We know we should have insurance. It's a critical component of protecting you and your business from potentially costly claims. Sometimes though, it can be overwhelming to wade into all of the terms and conditions. Colleen Giles-Harris, Underwriter and Manager of the insurance program for Pet Sitters Associates, joins us again to clarify common misunderstandings of insurance coverage. She breaks down the do's and don'ts of the claim process, so nothing gets held up. Insurance policies will also ...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 201
Where did 200 episodes go? The world of pet care since we started 199 episodes ago is totally different than today, and we are so thankful for all of the support and love from everyone! We answered some of your questions, from what we thought about the podcast when we started, to handling client communication. We discuss how to deal with your significant other when you don't see eye to eye in the business. Thank YOU for listening. We are truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful industry. Top...
Aug 02, 2021•26 min•Ep. 200
Summary: Why should we have a good support community and what does it mean to be an advocate for the pet care industry? Heather Branch, owner of Best Friends Forever Pet Services and a board member of NAPPS, shares about the tribe around her business and gives advice for building a strong foundation. Her tribe, which includes her staff, help make her better and continue to push for more education and excellence. She stresses the importance of learning about running a business and not just focusi...
Jul 28, 2021•56 min•Ep. 199
As in life, businesses have ebbs and flows. The pandemic showed us what we liked and what we didn't like about being in the pet care industry. To take advantage of those, we have to be introspective and ask ourselves if scaling up or down is right for us. Each of us will have our own reasons, and only you know which is right for you and your goals. We discuss the difference between scaling up or scaling down, when it's right for you, and ways to implement it in your business. Then, Natasha O'Ban...
Jul 26, 2021•23 min•Ep. 198
When most of us think about leadership, we tend to think of what it means to bring others together and work toward a common goal. However, leadership actually starts with leading ourselves. Self leadership is based on habit formation, discipline, and follow through. When we are self-aware enough to ask, 'Who am I right now and who do I need to become?', we start the process of growing and expanding ourselves. Gila Kurtz, dog trainer and owner of Dog Is Good, shares why self leadership is so impo...
Jul 21, 2021•54 min•Ep. 197
Throughout the year, most of us reflect on our personal life, where we excelled and where we fell short. The same should be true for our pet care businesses. Whether you've been in business for 6 months or 16 years, it's important to be introspective so you know where to improve. We discuss how being reflective will help you and 10 questions to ask yourself about your business. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers "How do I stop feeling like I have to be 'on' all the time?" Topics on this episode: US ...
Jul 19, 2021•34 min•Ep. 196
Have you ever been asked to care for large animals or a farm? Within the pet care industry, it's a growing niche that relies highly on word of mouth and reputation. Ariah Transmeier has been farm sitting for almost 18 years. As a horse owner and lover, she knows the needs of owners and how to communicate her experience into solving their problems. She describes what it's like preparing and caring for 300 acres of farm, while making it worth her time, and still providing excellent care. Ariah sha...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 195
Summary A stomach bug ran through our house last week. Thankfully we are on the mend now, but it was a reminder that we need to have a plan for our business, ourselves, and our clients! While we never plan to get sick, we can plan what to do when it happens. We outline the four major components of planning for sickness. Whether you're solo or have a team, having a plan helps you to continuing to provide care to your clients. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I keep myself from being overwh...
Jul 12, 2021•22 min•Ep. 194
Reactivity and aggression in dogs can take many forms. From resource guarding to separation anxiety, as pet professionals, we should be mindful of the context and history of the pets we are working with. Rene Smith, owner of Street Dog Rehab, started off with a passion for dogs, but got in over her head. On her own road to recovery, Rene dove into training resources and is now dedicating her life to helping dogs have a second chance. Rene shares common signs of aggression, ways we can help clien...
Jul 07, 2021•51 min•Ep. 193
What does it mean to run a business with integrity? How do I build and maintain my reputation? Collin details the connections between consistency in service, communications, and valuing your integrity as a business. When it comes to un-marketing, understanding that we have a reputation to build and maintain is key to building relationships. We break down a recent article describing the four major factors in building trust and your reputation. It all comes back to being consistent. Then, Natasha ...
