Dr. Ian Dunbar, the man who wrote the book on pet training and developed the first ever puppy-training courses in the country. Go to any local dog park in your city and most of the dogs there have been influenced by his work! He has written six books with hundreds of thousands of copies in circulation. He has a Udemy course that has trained more than 40K pet parents and trainers. He was the founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, which is now known as the Association of Professional Dog ...
Mar 05, 2020•43 min
On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we are talking to Nicole Stuart ( https://nicolestuart.com/) who is a celebrity fitness trainer who has trained the likes of Kate Hudson, Portia de Rossi, Goldie Hawn, Anna Faris and Julia Ormond. Nicole practices a creative style of Pilates that blends dance, yoga, stretching and cross-training to help her clients benefit their bodies as well as their minds and spirits. Nicole has appeared on MSNBC and in numerous magazines, including People, W Magazin...
Feb 11, 2020•59 min
On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we are talking to Kyra Sundance who is a dog trainer, performer, and author. Kyra quite literally wrote the book on “how to teach dogs to do tricks” called 101 Dog Tricks, which has over 1 million copies in print and has been translated into 22 languages. Her company, Do More With Your Dog ( http://www.domorewithyourdog.com/) , is the official sanctioning and organizing body for the sport of Dog Tricks and has certified over 20,000 successfully trained ...
Jan 31, 2020•40 min
On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we are talking to Harry Josh who is a legend in the hairstyling, beauty, and fashion industry not only because of his tremendous skill in dressing the hair of celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tina Fey, Ellen Pompeo, Gisele Bundchen, but also because of his super successful product line, called Harry Josh Pro Tools, including the most instagrammed hairdryer in the world, the Harry Josh Pro Dryer. This episode is an inspiration for anyon...
Jan 06, 2020•1 hr 13 min
Yoga is a big part of the health and wellness industry. 36 million Americans practice yoga and spend $16 billion on yoga classes, clothing, equipment, and accessories each year. The number of Americans doing yoga grew by 50% between 2012 and 2016 alone! On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we explore: - What makes yoga so popular and why the recent boom in popularity? - How much do Yoga Instructors make? - What is the secret to making more as a Yoga instructor? - What changes do people hav...
Dec 23, 2019•31 min
Our featured guest on this episode of Professional-on-the-Go is Rocco Castellano. Rocco started out his adult life serving time in jail. He tells us the amazing story of how he, determined to make a better life for himself, went from one "family business" to another. Out of jail, Rocco bought his cousins' gym, leading him down the path to a very successful Personal Training career (with some surprises along the way, as you'll hear). Ultimately, Rocco retired from his successful Personal Training...
Dec 04, 2019•39 min
The Sharing Economy has made it possible for everyone, not just the super wealthy, to have services on-demand, and this includes house cleaning services. With a higher demand for cleaning services, how has the cleaning industry grown and changed? We discuss: -How technology has helped cleaning professionals make more money -Why trust is key for a cleaning professional’s relationship with a client -Why cleaning service professionals have the potential to retain a particularly high percentage of c...
Nov 19, 2019•33 min
More people than ever have a personal trainer these days. It used to be that only really wealthy people hired personal trainers, but with the shift to an on-demand economy, it has become more accessible. Everyone can have their own personal trainer just like everyone can have their own driver with Uber or stay in exotic locations with AirBnb! This is a great episode for anyone considering becoming a personal trainer or is curious about the industry. We discuss: -What is new and hot in personal f...
Nov 05, 2019•36 min
On this episode of Professional on the Go, we talk about life coaching as an independent service profession. We discuss: - What exactly is a life coach and how is it different than being a mentor? - Why do people hire a life coach? - How does someone get the professional credentials to be one? Is there state licensing? - How much money can you make as a life coach? - Do people often have both a therapist and a life coach, or just have one? - Is there a beginning and an end to life coaching work ...
