378: Are You Committed to Your Business?
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What does it mean to be committed to your business? It means fully dedicating yourself to the success and growth, but it also involves a combination of personal investment, professional investment, and planning to ensure your business thrives. By fully committing to your business, you demonstrate your belief in its potential and lay the foundation for lasting success. We break down the key areas to commit to and how your goals and values drive everything.
Main topics
Obligations
Belief in your mission
Overcoming hurdles
Stepping back
Main takeaway: Committing to your business means you’re willing to do the hard work because you believe in your business.
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
business, clients, committed, recognizing, pet, work, commit, staff, run, talking, dog walkers, ultimately, business owner, pet sitters, services, serve, opportunity, commitment, people, learn
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin
Meghan 00:01
Hi, I'm Megan.
Collin 00:02
I'm Collin
Meghan 00:03
and we are the hosts of pet sitter confessional an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. I
Collin 00:09
want to thank today's sponsors, pet sitters associates and our wonderful Patreon supporters for making this show. Possible.
Meghan 00:16
Supporters like Knuth, journal Yvonne, Anna, Liz Deseret Erica potty wagon Barbie, Julie, Catherine, Lizzie and Annabelle thank you very, very much. Yes,
00:26
we really appreciate it, Your support helps the show continue to invest in the show and you have found value in this and if you to listener have found value in the show, if you've gotten something if you've learned something from the show or been inspired to do something, we encourage you to go to pet sitter confessional.com/support, to learn all of the ways that you can help support the show,
Meghan 00:46
because this is episode 378. And we want to get to 1000. And beyond and beyond 2000. and beyond. When you run a business there is obviously a lot involved. As we all know, as a business owner, you start and run a business to accomplish your goals, you then ultimately commit to your business. You know, we talk sometimes about the baby stage of our business where we're going, we're growing a bunch, and we're learning all these new things. And so we kind of either commit to this way of life of pet sitting and dog walking and being a pet caretaker. Or we say no, this actually really isn't for me. And we take a step back and realize that this is not something that is for us.
Collin 01:25
Well, that's not to say that we can't recommit ourselves to our business, especially as our businesses grow and change around us are as we fall in love with a new aspect of our business or we move into a different stage of, of business and running our business or our own personal lives. But but when we are fully when we are committed to our business, it means we are fully dedicated to the success and growth of the business. It basically involves a combination of things like personal investment, a professional investment, as well as a business owner as a professional pet sitter and dog walker. And then there's actually planning that takes in that goes into this aspect as well as making because you want to see your business thrive when you're committed to it. Yeah,
Meghan 02:04
there are a few ways that you know that you are committed to your business. And first one is developing a clear vision for your business and setting those smart goals, the measurable ones, the achievable ones, it's going to help guide you with your decision making and make it more efficient and better over time, and really, ultimately provide a roadmap for your growth, that clear vision.
Collin 02:25
And we can't state that enough of that clear vision is the foundation of basically everything that we're talking about in this episode today. And mostly everything that we talk about on the podcast in general, of if you have a clear a laser clear, focused vision of where you want your business to be, what you want your business to be doing, who you want to be serving, and how you want to be doing that in the way that you do it, that will help you shape and mold your business over time, and help you to reflect back on and understand if that's the vision, you still want five years down the road 10 years later,
Meghan 03:02
because as a business owner, you need to be prepared to invest significant time and effort into your business. What Yeah, so you know, you're up at 6am, or you start visits at 6am. And you go till 10pm, you know, we often talk about we've quit our nine to five, so we can work 24/7 And it's laughable, but it's also true. I mean, it's gonna mean committing to your business means working long hours, taking on many roles, wearing many hats, and constantly being available for your clients. And if you have staff being available for them as well. And that's not to say that you shouldn't have boundaries, you shouldn't have office hours, all of that is true. But when you're on you need to be on
Collin 03:41
Yeah, it's a responsibility that you are taking on and that recognizing it is both time and effort. And it's really important to remember of this going to be a lot of time. And it's going to be really hard work. And when we are fully committed because that's what we're talking about here when we are committed in that way we are going to the hard work is worth it. The time is worth it for me to put into my business.
