How to Build a Sellable Pet Care Asset: Key Takeaways from Tieja Heikkilä at IMPACT 2026
At our recent IMPACT 2026 event in February, I sat down with a woman who sees the "end game" of business ownership every single day: Tieja Heikkilä.
As the founder of Pet Vet M&A, Tieja runs the only exclusive M&A firm for the pet care industry. She specializes in selling privately owned businesses to private equity firms. In short: She knows exactly what makes a pet resort worth millions and what makes one unsellable.
If you're tired of the 80-hour-a-week grind for a pittance, here are the five key takeaways from Tieja on how to shift from a "worker" to a CEO and build a true asset.
1. Stop Being the Worker and Start Being the CEO
If you treat your business like a job, you'll never own an asset. Tieja put it perfectly when she said:
"Events like this are truly an investment in yourself and your growth as a CEO of your business. As much as the events are about your business—how to make it better, how to get you more cash flow, how to make the business more valuable—it really is a growth opportunity for you as a CEO. And everybody should be a CEO of their company."
According to Tieja, the investment in growth is something you can't really put a price tag on. She was quite blunt about the ROI of coming to see me:
"If somebody doesn't recoup that within a month, then they're not putting what they're learning to use. It's pretty simple: you come, you learn, you take action, and you recoup your money and never think about it twice."
2. Ditch the Boring Conferences for Focused Action
Most big industry conferences are just a series of 90-minute naps interrupted by expensive coffee. We do things a bit differently. We had princesses and theatrics because nobody learns anything when they are bored to tears. Tieja noted:
"It's very engaging. I love the format that brings in hard conversations. There is a lot of thought that applies to a business, whether they're just starting out or have been in business for 30 years, and it's sprinkled with humor, laughter, and visual effects that drill down the message that's being sent. I find it very effective.
I love the fact that the outside stimuli of laptops and cell phones is restricted; it's a very engaged group. As a speaker, you want to talk to an audience that wants to hear what you have to say, participates, and feels free to ask questions. And I have found this to be an immensely engaging group who asks really intelligent questions.
So it's just been nothing but a pleasure. You do take time and you come to these things and you talk, and it gets you away from your day-to-day work. But when you feel like you're actually having an effect and people appreciate it, it's very rewarding."
"I also feel like Dom's focus is on action steps. He's like, "All this is nice and it's fluff and we're having a great time, but if you don't take action steps, it was all for nothing." That's always on the forefront. Versus in conferences, I feel like people go—and we've all been there—you go, you learn, you think, "Oh, I should do that," then you go home and you never do it.
This group is very, very focused, and I have a great belief that they're going to take some action steps on it. So the entire atmosphere is just different. Not wrong or right; it's just different."
3. Build the "Box of Stuff" That Private Equity Wants
Tieja is the "end product"—she handles the sale. But she's the first to admit she doesn't show you how to build the business. To get a multi-million dollar valuation, you cannot wing it; you need systems.
She said:
"We can identify what people need and how to build that asset, but Dom's actually the one that will help them get those built. And that's huge. I can only talk so much, but if people don't have the support in how to get there, it'll never happen.
I'm the end product, and [Dom's] the beginning and the middle product to get them there so I can take them out, so to say, in a good way.
[The business] that has the systems in place and has done everything that's been taught here is simply going to be more valuable and sellable. There's no comparison.
You don't just have a business that doesn't have any of this in place and expect multi-million dollar valuations. It's just not going to happen. So you have to build the business and put these things in place. You've got to have the box full of stuff because they're all little assets that create the big assets, and that business is going to sell for a lot of money."
4. Get a Coach Who Actually Gets the Grime and the Glory
There are plenty of "suit and tie" consultants out there who have never stepped foot in a kennel but think they can tell you how to run one. They use the same tired playbook for a plumber as they do for a pet resort. Tieja observed that my coaching is different because it's built on industry-specific reality:
"He truly is passionate about people succeeding. He knows that the success of his coaching efforts relies on clients being successful. But to be in the presence of somebody who actually gets this industry and understands the mindset of these owners—understands what they struggle with, understands the ever-changing landscape of the pet industry—he brings a very unique set of understanding with that."
