639: Community Walks that Foster Collaboration with Olivia Hanson
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What does it take to build a thriving solo pet care business rooted in community? Olivia Hanson of Waggin Tails Winona shares her journey from a banking job to becoming a full-time pet sitter and dog walker. She discusses the power of word-of-mouth, the value of community collaborations, and the joy she finds in organizing monthly pack walks. Olivia also shares how boundaries and relationships with other sitters help protect her joy and prevent burnout. It’s a story about trusting your path and finding purpose in pet care.
Main Topics
Transitioning from banking to pet care
Community pack walks and how they started
Collaboration with trainers, photographers, and shelters
Client boundaries and protecting mental health
Solo sitter support and peer mentorship
Main Takeaway: “Protecting my peace is my biggest thing—and that’s making me better at my job.”
As a solo pet sitter, it’s easy to feel like you have to say yes to every job, every time. But that can lead to burnout, overwhelm, and even losing the joy that got you into pet care in the first place. Olivia Hanson reminds us that setting boundaries isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. By focusing on quality over quantity and making space for rest and connection, she’s built a sustainable business she still loves. Protect your peace, and you protect your passion. 💛
About our guest:
Olivia Hanson is the owner of Waggin Tails Winona, a solo pet care business based in Winona, Minnesota. After earning a business and sales degree and working in banking, Olivia transitioned into pet sitting full-time with the mentorship of a fellow sitter. She now offers dog walking, yard cleanup, overnights, and drop-in visits—and organizes popular monthly community pack walks. Deeply invested in local partnerships, Olivia collaborates with trainers, photographers, and the Humane Society to bring people and pets together. Her business philosophy is rooted in connection, care, and protecting personal joy.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Pet Sitter Confessional, its hosts, or sponsors. We interview individuals based on their experience and expertise within the pet care industry. Any statements made outside of this platform, or unrelated to the topic discussed, are solely the responsibility of the guest.
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Pet sitting, community collaboration, pack walks, client relationships, business growth, word of mouth, advertising challenges, sales skills, dog training, Humane Society, client boundaries, professional development, pet care industry, networking, client satisfaction
SPEAKERS
Olivia Hanson, Collin
Collin 00:00
Collin, welcome to pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter today. We're brought to you by our friends at time to pet and pet sitters International. The importance of having a close knit community can't be stressed enough, especially in running a small local business and one that's run with our passion, right? We can't do it alone, and it's really important that we be connected to not just our clients, but our community at large. To talk about this and how they're connecting with their their community through pack walks and group walks and maintaining joy through everything that she does. We're really excited to have Olivia Hansen, owner of wagon tales, Winona, on the show today to talk about her journey into pet care and what keeps her going. So Olivia, I'm really excited to have you on the show. For those who aren't familiar with you or your business, can you please tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you
Olivia Hanson 00:53
do? Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm so excited. I have listened to your podcast for a couple of years now. So when you reached out to me, I was really excited. But I am in Winona, Minnesota. My business is wagon tales, Winona, and I've been doing this for three years now. I started off just solely, just pet sitting some friends dogs, and then it kind of snowballed into what I have now. I do dog walking, drop in visits, I do yard cleanup, community pack walks, and I also do overnights. Those are kind of my biggest services that I offer. And what I've been doing lately, that we're going to be talking about a lot, is just collaborating with different people in the community on top of the jobs that I have, and it's just been awesome. So yeah,
Collin 01:49
I love that. What were you? What was life for like Olivia three years ago that made that transition into pet sitting.
Olivia Hanson 01:55
So I was working at a bank. I actually have a business degree. I finished my business degree about four years ago, and when I when I graduated, I was like, What am I going to do? Where should I apply? And, of course, I just happened to go online, and there was a banking job, so it was a good stepping stone for me, but nothing that I really wanted to do long term. I needed something to kind of fill my cup of tea. But when I was working there, one of my co workers asked if I knew anybody that pets it. And I told her. I was like, I guess I don't really know anybody off the top of my head, but I know your dog really well. Like, she brings her dog over to my house all the time, and vice versa. So I offered to pet sit her dog, and next thing you know, I was watching her dog all the time, and then she kind of told a couple other people, and then next thing you know, people were starting to contact me throughout the community, and I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm working full time at the bank, and now I'm starting to kind of do this almost full time, so I kind of had to make a decision, and I kind of just put my two weeks in at the bank and didn't look back.