Meghan 04:03
It also means that you have to invest some of your finances as well. You know, with dog being dog walkers and pet sitters, we will it's not very likely we're out you know buying a brick and mortar store unless you offer a commercial doggy daycare or we're not we don't have these big expenses unless you have a car that you've purchased for the business. It's oftentimes it's buying some leashes or buying a first aid kit or poop bags or things here and there or stuff for your staff. But you really ultimately have to invest your finances and it may involve using your savings depending on you know if you want to pay cash for a company vehicle or not. Or you may think about taking on debt, or taking time to save and invest only when you're able to you really have to think about these things
Collin 04:42
when we did an interview with Julie Frederick who talked about wanting the good things for her business and it was worth it to her to pay for the good insurance for the good software for the good equipment for the good training. That that is an investment each time you spend $1 to make your business better, recognizing that that's going to come out in the end and how you serve your clients. So an investment isn't just the initial startup. But investing is paying for quality insurance that's going to cover you well to give your clients peace of mind. It's having the software, it's having all of those things, and recognizing that that is an investment that you have to make if you want your business to succeed.
Meghan 05:22
And speaking of investment, I mean, that could mean educational opportunities, you know, going to conferences, or these these other things that come up in the industry, but it's really to improve your skills and your knowledge. stayin informed about industry trends and learning from other dog walkers and pet sitters, or just other pet care industry, people like veterinarians or groomers or fat tax or anything like that. It's just it. When we commit to our businesses, we are committing to learning these new skills and being continuing to be educated,
Collin 05:51
recognizing that that's worth it, and that it takes time to sit and listen to a presentation by a vet talk about latest supplements or latest health issues going on in a particular area that you're serving, but you recognize it's worth it to you so that you can be better and better equipped and prepared for things that come up or just spending time quality time. I might add. In Facebook groups actually contributing or listening or learning from others or asking good questions. It takes time to ask good questions. But it's important to do that when they come up in our business and recognizing that's okay. And that that that actually is an investment back in yourself when you ask good questions of others.
Meghan 06:28
Because when we learn when we grow, we are adapting, we are able to adapt, and not conformed, necessarily, but change our businesses to the ever growing and ever changing needs of clients and the industry in general, since the pandemic, we have seen different changes in the industry that weren't there before, but have since come up. And so we are able to adapt our business model our strategies, our services, we're offering different services that we didn't before, because they're our client, the client's needs are changing. And so we have these new opportunities that we're able to commit to our businesses and say, Hey, yes, this is what I want, I want to keep doing this business. And if because of that, it means that I need to adapt to client needs and demands and change market changes. Yeah,
07:15
that committed mindset means that you are more readily able or willing to take on new opportunities as they come your way. Because you're willing to try things, you're in this experimental phase, you're trying these things, and you're willing to take that little bit of risk for that new thing that comes your way that maybe you wouldn't have if you were trying to be more safe or secure or protective of what you had. But if we're looking at growth, we're looking at continuing for years down the line going, that's an opportunity I would like to try right now. And that could be something as simple as throwing out wedding pet attendant services, and seeing if that sticks for you, or whatever that is, or maybe a new opportunity to market or a new service area, or new time to hire or there's so many different opportunities that come our way that we have to be open to, and willing to take those on.
Meghan 08:04
And with that maybe you have noticed, since the pandemic that you are ever increasingly busy. So you need to hire staff. So when you commit to your business, you are potentially committing to your staff, if you've hired them as well, and trying to retain them and keep on the talented ones who share your vision and commitment to the business who really get that that mission and that vibe and that company culture that you have, you know, you want to build a strong team. How do you do that? Well, you foster the good ones in your company, and you try to raise them up and you treat them well. And you provide them with the resources and support that they really need to succeed.
