Pet Indies Share Their Q2 Business Goals

We recently asked the PETS+ Brain Squad — our reader survey group of independent pet retailers and service providers — to share their business goals for the second quarter of 2026. You might see your own goals in those shared or find ideas and inspiration for your business!

My goal is to better manage my margins. I plan on running a weekly sales report and reviewing the margins of each item. Diane Mullen, Winni Paw Station, Wolfeboro, NH

Outreach. We are partnering with other non-pet businesses in town to help support them and to help drive business to our shop. We partnered with a hotel in town and supplied them with GivePet dog biscuits and a 10% coupon to our shop. This gets included into their “doggie basket” that each guest receives if they register a pet for their stay at the hotel. We just dropped them off last week and already, we have seen several coupons come back! This is not usually the case with coupons, so we are optimistic. Molly Lewis, Dog River Pet Supplies, Hood River, OR

Marketing — ugh — it’s admittedly my weak point. I think that’s because I handle everything from financials to day-to-day running the store, and because marketing doesn’t feel like a “fire” that needs to be put out; it gets shoved to the end of the long list of things to do. So, I’ve set a goal to post on social media a minimum of three times a week. I’m working with ChatGPT to help me be creative. And I’ve signed up for Astro Loyalty’s Marketing Program. Pamela Holbert, Powell Pet Food and Supply, Powell, TN

Finding a new CPA and diving into more tax savings. Continue pushing events to bring in customers. Jennifer Larsen, Firehouse Pet Shop, Wenatchee, WA

Drastically grow our wholesale business for our treats — that’s my main goal of 2026 in general! Continue reaching out to stores and considering joining Faire. McKenna Burzimati, Roxie’s Barkery, North Adams, MA

Customer service is a huge focus. We can’t always beat online prices, but we can out-customer-service them! Kathleen Vandermoss, All Natural Pet Supply, Vancouver, WA

Would love to eliminate the downturn. Increase customer counts and average per invoice. Jusak Yang Bernhard, Wag Heaven Pet Supplies and Dog Wash, Georgetown, TX

Trying to get our profits back to where they were last year. I’m trying to eliminate losers; I’m not going to entertain any more slow sellers. Jennifer Flanagan, Pacific NW Pets, Sherwood, OR

Selling our own labeled treats, we are currently handing out samples. And customers’ pets are enjoying them. Ruth Sturgis, Dog Daze, North Syracuse, NY

To get more organized. I hope to combine things I’ve learned from Pet Boss Nation and the Pet Shop Girls to make a plan. And I plan to seriously dive into Ciara Stockeland’s Inventory Genius information to fine-tune my inventory. Theresa Moreno, For Healthy Pets, Montgomery, AL

Promote more holiday themed and special events that bring masses together and allow us to offer unique experiences. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day — photo and gifts from pets. Staci Alonso, Bone-ito, Reno, NV

To get more grooming clients to fill my books. Nicoll Vincent, For K-9s & Felines, Westfield, MA

Generate more online content. Using fun backdrops and client interaction. Kelly Lawrence, Barking Ham Palace Pet Grooming, Houma, LA

We moved locations two years ago and are still actively working to increase sales at our new larger location so the goal is sales increases over last year. Joanna Shaw, All Pet & Equine Supply, Mountain Home, AR

Finish hiring the correct people needed to give me time to finally implement an online store. Heather Miller, Just For Pets, York, PA

Just to keep doing more of the same. Our sales are great, and we are pretty much maxed out without doing a major expansion. Shelly Nicastro, Essex Bird & Pet Supply, Essex, MA

Increase veterinary practice revenue by at least 30%. Krysta Fox, Pug & Hound Pet Apothecary, Geneva, IL

My top business goal is to be fully staffed prior to our heavy boarding season. Jennifer Hall, All Things Pawssible, Charlottesville, VA

Pet food analysis — how has it changed over time. Want to reduce our dry food footprint. Deep dive into what has changed, what we’ve lost (to manufacturer or Chewy-type sites). Dry food is the lowest margin, highest footprint and hardest work. Beth Staley, Happy Dog Barkery, Downers Grove, IL