Jul 05, 2021•39 min•Ep. 192
Summary: Is your business communicating the right messaging? How does a well branded business benefit you? Design and branding are all about communicating the personality of your business. Kaila Piepkow, owner of Dox Design, gives us a crash course in design and branding. She shares how we need to get out of our own way and connect better with our ideal clients. She shares why, as pet professionals, design and design language are so important. We dive into the role of color theory in eliciting t...
Jun 30, 2021•56 min•Ep. 191
Summary Where should we invest our time as business owners? Traditional thinking would say to make sure to carve out plenty of time for marketing your services. What if we focused on other things and put relationships first? What would that look like in our business? We break down what the idea of Un-Marketing is and ways to start changing our mindsets towards placing more importance on relationships than ads. From the technology we use, to how we post on social media, there are ways to respect ...
Jun 28, 2021•29 min•Ep. 190
Summary: Kate Myers has been working with pets for the last 55 years. Over that time she has been deeply involved in animal control and animal shelters. Now she has transitioned into a pet nanny. Kate, owner of Darling Companion, shares the experience of building mental fitness and the unique challenges of effective communication to educate pet parents and elicit big changes. She gives some amazing advice on how to receive feedback and turn it into something productive. We discuss what it means ...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 189
Summary How are you using social media? Meghan breaks down some of the key aspects for making sure your social media is working for you. From having realistic expectations, to setting manageable content strategy, using social media for your business does not have to be overwhelming. As with everything, there is a balance to be had, and understanding why you're using social media is the first step. It's not all about the follower count, it's about having engaged loyal clients and followers. We al...
Jun 21, 2021•43 min•Ep. 188
How do we help deepen the relationship between the client and their pet? With the pet craze in full swing and many owners struggling to connect with their new family member, pet professionals can help guide their clients into a deeper bond with their pets. Cherie Marquez, The Dog Mystic, is passionate about keeping pets in their forever home through education, training, and building trust. Cherie encourages us to set aside the technology and be present in the moment to focus on the pets around u...
Jun 16, 2021•53 min•Ep. 187
Summary: Stressed? Feeling overwhelmed? We are. The rapid increase in new clients has caught many of us off-guard and scrambling to meet the new demands. We want to give you permission to press pause for a few seconds and just breathe. We know there are so many things on your plate to get done today and this week. Which of them are mission critical to your business? We encourage you to seriously take 30 seconds to rest and focus on the emotions, fears, and stresses that bubble up. We share how w...
Jun 14, 2021•26 min•Ep. 186
What does the future of pet care look like? 2020 taught us a lot of lessons, changed our behavior, our client's behavior, and opened up many new opportunities. We have a roundtable discussion with Daniel Reitman, owner of Dan's Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, Natasha O'Banion, owner of Start. Scale. Sail. and Renzo and Ruby, and Doug Keeling, owner of Bad to the Bone Pet Care. We cover how the industry will change in the next 10 to 20 years and how pet care providers will need to grow and adapt. Fr...
Jun 07, 2021•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 185
Is your website working for you? When did you last update it? Erika Godwin, owner of Barketing Solutions, shares what it means to have a modern website and why it's critical to running a business. From mobile friendly, to the latest PHP, Erika breaks down the elements a website needs in order to be optimized for SEO. From building trust, to communicating your culture, there is so much that a website can provide you, beyond just giving clients the ability to book. Topics on this episode: Mobile f...
Jun 02, 2021•51 min•Ep. 184
Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough? Do you ever think you don't belong or that you'll be found out as a fake and a fraud? Imposter syndrome in the pet care industry is the result of many factors, both internal and external. We break down what those reasons are and some practical ways to start overcoming imposter syndrome. Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I combat the fear of losing it all?" Topics on this episode: What is imposter syndrome Factors that influence it Your self worth ...
