Wondering if tools like ChatGPT and other AI platforms could help you with your pet business content? In this episode, we're looking at AI and how it can help you be more creative and more productive, while still sounding like you. Think of AI as your helper, streamlining content creation and giving you more time in the day. I'll walk you through various ways to blend AI with your creative ideas and existing content. Plus you'll get insights from pet businesses who are making the most of these t...
Sep 12, 2023•29 min•Ep. 178
When Sarah Jones launched My Anxious Dog, her business dedicated to selling yellow space awareness products, people said there was no point in them. At that point, eight years ago, the concept of a dog in yellow symbolizing anxiety and the need for space was relatively unheard of. Sarah knew the vital role these products played for anxious dogs and their owners, because of her experience with her own anxious dog, Cocker Spaniel Bella. Instead of giving up, people being dismissive made Sarah dete...
Aug 29, 2023•47 min•Ep. 176
Starting a business or managing one that's been operating for a while can make articulating what you do a challenge. As a business owner, there could be numerous reasons why you may lack confidence in promoting yourself. In the podcast episode, I'm focusing on why it's so important to feel comfortable and gain confidence when it comes to discussing how you support your clients. We'll define what confidence really is, and share some straightforward strategies to nurture it. After all, if you're h...
Aug 22, 2023•35 min•Ep. 175
In this episode of the podcast I'm talking about how to navigate controversy in your pet business. It's in light of a situation that has emerged regarding Absolute Dogs and commercial puppy breeding with links to other pet brands including Tug-e-Nuff which has had a lot of coverage on social media. Because so many pet professionals have links with these organisations, from having trained with Absolute Dogs or at Devon Dogs, or having used, bought, sold or been an affiliate for Absolute Dogs and ...
Aug 17, 2023•30 min•Ep. 174
What if the path to growing your pet business wasn’t following the latest trends on social media but involved listening to people instead? That’s what Hayley Bonwick discovered worked for her when she set up her handmade pet accessory business Handmade by Hayley B. Hayley found trying to keep up with the ever changing demands of platforms completely overwhelming. Yet when she went to events with her flyball team and local shows, she LOVED chatting to people about what they needed for their dogs....
Aug 15, 2023•36 min•Ep. 173
Fancy a look behind the scenes at some of the things I’ve learned since taking over a dog-friendly holiday cottage? I’ve been working with pet business owners for five years but have always felt a little lacking because I didn’t have a pet business of my own. That changed in April 2023 when I started a new holiday cottage business and took over Sunnyside Cottage in Robin Hood’s Bay. My plan was to make it a paradise for pups, and to implement what I’ve learned working as a journalist, coach and ...
Aug 01, 2023•40 min•Ep. 172
Kerry Jordan is an award-winning dog photographer and founder of National Dog Photography Day, an event that goes viral every year. She works with small pet brands helping them showcase their work beautifully through her photography. Kerry says the key thing she has done to grow her business is build relationships with people in her community on social media and championing the work they do. In this episode she talks about working with brands who share your values and ethos, trusting your intuit...
Jul 24, 2023•41 min•Ep. 171
Welcome to the first episode of the Your Pet Business Content Your Way podcast. This show is for you if you want to do things that feel right for you, that feel comfortable, that feel like you're being true to yourself. It's for you if you can't be bothered with the things you must do, if you're sick of hearing what you should be doing, and if you've had enough of people saying you have to do things their way. This podcast is for you if you want to do things your way. In this introductory episod...
Jul 21, 2023•12 min•Ep. 170
After three and a half years, I’ve made the decision to stop the Publicity for Pet Businesses podcast and give it a makeover. I have loved every moment of chatting to over 100 guests and putting out nearly 200 episodes, through the pandemic and the cost of living crisis that followed. The advice I’ve shared here, along with the brilliant insights from guests, has helped get pet businesses in the press, on the telly, and has led to huge boosts in sales and visibility. I’ve moved away from focusin...
Jun 22, 2023•21 min•Ep. 169
This is a bonus episode of the podcast where I'm talking about why I'm taking a break for a couple of weeks due to family commitments. These are the key topics and timings in this episode: 0.04 - Introduction of this episode. 0.20 - What to normally expect from the podcast. 1.02 - Why I'm explaining myself in this episode. 1.47 - What's happening in my personal life that's impacted on my business. 3.34 - My eye condition and how that's impacted on my business. 5.42 - What happens when someone st...
