The Coronavirus crisis has meant many pet business owners have had to shut up shop completely for nearly two months.This week I'm speaking to Dominic Hodgson who runs Pack Leader Adventures and coaches petpreneurs about his five step recovery plan.Having been through a recession and tried and tested many things since setting up his dog adventure business in 2011, he shares his insights on how to bounce back.Dominic says there are five steps pet business owners should follow as we come out of lockdown.They are:Protect and Serve - like the LAPD!Practice self helpCarry out a business audit and create a vision for the futureBe premiumPut an effective marketing system in place so you feel confident that should you encounter a crisis in future, your business would be safe.Here is a summary of the episode with the timings of the key points covered:4.25 - Protect and serve - how to use the LAPD motto to protect your business.5.01 - Why it's vital to keep showing up and reach out to your existing client base.LISTEN: How to keep in touch with your pet business clients in lockdown.8.22 - How Dominic felt burnt out at the start of lockdown and now urges people to practice self help and take care of themselves.9.14 - Take a break from social media if you feel like you're being affected by screen fatigue and a negative space.10.57 - The lockdown 'hangover' and how it will impact on our wellbeing and mental health.14.02 - Carry out a business audit and paint a picture of how you want your business to look.15.02 - Build your business around this vision. 16.22 - How you can use lockdown to stop doing the things in the business that make you miserable.18.25 - Having a premium business and how this will improve your life and bank balance after lockdown.22.31 - Why people shouldn't be worried about being undercut on prices, volunteer dog walkers and things like BorrowmyDoggy.com wrecking their business.26.22 - How lockdown has seen a rise in pet ownership - Dogs Trust rehomed 25% more dogs in the week before lockdown.27.00 - How people aren't going to give up their dogs, spend less money on them and want to continue to care for them.27.32 - Why pet business owners should feel reassured because the pet industry is recession proof.From May 28th, Dominic is hosting an online event for pet business owners, Inspire.It's eight days of seminars covering pet business marketing, video, how writing a book can boost your pet business and how to get media coverage.It’s to provide people with the skills they need to protect their pet businesses against unforeseen events like COVID-19 in the future.Speakers at InspireAmy Smith - founder of the Soundproof Puppy App - How to build an online pet businessAlex Wardle - Artifact Media - How to get confident on videoVicky Fraser - Moxie Books - How to write a book to change your pet business foreverColin Taylor - Colin Taylor Grooming Academy - Expert tips for groomersDominic will be talking about marketing and I will be doing a class on how to get media coverage for your pet...

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