Welcome To Next Tree Strategies
Hi, I’m Sean Felty.
I’m passionate about helping pet care business owners reach their true potential—especially dog-passionate women who would rather find any dog to pet than spend an afternoon in the office looking at numbers.
It feels not so long ago, at the age of 15 I met a girl who was “wild about pugs” after accepting a job at her family’s kennel. Fast-forward seven years, and she became my wife. At this juncture, I came to accept and appreciate that my life would largely be all about the dogs—although it turns out I still had no clue the magnitude.
We had just bought our very first home, one I was sure we’d begin to raise our family in, until one day, she came across a property for auction that included an old 1800s farmhouse residence with a kennel we fondly dubbed “the she-shed.” Just like that, we gave up the stability and comfort of our brand-new home, sold it in the worst real estate market imaginable, lost a bunch of money on the sale, and waltzed into that 1800s farmhouse to begin the grind of working our accounting and healthcare jobs while working mornings, nights, and weekends in the she-shed to fund our humble beginnings.
There were at least a few nights I scoffed at what our life had become due to our love for dogs.
However, despite the poor aesthetics of our she-shed, I could not ignore the relationships we developed in our community alongside our tiny team. With those, our waitlist grew a mile long. Labor was not only our greatest expense, it was also our greatest asset.
The bells and whistles went off in my brain—we had just discovered something scalable: creating teams of the most qualified, caring hands. With those most caring hands, we could turn our wait lists into revenue and begin to provide life-sustaining pet care career paths outside of veterinary medicine for people with this same passion for pets- we just needed more space!
Over the next ten years, adding space is just what we did – with two kiddos quite literally strapped to our backs and along for the ride. We rebranded the family business and reinvested everything we earned with our expansion strategy, learning fast and hard the systems required to scale our business to six thriving locations, a skill I learned during my time in hospital management for one of the largest healthcare systems in the Nation – improving the efficiency and quality of patient care.
Next year, we’ll celebrate our one-millionth pet visit—something we’re really proud of. Our facilities are each over 10,000 square feet, we manage a team of 130+ employees, and we handle everything from daycare to boarding, training, and light grooming.
I’ve been where you are—working nonstop, trying to find some semblance of balance in life while running and growing a business, reinvesting every penny earned into our future. At one point, my wife and I were raising newborns while operating out of a facility that was too small and not ideal for our needs. She’d often be found with an infant strapped to her body, painting, cleaning, and letting dogs out for playtimes. But we made it work—and we kept pushing forward.
What I want for you is the ability to step back, breathe, and consistently move further toward the absentee owner side of the business ownership spectrum. I’m a firm believer that this business should give you freedom—whether that’s spending more time with your family, taking vacations, or making plans for growth and expansion. To get there, you need systems that allow you to step back and take a breath so you can think and act more clearly.
That’s why I focus so much on systems and efficiency. Whether it’s managing labor more effectively through Labor Mastery or helping you optimize other parts of your business, the key is building a business that runs smoothly, even when you’re not there.
Outside of work, I’m obsessed with running (ultramarathons, to be exact) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve always been fascinated by the limits of the human mind and body. Infatuated with the things you can achieve by simply refusing to give up and always moving forward. That’s where my “Next Tree” philosophy comes from. In a 100-mile race, you don’t think about the finish line—you think about getting to the next tree in front of you alongside the trail. When you get there, you do it again. Rinse & Repeat. And that’s how I approach business too: small, actionable, achievable steps that lead to big results.
Let’s find your next tree together. Whether it’s implementing systems to improve efficiency or scaling your business for growth, I’m here to help you get there—one step at a time.