Collin 03:08
Wow, that's really scary though, to go from a full time like, like you went to school for something like that, right? Like you got business degree, you're in the banking sector like that can be a whole career path for a lot of people. Why did you decide to step out and put in that two weeks notice?
Olivia Hanson 03:25
Well, I didn't. I don't. I didn't mind my job at the bank, but I needed something to actually fill my heart and my mind at the same time, and the in the banking job, it was filling my mind, but it wasn't really filling my heart. And so I needed something to that I enjoyed doing it. Obviously I can make a career out of and I kind of just so long story short, too. There was a girl here in town who had her pet sitting business, and she was actually moving to the cities, to Minneapolis area. And I was actually good friends with her, and she was telling me she's like, Olivia, I'm going to be moving in about two months, and I do this full time. You know how easy it would be for me to give you some of my contacts and get this started for you. So she was almost like my mentor, if you call it. So we sat down and we kind of went over everything, because she had an LLC. I had no idea how to start a business, even though I have a business degree, but so we kind of sat down and just talked about things. And I'm still in contact with her today, but she's the one that also really helped me get into this. If I didn't have her knowledge and expertise in all of this, it would be a little bit more difficult for me to start but so
Collin 04:53
what a wonderful gift to have given to you. You know, somebody sit down with you and walk you through those details. I mean. A lot of people kind of feel like we're cutting brush in the wilderness, trying to find our path and trail, and have somebody come alongside you and go, Hey, here's some things. Do this, do this. Do not do this, right. Here's here's the ins and outs. That's a great way to get that kind of launched into this. And it makes sense why that was kind of a I'm sure it was still a difficult decision, but that that path, what seemed a little bit probably more realistic to you at that time of going, Oh, wow, there is a way forward
Olivia Hanson 05:29
with this correct yes, absolutely yes. I know I wanted to do it, but I just needed that guidance. And her helping me really helped fuel me to get started. So it was a little bit of an easier transition. So once I started my LLC, I kind of just went from there, and I put my two weeks in at the bank, and I there was really no lull. It was. It was pretty much right from the beginning, busy and booked because people already knew that I was pet sitting so but to have the actual business felt good to get started on well,
Collin 06:12
and it's amazing. I know when Megan and I made that transition from kind of our Joby jobs into running our business, it was a lot of going well if I just open, if I'm able to open up these eight hours of my day, kind of what's the potential that this could grow to, right? And a lot of that growth just comes from being available to say yes to people, and, you know, being able to now build your schedule and have the time to plan and go talk to people and do all of these things like that's that's so, so powerful when you're in business, is just having time to do those, those business things. And I know you said you went to, you know, did a good wow, my mouth stopped working there. You went to school to get a business degree. How has that helped you in running your actual
Olivia Hanson 07:02
business? That's a great question. I feel like I have a good grasp. So I did business slash sales. So the sales world actually helps me a little bit more as far as presenting myself and kind of selling myself to people, that part has helped me a ton. My business degree, yes, is helping me, but I would say my sales degree has helped the most as far as selling myself to people and what people a lot of times, people think that salesmen, they are telling you what you want to hear. But I say that a good salesman, whether it doesn't matter what you do, you could be selling a product, a service, whatever it is, a good salesman will understand your needs and meet those needs, and whether that's a car salesman or a dog walker, that is important to understand the client's needs and know what you can do to meet those needs. So that is what has helped, I think the most is my sales degree and kind of sitting down with the clients and just going over that and understanding what needs to be done, I think. And then, of course, so like, advertising is not my forte. That's probably my hardest. That's the one part I think that's been the hardest, is advertising and what looks the best, what people are going to look at right away. I'm still learning kind of in that aspect. But as far as business goes, and I'm still in contact with my sales teacher now from college, he's retired now, but he checks in every so often, and he's been really awesome. So good mentor to have.
