363: Proving it to Yourself with Emily Duhancik
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How do you show up for yourself? Hard work and dedication are definitional of what it means to be a pet sitter. The services you offer should be connected to the passions you have in life. Emily Duhancik, owner of Pet Sitting & Care by Emily, joins the show to discuss what it takes to offer farm care to very particular clients. Her motivation comes from a lifelong love of animals, and a desire to be an excellent role model for her daughter. Emily shares how she designs an amazing client experience, where to get more experience with farm animals, and how she honors her feelings and emotions through the services she offers.
Main topics:
Passion to profession
Animal communication
Farm care pricing
Client experience
Main takeaway: At some point, we are all a client of our own services, so design the experience well and make it a fantastic experience.
About our guest:
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with and provide care for animals the last 25+ years. I pet sat for neighbors and friends in high school and college part time. After I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University, I worked in differing environments including outdoor recreation, teaching preschool, retail, human resources, and running operations for a million-dollar company. None of these filled my bucket like animals did but I continued jumping from career to career for fear of ruining my passion with them if I made it a career. Pet sitting and pet care is not a side job for me. I take this very seriously and treat every critter as if they’re my own. I work with and have experience with small and large animals, special needs animals (cancer, illness, paralysis, Cushings/diabetes, timid, deaf, etc). I am bonded and insured, certified in animal first aid and cpr, have double certifications in equine massage, am a Certified Fear Free Professional and am a member of Pet Sitter Associates (PSA).
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/PetSittingAndCareByEmily
https://petsittingandcarebyemily.com
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
animals, horse, pet, clients, people, care, farm, services, gift, business, vet, feel, easy, emily, professional, connection, parents, prices, industry, find
SPEAKERS
Collin, Emily D.
Emily D. 00:01
It's okay to change. It's okay to adapt. You're either growing or dying as they say. So I personally would rather be growing.
Collin 00:11
Welcome to pet sitter confessional an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials, hardwork, and dedication are definitional for what it means to be a pet care professional, out in a pandemic and a new child and it can make it all the more overwhelming. Today, Emily Duhancik, owner of petsitting and care by Emily joins the show to talk about her farm care business, how she focuses on an excellent client experience and why she looks for not just excellent clients, but partners in her community. Let's get started.
Emily D. 00:48
I have been taking care of animals in some form or capacity. Pretty much my entire life. As soon as I was born, my grandparents, you know, had me out seeing horses and you know, livestock. We have a thing here in Denver called the National Western Stock Show. And from the time that I was a year old, my grandparents took me down to that every year and I have attended every year since I'll be 35 this year. So I guess I've attended every year except for 2020. Because reasons. You know, yeah. But I will go down there with them and, and just spend the entire day totally enamored with the animals and so happy in my element. I just I can't imagine life. Without them. I've owned my own pets. Horses have always been a big strong pole for me. My grandparents got me involved with that as well. They had a saddle that they bought after they have worked hard to raise pheasants. And then they took the money from that and they bought the saddle and then gifted it to me. And much too I think my parents dismay, the worst thing has never really waned. Neither one of them are are really they they love animals, but they're not a fanatic like I am and especially when you start saying Oh, I like a horse. That's a huge animal, which comes with a whole lot of costs. Yeah. So they, they let me go to like pony camps growing up. And we could go to the farm here. It was like a local petting farm and they did some educational stuff. And my grandparents would take me every weekend. And we would see the Budweiser Clydesdales. I just anything horse I wanted to be involved in. And so So I kept bugging my parents and I kept bugging them. And I kept bugging them. And so finally, they let me take some horseback riding lessons. And I just loved that even more, and there was an opportunity, they said, If you really enjoy this, you know, and you really want a horse, you're gonna have to prove it to us, because animals of all kind take a lot of work, but especially horses. So I started working with that horse trainer and I would clean stalls or I would clean tack. I mean, anything that she asked me to do, I was there, I was all for it, I just wanted to be around them and be involved. And so then when my parents realized this is not going away, then we started the hunt for a horse. And that was that was pretty difficult. Actually, once once you know more about horses and about what it takes to care for them. You can become a little bit jaded, I guess. With some of the things that us humans have done to them that sort of damages them physically and mentally. And so when we were going through the process to look for a horse for me, you know, it's not I would say that anything with livestock and especially with horses a lot more complex than dogs and cats and small animals. And so so we went through quite a few different horses we were looking at and we get to the vet check and that would check them over and you know, look at them physically and say hey, this horse has this issue or this injury and and then it would fall All through. So that was pretty heartbreaking. But I had said for ever that I wanted a black horse named peppermint. Because we went to one of the stock shows there was a black Morgan horse. And I just loved it. And that horse enjoyed eating peppermints. So I said, I want a black horse named peppermint. And in this horse process, we kind of gave up, or at least, I thought we had given up for a while looking for horses, because it had been so tough. And then on Christmas Eve of 2000, I went out to the barn, and my parents surprised me with a black horse. And her name her registered name was fancies black pepper. So we call her Pepe. And it was just meant to be
Collin 06:01
it to us, right that that's, that's something that we have to do with ourselves. A lot of times when we're running our business, when we're seeking after services, when we're when we're when we're striving for new things, a lot of it is proving to ourselves that we can do it that we're capable of that.
