026: Her Acupuncturist Told Her to Stop or Die | Jackie Bondanza

How to scale a business without burning out starts with knowing the difference between grit that builds a company and grit that destroys the person building it. If you are the founder who cannot do anything in moderation, who runs until you almost break, this episode names exactly what that costs and what it takes to catch it before your body forces you to stop.Katie Armentrout, founder of Peoplefluence and host of Think Outside the Boss, talks with Jackie Bondanza, founder of Hounds Town USA, who took the pet care franchise from one location to 103 across the country and now works with founders on the systems that let them step back. Jackie explains why she implemented EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, in 2021, what it took to move from the visionary seat to the integrator seat and back again, and the moment her acupuncturist told her point blank that her body was going to shut down if she did not stop. She also shares the advice from a former boss that changed how she owns her mistakes, and the failure during COVID that taught her more than any MBA could.If you have built something you cannot imagine walking away from, this conversation will show you how to keep building it without losing yourself.In this episode, you’ll discover:Why Jackie Bondanza says she cannot do anything in moderation, and how that same intensity that built Hounds Town USA almost broke her.What it actually took to grow a doggie daycare franchise from one location to 103 across the country in thirteen years, without a business background.How implementing EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, in 2021 changed the way Hounds Town runs, and why it took hiring an outside implementer to make it stick.The moment Jackie's acupuncturist told her point blank that her body was going to shut down if she did not stop, and what she did next.Why moving from the visionary seat to the integrator seat and back again taught Jackie more about herself than any MBA program could.The advice from a former boss about owning your mistakes that Jackie still uses to lead through hard conversations today.Why Jackie now does hands-on consulting and fractional integrator work for founders trying to scale from 10 or 20 units toward 100. We talk about:00:00 Meet Jackie Bondanza and her path from book editing to Hounds Town01:17 When did Jackie first realize she was a leader03:07 What her young employees needed that no training manual could teach09:00 The train ride where she first envisioned 100 stores12:26 The hardest phase of growth from 12 stores to 18 during COVID15:12 Why she brought in EOS and what it took to implement it17:23 Moving from integrator to visionary and what that shift taught her29:40 The consulting work she started after stepping into the owner's box30:09 Does an old dog really change, and what that taught her about leadership36:14 What advice she gives founders chasing their own 100 unit milestone38:44 Lightning round: DiSC, a favorite book, and best advice ever given40:00 A failure she cherishes and the walk on song that hypes her upResources:A Tree Grows in Brooklyn https://amzn.to/4bqgKew Connect with Jackie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-bondanza-36ba783/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houndstownusa/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@houndstownusa424Website: https://linktr.ee/houndstown Connect with meInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/katie_armentroutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@katiearmentroutLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiearmentroutNewsletter: http://www.peoplefluence.com/newsletterWebsite: http://www.peoplefluence.com #franchiseowner #foundermindset #founderburnout #entrepreneurialoperatingsystem #EOStraction #visionaryintegrator #scalingabusiness #franchisegrowth #smallbusinessowner #petcarefranchise #leadershipdevelopment #selfawareness #businessconsulting #womeninbusiness #executivecoaching #businessowners #thinkoutsidetheboss