Thirty days into a new year is one of my favorite moments to pause, reflect, and get honest about how things are actually going.

In today’s episode, I walk through a 30-day check-in for 2026 and share the questions I ask myself at this point in the year to make sure I’m moving in the direction I intended. Whether your year has started exactly how you hoped or already taken a few unexpected turns, this episode is meant to create space for reflection, clarity, and course correction.

If you’ve set big goals for this year but feel slightly off-track, overwhelmed, or unsure what to focus on next, this episode will help you slow down just enough to realign your time, attention, and decisions with what actually matters.

🧠 Key Takeaways

• Why a 30-day check-in can prevent an entire year from drifting

• How to identify what’s going well before jumping into self-criticism

• Why unexpected information should shape, not derail, your goals

• How tracking where your time goes reveals what you’re really prioritizing

• Why clarity often comes from better questions, not more effort

• How data can guide your next move when motivation fades

• Why accountability is often the missing link between goals and results

🚀 Want a Real-World Example of What’s Possible?

If you want to see how reflection, data, and accountability can translate into meaningful growth, I’ve put together a case study showing how one pet care business grew monthly revenue from $17,000 to over $73,000 in a single year.

It breaks down the decisions, structure, and mindset shifts behind that growth, not just the outcome.

👉 You can access the case study at dogcolaunch.com/case-study and see how DogCo Launch supports pet care owners who want to build with intention and clarity.

This episode is a reminder that progress doesn’t come from pushing harder without direction. It comes from pausing long enough to see where you are, adjusting with honesty, and putting the right accountability in place to move forward.

Employee retention is one of the most important and most misunderstood levers in a pet care business, and it’s often the hidden reason growth feels harder than it should.

In today’s episode, I break down why employees quit and what you can realistically do to keep them longer. I share the three most common reasons I see staff leave pet care companies and the specific areas I recommend focusing on if retention has become a bottleneck in your business.

If you’re frustrated by turnover, constantly rehiring, or feeling like you can’t move forward because your team won’t stick, this episode will help you identify where things are breaking down and how to course-correct without trying to fix everything at once.

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 – Why retention is the name of the game for real growth

1:24 – The difference between one-off work and recurring value

2:09 – A resource that changed how I think about retention

4:06 – The true cost of losing and replacing an employee

5:48 – Reason #1 employees quit: no pathway for growth

10:12 – Reason #2 employees quit: lack of clarity

14:31 – Reason #3 employees quit: culture and people

17:53 – Why culture standards must be enforced

18:46 – A pro tip that reveals the real problem

19:23 – Final thoughts on retention and leadership

🧠 Key Takeaways

• Why retention matters more than hiring volume

• The real financial cost of employee turnover

• How growth pathways improve retention even for non-career staff

• Why clarity in onboarding reduces early exits

• How cognitive overload leads to employee frustration

• Why culture tolerance directly impacts churn

• How exit interviews reveal the truth about retention issues

🚀 Want a Real-World Example of What’s Possible?

If you want to see how clarity, leadership, and intentional systems can transform a pet care business, I’ve put together a case study showing how one company grew monthly revenue from $19,000 to over $73,000 in a single year.

It breaks down the decisions, structure, and leadership shifts behind that growth, not just the outcome.

👉 You can access the case study at dogcolaunch.com/case-study and see how DogCo Launch supports pet care owners who are ready to grow sustainably.

This episode is a reminder that people don’t leave businesses randomly. They leave systems, environments, and experiences that aren’t supporting them, and those are things you can change.

When I first became an entrepreneur, there were a lot of things I didn’t understand yet, things that only come into focus after you’ve carried the weight of the business for a while.

In today’s episode, I share five lessons I wish I had known earlier in my entrepreneurial journey. These are not tactical shortcuts or growth hacks, but hard-earned truths that have shaped how I lead, make decisions, and care for myself as a business owner.

If you’re early in your journey, I hope this gives you language for things you may already be feeling. And if you’ve been in business for a while, I hope it helps you reflect on how far you’ve come and what you want to carry forward differently.

🧠 Key Takeaways

• Why leadership can feel lonely, and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong

• How delaying hard decisions only makes them heavier over time

• Why people take you as seriously as you take yourself

• The one skill that quietly strengthens every other skill in your business

• Why understanding your numbers creates better decisions and less stress

• How urgency can serve you, but also burn you out if left unchecked

• Why the work will always be there, and why learning to step away matters

🚀 Want a Real-World Example of What’s Possible?

If you want to see how clarity, ownership, and intentional decision-making can transform a business, I’ve put together a case study showing how one pet care company grew monthly revenue from $19,000 to over $73,000 in a single year.

It breaks down the decisions, structure, and leadership shifts behind that growth, not just the outcome.

👉 You can access the case study at dogcolaunch.com/case-study and see how DogCo Launch supports pet care owners who are building something meaningful and sustainable.

This episode is a reminder that entrepreneurship isn’t about doing everything perfectly or knowing everything ahead of time. It’s about learning, adapting, and giving yourself permission to grow into the role over time.