The 3 stages of ‘this isn’t working’ as self-employed dog trainer or animal behaviourist
There's a pattern that I've seen so many times now that it almost feels like a script.
It tends to go something like this...
First: "I just need to get more clients."
Then, once the diary starts filling: "I'm working harder than ever... so why am I still not earning enough?"
Eventually, often after years of pushing through: "I'm exhausted. I genuinely don't know how much longer I can keep going like this."
If you've landed somewhere on that path, you're in very good company. This isn't a ‘you’ thing… it's a pattern I see across the industry, from people who are newly launched to people who've been at this for a decade.
That’s because the issue is structural. Which is actually good news because, once you can see them, structural problems can be addressed.
Let me explain what each stage tends to look like…
STage #01
“I just need more clients”
Enquiries feel patchy and unpredictable. There might be a great month or two followed by... not much. Referrals trickle in occasionally, but you can't rely on them. You might be very capable and skilled in your work but the bookings don't reflect it.
So you do what almost everyone does: you try to get more visible. More social media, maybe some flyers, a bit of local networking. You've heard that consistency is the answer, so you try to be more consistent... and beat yourself up when you're not able to stick at it.
Sometimes it helps, a bit. But often the enquiries are still patchy… or you're getting them but they're not converting… or you get a flurry and then it goes quiet again.
Maybe you’ve even invested in some paid advertising to help you get seen but the trade-off is that every new booking is less profitable, which usually means that you reach stage 2 quicker.
Heather came to me in exactly this situation… building her dog behaviour and training business back up from nothing after maternity leave, while also working part-time. She was convinced she just needed more people to find her. And, yes, she did need to work on visibility but, doing that without addressing the structural issues beneath the surface, would likely have sent her speeding towards stage 2 of this predictable pattern.
So, we put the right foundations in place first and, by the end of our time together, she was fully booked, had built a healthy savings buffer and had handed in her notice from her other job. In her words: "It's completely revolutionised my business." You can read more about her experience here .
If you're stuck at stage one, it's tempting to pour everything into being more visible. But visibility without the right structure underneath it tends to accelerate the problem rather than solve it… which is how a lot of people end up at stage 2 faster than they expected.
If you're ready to sort the structure first, Unleash Your Potential is where we do exactly that.
Stage #02
“Why am I not earning enough?”
Things are moving now. The diary is fuller. There are more enquiries, a stronger reputation, maybe even a waiting list at certain times of year.
And yet…
The bank balance doesn't quite reflect the effort. You're busier than ever... but financially, you're still stretched. Somehow, being ‘booked up’ doesn't feel like the relief you expected it to be. There's more work, more admin, more emotional load… and the money hasn't kept pace with any of it.
This is when people start to look for solutions in understandable places. Maybe a cautious price increase (with a lot of internal debate first!). Maybe some paid advertising, or new software, or a rebrand. The problem with this is not that any of those are wrong in themselves... but they won’t fix what's actually going on underneath. Neither will working harder, as you’ll see in stage 3.
Naomi was here when she came to me… highly qualified, working herself into the ground, with a business that didn't reflect the level of her expertise or the hours she was putting in. Pricing was part of it, but so was the structure underneath: what she was offering, how it was packaged, whether the whole thing was actually designed to sustain her. She raised her prices, refreshed her website and rebuilt her confidence in what she was delivering. More money coming in, consistently positive feedback and some actual breathing space. She reflected: "I feel like everything matches now." You can read more about Naomi's experience here.
If you're here and ready to do something about it, applications for Unleash Your Potential are currently open.
Stage #03
“I’m exhausted and can’t keep going like this”
From the outside, the business looks fine. Demand is steady, the reputation is solid, clients keep coming.
But your income only increases if your hours do… and you don't have any more hours. Your ‘admin day’ never actually happens. You're catching up on client reports at weekends. You have a mental running list of everything that needs doing that you haven't yet managed to write down, let alone act on.
And sometimes (maybe more often than you'd like to admit) you find yourself almost dreading the next booking. Not because you don't care (or don’t need the money!) but because you're already full… and there's still more being asked of you.
This is the stage where people start questioning whether the whole thing is worth it.
Lucy is a feline behaviourist who came to me working into the early hours just to keep up, with no time left for the projects she actually wanted to pursue. The diary was full… too full. The income was... fine. But the whole thing was running on fumes. We worked together with the specific goal of earning the same or more while seeing fewer clients so that she could pursue some of the other things she was passionate about, like writing her brilliant book. By the end of our time together, she got there and Lucy felt that "Everything has slotted into place." You can read more about Lucy's experience here.
If this feels familiar, Unleash Your Potential might be just what you need to change the trajectory, like Lucy did.
Why this isn't your fault… but also why it won't fix itself
Like most ethical animal professionals, you were probably trained in welfare, training and behaviour, not business architecture. So you built what you could, with what you had, while trying to do right by your clients and pay your bills at the same time.
You should absolutely be proud of getting to where you are.
The businesses that end up in this pattern weren't built badly on purpose. They were just built to get started but the bits that got skipped along the way don’t resolve on their own… they compound.
That’s why the earlier you notice yourself in one of these stages, the easier it is to do something about it… ideally before you hit the next one.
Your next step…
If you've recognised yourself in one of these stages, your next step is understanding what's actually going on underneath the surface level symptoms… because that’s the key to doing something about it.
I’ve created a private podcast/ audio series to help you do exactly that.
Built to Start... Not Built to Last: The conversation nobody in this industry is having goes deeper on the structural causes which lay the blueprint for these three stages in key areas of your business (marketing, pricing, services and systems) and helps you to diagnose the issues in your own business.
There's also a bonus episode featuring Pauline, a dog behaviourist and trainer with 25 years of experience who came to me run-ragged, never quite making enough money and seriously undervaluing her expertise who now converts 90% of enquiries into bookings, was able to buy a van outright and says that for the first time in her life she feels ‘financially comfortable rather than just surviving’. It's a good listen.
And if you're already at the point of wanting proper support to work on your business... that's exactly what Unleash Your Potential is for. You can find out more and download a brochure here.
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