08:40
Yeah, that is huge. I think many times we may bring on a new hire. Or if you're thinking about doing it, you go okay, well, I'm gonna bring this person on, and they'll know everything and do everything. And there'll be just fine. But recognizing, well, if you need a good raincoat to do walks, your staff probably do too. If you need a good leash, if you need a good time to take a break in between visits, your staff probably need that as well. Well, and
Meghan 09:07
to also think that if we, as the business owners are educating ourselves and going to these conferences and learning new things, so to do our staff, they obviously aren't, you know, you train them for three days, and then set them free to go do visits by themselves. They still need to grow in their knowledge of things. And yes, there are lots of things to learn in the field as far as taking care of clients, homes and different animals and breeds and how they behave. But ultimately, if we are educating ourselves, we should be paying and educating our staff as well. So they can learn and grow
Collin 09:38
in a capacity that's fit and appropriate for the position that they're in or you want them to grow into. And again recognizing Yeah, it's going to take time. Yes, it is going to cost money to do that. But is it worth it to have and retain the quality staff and build a company culture that you want to serve your clients? Yes. And so that's that's part of being committed. At the end, so
Meghan 10:00
you have to prioritize their, their wants and their needs so that they can stay with your company. And so too, we have to do that with our clients as well prioritizing their needs, maintaining open lines of communication. So to make sure that they're happy, just like we want our staff to be happy and retained and still still doing visits with us for years to come. We also want our clients to be repeat clients and to continue to book with us. So continuously seek ways to improve what you're offering and the client experience in general, you know, go through the process as a new client. Is it easy? Is it hard? What kind of stumbling blocks do you potentially find that you could make better and more efficient for your company? Or
Collin 10:38
send out a feedback to some of your long term clients once a year asking? How satisfied are you with the services? How are the quality of the services? What are? Are you satisfied with the length of visits with the availability of visits, questions that you have about your business? I know people ask that well, what questions what I even asked some somebody some of my clients to get through their questions you have if there's things that you are thinking about changing, or wonder, because you only see the positive feedback reviews, hopefully, sometimes you get negative ones, asked questions about possible negative reviews, ask questions, when you get a positive review, see if it's shared by other people so that you know what you can do more of to serve their needs better.
Meghan 11:20
Or you can just even put your put yourself in the client's shoes of going okay, well, I have a dog or a cat or a fish I need my pet cared for. What am I looking for, not only in a pet sitter, but as far as the onboarding experience, how do I want it to feel and look and sound?
Collin 11:35
Right? Well, and part of that it's understanding the difficulties that your clients may go through. And as business owners, we have to understand that there will be difficulties, there'll be challenges, there'll be setbacks, not just with bringing on clients are higher hiring staff, but just in running our business in general, and that when we are committed to the business, we are setting ourselves, we are determining that we will be ready to face them, we're going to learn from them and keep moving forward. And that's that process of building resilience that committed the resiliency, they build off of one another as you recognize, Okay, step one is not just oh, I have to overcome a challenge, it's step one is going, there will be challenges, and I will learn from them. That's the mindset that you are entering in. And to try and retain as you are running your business of just every morning, there are going to be challenges today, I am going to learn from them. And my business, and I will both survive and thrive tomorrow.
Meghan 12:34
We've talked about the relationship you have with your staff, and your clients. There's also the fostering relationships with other business owners, that is important as well, when you are committing to your business, you are saying okay, I want to do this to better our industry to ultimately, you know, put money in my pocket and food on my table. But also I need to connect with others as well, to not only get my name out there, but so I can have a pulse on other industries as well, and how that affects my business in the long term in my community, you know, look for potential partners to expand your network and really create new opportunities for collaboration,
13:09
go to networking events and be open and just talking to other people about their businesses. And stop focusing on talking about your own. So that way you can get connected with we've gotten to a few networking opportunities so far this year already. And we listened to one where there was an Airbnb that opened up and talking to them. And all of a sudden, they started talking about their interest in making it more pet friendly. And then we could hear how they wanted to do that there's a new wedding venue that's opening up near us. And they're looking at doing weddings and making them more inclusive and making them a bigger thing and wanting to provide more services and serve their people. Well, we can now look at ways of collaborating with them. And there's a new opportunity there linking back to that point we brought up earlier, but there's a new opportunity that we can take advantage of that is only available because we were we were open and available to talking to new people and fostering those relationships in our community.
