The Pooch Patio has been the “ulti-mutt” place to sit, stay and play for Dallas pets since 2005, providing Dallas’s most pampered pups with an array of “paws-itively” luxurious services including doggie day care, boarding, professional grooming, full service baths, dog parties, a retail boutique and more.
CHALLENGE
The Pooch Patio had a loyal following of customers and a steady stream of business since opening their doors 13 years ago. In fact, they had more business and revenue stream opportunities than they had space. The cramped quarters were challenging not only for the business, but the space challenges had begun to take a toll on the staff, leading to more turnover than in previous years. Additionally, during Wheels Assessment Training (W.A.T.) interviews, it was discovered that most members of the staff had elevated compensation expectations and it was helpful for them to speak with a third-party to get a better understanding of true market values around compensation packages in the pet services industry.
- Leadership
- Trust & Transparency
- Customer Satisfaction
- Employee Morale
- Communication
- Compensation & Benefits
- Employee Talent
- Company Culture
I’M NOT MAD AT YOU®
identified compensation & benefits and employee morale to be the most significant attributes for improvement
I’M NOT MAD AT YOU learned that challenging working conditions and elevated compensation expectations were the primary challenges to address immediately for The Pooch Patio. With very limited space for operations and outdated collateral, the employees reported frustration and low morale across the staff. These issues led to higher than industry average employee turnover, costing the company both time and money in rehiring and training new employees. This was particularly exasperating to the tenured staff who had to pick up the slack between hiring new employees, getting them trained and continuing to smoothly manage day-to-day operations.
SOLUTION
I’M NOT MAD AT YOU provided data, feedback and recommendations that included helping locate a new facility within a three mile radius of its current location that was three times the size of the current space in order to accommodate the additional revenue streams. Additionally, I’M NOT MAD AT YOU recommended interim policy changes to bridge the gap between building relocations that boosted morale immediately. Compensation increases and bonuses were paid out to tenured staff for a job well done during the hectic transition. Finally, a sales revenue analysis was completed that resulted in new revenue streams for The Pooch Patio, including a 30-day block of doggie day care services, which has become the best-selling package offered to date.
RESULTS
By making these changes, The Pooch Patio experienced an 18 percent increase in sales revenue Aug-Dec 2017 versus the previous year and year-to-date in 2018 the company is enjoying a 20 percent increase in comp sales.
“I wanted to be sure that all of our operational, financial, management and employee challenges were addressed ahead of moving into a space three times the size of our current location,” said April Prohaska, Owner and Found of The Pooch Patio. “By implementing I’M NOT MAD AT YOU’s recommendations we were able to significantly increase sales and morale. Her honest, straight- forward approach was insightful, eye opening, and efficient. Her consulting services paid for itself and we have made that investment back in spades. This was one of the best business decisions we made since we opened.”
ABOUT I'M NOT MAD AT YOU LLC
I’M NOT MAD AT YOU® was created to help companies, its employees and leaders identify their challenges, address their problems and inspire businesses and people to be BETTER. Led by its Founder & Chief Belief Officer Stacey Bullman, the firm serves as a change agent – a hybrid between a business consultant and a performance coach – to enact business transformations that maximize performance and improve the bottom-line. In order to help companies and people overcome obstacles, hurdles or challenges, you must begin with brutal honesty to clearly define any obstacles that stand in the way. For more information, please visit www.imnotmadatyou.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.