Emily D. 06:17
Definitely, both of my parents are entrepreneurs too. So I was born into the entrepreneur family and saw a lot of those challenges that they worked through. We that's quite the story in itself. I said, for the longest time growing up with parents that were entrepreneurs that I would never be an entrepreneur myself, however, and now I guess the joke's on me. Because here I am. And I'm an entrepreneur.
Collin 06:57
Well, you said your daughter was a big catalyst for you starting your business and taking it making it your thing. Why was
Emily D. 07:03
that? So yeah, so animals had always been in my life, and I loved them. And that's really where I felt the most at home. And everyone along the path, having good intentions, I think told me to keep that as my passion and to not bring them into, you know, work because I could possibly turn that passion into something that I dread
Collin 07:33
going to do every day. Oh, kind of protecting it and keeping it special. Yes, yeah.
Emily D. 07:39
So I tried to do that. Not very well, I will say, throughout high school and college, and even a little bit after that I was still sitting on the side and just kind of taking any opportunity I could to be with with animals. But I went into the corporate world, and I did some stuff in HR. And I did a lot of administrative tasks. I worked with my parents, they really needed some help. So I decided I didn't like the corporate world. And I was gonna go back to work with them, which was another thing I said, I would never do. Never say never. And so I helped them with their business. And we made it through, you know, 2020 I was working with them while I was pregnant. And then I had my daughter and my parents decided it was time to retire and to sell their business. So we did that. And when I had my daughter, I just thought, wow, you know, she is going to look up to me for so much. And you throw in a pandemic, you know, you really start to look at what is life about. And I decided that I was going to take the leap of faith. And I was going to follow my heart. And I was going to start working with animals because I wanted her to see that you can do whatever you want to do. And that your heart tells you things for a reason, you should honor that. And so I put together this business plan and I went from doing pet sitting on the side for friends and family. And I launched pet sitting in care by Emily full time. It'll be a year ago, actually in March. So it took me a little bit to get there. Yeah. But yeah, she really just made me look more at myself and what are the values that I'm teaching her and and what is them message that I want to get across to her. So that's why I'm here today doing what I'm doing. And I love it.
Collin 10:07
Oh, what? What, what message is that to her?
Emily D. 10:12
Oh gosh. It, it really is just, you know, having feelings, Being emotional is a good thing. That's part of the human experience. And I think in this world, a lot of times, we're sort of told to push those feelings aside, or that you're too emotional. It's a bad thing, it's a negative thing. I really struggle with that a lot. Growing up, and the animals have never been judgmental about that. And they've really helped me harness that I believe that's why I'm so successful in, in what I'm doing now. And so really, that message for her is truly to just honor yourself, honor your feelings, follow your heart. Just go for it, whatever that is. Don't waste time with what other people think you should or could be doing.
Collin 11:19
Because it's about at the end of the day, we're the ones that have to sit with our decisions, right? And we're the ones that have to live with that. And no, did I give it my all did I do what I could did I follow this did I make this something worthwhile. And you only know that when you try it, right. And that's where that sometimes you just have to, you just have to try it sometimes. I love your mission statement about your company. And I wanted you to tell us more about where that comes from, and how that fuels
Emily D. 11:47
you. Sure. So my mission is to advocate for and enhance the human animal bond. And I think I have in there through you know, the use of compassionate In Home Pet Sitting and pet care products, and and it just really fuels me because I feel like animals are so non judgmental, there's such a safe space, to have so much love to give and so many lessons to if a person will take the time to listen and pay attention to those lessons. There's, they just have so much to give, and the people who've experienced that. I want to enhance that relationship for them. And I want to advocate for that relationship for them and get the animals message out there and get more people aware of, of this amazing sense of connection and bond that they could potentially be missing out on.