May 31, 2021•28 min•Ep. 183
In 2015, Madeline and her husband, Gabriel, couldn't find a trustworthy dog walker for their beloved dog Lola. Seeing an opening, they ditched their backgrounds in computer science and business management to start Happy Bark and Tails. Passionate about customer service, Madeline shares what it means to be trustworthy and how they have adapted to changing needs in services. She discusses her methodology behind communicating their mission with their website and how they make sure they're the right...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 182
iOS 14.5 was released and is already having an impact on targeted ad campaigns in places like Facebook and Instagram. As small business owners, many of us have relied on these powerful targeted ads to get in front of potential clients. We share some simple things to do in response to these new changes. We also discuss a new bug in Google My Business listings that impacted our business, and how it was corrected. We finish off the episode by discussing how the pet care industry can respond to the ...
May 24, 2021•35 min•Ep. 181
Summary: Buying a business can be a very daunting task. JP Anunciacion, owner of Dog Days & Cat Naps, bought a pet sitting company after a background in call centers, business process outsourcing, and moving to the U.S. from the Philippines in 2006. After climbing the corporate ladder, he needed a change, and found a love and passion for pet care. JP purchased the company from Becky Eberly (episode 122) and dove head first into learning the ropes. He shares what he learned in the process and...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 180
Being a service based industry, we should provide both excellent pet care and excellent customer service. However, as we strive to meet those demands on us and our business, there may be some pitfalls along the way. We cover the common ones we see in pet care, and those we have fallen into. We share how to avoid them and get out of them, if you find yourself already in one. Natasha O'Banion answers, "What's one policy you wish you would have started sooner?" Topics on this episode: Common pitfal...
May 17, 2021•28 min•Ep. 179
As business owners, we have to recognize that not only is our industry in constant flux, but so too are we. Pet Sitter Bible, Dog Walker University, and Sparky Go founder Josh Schermer gives his perspectives on what it means to lead in spite of fear and how to walk the line between being in control and being successful. He shares from his experiences growing his business, changing its structure, and learning to be a better leader. We also discuss his article on the state of the pet care industry...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 178
Summary How do you know if you're meeting your business goals? What do you do when you're facing a tough decision? A mission statement isn't just something to attract clients, it's mostly used as a guardrail during decision making and for making sure all of your staff are on the same page (if you have them). A mission statement helps give your work purpose and remind us that we are working towards something larger. It also gives us a standard to hold ourselves against and to continually strive t...
May 10, 2021•26 min•Ep. 177
When you are ready to hire, you'll have to decide whether to hire an employee or bring on an independent contractor. Kim Ottone-Tank, owner of Apronstrings Pet Sitting, has been following this discussion for many years. Kim shares what the major differences are and why it's important to know what the best fit is for your business. She also helps us understand what some of the pros and cons are for each, and how we have to set up our pricing to make sure we're still making a profit after we hire....
May 05, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 176
Summary Have you had to fire a client? If you're in this business long enough, you will likely have to do it. Whether it's because the pet isn't a good fit or you are tired of dealing with the client. We break down some of the most common reasons it happens, how to navigate the process, and how to deal with the aftermath. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I find out the culture of my business?" Topics on this episode: Reasons why you should How to do it What to avoid Dealing with the fallo...
May 03, 2021•39 min•Ep. 175
Summary: What do you want? It's a question Bella Vasta, owner of Jump Consulting, asks all the time. It's a simple enough question but it takes a lot of reflection and understanding of our personal values and who we are. When it comes to hiring knowing the "how" is usually a lot easier than the "what", so today Bella Vasta shares why it's so important to understand who you are and how to take on a strong leadership role before even thinking about hiring. She shares how to tackle some of the com...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 174
Summary Why is it important to invest in the people around us? How does it benefit us? We focus on community not for the benefits that come from it, but from a selfless mindset and motives. We share why investing in your clients helps them connect with, and believe in, your business. We also discuss what it means to grow your community and give them the most value possible in all we do. Topics on this episode: Why invest in others? Who is your community? Being selfless How to grow your community...
Apr 26, 2021•18 min•Ep. 173
Summary: Eden Rudin and her husband, Danny, have been nomadic house sitting across the globe for the last 6 years. Eden shares how to get started in house sitting, setting your expectations, and how the industry has changed. She also discusses how Covid has impacted the availability of sits, and the growing ways people are adapting. Eden also took a leap of faith and launched her own house sitting connection website, HouseSit Hawaii, as a way to solve the problem of connecting quality house sitt...
Apr 21, 2021•59 min•Ep. 172