Collin 08:59
Also, I love the distinction you made there between sales and advertising. I know I even will use those terms interchangeably. But to know, like in sales, a lot of that, it takes listening, like, active listening to somebody, because if you're right, like, if you come in there, bull in a china shop, just like trying to you know you're you're pushing, and you've got one thing to talk about, and that's all you're there for, is just to get this person signed up. You you completely miss the entire point of showing up in the first place and being able to sit down and say things like, Okay, well, I hear you're saying that you're really concerned about XYZ, or it seems like you're looking for this like, that process really helps give, gives us. It's so powerful to us to be able to see, oh, here are those pain points, because we can immediately see, boom, I can help here, here and here. Or what happens oftentimes is, I'm actually not a good fit for you. You know what I hear for us? Know, so we don't offer overnights, right? So whenever I'm listening to the language that people are saying, I can immediately, I'm immediately going, Okay, what I hear you saying is you're looking for somebody to be in your home overnight with your pet while you're gone, right? And that that just helps that process move along, because then I know, well, here's who I can refer to, here's some suggestions for what you're looking for. And even though I couldn't help them, I can directly, I can help them throughout that process, but it takes listening and being present Absolutely.
Olivia Hanson 10:30
I think that's probably the biggest thing, is listening, and just like I said, understanding the client's needs, and if you can or cannot help them, that's the biggest thing. So, yeah, huge. My sales degree has been really helpful in a lot of aspects of life. So, but a lot in my business has been used,
Collin 10:54
yeah, and then the the advertising aspect, I know that one. I know that's when I Megan and I struggle with that one too. I just, it's, sometimes it's like, what do I even say? Like, I don't
Olivia Hanson 11:05
know, most people complain about and like the Facebook groups and all of that is advertising is just so and then, of course, we're busy all that all day long. So the last thing we have time for is to sit and make a advertisement. You know what I mean?
Collin 11:21
So, yeah, it is time consuming. And then sometimes we just kind of throw something out there, and we're like, Well, I don't know, and it is interesting. Sometimes we'll make a post and it's just supposed to be a kind of a funny post, or just a cute picture of a dog with a little thing attached to it. And the number of people who contact us sometimes and say, I saw your ad on Facebook, and I'm going ad on Facebook, I don't, I don't run Facebook ads. What do you talk and they just meant they saw a post right in a group. They just meant they saw something on our Facebook page. And you know, even in the mind of the consumer, sometimes these, these, the lines get blurred between content and what an advertisement is. And we can use that to our advantage of if we're just talking about ourselves, sharing about what we do, that alone acts as an advertisement to people, because it attracts people to what we're doing.
Olivia Hanson 12:12
Absolutely I agree.
Collin 12:14
So how have you been, I know you talked about kind of the early stages. You a lot of word of mouth. Well, how have you been continuing to grow and expand your business over the years?
Olivia Hanson 12:24
Yeah, I word of mouth has been the biggest but I think also the collaborating with different people in the community has given my name a huge boost. I am very, very in with the community here in my community, not just with wagon tails, but myself personally, but I've done a lot of collaborating with photographers lately and different trainers, so that has given me business that way. Because, you know, let's say the photographer will give my business cards out, or the trainer will get my business cards out. I'll do the same for them, vice versa. But I think the most has been word of mouth. I haven't paid for advertising, and I don't think I have this entire time. I haven't actually, besides, like, getting business cards done and stuff like that, but I haven't paid for running ads on social medias and stuff. But I think the biggest thing for me is word of mouth, solely because people trust that. I do have reviews on Facebook in that sense. But as far as yeah, like I said, I'm just really active in the community too. So people kind of just know me and my business, so that that is I actually am not taking any new clients right now, because I'm taking new yard cleanup clients. But as far as my dailies, I'm just one person, and I can't there's, I can't fit anymore. So it's a good problem to have. But I also don't like telling people No, but that's kind of I've Winona has about, I would say 30,000 people in it. So it's small, but not super small, but people kind of recognize my name in the community, so it is easy to get business in that sense. I don't really have issues with that, which is I'm going to be also doing, I do some booths, um, some events. So I like to at least get my name out in that way too. Um, and then when I do dog walks in the community, I will wear my uniform, my logo teeth, so people know that. Oh, yep, Olivia. Out, you know, working or whatever. So and then they'll stop and be like, Oh, what are you doing? And they ask. So then kind of free advertisement in that sense.
