All tagged employees

491: Continuously Evolving with Debbie Solis

491: Continuously Evolving with Debbie Solis

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How are you evolving as a business owner? Debbie Solis, owner of Personal Pet and Home Care, shares her 28-year journey in the pet care industry, starting with her deep-rooted caregiving spirit and balancing roles as a mother and entrepreneur. She discusses the challenges she faced, including burnout and the need for personal growth, which led her to seek counseling and start delegating. By adopting new technologies and building a supportive team, Debbie transformed her business practices and achieved a more balanced life. She emphasizes the importance of self-care, adaptability, and continuous learning for long-term success.

484: Balancing Your vs Your Company’s Needs

484: Balancing Your vs Your Company’s Needs

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Ever faced a business roadblock that made you question everything? Here's a deep dive into how we handled an unexpected hurdle and the strategies we used to keep afloat. From employee turnover to shifting business goals, we share the ups and downs you could potentially encounter, and the mindset you need to overcome. Balancing personal life and company demands is a constant challenge, requiring flexibility and a clear vision. That balance is critical to navigate obstacles while keeping your business and personal values intact.

479: Empowering Pets and People with Mary Reid

479: Empowering Pets and People with Mary Reid

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What does it take to navigate the path from personal adversity to entrepreneurial success? Mary Reid, owner of North Dallas Pet Care, dives into her journey from being a homeschooling mother to spearheading a thriving pet care business. Following a significant health scare that altered her mobility, Mary reveals how she leveraged her passion for pets into a successful enterprise. She reflects on the critical role of work-life balance, the strategic shift from working solo to managing a team, and the integration of technology to enhance her business.

456: Running an Efficient Team Meeting

456: Running an Efficient Team Meeting

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Do you run team meetings? Meetings are usually one of the last things we want to do, and may even feel overwhelmed by putting one together. We walk through points to consider when planning the frequency and length of meetings. Plus, we share our 15-minute meeting format and how to prepare well!

449: Letting the Client Be Heard with Natalie Spedden

449: Letting the Client Be Heard with Natalie Spedden

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What are the unique challenges your business faces? Our business is shaped by our own values and how we want things done. It’s also molded by the community we service. Everything from how we hire, the services we can offer, and the kind of marketing we do is influenced by where we are. Natalie Spedden, owner of Aggieland Pet Sitting, walks through how she runs and hires in a town heavily influenced by a large university. Natalie shares how to take off our rose colored glasses to make hard decisions. She also talks about how she is building a professional team focused on the client’s needs.

423: Building Trust with Clients from the Start with Kimberly Layman

423: Building Trust with Clients from the Start with Kimberly Layman

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Are you running the business you thought you’d be? Kimberly Layman, owner of Kimberly's Kritter Care, shares the process of refocusing her company to better align with her passions after experiencing burnout early on in the pandemic. She outlines her personalized onboarding strategy of phone calls and in-person meetings to set clients at ease. In addition, Kimberly explains how she structures clear expectations around communication preferences upfront to avoid issues down the road. She also details her strategic approach to obtaining reviews through timely and specific follow-up requests.

421: Overcoming the Barriers to Hiring an Employee vs an Independent Contractor with Kim Ottone Tank

421: Overcoming the Barriers to Hiring an Employee vs an Independent Contractor with Kim Ottone Tank

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Do you struggle with whether to hire an employee or work with an independent contractor? Many of us face wanting to grow, find space in our life, or take a break from the day-to-day work, but then worry about whether an employee or independent contractor is the right fit. Kim Ottone Tank, owner of both Apronstrings and Staffingstrings, joins the show to help us understand what it really means to hire an employee. Kim breaks down what the differences are between an employee and an independent contractor, how that impacts our businesses, and how to understand the true costs of each.

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

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What does it mean to live a balanced life? Finding balance as a dog walker and pet sitter is one of the most crucial aspects of running a thriving business, and maintaining personal well-being. Renée Stilson, former owner of Home Sweet Home Pet Care LLC and now The Balanced Sitter, draws on her 23 years of experience in the industry to share the lessons she learned. She discusses how she had to adapt her business multiple times, and how pet sitters and dog walkers are true ambassadors to their communities. Renée also reflects on how she knew it was time to retire, and how she's found a new way to live since hanging up her shoes and leash.