5. Move Beyond "Standard" Industry Thinking
In the States, the pet industry can be a bit of a vacuum where people just do what's always been done because, well, that's how it's always been done. I like to poke the bear a bit on that.
Tieja observed that what I bring to the industry is:
"Questioning what's always been done and if it works—and bringing in other ideas. Instead of just talking and saying "you should do this, this, and this," he actually provides the tools and takes people through it.
Pet care can be a little intense, and he understands that. They don't just need somebody telling them what they should be doing, but they actually need somebody that can take them through that. And I find that he brings that to the industry."
Tieja noted that I don't just give a "pat on the back"; I push you where it matters: your bottom line.
"He brings the push on pricing and the clients that you should be getting—those less reactive to economic fluctuations. I think he brings that very clearly and he can truly assist.
Whether it's a startup or somebody who's been in the business for a while, he is very aware of the changing economics and the changing landscape of the industry."
The Multi-Million Dollar Difference
If you think you can skip the systems and still get a massive payday when you're done, you're dreaming. Tieja sees the numbers every day, and she's seen that a business without these assets isn't even in the same league.
She said:
"Well, the one that has the systems in place and has done everything that's been taught here is simply going to be more valuable and sellable. There's no comparison. You don't just have a business that doesn't have any of this in place and expect multi-million dollar valuations. It's just not going to happen."
To get that check, you need to follow the plan:
"You've got to have the box full of stuff because they're all little assets that create the big assets, and that business is going to sell for a lot of money. It's quite simple. It just comes down to that."
Build Your "Box of Stuff" with the Dog Daycare Success Academy
If you are tired of the warehouse-style daily grind and you want to start building something Tieja can actually sell one day, you need an escape door.
The Dog Daycare Success Academy (DDSA) is that door. It is a complete, step-by-step Asset-Building System designed to move you away from the high-volume mindset and install a marketing engine that attracts, onboards, and retains affluent clients on autopilot.
The Result Is a 12-month, "one asset per month" implementation program that guarantees you steadily install real infrastructure. You will stop reinventing the wheel and start operating as the powerful, in-control CEO of a Disney-like pet resort that dominates the local competition and finally funds the life you want to lead.
What's Inside the DDSA?
- The 12-Month Asset Backbone: You will follow a defined, high-level roadmap where you build and install one core Playbook every single month. We stop multiplying the mess and start following a "first do this, then do that" strategy to ensure your growth is predictable and scalable.
- The Quarterly International Immersion Events: You get access to intensive training events that bring UK and USA operators together. These events are designed to pull you out of the daily grind and force you to look at your business from a macroscopic, executive perspective.
- Coaching and Specialist Support: Aside from getting direct access to me for high-level asset coaching, you are supported by a multi-layered specialist network, including my team of trained coaches like Tim Jackson and Allison Jacobs. You will also gain direct access to world-class authorities through our Guest Specialist Series.
- The Quarterly International Immersion Events: You get access to intensive training events that bring UK and USA operators together. These events are designed to pull you out of the daily grind and force you to look at your business from a macroscopic, executive perspective.
- Coaching and Specialist Support: Aside from getting direct access to me for high-level asset coaching, you are supported by a multi-layered specialist network, including my team of trained coaches like Tim Jackson and Allison Jacobs. You will also gain direct access to world-class authorities through our Guest Specialist Series.
The DDSA launches later this month. Stop being the worker in your business and start being the CEO.
Sign up now to join the waitlist and start building a business that is uniquely yours and impossible to replicate.
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Author: Dom Hodgson
Dom Hodgson is known as 'The Pet Biz Wiz', and is widely regarded as the world's leading pet business coach and marketing strategist.
Author of 9 books, Dom is a much in demand speaker at pet business events all over the world. His mission is to help struggling pet business owners to unleash their potential, so they can create a super profitable, impactful, and industry enhancing business.