Collin 15:12
So, yeah, it's amazing. I often forget just how, as much as we know, like we don't see anybody, it's very solitary job, like we are. It's a very public position, because we are out on the sidewalks, walking, going into and out of people's homes. And even if you don't see the people watching, the neighbor is watching you, right? You just
Olivia Hanson 15:35
Collin people about it.
Collin 15:37
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I saw the dog walk like it is happening. And I think this we that is something that we can take advantage of, so being labeled, right? And also, importantly, there Olivia, taking the like you said, taking the time to answer that person's question and having that brief conversation with them, whether they have a pet or not, that just helps bring more awareness about what you're doing and what's going on here, and that helps build out that community connection too, right? Of you know, we work on hey, we're in the Midwest too. So what we do if we see somebody, we wave, right? We're big wavers while we're walking. We're just no hi for no particular reason. Just to be seen and to be known, right? Is a big part of just okay, we want to be in the community. We need to be part of the community doing those things.
Olivia Hanson 16:23
Absolutely. Yes, I agree.
Collin 16:26
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Susan M. 16:30
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Collin 16:47
If you're looking for new pet sitting software, give time to pet a try. Listeners of our show will save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confessional so how did you get started making those connections. I mean, you mentioned about how you were working with a couple different partnerships and collaborations. What was it like getting those started?
Olivia Hanson 17:09
So the so the doc, one of the dog trainers that I work with regular regularly, and joins me with my pack walks, is actually one of my good friends. So that was pretty easy, in that sense, but she was working with my dog first, and then we became friends in that sense. So I contacted her. We were working with my dog, and then next thing you know, we just started to become friends. And we started the pack walks up together. And then the photographer in town here, she really wanted just more work, extra work. She just graduated college, and so she needed more for her portfolio. And so I just invited her to my pack walks last year, and ever since then, she's just been joining every single pack walk because she loves doing it so much so it's good. And then people you know will ask her when she is there, like, oh, who are you? And then she can give up business cards, and then Angela can to the dog trainer. But I do like to ask on my business page if anybody wants to collaborate, or if anybody you know wants, like, photography, or if there's any other pet sitters in Winona, if they want to go get, you know, coffee, so we can talk, there is, I would say, maybe three really known pet sitters besides me and my town and we all, we all do work together really well as far as giving out recommendations and collaborating with different things. So I like to, I kind of set up something once a month where we can all go out to eat or get coffees or something where we can sit down and just talk about whatever, pet sitting or not. So it's kind of nice to talk with somebody that is a fellow Pet Sitter who knows kind of what you're dealing with and stuff. So because, like you said, Yes, it is a very solitary job. But, yeah, I just love community, and so it doesn't necessarily have to be another pet sitter that I'm collaborating with. It can be really anybody. I mean, I collaborate with Humane Society here in town, every pack walk that we do. If people bring a donation and for the Humane Society, we will give them a goodie bag. And that's all free. That's all that I pay for, because I feel like it's important. And vice versa. If anybody adopts a dog or a cat through the Humane Society, they will. Share my business cards with with them. So it's, it's been great. So I love collaborating and just, yeah,
Collin 20:09
well, helps everybody. I think that's the important part. That's the beautiful part of it, too. Of you know, you started with just the connection of the trainer and the photographer and going, Hey, here's a little here are people in my orbit, who I can bring in, who they're going to bring me in, who we're helping each other. And finding a photographer who's just starting out, who's looking to build a portfolio, who has a little bit more time on their hands, that's a great ask. Hey, if you're looking for photos and you want to share, I would love for you to come take pictures of my dogs while we're mocking them. Like, why not? Like, just, just ask. And the worst they're going to say is no,