348: Staffing Struggles

348: Staffing Struggles

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Have you had issues with staffing? 2022 may very well be defined by the labor market flipping to empowering employees. This has meant hiring and retaining staff has been difficult, especially as a small business. From competing on wages, to connecting with mission, job applicants are able to be very picky. We break down how we’ve changed our processes and have been investing in existing staff. Having staff will continue to be a major issue into the new year, and we have to prepare for it. 

343: Learning to Step Back with Justina Allen-Yancey

343: Learning to Step Back with Justina Allen-Yancey

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What’s the hardest part of being a pet sitter? The challenges certainly change as we grow and evolve as a business. Our role as the business owner and entrepreneur is to overcome them. Justina Allen-Yancey, owner of Justina’s Pet Sitting, joins the show to share how she approaches challenges. Justina works on her training and services to market guilt free pet parent lifestyles to her clients and focuses on being reliable. She also talks about the gear she loves for winter and how she specialized in rabbits and guinea pigs.

293: Decide to be the Leader with Julie Fredrick

293: Decide to be the Leader with Julie Fredrick

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Julie Fredrick, owner of The Pet Sitter of Boise, has been running her pet sitting business since 2003, while still holding down a full time job. With a team of over 35 employees, she spends her time focusing on giving the best possible service to the right clients. Julie shares how her background in operations and process improvement helps her run her business better and why more growth isn't always better. She also encourages us to start being a leader in the industry.

291: Staying Ambitious with Zach Shearer

291: Staying Ambitious with Zach Shearer

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What does it take to stay ambitious in business? Zach Shearer, owner of Zach's Pet Services, rejoins the show to share how much has changed since we last had him on. Zach talks about tackling large projects in the face of uncertainty and why surrounding yourself with experts is critical to your success. From his expanding kennel services to now grooming, Zach gives us some insight into the challenges they're facing and what he's doing to overcome them.

283: Merging Companies with Therese Villemure and Lindsay Licata

283: Merging Companies with Therese Villemure and Lindsay Licata

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What does it take to merge two pet sitting and dog walking companies? Therese Villemure and Lindsay Licata believe it takes passion and sacrifice. Owners of Suburban Pets, they share their individual journeys into pet care and what prompted them to merge in 2018. From policies to software, there is a lot to consider! Therese and Lindsay give advice for how to make the most out of the relationships in our lives and why you should pick your battles.

279: Making HR an Asset, Not a Liability with Kim Ottone Tank

279: Making HR an Asset, Not a Liability with Kim Ottone Tank

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What does HR mean to you? Human Resources is all about how we treat the people in our company. Even if you're solo, having an HR mindset helps you treat people well. The pet sitting industry has quite a few challenges when it comes to HR. Kim Ottone Tank, owner of Apronstrings Pet Sitting, shares how to approach the unique nature of HR in pet care. Kim helps us understand why we should take HR seriously and why it's not such a massive burden.

226: Independent Contractors with Colleen Sedgwick

226: Independent Contractors with Colleen Sedgwick

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Can you use an Independent Contractors (IC) in your business? What are the benefits and what are the potential pitfalls? Colleen Sedgwick, Pet Nanny Coach, had ICs for 17 years and shares how to navigate and use them effectively. Colleen talks about being audited and how to be prepared for it. With many sitters looking for ways to fill in scheduling gaps during the busy holiday season, an IC may be what you're looking for, as long as you use them correctly.

205: Switching from ICs to Employees with Amber Van Denzen Suarez

205: Switching from ICs to Employees with Amber Van Denzen Suarez

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What do you do if you currently have independent contractors (ICs) and want to make the switch to employees? There are national initiatives underway to make it harder to properly classify staff as ICs, so switching is something to consider. Amber Van Denzen Suarez, owner of Atta Boy! Animal Care shares what the process was like for her. She explains why she decided it was time to make the change and how the switch has helped her business. She walks us through the numbers required to make it all work and shares how she structured her employee’s pay.

202: Overcoming the Struggles to Hire

202: Overcoming the Struggles to Hire

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The job market has really changed in the last 6 months. Unfortunately, it corresponds to the increase in demand for pet care services. Many of us are facing a daunting task of trying to hire staff in the middle of one of the toughest job markets in a long time. Today, we outline ways to use more than just financial incentives to attract staff. From paid benefits to connecting to core values of your business, there are ways to compete for the staff you want and need. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I empower others?”

174: What do you want out of your business? with Bella Vasta

174: What do you want out of your business? with Bella Vasta

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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 common fears when it comes to bringing on employees as well as what it means to help understand the culture of your business.

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