Collin 12:56
So it sounds like a lot of a lot of educating the client on possibilities and what their animals needs. And I love that word being an advocate of of educating them speaking for the animals, when you see something, say something about it, point them in good directions, be a support to them, so that they can and it sounds like you know, you have this connection, this this relationship with animals and you so desperately want to make sure everyone else has that opportunity to have that kind of relationship.
Emily D. 13:24
So I think a lot of us in this industry can probably agree that when you start out, you're like, Okay, what, what is the need, you know, what are people going to pay for? What do I enjoy doing? And you might have a laundry list of, you know, a million services that you're offering. And I kind of had that starting out too. And now it's a new year, I've had more experience as a full time pet sitter, and I'm really looking at what fuels me, what are what are the clients like and enjoy, and where's my time really well spent. And so, this next year, I have a couple of pretty exciting things coming out. I'm going to switch focus a little bit, I'm still going to be doing pet sitting and care. But I definitely feel so passionately about that enhancing and advocating the human animal bond, that there's going to be some animal communication sessions that I will be starting for people probably towards the end of the year. It's something that I've always been able to do and felt a little bit I don't want to say ashamed. But I kind of felt like an outsider. It just, it just kind of comes naturally to me and I can't explain it very well. When people say you know like how did you know that? I don't know, I just knew I just have always talked to the animals and they talk back. And I think there's a real need for that service. And I would love to be able to provide that I also do a lot of special needs care. And I've seen the grief, and also the healing that can come with owning those pets. And so to be able to help those clients along with, you know, communicating connecting with their pet as they transition is really important, too.
Collin 15:34
Or is that something I know, you said, it's an ability that you felt you've always had? Are you going to be seeking out? training or education on that more? Or what's kind of your your thought process of making that a bigger part of your business?
Emily D. 15:49
Yeah, absolutely. Um, I know that this industry is not really well regulated, kind of like the dog training industry and horse trading. I mean, really, I don't know why a lot of the animal industry is just not very well regulated. But it is something that I take very seriously. And so while I don't have to have the certifications, you know, to operate, I feel like it's the right thing to do ethically and morally. And so I do have visibility to communicate with animals. But I'd like a little bit more guidance on how to how to do some more like on demand, how to turn it on demand. And just a mentorship. So I will definitely be seeking out some of that, you know, maybe getting a certification in it. I feel like for a lot of people maybe who are even skeptical that's helpful for them, I sort of view at the same as like, I'm a fear free, certified pet sitter. I'm certified in pet CPR and First Aid. Those are kind of all big, like badges, so to speak, that can be really helpful. When the public is searching for your services, and they're looking for someone reputable that they see
Collin 17:10
that provides some confidence and knowing this person has done some work. This is this, this person has a little bit of knowledge, maybe connections and resources that they can bring to bear for the needs that I have.
Emily D. 17:21
Yeah, definitely. For me, it shows that you take it seriously. I've run into and I think that I my background, working in the corporate world and working, working in the administrative space, and HR has actually helped me tremendously in launching this business. It's sort of one of those things, it's so much easier to look back after the fact and say, Wow, that really helped me even if you're in the trenches, and you think, Oh, my goodness, why am I work in the corporate nine to five? This isn't? This isn't me, this isn't helping, but it really does. It has helped me and I think when I get the criticism from some people that oh, well, your prices, you know, I, I can just have my neighbor, you know, common throw hay for the horses, or I can just, you know, have somebody pop on over, all you're doing is just hanging out with the animals. Well, my response to them is always that, that's fine. And I understand that everyone has their budget. My prices are based off of my experience and my knowledge. And I constantly am taking trainings and certifications to make sure that I am up to date on the standards and animal care. And you're paying me for more than just hanging out with your animal, you're paying me for that knowledge and that awareness, you're paying me to be able to detect small changes in behavior or physical movement, you're paying me to be able to take care of and transport the animal for medical care if needed. Um, you know, and that really is where those certifications and stuff come in when you can sort of pull out your resume of these are the skills and this is you know what I put my time into I really take this seriously. But then I find a lot more people are open to paying those prices.
Collin 19:36
Yeah, when they see what they're getting. Right and they can that takes a little bit of convincing sometimes but I think it depends on finding that that right client? Yes. Have you heard of time to pet per se and from reading cats and dogs has this to say
19:51
becoming a time to pet clients has been a game changer for us. We can give our pet services clients real time cloud based information they Never imagined they'd be interested in. And most importantly, to me personally, I can better manage my company and look forward to more and not a small thing. Time to pet is responsive to my requests for new features, and modifications to existing one.
Collin 20:15
If you're looking for new pet scan software, give time to pet to try listeners of our show can save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/convention. Do you sound like you're changing up some services that you're offering, but you offer a dog walks dropins farm care and what's kind of your mix right now of what what really is the most popular service that you offer?