Oct 21, 2019•31 min
Today we are talking about an industry that is booming: the pet industry. According to the American Pet Products Association, consumers in the U.S. spend $70 billion on our pets. There are many pet professionals that are tapping into this boom by providing services such as training, grooming, boarding, and walking. In this episode we focus on dog trainers as independent service professionals: - How do people become dog trainers? What is the typical career path for dog trainers? - What’s the scop...
Oct 01, 2019•31 min
The nature of work has changed. Less people are working for companies and more are designing their own careers as freelancers. Why the big change? What are freelancers looking for that they can’t get at a regular job? How do big corporations feel about this trend? How do freelancers save for retirement and secure health insurance? What tools are freelancers using to help them run their business and become more productive? Also, Caitlin Pearce, the Executive Director of Freelancers Union, is here...
Sep 24, 2019•33 min
On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we talk about the trending lash technician profession. Lash technicians have a specialized job in the beauty industry working on eyelashes. Why has this profession become so popular? Do you need to be certified for this work? Do lash technicians usually work independently or at a salon? How much can an eyelash tech make a year? We answer these questions, plus we speak with Elizabeth Jennings who is a pioneer in the lashing industry. She owns 4 salons ac...
Sep 09, 2019•29 min
The way we go about finding the best handyman, HVAC technician, and other home service professionals has really changed over the past 10 years. It used to be that you would just ask a friend or neighbor or look in the yellow pages, but now there apps such as Angie’s List, TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Upwork, and more where you can find a whole host of service professionals. These platforms are convenient for consumers, but is it a good business deal for the service professionals? We discuss these plat...
Sep 07, 2019•26 min
One billion people use Instagram every month. It has become an incredible tool for small businesses to build a pipeline of future clients if they know how to use it well. On this episode, we share how independent professionals can start to develop engaged communities online, and what’s actually at stake if you’re not successful in doing this. Here to help us master Instagram is Amanda Tress, fitness professional, influencer in the health and wellness industry, and CEO + Founder of FASTer Way to ...
Aug 30, 2019•27 min
There are many different types of professional photographers in the market, but one specialty in particular is becoming quite popular: real estate photography. We share more about what’s involved with this type of work and why there is such a growing interest in this niche. Our guest Brandon Cooper is a real estate photographer who also runs photographyforrealestate.net, a blog that helps real estate photographers be successful. You will learn: - How does someone typically get into real estate p...
Aug 27, 2019•32 min
There are so many business apps and productivity tools for independent business owners these days. They range from business messaging and marketing apps to shopping and scheduling to payment and accounting apps to taxes and document signature/storage/management apps. How do you select the business apps that are right for you? We discuss: - Where to go to research business apps - Whether you should look for multiple apps or an all-in-one app - If businesses should be skeptical of free apps - Feed...
Aug 06, 2019•32 min
On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we talk about what’s hot and what’s not about the esthetics industry. We’re talking about trends that are impacting estheticians, skin care professionals, and service providers in the spa & salon community. We first discuss: - What exactly is an esthetician? What do they do? - What’s the difference between a dermatologist and an esthetician? - Why is esthetics a hot career path right now? Do you need a license to practice? - What kind of income can ...
Jul 30, 2019•23 min
On this episode of The Professional-on-the-Go Podcast, we are talking about the popular communication app WhatsApp and its applications for independent service professionals and small business. Our guest is Natalie Zfat, a social media expert and Forbes contributor who has partnered with some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Facebook, Samsung, LinkedIn and American Express. We talk about: - What is WhatsApp? What does it do? - Why are people using WhatsApp for Business? - What’s...
Jul 23, 2019•20 min
Square revolutionized the credit card processing market for small business, and they are a very popular payment processing solution. But there are so many other mobile apps out there now that make it possible for you to get paid online - Venmo, CashApp, ApplePay, AmazonPay, GooglePay, FacebookPay. We discuss: - Which payment apps can be used for business as an individual service professional and which should just be for personal use? - Are there any limits to using these payment apps for busines...