Olivia Hanson 20:46
and yeah, she does this all through volunteer work, but obviously I pay it back to her in some way, but it's just been great. And Angela the dog trainer, when she comes to our pack walks, we stay after the pack walks, and she gives free consult consulting to people if they need training, stuff like that. So it is a kind of a one stop shop in a way. People can get really good photos of their dog. People can get training, advice, and they can have community with other pets, their owners. So I really love doing that, another collaboration that I I was going to do, but I'm not doing anymore. There's a event in Winona this month. It's a festival type thing. Different vendors are going to it. And I was going to set up a booth there and sell some bandanas, but I had some scheduling conflicts. But it would have been awesome. But otherwise, I like doing stuff like that too. Like I don't have a product to sell. You know, we'd service, but I do. I did collaborate, also, another collaboration with a designer in town, and he made little bandanas for me, so with my logo on it, so I can sell those if I want. So just little stuff like that. That's people love that stuff. People, people love bandanas for their dog, like they all that kind of stuff. So I'm just, I like to just, I have a lot of ideas up here.
Collin 22:34
Well, the these community walks that you put together. Olivia, when did those get started? And how, I guess, how did those get started too? Because that's a that's a big thing to put out there, right? Like, so what was that process like?
Olivia Hanson 22:47
Yeah, last so back to when the dog trainer was working with my dog. We would, we would do mock pack walks with her and her dog, because my dog was a little leash reactive with other dogs around. So what we would do is she would take her dog, and we would simply just walk our dogs together. And I noticed during the walks that my my small dog, was more neutral than she normally would be. She kind of gave up. You know, she she was barking, barking at first, but then she realized, like, Oh, nothing is actually going on, so I can chill out. I don't need barking this whole time. So I was like, this is kind of cool. And then Angela was telling me the dog trainer, she's like, Yeah, a lot of communities do pack walks like this, where they get together. It's a socialized time, but it's a safe time where people are the dogs are leashed. And I was like, Huh, that's really cool. Because I'm like, if we, if somebody had that in the community here, I would sign my dogs up in a heartbeat, because i i That would be cool to do. Our community doesn't really have anything like that. So I was like, what if we tried to do one and see if people show up? Obviously, it was our first one, so we tried to make it, you know, as as good as it can be. But it went so well, and a little too well, that people were starting to ask when the next one would be.
Collin 24:26
Oh, no, pressure's on.
Olivia Hanson 24:30
Oh, we were just gonna do this one. But, and next thing you know, we did it every single month, last month or a year, excuse me. So we started back up in April, just because the winter and everything. But we had 28 Families sign up for the first pack walk of the year, and some families had multiple dogs. Some families had multiple people in the family, so there was a lot of people. Um. Um, but it went really well. A lot of people end up after the pack walk, they're like, Wow. They're like, my dog usually would be barking its head off the entire time, and then I look at their dog and who is
Olivia Hanson 25:15
a cucumber playing there. I was like, let's keep this
Olivia Hanson 25:21
going. So this year, we started the backup again. And actually two months ago, our local newspaper reached out to me and wanted to do a article on our pack walks. So that was really cool. They did a full spread on that, because in our area, even Rochester, Minnesota, which is a pretty bigger area, there's no pack walks like this. So a lot of people find it to be really helpful and also a fun thing too. So it's been awesome. So it's Angela and I, the dog trainer. We do these. We try to do different locations every time, we try to mix it up. Sometimes we go on the trails. Sometimes we'll go right downtown Winona, where there's a bunch of different things going on. We try to change it up so and then we will sometimes split into two groups, depending on the size of the people that it signed up. Um, but yeah, it's, it's been awesome.