Emily D. 20:38
Right now I my bread and butter is really the farm care. I think that there are a lot of misconceptions around Farm care, and specifically horses, that just anyone can take care of them, you just throw hay and you fill up water. And that could not be further from the truth. Um, I cannot tell you how many times I've had people call me and say, Hey, I really need someone professional who has this knowledge to take care of them. You know, I had my friend or my neighbor, you know, whoever watching my horses, and they left the chicken coop open my horses, you know, got into the feed, and they found her all all of those little things for as big as horses are, they are like the most delicate creature. They really are. And they're very sensitive. So they're sensitive emotionally, they're sensitive physically. And you can screw up a horse pretty easy just by feeding, you know, the wrong thing. It's not. I'm not saying that you can't screw up a cat or a dog or anything, you know, by giving them the wrong food, but it can really mean life and death with a horse.
Collin 22:05
So are you are you finding what kind of clients are seeking after your services? Are they hobby farms? Are they horse enthusiast? How would you how would you describe them?
Emily D. 22:16
Kind of all the above. Okay. So we're very fortunate, I'm about an hour north of Denver, and I'm right by Colorado State University, which is one of the top veterinary schools in the country. And so I've been very, very fortunate to grow up with that kind of in my backyard, and to be able to work with some of the best in the industry. And so I think that, unfortunately, around here, a lot of people are used to that. And they're looking for top notch quality care for their animals. And so everyone around here is pretty well educated. And I have a whole mix of hobby farms, horse enthusiast, professional trainers, rescue farms, there's really a need, at least in this area for someone who is knowledgeable and can take care of livestock.
Collin 23:13
I think it certainly helps when there's already a lot of supporting infrastructure of if you have the trainers, the vet school, the knowledge the the exposure to that to come alongside and say now here's some here's our how I partner. Here's how I fit in, here's here are my connections, but how how do you still market that service? And to make sure that you're connecting with the right people?
Emily D. 23:35
Yeah, absolutely. So I think that you have to be to do a good job of marketing and to do a good job in your business, you have to be vulnerable. And so throwing yourself out there putting your hat in the ring reaching out to the local professionals, the vets, the farriers, you've got dog groomers, even doggy daycare centers I have found have been pretty great. Dog Trainers, just any professional that you feel called to, that you feel offers a good service, being vulnerable and saying, Hey, I'm offering these services, you know, this is what I have to offer an an asking for feedback on that can be hugely valuable. And then creating that connection, having that communication with them, so that they really know that you're walking the walk and talking the talk. And then honestly, once you've done that, and I'm not saying it's easy, but once you've done that, then you can create this beautiful network of professionals who are able to do refer, you know, to one another. I've hung fliers up at feed stores and with veterinarians, dog trainers, you know, other professionals in the area, I've done some stuff on Facebook as well. I think on Facebook, it's really important and in any marketing to target your audience. And I talked to some people who've been on, say, like rover, and they're wanting to take this and make it their full time thing. I'm one of my first pieces of advice is who is your target client, you need to be clear about who your client is that you want, because then it's easier to say yes or no to someone. And it's easier to figure out where to market. And so like, for me, I enjoy working with special needs animals, and I love doing farm care. And so I really draw upon those connections with the local vets and the farriers and massage therapists, training barns and just kind of get the word out there.
Collin 26:14
talk a lot about building community and having connections and going people. But I think that first step is going What do I know about this professional that I'm going to go talk to? Do I like the way they do business? Do I like, do I connect with them? Are they somebody I would personally refer to, so that you have a much stronger connection with them, instead of just walking into every single place and asking to hang fliers or every single place and introducing yourself, we're really taking that time to step back and screen them. First of all, I know I'm not for everybody. So I don't want to be connected to everybody. So I need to maybe go this somebody's really I really like what they're doing it their business, they're really doing something fun, really cool. Let me go talk to them and tell about what I'm doing. And starting with that point of connection?
Emily D. 26:58
Yes, absolutely. There are a million animals out there, there are a million professionals out there. I truly think that there's enough business in this world for everyone. There's no need for this, you know, vindictive competition, in my opinion. And that's coming from someone who's in an area where animals are just there, there are so many animals everywhere, and so many animal professionals, if you wanted to be really competitive, you could have every animal, you know, if you wanted to, but I think that's what makes it unique is that everyone has their strengths. And like you said, I'm not for everyone. And so knowing who that everyone is, who your ideal client is, and where your strengths are, too.