We hired three new team members in Q1, and their success fuels our success. Every time we teach a new employee something, it forces us to review our systems, and the documentation of those systems. We’ve already updated the operations manual once so far this year with processes we’ve improved and things that hadn’t been documented, and there will definitely be a Q2 revision — we’ve already started making notes. Katherine Ostiguy, Crossbones, Providence, RI

Increase revenues by 15% and improve operational checks and balances. Molly Taylor, Molly’s Mutt House, Houston, TX

We are finally adding a POS system that will allow us to streamline a lot of our everyday tasks. Keith Henline, Asheville Pet Supply, Asheville, NC

To find an employee who loves this business and wants to work hard for their paycheck! Denise Strong, Pawz On Main, Cottonwood, AZ

We are doing a product audit (especially in our kibble/can category) and getting rid of slow-moving product so we can bring in something else. Janet Cesarini, Pupology, Georgetown, TX

To get in our new space and showcase our higher margin products then — sell, sell, sell! Rebeca Santos, Pets Love and Happiness, Huntsville, AL

Finish revamping our order point-calculation process. We’re giving it a complete overhaul in order to make it more efficient and effective. I’ve been working on it pretty heavily since about November, and am hoping to be ready to roll it out this quarter. Fingers crossed! Cassie Nilsson, The Mill Stores, Whiteford, MD

Continue to grow raw and gently cooked categories. Get more customers to use online ordering and delivery services. Cynthia McKinney, Loyl’s Natural Pet, Houston, TX

Pushing hard on all of our new products (and some of our favorite old products) on all social media platforms. I’ve started using an app that lets me upload my slideshows and videos to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok from one screen, which has really made life easier. It even posts non-video content to Google. Diana Farrar, Fifi & Fidos Pet Boutique, San Antonio, TX

Acquire more new customers is our top goal. Starting next week we are going to do a weekly special called “Tasty Tuesday” where we put out samples of a treat we carry and then have that treat on sale for that week only. This includes a sidewalk sign as well to potentially bring in new people that are in the plaza and don’t realize we are here. Corey Heenan, Boutique and Pet Spa, Altamont, NY

Find a way to increase repeat business. We have customers that visit us only yearly for their dog’s birthday so we need to find a way to entice them throughout the rest of the year. Alexis Quiroga, PAWsitively Sweet Bakery, San Antonio, TX

Positivity. Help customers and visitors to the store all feel happier. With the way the world is so tense, just a tidbit of happiness helps spread kindness. I have spent years establishing a relaxing environment and hope to harness that and make sure every person that comes in wants to return just because it makes their day better — not just because their pet needs something. That makes us irreplaceable. Megan Kurzweil, Forepaws, Minooka, IL

Increase foot traffic. We have been doing a lot of outside events to garner more customers, many new to the area and don’t know about us yet. Rachel McGinnis, Leo & Lucky’s, Parrish, FL

Increase grooming as the season offers! Spring cleaning can/should also apply to the pets. Cross-sell, as well as direct marketing of grooming packages — including membership! Bob Sanders, Dude Ranch Pet Resort, Glen Allen, VA

Move into a larger space and add self-wash. We’ve been delayed by the building owner, but we hope to be in before summer. Dana Julian, Furbaby Boutique, Holly, MI

Pick better products, get rid of what is not selling, be more ruthless with our purchases and business decisions. Samantha Youngblood, Youngblood’s Natural Animal Care Center and Massage, Wilkinson, IN

To start the damned construction on my new store. Adina Silberstein, Queenie’s Pets, Philadelphia, PA

Our biggest goal is to increase our profit margin year over year. We paid off all loans on the business last fall, and 2026 is the first year without any of those payments, so we want that money to help improve overall profitability so we can look at a second location in the next couple years. Shell Tomjack, The sPaw, Rapid City, SD

We are celebrating 20 years this November, so all our focus is on partnering with products to make the event special. Lauren Gallagher, Everything But the Dog, Reading, MA

To finally get an online presence and have an e-commerce store. Karen Komisar, Sea Dog Pet Boutique, Annapolis, MD

Growing social media following by posting more staff videos. Tamie Waugh, Cobber’s Pet Pantry, Enumclaw, WA

My goal came on suddenly due to an opportunity to move to a larger spot in my strip mall. So my goal is to expand my store into a larger floor plan. Jennifer Silverberg, Fetch Pet Supplies, Springfield, MO

