You, the Pet Pro

What is your age range?

In 2023, only 19% of Big Survey respondents were younger than 40. This year, that grew to 29%. Let’s hear it for the Gen Z and Millennials joining the industry and our readership!

Gender: How do you identify?

Race or ethnicity: How do you identify?

What about your business keeps you up at night?

Before getting to these answers, we’d like to note a response that made us laugh out loud and relate: “Nothing! I’m too darn tired!”

FINANCES

This was a common response, with general concerns about the economy, lower sales and higher expenses. While some of you strategize expansion instead of sleeping, more than a few are looking for the exit. One respondent said, “Financially being able to turn enough profit to eventually sell this business” keeps her up, while another shared “Wanting a younger person to buy my place to keep it going in my small town. Started my business at the age of 22, and now I am 60 and would love to focus on my dogs, showing my Chihuahuas.”

COMPETITION

Many indies lose sleep over losing customers to big-box and online retailers. One respondent noted, “With the changing tides of where people go for information and products, sometimes I feel obsolete due to the ease with which consumers can buy through influencers, who might not be fully educated in pet health, as well as direct from manufacturers.”

THE PETS

42% of you said that “helping pets live healthy lives” gives you the most satisfaction as a pet pro (full results on p. 42), so it’s no surprise that you toss and turn over those in your care: “matted/pelted Doodles,” “customer’s pet health issues and how to give guidance,” and “doing right by the animals we sell.” The owner of a boarding facility shared, “Old or sickly dogs staying with us, I worry about them being OK overnight.”

STAFFING

Not surprisingly, hiring and managing and retaining employees, especially groomers, topped this list of responses. One answer stood out because of its more positive spin: “I stay up at night thinking about ways to grow my business so that I can continually offer my staff a better life outside of work. I’d love for my full-time employees to be able to afford to buy their own home or to take advantage of travel opportunities, based on their salaries. It’s very important to me that my staff lead an enriched life outside of work.”

On a scale of 1 to 5, rate your strengths in these areas: 1 being you have very little of a quality, 5 being you have a lot of it

Strugglers rated themselves higher in creativity and lower in finances, the opposite of Thrivers. A store brimming with creativity might not be profitable, though. D’Agnolo says, “It’s like the art and science of retail. The right side of the brain and the left. As a former Struggler and creative, I know how hard it can be to gain financial traction. I’ve learned to hire out or delegate what I don’t like doing, so I can stay in my ‘zone of genius.’” While D’Agnolo doesn’t recommend doing that completely with the numbers side of your business, working with a consultant can help you grow stronger in this area, which she says is “critical to your financial health and business legacy.”

On a scale of 1 to 5, rate yourself for these entrepreneurial qualities: 1 being you have very little of a quality, 5 being you have a lot of it.

To the Strugglers, who reported lower confidence than the Thrivers did, D’Agnolo reminds, “At one point, you were very confident! You were willing to take a risk, to have your own business, but then choices you made (or didn’t make) put you in the position you’re in now, which impacts your confidence and makes you believe you aren’t good enough. The great thing is, you can fix this. Pick one area of improvement from this list and commit to it like a boss. It takes time, but with consistent effort, you can turn it around!”

What has been the highlight of your career?

• “Expanding day care to include sensory play areas, agility courses and calming rooms, resulting in a 30% increase in customer satisfaction.”
• “$3 million in sales.”
• “My dad bought the store in 1997 and is set to retire soon. I have big shoes to fill, and I’m honored he thinks I can do it.”
• “Bringing a whole new level of attention to cats and the people who love and care for them.”
• “After a fire destroyed my first store, I had to start over in a completely different area. Rebuilding the business and gaining the trust of a new community was a monumental challenge. Overcoming that adversity has been incredibly rewarding.”
• “Becoming a top-ranked franchisee.”
• “Buying the property I operate my business out of one year after COVID.”
• “Our 35th Anniversary Event had 30 people waiting to get in and did $36,000. Customers expressed their deepest gratitude for our presence in the market and attention to their needs.”
• “Having had my managers as long as I’ve had the shop: 15 years.”
• “Opening a brick-and-mortar location after 3.5 years of being mobile.”
• “Our fundraising events have created a sense of community, bringing together pet lovers who share a passion for helping animals. Many friendships have formed between our customers, making us more than just a pet store.”
• “The joy when a customer comes in and tells us how we saved their pet.”
• “Offering health benefits.”
• “Expanding to three locations.”
•  “Watching our employees grow and witnessing the love and respect they develop for customers and their pets.”
• “Being able to purchase the stores I have been running for more than 13 years so I can continue to build on the success.”

If you are the owner, what did you earn (salary + share of profit) in 2023?

Further analysis shows that the largest portion of respondents who earned $100k+ in 2023 was the owners of brick-and-mortar pet-supply stores that offer services, with 30% who took home six figures. Owners of brick-and-mortar pet-supply stores that don’t offer services tended to earn less, with only 23% in the $100k+ bracket. At the other end of the scale were pet sitters and dog trainers; only 8% of these pet pros reported incomes of $100k+ in 2023. (Note: Veterinary clinics and hospitals were excluded from this analysis due to their low participation in our survey.)

Some other highlights:

• Men who took the Big Survey tended to make more, with 31% earning $100k+ in 2023 compared to just 22% of the women who responded.
• Geographically, stores in the West led the nation in generating incomes for their owners, with two-thirds of indies in that region earning 55k+ last year, while in the Northeast only one-half earned 55k+.
• Years in business appeared to have a muted benefit on earnings power, with the sweet spot being around the 20-year mark (24% of owners of stores in business 21-30 years reported earning 100k+ in 2023), although there were plenty of businesses that have been open just 1-5 years doing well (20% earning 100k+).
• 44% of franchisees earned 100k+ compared to just 22% of independent owners, possibly reflecting that franchise stores may be bigger operations that receive central support from the franchise, helping to improve efficiencies and therefor profit shares.

What gives you the most satisfaction as a pet business owner or top manager?

“All of the above” or various combinations of the options were the top “Other” answers. Contributing to their community was also mentioned multiple times. And we loved hearing that the ability to be independent as a small-business owner drives some respondents. Go indies!