Collin 27:52
And you mentioned that you bring a lot to the table. And farm care services are pretty unique services, I'm sure just given the variation of things that you can do. So how do you even go about beginning to price, something like that? I know, we've been approached a couple times, and people asked us and we've been like, I don't know if we're the ones to do that with we have that experience or whatever. And but when we think about pricing, it's like, it's to me, it seems a bit harder to do. So I wanted to ask how you approach pricing of the farm care services,
Emily D. 28:20
that has been kind of a tough one for me, there are instances where it does take me less time to go and care for a herd of you know, goats or horses than it does to go take care of one dog. And so purely going off of a wall I'm going to prices based on time, doesn't always work. So what I've done is, is looked at okay, what has been involved with learning and becoming aware of the needs of farm care? How much of my time and my energy has gone into learning that or getting you know, accreditations or whatever it is where you're getting your education? And then what would it take for me to take care of an animal in that situation should something happen? If something happens to a dog or a cat, you typically can put it in your car and drive it to the vet. If something happens to a horse, or a cow or a llama, it's much harder to take any animal, put it in your car and drive to the vet. And they do have mobile vets. But sometimes, you know like in a case of colic with a horse, you may not have time to wait for the vet to get there. Right. So I do charge more for farm care even if it's not going On to unnecessarily always take me more time. Because Because you're, you're banking on, on me having the ability to transport your animal and you have the equipment to transport your animal should something happen. And it's not always a medical issue either last year, this wasn't farm care, thank goodness. But last year, I was taking care of a house and there was a wildfire. We're in Colorado, and unfortunately, it's become more and more dry every year. And so we have these wildfires and, and I had a house that was in an evacuation zone. And so I had to be able to take those cats, you know, and get them out of out of harm's way. That's another instance where if that happens with a small animal, it's much easier to find to find space for them than it is for large.
Collin 31:02
Sounds like you're kind of pricing your expertise and the potential headache for things. So there's liability on the other side. And that's a good point that a lot of us go oh, this is easy. I can do this. I can I can quote unquote, just throw hay. But what happens when something goes wrong? Now it's up to me, it's on my skin? My it's, it's my neck on the line about what's going to happen when this when this goes out? And do I have the experience to do that? So kind of weighing both sides of going through, there's the time aspect, but what's my knowledge worth? And then what how much is it worth to me the headache to take care of the problems that arise?
Emily D. 31:38
Yeah, definitely. Also, I find that excuse me, from a time aspect. And from a mileage aspect. Typically, my farm care clients also live a little bit further away. And so I've also factored that in because it even if it only takes me, you know, 15 minutes or something to throw hay and check waters, it might take me 15 minutes to drive there each way. Yeah, there's just there's a lot of factors into pricing. That's something I feel like I could talk about all day.
Collin 32:14
It's trying to make sure it works. It scales, it's consistent. It's fair, right, we all make sure that we're fair to people and that we're doing right by them. So for the for the mileage, do you just have a set rate? Or do you have a radius? And if you're outside of that you charge more? Or kind of how do you work that?
Emily D. 32:32
So this is something that I struggled with starting back up? And doing this sort of full time was like, do I charge by the mile? Do I have a radius isn't included? You know, do I add things all a cart. And so I was doing by the mileage after a certain radius for a while. And that was just kind of causing a headache, quite honestly. And I felt like I was nickel and diming people because if I said my radius is 10 miles, oh, you're you know, 11 miles out, well, that's going to be an additional dollar or whatever. That just felt really ridiculous to me. And something that my dad has said, for ever, I swear, I probably knew this when I was born was that he will live and die on providing excellent customer service. And no matter the industry that you're in, even if you are, quote an expert in it, you are also a customer of that industry. And that was really profound for me, especially as I got older, even though I provide pet sitting services and animal care services, and I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable in those areas. I want to be portraying something, but I want to have a smooth and seamless process, you know, for the customer. How does this look? As the customer How does this feel? And so for me, saying well, okay, so you're two miles out of the radius, or you know, it's going to be this much. It's going to take me X amount of time more, I'm going to divide my time you know about my rate and I just felt like a headache. It wasn't straightforward. It was frustrating. I would hate that as a client myself. And so I dropped it. I basically stay within just two cities now, because I know typically kind of what the driving demands are of that. And then anyone outside of of those two cities is a case by case basis. Keeping things
Collin 34:59
sample is really important for clients. I don't like feeling like they are overwhelming them. I mean, I know when I walk into a restaurant and I see a menu and it's like 75 pages, the fonts really small. And you're just like, I don't Ha, do they have tacos too? Can we do that? Or like, can I get the chicken like something and use? Okay? Let's make it really straightforward. Make it really easy, that does a lot of things. It helps you focus your services to make sure you're excellent and everything, you can communicate them really well to your exact target audience. And then when they get connected with you, they don't feel overwhelmed. And they actually see have a sense more of an immediate relief, as opposed to more anxiety of oh, gosh, what is this? What is this? And, and I kind of have that feeling of the also aliens, how many times I have to ask something of my client of while it can be beneficial to make sure that you're weeding out people who aren't a good fit, that can also become a burden on them, where if you continue to ask so much of them that turns them off to your service. And they're going to try and find an easier path, just like water flowing through a landscape, it's going to find the path of least path of least resistance over time, and build a new path. And we want to make sure that while we are working with the other most of the best clients, that we're making it easy for them to get access to us.