May 23, 2023•12 min•Ep. 168
Can you imagine what it would be like to be able to dip into a bucket of ready to go social media posts about your pet business every time you’re stuck for what to say. Material that you’ve created, so it’s not something you’ll see other businesses sharing, that’s unique to you, personalised for your clients? Having a bank of content can take away the ‘aghhhh’ and the demands we feel are put on us to constantly feed social media and content platforms. And ultimately make life easier for ourselve...
May 18, 2023•32 min•Ep. 167
Can Imposter Syndrome be something that is helpful for your pet business? According to Nicola Kinnard-Comedie, my guest on the podcast this week, it can. Nicola is a business and mindset coach for equine and canine practitioners. She helps clients change their mental programming and develop business strategies to grow their horse or dog focused business. Self doubt, feeling as if you’re not good enough, worrying about your capabilities and being your own worst critic are issues I see all the tim...
May 11, 2023•45 min•Ep. 166
Trust is so important when a pet owner is considering a business to take care of their pet or provide a product for their pet. So how do you go about building it? There’s a formula you can follow called The Trust Equation and I’m exploring it on this week’s podcast. Created by management consultant David Maister in the 1990s, it’s made up of four components. The first three are credibility, reliability and intimacy , three things that will help people feel confident about working with you or usi...
May 04, 2023•32 min•Ep. 165
Colette Adwin is a graphic designer, Instagram expert and founder of content branding system Postagrid. She works with businesses showing them how to ensure their brands stand out on social media, with a seamless and memorable feed. We chat about what it was like when Instagram made significant changes, doubling down on video and how this impacted her work. Plus, falling in love with the challenges you face, building resilience, how important it is to keep looking backwards at what you’ve accomp...
Apr 27, 2023•50 min•Ep. 164
Have you been reading about ChatGPT and other ai tools and wondering if they might be helpful in your pet business? When I first tried ChatGPT in January, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure, and my mind was totally blown by it. Chat GPT is OpenAI’s Generative Pre-trained Transformer. It describes itself as an ‘AI-based chatbot that uses natural language processing to interact with humans and provide relevant information or responses. ‘As a large language model, it has been trained on vast amounts of ...
Apr 20, 2023•20 min•Ep. 163
Are you considering setting up a Facebook group for your pet business? They’re a brilliant way to raise your profile, build a community, learn what your customers and clients need and make friends. It’s a place where you can share your knowledge and expertise, find people to collaborate with and build your network and connections. Nearly five years ago I started a Facebook group, Publicity Tips for Pet Businesses, named after the title of my book. Since then it’s grown to over 2000 members and I...
Apr 13, 2023•31 min•Ep. 162
Zoe Willingham is the founder of Best Behaviour Dog Training in Suffolk and started her business after leaving behind a corporate career. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to grow a large dog training academy, build a team to support you and live with nearly 100 animals, this podcast is for you. Zoe decided to learn more about dog training after getting her first dog Millie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She studied to become a dog trainer alongside her corporate job, then qualified as a ...
Apr 06, 2023•57 min•Ep. 161
When you’re looking for a pet business coach or mentor, is it important that they are certified? That they’ve followed a training programme, are affiliated with a professional body, and follow a code of ethics? The coaching industry is unregulated, similar to the dog training industry, and anyone can say they are a coach. I know this causes frustration in the pet professional world, as it’s important to follow an industry standard. And it’s why I decided to train to be a coach and studied for th...
Mar 30, 2023•24 min•Ep. 160
Note this is a recording of a workshop I did for Product Guru in March 2023. If you’d like to chat about working together, click here to head to my Calendly page here: https://calendly.com/rachelspenceruk/discovery-calls In this podcast, I’m talking about the two types of publicity you can use for your pet product business and you can listen in on the player link or read the key points covered as a blog. Key topics and timings in this episode: 0.02 - Introduction. 2.44 - The different types of p...
Mar 23, 2023•25 min•Ep. 159
Of all the platforms, LinkedIn is the least popular for pet businesses but Nicki Cameron has embraced it with gusto. In just over 18 months, she’s styled herself as the dog lady of LinkedIn and it’s bringing in leads and inquiries for her photography business. Nicki also did a 31 day ‘Brighten up your January’ challenge, lighting up LinkedIn AND all the other social platforms. And it helped to take her email list from zero to over 300 subscribers in just a month. In this chat, Nicki shares how s...