Meghan 13:58
But ultimately, though, when you commit to your business, you have to realize that this is for the long term, it's not a sprint, it is truly a marathon if you are going to commit to this. So stay focused on your long term goals, obviously have short term goals that you want to hit. But have those 510 2030 year goals that you want for your business. What do you ultimately envision for you? In your business? Do you want to keep working in your business forever? Do you want to work on your business? Do you want to scale and grow big? Do you want to stay small? There are so many questions that you can ask yourself, but ultimately when you commit to your business, you are saying okay, I'm going to be patient, I'm going to work hard and I'm going to thrive in this
Collin 14:39
well, that that that that P word there are patients is really difficult. As business owners, we tend to focus on newness. We're always focused on the next thing. We have all of these ideas and then we set this 10 year goal and then we're just have that staring at us on the wall going. Why isn't it here yet? This this sense of just contentedness about our business can creep in And, but remembering that every day is another opportunity to take one step closer to that 10 year goal and that you will be there eventually, that mindset of going I'm not there yet. That comment yet is one of the biggest differences you can take whenever you look at these goals that you have and recognizing, I'm working on this, and I will be there one day, and we
Meghan 15:20
have a few episodes on goals, but they can't, you know, staring at the 30 year goal of wow, that is massive, and I am not anywhere close. And it can feel really daunting, but you take you you break it down, you go year by year, month by month, week by week, you chunk it into little small pieces, and then it doesn't seem quite as big, but you have the overall picture in your mind the 30,000 foot view of okay, I do this, I get this in the end, and it's awesome. Something that you should definitely have is pet business insurance through pet sitters associates. As pet care professionals, your clients trust you to care for their furry family members. And that's why pet sitters Associates is here to help for over 20 years, they have provided 1000s of members with quality pet care insurance. Because you work in the pet care industry, you can take your career to the next level with flexible coverage options, client connections and complete freedom in running your business. Learn why pet sitters Associates is the perfect fit for you and get a free quote at Pet said llc.com. If you would like a discount, because who doesn't, you can join by clicking membership petsitter confessional and use the discount code confessional when you go to checkout, you'll get $10 off, check out the benefits of membership and insurance once again, at pets@llc.com. When you fully commit to your business, you demonstrate your belief that it has potential. And so you lay that foundation for its lasting success. Because ultimately, when you boil it all down, you're willing to do the work because you believe in your business. If you didn't believe in your business, you would not be running your business. And you would have shut the doors yesterday,
16:47
which is why that mission those values that we talked right at the very beginning that step one is so critical. Because if you are working in something that you personally don't believe in, you're not going to want to do the hard work, it's gonna be really difficult for you to wake up and be committed to that every single day,
Meghan 17:05
especially when there's dog poop splattered on the floor all over because the Roomba ran over it or you get scratched by a cat or you have a hard time filling a cat or any of the other 1000 scenarios that we as pet sitters and dog walkers run into
Collin 17:19
well. So there's the pet care aspect of we started our pet care business, we started a dog walking company, and we are committed to the pet care. But there are other aspects of running a business that we have inherently said yes to their obligations that we have signed up for, and that we have to keep doing or adding to to stay successful as a business.
Meghan 17:40
And I think the most obvious one because you are human is taxes. And even if you don't own a business, you still have to pay taxes. But when you do own a business, it's at a more elevated level of as far as, okay, you have to do bookkeeping and track your expenses and potentially hire a CPA and you have to file paperwork, sometimes every quarter, depending on what your what business you have set up. If you're not committed, you will not follow the policies that you need to
Collin 18:03
Yeah, and that's more than just taxes. This is all like the legal stuff. You can think of it that way, whether that's having the council come in approve whatever your license wanting to do, or whether that's making sure you're getting the inspections that you need to or going through all of the policies, the procedures, the legal red tape that you have, sometimes you can go through that one time and you're great like setting up your business, your LLC, your legal entity, okay, that's wonderful. Okay, do that one time, maybe there's some ongoing things. But then there's the the annual the quarterly the, every 10 years, whatever that is, you, you sign up for that, and you have to continue doing that. And that's where some of this passion and going, Oh, I don't want to have to do taxes this year. I don't really feel like doing my paperwork. But I believe in the mission of my company so much. I am willing to spend a couple days getting everything organized and submitted.