Emily D. 36:18
So something else about me is that I'm a huge Disney fanatic. And we go to one of the parks, at least one of the parks once a year. And when I look at you know, why is that? Why do I love Disney? It's because of their customer experience. And to me, they're up there like with chewy.com Even like for fast food, Chick fil A all of those, I think, Okay, what do they all have in common? Why are they so popular? And why do I enjoy them so much. And it all comes down to the little details of the customer experience? That's what I was meaning by you know, at some point, everyone is a customer. And first and foremost, you're a customer yourself and look at it from their perspective. You know, I think it's easy to get caught up. And you do this every day and you know, your rates and you know your process. And so it becomes sort of just second nature to go. Okay. Yeah, and but to a lot of people, they maybe this is their first time using a pet sitter, and they have no idea what to expect. They don't know, you know, what, what prices are? They haven't spent hours, you know, thinking about how am I going to price my farm care versus, you know, small animal. And so making that as smooth and seamless as you can for them. And I think yeah, by being simplified, and being upfront, I have a lot of my stuff online and digitally, as far as intake forms. Because nowadays, especially since COVID, everyone has their tablet or phone or their computer. And it's just how can I make this an enjoyable, seamless process for them? Yeah, as
Collin 38:13
you're talking about the Disney Experience. Last year, I had to spend some time going in and out of a hospital. And I'll tell you about bad user experience. Hospitals. You mentioned like they spent they know exactly what the next step is. I've never been there before. I have no idea what's going on. I'm lost. I'm walking down the wrong corridor, I'm getting yelled at because I'm going down the you know, look, walk into the wrong room, all sorts of stuff and was like I never got I've never done this before Help Help me. So taking a moment to put ourselves in the feet of our clients and going if somebody had no idea who I was, or who or logically knew what the quote unquote obvious next step would be. What would I think what would I expect? What button would I click? What information would I put in? How would this make sense sense to somebody else that's empathizing with them. And understanding that they're coming from they have a background, they have a history, they have expectations, and now I know not that I'm trying to meet everything or be everything to all people. But I at least need to think through my processes to make sure that they make sense to people who have no idea what my processes are. Perennials makes it easy to send a heartfelt condolence gift directly to someone with a broken heart. That was awesome direct customer gift model that takes the effort off of us and ensures that thoughtful, personalized sympathy gift reaches your client or employee on your behalf. All gift packages include a handwritten card, colorful gift wrap antipathies across the US and Canada. They offer and ramp milestone gifts and greeting cards that can be sent to celebrate birthdays, extend get well wishes, and welcome new and even rescued pets. Additionally, there are gift choices in case you need to send a sympathy gift in memory of a special human client or celebrate a pregnancy engagement or wedding of a pet lover. If you're interested register for a free business gift perks account unlock the all inclusive discounted package prices. Since the service is used on an as needed basis. There are no money fee or annual obligations or minimum purchase, Learn more at Pet perennials.com business programs or register for a gift perks account using the link in the show notes.
