Hold Steady! Expand! Pay Off Debt! Pet Business Owners Share Resolutions for the New Year

Editor’s Note: We asked you to share a 2022 resolution for your business.

• I aim to simply hold steady! It has been a rocky couple years, so I feel comfortable just keeping consistency. — Deana Deitchler, Dogs Paw, Park Rapids, MN
• Keep close attention to inflation rates so we can adjust our fees. — Jarbas Codoy, The Dog From Ipanema, Miami, FL
• Get ahead and start paying off accumulated debt from the shutdowns! — Molly Taylor, Molly’s Mutt House, Houston, TX
• Take a day off a week or at least every other week next year. However, that was my plan for this year and it never happened. My summer vacation was an hour or two at a time. — Paul Lewis, Birds Unlimited, Webster, NY
• Due to the ever changing nature of the pandemic, our resolution is to stay flexible and adaptable. — Gabrielle Flores, Brookside Barkery & Bath, Kansas City, MO
• Expansion! We will definitely keep the plan! My hope is to DOUBLE our revenue for retail year-over-year. — Adina Silberstein, Queenie’s Pets, Philadelphia, PA
• I am done letting people steal my joy! I will not let people get to me or steal the joy I have doing this, which means no more mean clients or selfish clients! — Taylor Kier, Little Barks Grooming and Boutique, Columbia, SC
• We are going to double our sales and increase revenue by the same amount by getting out there and getting customers. — Stephanie Steelman, Wings Wags and Whiskers, Amarillo, TX
• Improve customer customization in the retail segment. Suggest items specific to each pet. Our retail strategy focuses on relationships, so this should come naturally! — Catrina North, Posh Pets Houston, Houston TX
• Continue to make space for myself and my employees. I love what I do, and I take it to the limits. I need to work on giving myself more freedom while still maintaining the growth of my business. — Comora Tolliver, Barkers Anonymous, Hendersonville, NC
• I’m looking to spend more time on me. I enjoy being the face of my business, and it’s made it hard for me to separate myself from it. My resolution is to give more power to management and give myself a break to explore revenue streams that are more passive. — Angela Pantalone, Wag Central, Stratford, CT
• To delegate more of my tasks to other managers and work more from home! Two years ago, my husband and I decided to move out to the country and compromised on living halfway between our two workplaces. I now live one hour (one way) from work, and always had a goal in mind to be able to work more from home (such as being able to do admin work without dogs barking in the background or having to answer phones, creating new ideas for the company, etc.). I’ve been working four to five days a week and sometimes even racking up overtime, especially once things got back to “normal” after COVID, which was never my intention after moving. I hope to find more ways to utilize our existing management team and allow myself to work from home more in 2022. I really think it’ll help my own personal mental health, too! — Natalie Bosch, Albany Pet Hotel, Albany, OR
• Take it day by day with one foot in front of the other! That’s it! — Janice Anderson, Anderson Acres, Bakersfield, CA
• Work smarter not harder. LOL. — Steven Iannuzzi, Percy Paws, North Conway, NH
• Creating an emergency plan of action in case of staff being out (including the owners) and how/when to do stuff! From ordering, pricing, and major event planning… so many little details! — Kim Sykes, K9 Manners & More, Broken Arrow, OK
• Unplug from social media/limit the time I spend on it. I plan on putting the time limits into my phone and not asking for more time. I hope it works — social media is UGLY these days! — Krysta Fox, Bruce & Willy’s Natural Pet Source,Geneva, IL
• Update our website and keep it updated on a regular schedule. — Alysa Slay, Camp Dogwood, Highland Park, IL
• Take more personal time off and delegate more. — Marvin Schaffer, J & M Aquatics & Pet Center, Grand Junction, CO
• “Plan to pivot, when things don’t go as planned.” That said, business plans are sometimes disrupted by circumstances far beyond our control. Breathe and don’t freak out! Pivot and make the best of it. — Kimberly Maevers, Fun Fur U – In Home Pet Care, Lancaster, CA