I plan on doing a self-wash promo, hoping to rev up that side of business. Instead of it being $20, $25 and $30, it will be a flat rate punch card they purchase and it comes with one free wash. Aimee Ranard, Good Karma Dog Spa, Duvall, WA

Exceed last year’s second quarter total. Narrow our offerings by discontinuing items that are not moving quickly. Pamela Cura, Paw Prints, Intercourse, PA

Make a plan to bring our icing to the market for other pet bakeries. Cassie Erickson, A Barkery Unleashed, Marysville, WA

Have a 15% growth from last year. Hoping to be more on top of advertising and sending out newsletters. Kirsten Puhr, The NW Dog, Poulsbo, WA

Product rationalization to ensure we have no products staying on the shelf more than 60 days. Robert L. Critselous, Drooly’s Dog Bakery, Bentonville, AR

Grow by 15% over Q2 2025. We plan to accomplish this by offering sample treats to every dog who walks in and to consistently offer product suggestions to every person who walks in our store. Susan Nagel-Rees, Winky’s Pet Boutique, Chester, NJ

Pare down a few brands to what really sells and to phasing out some brands that have sold to corporates. Lori Colburn, Nature’s Pet Market Orenco, Hillsboro, OR

Get frozen raw back in the freezers — not everything is coming in. Jennifer Baird, Earthwise Pet, Corpus Christi, TX

Helping my managers grow as leaders as they all run their own team. By teaching them to lead, it helps me oversee a smaller team instead of all employees (24 of them!) over our six departments. Stephanie Garza, Pup Pup & Away, San Antonio, TX

Change things up! I believe my customers are intelligent and want the most natural they can get for their furry family member. I found several new partners at Global. Maria Cetrola, Buddy’s Pet Stop, Barnegat, NJ

We had to rebuild a bakery last year. The previous location was foreclosed on due to our landlords. So, we are continuing to grow our wholesale and pay off the rebuild. Amy Kenkel, Leaps & Bones, South Windsor, CT

Continue to grow our delivery and shipping; it’s currently steadily growing but would like to see it take off. Also completing our expansion. Lacey Welcher, Firehouse Pet Shop, Puyallup, WA

Increase enrichment program by 25%. Keela Huotari, Yellowstone Kennels, Sidney, MT

Help more pets get healthier. Jennifer Pastorini, Dusty’s Den, Sonora, CA

We are planning a big Razzle Dazzle Dayz Event for our 21st birthday. Jodi Etienne, Razzle Dazzle Doggie Bow-tique, Bradley, IL

Increase sales through new customer acquisition. We are looking at ways to partner with local apartment/condo complexes, the community association in town, and other pet service providers to get our name out more. Shane Somerville, Paddywack, Mill Creek, WA

To introduce the new product mixes that we picked up at GPE. We are planning a day where we introduce all of the new items, a social media post to showcase the event, and also participate in our county’s 250th Celebration. We designed T-shirts with our branding for people to wear at the parade and are already doing pre-sales for those. April Meier, Pawsitively Scrumptious, Crestview, FL

Opening a self-service dog wash. Chip Bridges, Blue Ridge Pet Supplies, Black Mountain, NC

I want to schedule more grooming appointments but not just new customers,;I want to get my clients back in the salon more often. Years ago, most of our customers came for grooming every 4-6 weeks. Now, we see most waiting 8-10 weeks between appointments, with a considerable amount going 12 or more weeks. Taylor England, Earthwise Pet Lake Nona, Orlando, FL

To increase sales or at least maintain. We have rearranged our store to help increase the basket size. One of the best steps we took so far was to place the toys along a wall that is opposite our top-selling food. Paula Gorman, Pet Supplies ‘N’ More, Muskego, WI

Launch 100 SKUs on Amazon and TikTok. Gary Hughes, Gangsta Dog, Norfolk, VA

Staying more organized as the seasons change. Last few years we have been behind, ordering until the last minute with holiday items, so now we are ordering as we see them available. April Wright, The Dog and Cat, Essex Junction, VT

To increase revenue. By using AI with our website, we will have a quicker response time and our new guests will be able to register faster and easier. Lisa Kirschner, Sit, Stay, ‘N Play, Inc., Stroudsburg, PA