Emily D. 40:10
Something else that I was thinking about while you were talking and empathizing. A lot of times, I think, too, it's easy to get caught up in like, I'm so busy and, you know, gosh, can't you just can't you just, you know, fill this out? Or it's just a dog or, you know, whatever, why, why are you so particular about, about wanting this or that, and realize that everyone has their story, everyone's going through something, especially if they have a special needs animal, you know, caregiver fatigue is a real thing. There's a lot of emotions that come up with that. So maybe, you know, in our industry, sometimes we're not always dealing with people at their best. A lot of times, you know, we think, Oh, pet sitting and we get to play with, you know, puppies, and it's so exciting and great. Maybe that person's coming to you and they need a pet sitter, because they have to go to a funeral or, you know, somebody's dying, or they're, they're in the hospital, they have to have a surgery or, or something that's happening, you know, just don't assume someone else's story and journey. You don't know You know, what they're going through. And so I think keeping that in mind, empathizing with them, and really finding out and meeting them where they're at, is huge. That will go a long way, in your customer service. Another thing for me is gathering all the information first, and upfront. I'm really a big stickler on emergency information. A lot of people don't necessarily think about that right away. It's just kind of like a, I'm going out of town, you know, here's my pets. Keep it. And then they're like, Wow, you really in depth. I asked for you know that information, medical cost limit emergency contacts. In an ideal world, if I can't get a hold of you, you know, what would you like done? I even asked for authorization for euthanasia. And I have all of that filled out in the paperwork beforehand. Because the last thing I want to do is ask for a bunch of information one day, and then I get there and I'm asking for more information. And then God forbid something happens. And I need all this other information. And you know, I can't get a hold of them. And then the vet is like, Whoa, I can't get a hold of me there. I don't know what they want. Getting all that ahead of time, then there's no questions. And it's so nice. If you do run into an issue, thank goodness knock on wood, I've not had the euthanasia part come up. But I have had medical instances where you know, somebody is out of the country and and their dog got hurt out in the yard. And I was able to go to that and say, here's all their information. This is the max that they want to spend, you know, here's an authorization for euthanasia If needed, you know, and it's all in writing, it's right there.
Collin 43:34
Do you find Do you find that that kind of does that help comfort the clients? Do you get clients that are overwhelmed by the amount of information that you're asked that at that initial step? Or how do you walk them through everything at that first
Emily D. 43:48
couple of times? Now, I have not had anyone tell me that they're overwhelmed. I get in, ironically, overwhelming amount of people telling me how appreciative they are of them. And that, you know, they they hadn't thought of some of those things, and it kind of gives them that peace of mind to know, should something happen in my absence. You know, all of my wishes are outlined. And, and I know that she'll make the decision that's best for the animal because it's written right here.
Collin 44:24
Well, I know we're talking about kind of interacting with clients and helping guide them through this process. I know some clients can be more needy than others. So I was getting I know like, like dog and cat people are on one level like horse owners a whole other level of of expectations. How do I how do you work with them and make sure that that you're fully understanding what's going on and that they feel cared for.
Emily D. 44:57
So something that is My dad has also told me for years and years, and I think that it's so important, but I tell my clients this all the time to please be as thorough and your intake forms and as thorough as possible at the meet and greet, because I'm here to meet and exceed your expectations. And I cannot do that if I do not know what those are. I think that some horse owners can be on a whole other level with care. But quite honestly, I have also had some cat owners that are also on that high, you know, other level? It's fair point. Yeah, I mean, I think that just the size of the animals that that doesn't necessarily mean that they're they're any more needy, I think that sort of runs, runs the whole gamut of, you know, sizes and types. But definitely, yeah, with the horses. It's really important to know, can this animal be turned out? You know, who are they usually with? What do they eat? What is their regimen? Because like I said, they're so delicate, they really, once you once you know more about them, they're just delicate little flowers, and you just want to make sure that you know, you know exactly what's expected so that you can meet those. Yeah, there comes
Collin 46:29
a whole new suite of questions, right? And things to pay attention to, which is why that kind of care is not for everybody. And I know we have listeners who are always interested in expanding services and getting access to and seeing if something's the right fit for them. How would you encourage them to start dipping their toe in and start getting some good information to see if farm care working with horses is something that they want to add on.
Emily D. 46:54
Find someone that you look up to, or someone who's knowledgeable and reach out. I'm always available to talk. But I think you have to look at yourself and in your environment, a lot of the farm stuff is going to be outside. So are you comfortable being outside, in all elements, it just snowed here in Colorado yesterday, we got almost eight inches of snow. It was heavy, it was cold it was blowing? Um, you know, are you comfortable in that? Do you have the ability? And do you want to put the time force to break waters? Because you know, sometimes they do freeze over? Change horse blankets, you know, prep special feed? Do you have a vehicle that can handle that? Also, with farm care, you're gonna get stinky? So are you comfortable with that? Are you okay? With your car smelling? Those are all things to really consider. And then I think to be successful in farm care, and especially with horses, do you have the desire and the passion to put in the time to educate yourself on what it really means to take good care of these animals. And if you're not passionate about it, you're not excited and you don't want to put in that time, then I would say don't do it.
Collin 48:27
It's not just being passionate about the animals. It's being passionate about learning more about them and passionate, excellent in that in that cared and that quality and if you it's navigating that with all that we do if if I have a service that I want to offer, am I going to am I passionate about dedicating the next insert blank number of years of my life to becoming excellent at this? And if you kind of look at that and go oh, I don't know about Okay, maybe not. I just kind of went through the service. We need to refigure some things about how you're going to put the pieces together.