Jul 16, 2019•22 min
It used to be a nightmare to set up your business to accept credit card payments. Now, it’s incredibly easy, and thankfully so because 90% of customers' payments are coming in the form of credit and debit cards. If you don’t accept credit cards, it’s going to be difficult to grow. On this episode, we walk you through how easy it is to set up credit card payment processing for your business. We answer: - What are the different options for how businesses can get setup to process payments? - What a...
Jul 10, 2019•30 min
This week we talk about solutions for fitness trainers, yoga & pilates instructors, and any service provider in the health & wellness community. How are these independent professionals unique in what they need to work with clients? We explore: - How well are health & wellness service professionals’ needs met by general business & accounting tools like QB, Freshbooks, Wave, etc.? - What do industry-specific solutions like Mindbody, Vagaro, and Booker do very well for health & ...
Jul 01, 2019•31 min
Many small business owners and independent service professionals are comfortable using Excel spreadsheets to manage their business finances, but is this really the best way? On this episode, we discuss when using Excel for business finances works great and when using Excel falls short. Excel can be time consuming and end up creating a lot of unnecessary work, so it’s important to know when it’s time to ditch Excel for a proper accounting tool. Here are some of the questions we answer on this epi...
Jun 27, 2019•21 min
In the previous episode, we covered how to get your website to rank high in Google's search results organically by building your website with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Now, we talk about paying to get your website to show up on Google. Is this a good idea for small businesses? Google employees and Google Adwords experts Michael Martina and Denise Jayne are here to answer: - When should a small business owner use Google Adwords? - What are the best practices for small business own...
Jun 24, 2019•31 min
The SBA says 35% of small businesses don’t have a website. On this episode, we dive into the question: Do independent service professionals really need a website? If so, what needs to be on it and what’s the best way to start one? We cover: - What should be on the homepage of a website? - What are a lot of service professionals missing from their website? - Many independent service professionals have never set up a website. Where do they start? Which website provider is best to start with? - How...
Jun 12, 2019•37 min
Many independent service professionals use social media sites like Instagram and Facebook for their personal lives, but how can they effectively be used for their business? On this episode of Professional on the Go, we cover common questions business professionals have about using Facebook and Instagram for business, such as: - What is the difference between my personal brand and my business brand? - How do I make the transition from personal to business? - Do I need to start a separate profile ...
Jun 03, 2019•32 min
When things get busy, the first inclination of many independent service professionals is to hire an assistant and why is this a bad strategy. Does this mean without an assistant you need to work harder? What can I do instead of have an assistant? What technology can help? Do assistants as gatekeepers take away from the personal connection you need with clients? The latest trend of professionals hiring virtual assistants?
May 28, 2019•13 min
Why is it important to get repeat clients? What do you do to get them to come back? How do you keep clients for a long time? When you get clients from existing client referrals versus through paid advertising, do you see a difference in your retention rate? How to stay connected with clients who have only ever booked you once?
May 20, 2019•23 min
The 3 key things independent service professionals need to succeed are clients, getting paid, and keeping your clients. In this episode we discuss: 1. Relying on marketplaces like eBay or Amazon for #1 is not a #winning long term strategy." 2. One of the things that prevents business from actually getting customers is scheduling them. 3. Do people still want to talk to the service provider when booking or just do it online? 4. How do you ensure clients keep appointments? 5. What is the best way ...
Apr 22, 2019•18 min
Many independent service professionals are focused on providing their service and not on collecting payment. In this episode we talk about: 1. Why the biggest problem for most independent service professionals is getting paid and what the best solutions are to solve it. 2. Why is getting paid so important to the cash flow of your company. 3. How to deal with dreaded chargebacks and disputes from credit cards. 4. How to track where your payments are at all times. 5. How to combat loneliness as an...
Apr 22, 2019•24 min