Collin 26:27
How are you getting the word out about these and and, you know, talking, because it is, it is an interesting thing, because it's not something I assume that they are paying for, right? They're not paying to be there. So how are you educating people about what this is and who it's a good fit
Olivia Hanson 26:41
for. So I do this all through my Facebook page and Instagram. But I also will post in some of the local Facebook groups, like the local community groups. What I like to do is really break down what a pack walk is. Because people see pack walk and they're like, what is that? You know, they're like, Oh, I see a bunch of dogs together. I don't want to do that. My dog is really reactive, but I break it down. I've provided, you know, links and everything, but what I also provide is this, they do have to pay for a charge, but it's a mock pack walk with me and my two dogs and Angela, if she can come. So these are individual sessions where we can work on things and also just talk about any questions that they have about the pack walk try to alleviate any concerns that they have. We will go to a trail. Like, let's say next month, we're going to a trail. If somebody is thinking about doing the pack walk, but they're not sure yet, I'll take them to that same trail, and we'll do a mock pack walk there, just us, not the whole group, and we just talk about things. And most of the time they will realize, oh, okay, we can do this. So it's a good time to talk about it, to alleviate any concerns that they have to to at least understand the trail, because some people haven't been out on trails with their dogs, so they don't know the trail, so it's good to at least get them out there. So we do that. So that's educating them in real time. Obviously, the whole pack isn't there, but I at least kind of show them how it would work in a way.
Collin 28:33
Well, it's giving the owner confidence to show up. And I think what you know, what you're talking about here, is there's a lot of barriers to some people just showing up, right? It's an unfamiliar place that they've never been. It's an unfamiliar setting, you know? It's, there's a lot of these things that we can it's easy for us to go, oh, just show up with your dog. Everything's gonna be fine, right? It's what's, what's the big deal. But to an owner who may be insecure about how their dog's gonna react or how they're gonna handle things, all of a sudden, this is the Well, never mind. I'm just not going to show up. Yeah, and, and the more you can kind of chip away at those and I like how you're kind of coming alongside them and going, here's just a little taste. And now, you know the place, and now here's where we're going to be next week, you know, or next month, or whatever. And that way they start to build that confidence. And what you end up doing then is you end up through this process strengthening that relationship that that person has with their dog, because now they're they're doing stuff together, right, and they're taking on challenges, and they're trying new things, and they're having a ball doing it.
Olivia Hanson 29:29
And that's the beauty of the pack walks. Truly, it's not it's it is helping both the dog and the handler, I would say, because a lot of people, they they think that their dog can't go. They're like, Oh, my dog is too reactive. Can they? Can they go to these pack walks? I would say we're not necessarily so worried about the dogs that are there. It's that the handlers, and that's what we try to do to get that confidence. In them. We've never had anything bad happen in our pack walks, but we really, just really make sure we tell them, space it out. You know, if you need to leave the pack, walk, step out of the pack. Walk, do so if you need to advocate for yourself, do so if somebody's coming a little too close to you, say something, I walk the pack line, to just look at things, to help out if I need to. But people are really, really good. They, I think a lot of the times like you said, they don't have that confidence. And they get there and there's 30 plus dogs there, and they're like, Oh my gosh. But once you get into a groove, it's actually really awesome to see a lot of the really reactive dogs get into a really good rhythm. And yeah, I mean, last year we had a dog come there. It was probably the most reactive dog there. She had to be in the very back of the pack walk every single time. And then towards the end of the year, I started realizing she was more in the middle of the pack, and her dog was not even barking anymore. I was like, wow. And she was just, she's like, This is amazing. So then now, of course, yeah, she's like, when's the next one? And she's always asking. And I've had people come to every single pack walk. I like, they have not missed one. So it's been awesome. Like, I like you said, I don't charge for these. These are free. I'm not looking to get anything monetary for these. These are for, yes, my business and myself, but these are also for the community. I do get some jobs off of these pack walks. So it's really a win, win. Yeah, well,
Collin 31:56
I think again, touching on that, that client, that handler, confidence. I just did a meet and greet yesterday with a client, and it was for a pet sitting. And I just asked, Hey, do you take them on walks? And the person had this like, shocked look of horror, of, like, I know we don't we have two walks. My dog's too crazy. I can never do that right? And it was a really great reminder of just sometimes those things that we take for granted, of, oh, you have a dog, you will walk, right? And we know how to handle a dog in different situations and how to make sure it's safe and secure. And so when you when you do have people like they show up, do you have a beginning orientation for people on how it looks and kind of what some of the rules of the walk are going to be? Yep.