Meghan 18:52
Another one is website. So when you commit to having a business and you choose to have a website, you commit to learning the SEO for that website. And having you know, having a website is really one thing, but keeping it updated and relevant and making sure that it's surfaced on the first page of Google and your Google My Business and all this stuff. It takes work it takes keeping in the know you know petsitter SEO with Amy toman is an amazing wealth of knowledge and we've had her on a couple podcasts. But she if you don't know her, you need to get in touch with her. Because she will definitely tell you, you need to do this and this and this to make Google happy.
Collin 19:30
It's something that never stops as well as our marketing, right. So we do the SEO for our website, but then we've got these marketing opportunities, and whether that's being active on social media, so we're doing digital marketing, we're doing physical marketing, we're doing networking events, it never stops. And even if you're not paying for ads, part of your marketing part of this, this PR is the way that you serve your clients and you foster those relationships. That is part of your marketing. And that never stops that more so than okay I paid for it. ads for a week, and I'm not paying for ads you continuing to serve clients is one of the best marketing tactics and tools you have to reach more people when they rave about you. Well,
Meghan 20:11
I was gonna say that a lot of people say this is a word of mouth business. And that is true. I mean, we are relational business, we have to keep clients trust. And if we don't have their trust, we basically have no business. And so we do have to foster that relationship with them. But at the same time, you don't want to always rely on what your clients say, I mean, you do need to continue putting yourself out there in your community hosting events, or just participating in events or physical and digital marketing, like you were talking about, we can't always rely on word of mouth. And while that may keep us busy and super busy for now, and maybe for a year or two, it might not always work that way, because of whatever dogs died if clients move away, or just people aren't referring you out as much anymore. We have to be getting our name out there in other ways. Well, Megan,
Collin 21:00
you mentioned clients, that's another thing that we're committing to in our business, your clients do need you
Meghan 21:06
I mean, that kind of seems obvious, because we are a service based industry. So obviously, if we don't have clients, we don't have a business. Yeah,
Collin 21:12
they seek you for your services. And to some extent, they actually do rely on you to perform the services that they've asked so that they can live the life that they want that that sounds like a lot of pressure, right, and we have to immediately push back and go, they don't run your business, they don't tell you what to do, they don't own you or on your time, you ultimately have control over that. They do need you that's why they've asked you to do the service. That's why they've paying you to do this. And so you saying I have a business, I have these clients. Every day I wake up and I go, I'm serving my clients well, today, that's just that's part of being committed.
Meghan 21:54
Well, and that goes back to the commitment to your mission and values. So yes, we are a service based industry, we are serving the pets and the owners as well. And so it really is saying yes, I, I am waking up, I have this mission, I have the drive and the passion to keep going day after day. And I'm committed to that
Collin 22:13
we mentioned staff earlier about being committed to hiring and retaining quality staff if you're committed to your business, but just focusing on the people that you hire for a moment, your commitment to your business is is really what keeps your staff busy and the business growing, because you are driving that you are focusing on the marketing you are bringing in the clients you are working on all the SEO, the website, the branding, all of that, that's what you are driving and you are working at. Also, it's really important to note note this, that as the owner, as the the team leader that you are as the mentor, however you see yourself, your commitment is contagious to your staff. Now it can either be contagious, or contagion, depending on whether it is positive or negative. Yes, they will, they will pick up on how you're the commitment levels that you bring. And they will match that in your business. And so bring the commitment that you want your staff to have to you and your your company's mission.
Meghan 23:11
Because ultimately, I think that if you are more committed to them, they will be more committed to your company, because they are seeing okay, this is this is actually a thing I can do, I can make this into, you know, however much they want to make it or you decide that they make it, but it's invested in them, you know, not only through education, but also through, you know, surveys, how are they feeling? How are they doing, you know, check ins, whether that's weekly, monthly, quarterly, and then reviews as well making sure that you are getting a pulse on Are they happy within the company? What do they want to see more of what do they not want to do anymore?