Emily D. 49:01
I have found I think that's my message for anyone in the past in the industry is to really ask yourself, Why am I doing this? Or in any industry that you're in, I suppose. You know, why? Why am I doing this? Am I doing this? Because I need the money and you know, I have a skill set. Okay, that's great. But does it feed your soul? Are you happy? Are you passionate? Do you still look forward to doing it? Yeah, you're gonna have crummy days and sometimes you know, things are going to be hard. But overall, if you are not in it, then the people are going to be able to tell the animals definitely are going to be able to tell and you need to do something else. And there's nothing wrong with that. Right? But burnout is real in this field. And so maybe taking a break or you know, maybe it's just not working anymore,
Collin 49:58
which is really hard to do. met when we especially when we have our maybe we have a passion for the pets, while we don't have the passion for the business or for education or for these other aspects that come along with it and it's sit back and go, Is this really for me is this really what I need to be doing and recognize that that's not a bad thing, it's a good thing that we learn more about ourselves, both the wealthy what I want to do in life that as I used to coach a lot of students was, what I don't want to do in life is also equally, it's sometimes even more important, especially early on, and that those lessons that you learn from that as what you apply to continue to grow and move forward and find new
Emily D. 50:36
things. Definitely, I had my daughter and to 2020. And a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this is because I thought, well, I'll just do it part time. And it'll give me more time to be home with her. And before I had my daughter, it was very easy to be able to run over or do a drop in, you know, take her the animal comeback was very easy to stay overnight at someone's house. Oh, when you have a little toddler, it is a whole new ballpark.
Collin 51:11
There's nothing quick about having a toddler except them running away from you. That's the only thing that's
Emily D. 51:18
yes. And so I don't really do a lot of overnights anymore. When you know, you're looking at what works for you, what do you like, what don't you like, I really don't like doing overnights, I like being in my own bed. I don't have to worry about my kid, you know, being crazy. And so. So that was really important for me to look at after having her. And that doesn't work for me anymore. So I'm taking it off my services. And if if somebody wants that, then you know, I partner with someone else in the area, and I refer them out for that. But I do have my, my toddler and this is she does come along with me sometimes. And this is a very heated debatable topic. I know. I do not just blindly bring her with me to every situation. Everyone that I'm everywhere that I do take her that people are aware. They know they're okay with it. I have it in writing. She's never left, unsupervised. And really, she doesn't even have that much interaction with the animals themselves. Typically, she's coming out with me when I'm cleaning stalls or something like that. And she's kind of out out on the side doing her own thing while I'm caring for the animals. I think, yeah, looking at what works for you. And what doesn't work for you is, is key and adapting. It's okay to change. It's okay to adapt. You're either growing or dying, as they say. So I personally would rather be growing.
Collin 53:03
We only do that by trying new things and taking that leap so that we can, like your folks said to you at the very beginning of proving it to ourselves, so we can prove what we're working on and what we're working towards. And making sure that we're grounded in the why. Emily, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today and sharing your story and encouraging us to, to seek after that, why and to be grounded in getting people connected with their pets, and to try new things. And I really, really appreciate that. And I love your story, Emily, people want to get connected with you and learn more about and pick your brain on farm care or being a mom with a kid and pet care how best can they do that.
Emily D. 53:46
So I'm on Facebook and Instagram, pet sending and care by Emily. You can also find me on my website petsitting and care about emily.com. And all my contact information is listed there reach out, call text email, Facebook message. I'd love to help out any way that I can.
Collin 54:07
Emily, I can't tell you how much I've appreciated enjoyed this conversation. Thank you so much.
Emily D. 54:11
Yeah, thank you too. I've really enjoyed it and look forward to the changes that everyone makes this year.
Collin 54:18
Sometimes the only person that you have to prove it to is yourself through proving it through the hard work, the dedication, the planning, the execution, the pivoting, changing and adapting. We hold ourselves back so many times with the self talk, the down talk, the negative thoughts that we have in our heads that tell us that we can't do it, that there's no way it could happen, that we might as well go back and try something else. That when we overcome those by continuing to push forward surrounding ourselves with good influences and reminding ourselves that we are capable of so much when we overcome that we can really start to make a lot of progress. You In our businesses and in our personal lives as well, we want to thank today's sponsors, timed pet and pet perennials for making the show possible. And thank you so much for listening. We can't tell you how much we appreciate it, how much it means to us, and that you're part of this growing community. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend. We'll be back again soon.