Mar 16, 2023•29 min•Ep. 158
Would you love to see your pet business in the press but you're not sure how to go about it? In this podcast I'm sharing three ways I can help you get your pet business featured in newspapers, magazines, radio and even on the telly. Whether you have NO budget at all or you'd like to invest in spending a day together learning everything you need to know to pitch stories to journalists, there's an option to suit. You'll learn why getting press coverage can help you. Plus what makes a story idea. A...
Mar 09, 2023•21 min•Ep. 157
Sarah Mills started designing cute bow ties for her Cockapoo Albie so he looked sweet when he accompanied her to her art studio. And when other people remarked on how gorgeous they were it inspired her to start a pet accessory business. Since starting as a bit of fun back in 2017, Albie's Boutique has grown and Sarah has created more than 13,000 products for dog lovers. Now, Sarah has her dream pet brand and her products are featured on Not On The High Street. She's created another brand, Oh Mab...
Mar 02, 2023•58 min•Ep. 156
Are you fed up of seeing the same old dog trainers spouting advice in the media and want a slice of the action? It can be frustrating seeing the same names crop up over and over, particularly if you feel they use methods which are out of date. Or aversive, or that leave pet owners feeling stressed and upset as it’s not the way they want to train their dog. There IS something you can do about it - pitch to the press yourself. I’ve worked with HUNDREDS of dog trainers and helped them to put their ...
Feb 23, 2023•22 min•Ep. 155
Are you thinking of taking part in the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator programme which supports businesses looking to grow? If so, this podcast interview with Sophie Gowling, Enterprise Acceleration Manager for NatWest will give you all the information you need. You’ll learn what the programme is, the four pillars of support, who it’s for, what coaching is, how it can support your pet business and more. For the last six months, I’ve been part of the Accelerator and I share my personal experienc...
Feb 16, 2023•36 min•Ep. 154
Do you shy away from sharing you and your world in your marketing? If so, this chat with Alex McCann is for you. Alex is a former journalist turned marketer and has been working in social media for 13 years at Altrincham HQ. From MySpace to TikTok, he’s had to get his head round every platform for his own business and that of his clients. He’s figured out what works and what doesn’t, and what he shares here is a really simple way to feel comfortable putting yourself out there. It’s as easy as sh...
Feb 09, 2023•42 min•Ep. 153
She’s never done a Facebook live, her referrals come from her hairdresser and she’s gone from struggling to fill classes to causing so much FOMO she has a waitlist. Meet Sandra Emmons from Happipup, my guest on the podcast this week who is throwing the rules out of the window and doing things her way. Sandra runs an award winning dog and puppy training business in Berkshire and is talking about using the power of community to grow your pet business. She LOVES getting out and about in her local a...
Jan 26, 2023•36 min•Ep. 151
Do you have a review of your year? What you did? What worked? What didn’t? What brought you joy? What made you want to howl with rage? This week on the podcast I’m talking through what happened in my business in 2022. You’ll find the episode interesting if you’re nosey like me and if you’re looking for a framework to do a review of your own. I’m sharing a warts and all account including the launch where no-one bought, what happened when I put my big girl pants on, the coaching course that change...
Jan 12, 2023•43 min•Ep. 149
Goals - does it make you want to weep when you hear the word? Or are you a goal getter? This week’s podcast is about setting goals and sticking to them. In it I talk about how to decide on a goal that’s achievable and also something that you actually want. Plus considering WHY you want to achieve it and what it will mean to you. And why I DON’T want to have a six figure business. Plus four examples of different goals to help you with you own. If you’d like to chat about working together on your ...
Jan 05, 2023•30 min•Ep. 148
Are you kicking yourself for missing out on Christmas advent calendar or 12 days of Christmas countdown? If so this podcast episode is for you. It’s all about forward planning for 2023 so you can get ahead of yourself and make sure you’re maximising every opportunity. So you can link the product or service you offer to seasonal content and bring more sales to your business. It’s a really simple method, and it will mean you go into 2023 feeling ahead of the game. Key topics and timings in this ep...
Dec 29, 2022•21 min•Ep. 147
Are you ready for a rest this Christmas? I know I am! AS we wind down to the holidays it’s a time to reflect on the year and this week’s podcast is looking at 12 C’s which will help your pet business thrive. Each word beginning with C is something to consider when you’re marketing your pet business, in your interactions with your customers and also, when taking care of YOU. Every word has been chosen with the intention of it helping you when it comes to putting yourself out there and to give you...
Dec 22, 2022•32 min•Ep. 146
