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PETS+ asked members of its Brain Squad to name a business task they keep putting off, and published 20 responses from independent pet retailers and service providers. Their answers range from website updates and social media to integrated systems, written procedures and private-label products; the responses are individual accounts, not an industry-wide survey.
PETS+ has published 20 responses from independent pet-business owners and managers asked to name one task they keep postponing despite believing it would help their business. The answers point to recurring work on marketing, websites, finances and operations, while also showing that respondents cite limits such as time, funding, staffing and space.
The responses came from members of the publication’s PETS+ Brain Squad, which it describes as a group for owners or top managers of U.S. pet stores and service providers. The question was: “What’s the one task you keep putting off that you know would help your business?” The magazine selected 20 answers; it did not present them as a representative survey or provide results showing how common each problem is across the industry.
Several owners described postponed marketing and website work. Roxane Cann of The Dapper Hound in Mount Airy, North Carolina, said she had considered hiring a marketing or social-media professional or setting aside time to schedule posts, but cited “time, funds” and distractions. Shell Tomjack of The sPaw in Rapid City, South Dakota, said the store had made small website edits but had not made substantial improvements since opening six years earlier. Elizabeth Zikmund of Give a Dog a Bone in Evansville, Indiana, said she develops ideas for social-media videos but does not get around to making them.
Other answers focused on systems and administrative work. Janet Cesarini of Pupology in Georgetown, Texas, wants to upgrade to a point-of-sale system integrated with rewards and e-commerce, but described difficulties with product data and finding someone with the capacity to complete the setup. Amy and Pat Schiek of Lucky Dogs in Skaneateles, New York, said they are working with a business coach on written standard operating procedures for their pet-sitting, dog-walking, retail and grooming operations. Jennifer Hall of All Things Pawssible in Charlottesville, Virginia, named opening a business savings account as a task still to complete.
Time and capacity shape the backlog
The answers show how improvement work can compete with daily operations at small businesses. Respondents named projects that could support sales, organization or growth, but also described practical barriers: not enough time, a lack of funds, difficulty hiring, incomplete software catalogs and a shortage of physical room. These are accounts from individual businesses, not proof that all independent pet retailers face the same constraints.
The range of tasks also matters. Some are relatively contained, such as organizing business ideas or replacing an outdated front-desk computer. Others require longer-term decisions and resources, including separating retail and restaurant accounts, expanding premises or bringing products under a store’s own brand. Victor Santucci of Garden State Pet Center in Audubon, New Jersey, said his business had developed private-label concepts but repeatedly put production behind more urgent work. He said moving to production could distinguish the store, build loyalty and create a growth opportunity; those benefits are his assessment, not measured results in the report.
For readers who run or work with small businesses, the piece offers a firsthand list of operational bottlenecks and potential projects. It does not establish which task has the greatest financial return, or whether completing any one of them would produce the outcomes owners hope for.
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How the Brain Squad answers were gathered
PETS+ invited its Brain Squad members to respond to a single open-ended question about work they were postponing. The source says the group is open to owners and top managers of U.S. pet stores or service providers and describes a monthly five-minute quiz as part of participation. The magazine selected 20 responses for publication, including answers from retail shops and businesses offering services such as grooming, pet sitting and dog walking.
The published examples extend beyond marketing and bookkeeping. Respondents mentioned rounding prices ending in 50 cents up to the next dollar, clearing a desk, consolidating scattered ideas, retraining a buyer, buying more freezers and finding larger retail premises. One respondent said nothing came to mind, while noting that attention and organization can be a challenge for them. The source offers no follow-up on whether any of the listed tasks were later completed.
““We make small editorial changes but haven’t really done any improvements since we opened six years ago.””
— Shell Tomjack, The sPaw, Rapid City, South Dakota
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What the responses cannot establish
The source does not state when the responses were collected, how many Brain Squad members were invited, how many replied or how the 20 featured answers were selected. It provides no sample methodology, comparison with previous years or industry-wide data. The responses therefore document what these contributors said about their own businesses, but cannot show how widespread each issue is.
It is also unclear whether respondents have since completed the tasks, what each project would cost or how much revenue or time it might save. The report includes owners’ expectations about potential benefits, including the possible value of private-label products, but does not supply performance data to verify those outcomes.
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Whether postponed work gets done
PETS+ does not announce a follow-up or give a schedule for updates on the businesses’ projects. The next concrete step for the listed owners depends on their own plans and resources: some describe work already underway, such as documenting procedures with a coach, while others identify projects they have not yet started. Without further reporting, completion and results remain unknown.
The publication says eligible U.S. pet-store owners and top managers can join the Brain Squad and take a five-minute quiz each month. Future responses could provide additional accounts, but the source does not say whether a later article will revisit these 20 businesses.
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Key Questions
What did PETS+ ask its Brain Squad members?
It asked members to name one business task they keep putting off despite believing it would help their business.
What kinds of tasks did respondents mention?
Answers included marketing and website updates, social-media posting, integrated point-of-sale systems, written procedures, financial administration, inventory and expansion projects.
Does the report show how common these problems are among pet businesses?
No. It presents 20 selected responses and does not provide survey methods or results that would make them representative of the wider industry.
Did the businesses complete the tasks?
The report does not provide a follow-up on completion. One response says work on written procedures is currently underway with a business coach; the status of most other projects is not given.
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