Collin 23:47
Oh, that's uh, I just had a bunch of questions pop in my head when you're like, Okay, I'm committed to my business and I want my business to grow. Okay, does that mean if I'm growing? Am I committed to bringing on staff? Okay, if I'm committed to bring on staff, am I committed to having a positive, inclusive, happy workplace for them? Okay, does that mean I'm interested, am I committed to learning more about them and providing for their needs? Am I committed, if you're not committed all the way down, to providing those resources to them to equipping them making sure that they are in a good place in the workforce, and having good company culture, if you're not worried about your company culture, that kind of says a lot about what you're committed to in your business, and really checking ourselves and going, if it's important to me to hire staff, it's important for me then it has to be important to me to have a good company culture, in my business,
Meghan 24:36
all of these commitments that we commit to, and the responsibilities that we have are required for us to run our businesses. But we have to also realize that on the flip side, sometimes it can be very difficult there no business is smooth sailing and that you see that graph sometimes pop up on on social media about the life of an entrepreneur where it's up, down, up, down, up, down, and then like at the Yeah, it's uh, but you know, there is the ebbs and flows of being a business owner and we hit a rough patch a few months ago with it.
Collin 25:07
Yeah, it was a really rough patch with with staffing, we had a few key staff members need to step away for various personal reasons. And we knew we couldn't hire an onboard people fast enough in time for some busy seasons that we were coming into. And it was honestly, really scary for us because we weren't sure that we were going to be ready for the holidays, we were staring, staring down at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's around this time, and we just we weren't sure what the business was going to look like, even in three months, once these people stepped away, all for very okay, reasons, and it was totally fine. We're happy to see them go off on to new endeavors. But we then had to look at our business and go, now what what does this mean for us?
Meghan 25:48
Yeah, I mean, we basically had to come to Jesus moment of like, okay, well, are we committing to this? Are we recommitting ourselves to this business? Or is this not a thing anymore, we need to step back and really reevaluate and kind of put a pause on growth and client acquisition at that point.
Collin 26:06
And being two hours away from this particular service area. What we decided on is, yes, we were committed, and it meant that I was going to go down and cover the visits. That's what we were just deciding we're going to do, we were going to continue to take on new clients, and I was going to be covering those. That's that's a responsibility that I we knew was it a possibility and we embraced it. And because it was more than a day trip, though, I actually found myself sleeping in our office in the location for several nights, so that I could be ready for the next day, including over Thanksgiving, including which I found an amazing Indian restaurant in town and had Thanksgiving at it, it was great. Wasn't the Thanksgiving we were expecting to be apart with from family. But it wasn't fun, basically for over a month, or something at this point. But we took that long it took that work to make it all worth work out in the end. And there were a couple things that pushed us through one ultimate, I mean, big priority, feeding family, feeding our family and paying paying our bills, a huge motivation and huge driver. And that's okay, we have to recognize that it's okay to for that to be a motivating factor for you to run your business. Secondly, we had some existing clients that we knew we needed to continue to serve. So serving our clients, we discussed that as part of what we're committing to is that we wanted to continue to be able to serve them and not tell them, No we couldn't do that. Also knew it wasn't going to last forever. So while we do develop these long term goals, these long term visions, we have to recognize that right here in the now this is going to be painful for a little bit and I'm going to be really uncomfortable. But I can probably do this for four months or four weeks, or whatever time period that is going okay for a short period of time. Because I know for the pain that I'm going to go through right now and how much I dislike it. In six months, this, this decision will put us in a much better position. So we're doing both long term and short term thinking and recognizing that there is an intricate connection between them of we can endure this for a month, maybe two. And we know that once we get through that we're going to be in a really good spot is we're going to be really a much stronger position. Once we get out through this.
Meghan 28:17
What is Dave Ramsey say sacrifice now, so you can live the life later that you want or something like that?
28:23
Well, okay, there is going to be consequences. There's sacrifice, there's hard work, we talked about it. There's time and effort, there's hard work that I'm going to put in now so that later I can reap the rewards. I'm sowing the work, I'm sowing the passion I'm selling. I'm kidding, look, I'm committing right now to this. Because I know it's not forever, and I'm going to get something out at the end of it.
Meghan 28:43
And ultimately, I believe in my business and the mission and values and goals that I have for it. Right.
Collin 28:49
And Megan, you mentioned earlier, when we had that come to Jesus moment of going, is this still a business that we want to try and run and be running. And that's what we decided that we were committed to this, that we have a 510 year vision that we still see we know can work and is working. Now. You may come to a different decision, though, and recognize that at the end of the day, you can tear any aspect of this down or you don't have to be committed to it. That's a that's a toxic mindset of if you're not committed, you're losing and the quitters quit and all that. No, you that's not that's not acceptable. You can say you know what, this actually isn't for me anymore. I'm not I'm not passionate. I'm not as committed as I was yesterday.
Meghan 29:33
Yeah, you can stop paying for the domain on your website and shut that down. You can stop offering services, you can reduce and shrink your service area. Or you can just say no like I'm done. I don't this is not for me anymore. I want to go on to do something else.
Collin 29:48
You can close down you can shut down your business entity. You can send out the letter to the existing clients, you can stop your marketing. All of that is completely you none of this is permanent, that we're talking about implement Sitting here,
Meghan 30:00
you will still have to file your business taxes on the next day. But after that, it won't be any right
Collin 30:05
because it's not to say that you wake up one day and you go, Oh, I'm I'm not as committed anymore as it was yesterday. So I'm going to pull the plug and burn everything down. No, as you said, Megan, you can take the process part of, of stepping back. And maybe that's you're not posting every day you go to every other day, you go to once a week, or instead of trying to spend all of your time volunteering at events, you pick your favorite one or two, or maybe none anymore. Basically, being fully committed, doesn't mean you have to be doing everything all the time. At the same time. The difference between being fully committed, and I don't know, partially committed, like a half hearted, really committed, the difference between those is the energy and drive that you bring to what you do. And recognizing, you're going to be committed in some places for a short period of time for a season, you're very committed in others, and you're going to just as long as you have that balance, you still have a passion that's driving you going, Okay, how to make this business work for me,
Meghan 31:04
it really is, okay, for your commitment to wax and wane sometimes, you know, over the course of an hour, you arrived at a visit with poop all over it, you know, I don't really want to do that. Or you have to get your paperwork ready for taxes. You know, we we sometimes wake up fully committed, and then after the third, explosive diarrhea, and I can tell you start to kind of question things. But in that instance, what do we do? Do we push through? You know, do we say nope, I can't do this anymore. Either way, you have to gauge yourself, you have to ask yourself the hard questions. Look, internally, try not to look at what anybody else is doing, or really look to them for their opinions on how you should run your business, you need to be asking yourself the hard questions, you know, what keeps you going? What makes you more committed to your business? How often do you wax and wane through these and ultimately finding what drives you? Sometimes it's different each day, sometimes it's, you know, I really, I need food on the table. So that's what's driving me today. Sometimes it's, I'm saving up for a vacation, I really want to go on to the Maldives I, I really want to get home at the end of the day and do that puzzle or I'm looking forward to the yoga class tomorrow. Whatever it is,
Collin 32:15
sometimes you have to find a commitment that's going to drive you through those tough times. And that can change as you just said, Megan, sometimes your commitment for serving your clients is a lot stronger that particular day. Sometimes it may be beating the numbers that you had the last month so that you can do a good month over month increase. Sometimes whatever that is, you're gonna find a commitment that you can connect with. And that's going to help drive and push you through those moments.
Meghan 32:40
How do you commit to your business? What does that look like for you? What does it mean for you, you can email us if you'd like to share that at feedback at petsitter confessional.com. Or you can call us if you'd like 636-364-8260
Collin 32:54
I still don't know that phone number.
Meghan 32:56
Thank you very much for listening to this today. And hopefully you were able to glean a little bit of something and if you have found value in this or any of the other 377 episodes, and you would like to support us you can go to pet sitter confessional.com/support or just share this episode with another pet sitter or dog walker friend. Thank you to pet sitters associates and our lovely Patreon members and we will talk with you next time. Bye