Olivia Hanson 32:38
So two days before the pack walk, we send out a big email with all the rules and all the things on there so that they have plenty of time to look that up. And I do let people know that they got got an email so they're not, you know, losing it. And then when they get there, I try to tell people to get there a little bit before we start. And I have my giant megaphone that I got off Amazon, and it is so loud, literally, so loud, and I have everybody spread out, and I just go over the same rules that I sent them, answer any questions that they may have. I do a demonstration, maybe, let's say somebody is approaching the trail. I will show how we move to the side. There's always, I usually like to stay up in the front. I do occasionally go along the line, but I like to keep eyes at the front, just to see if there's anybody approaching off leash dogs all the things that is an at your own risk event, and we do tell people that, because you just never know. So we luckily, we haven't run into any off leash dogs that have impacted our pack walks. Yes, we have run into off leash dogs, but my good old big megaphone, I'm not very I'm not shy when it comes to leashing your dog. So when we have our events, people are like, oh yeah. See that there's 30 people lined up with dogs. So they're like, oh yeah. So the community is really good about when they see us out on these pack walks,
Collin 34:28
their strength in numbers and connecting with like minded pet care professionals helps you your business and the industry at large, building your professional pet sitting business doesn't have to be overwhelming. As a pet sitter International. Psi member, you'll join 1000s of fellow pet sitters working together to set high standards and elevate the professional pet sitting industry, and you'll support one another along the way. Visit petsit.com/join to learn more and use the promo code confessional 15 at checkout to save 15 bucks. Off your first year. And that's so important, right? And again, I think that education and that community aspect, people come together, and that's what it's so interesting as we look to what we can do with our business of what can we actually provide? Sure we can provide peace of mind for a high quality pet care. We can provide them ability the clients, and ability to live their life, to go do the things that they want to do, and their pets taken care of and secure like that, is definitely a mission that we can have. And what you're talking about here is like but I want to be able to help and do something for more people, maybe who are outside of my clients, who may never use me, but I want them to be living an amazing life. And what's great about this is that other people are looking for community things. They're looking for other pet owners. I don't know if you've ever had any clients ask you for the names and numbers of other clients if they live in the same neighborhood, but we have, it's felt it's been a little weird, like, this is I'm not a dating service. What are we doing here? But okay,
Olivia Hanson 36:00
matchmaker, yes, I have Evan asked that, and, like, I get it, though, because if you're not out in the community, and if you you're not at the dog park, a lot of people, I mean, I personally, our dog park can be really unproductive, unpredicting, so a lot of people don't go there. This is really, I mean, off the top of my head, this is the only thing in Winona that is a safe socialization for dogs and dog owners. No other Yes, we have occasional dog events. Like the Humane Society will occasionally put on some events and stuff like that, but these are regular occurring events where, you know, like, actually, now that you mentioned that, yeah, one of the girls that attended last year is now really good friends with another attendant person, and they bring their dogs out all the time. So there's a lot of things to get out of these pack walks. And like you said, there are some people that go there that never use my services. But yes, they have dogs, but that's okay. I'm not there to get jobs. This is more than that, so, but do I jobs from it?
Collin 37:18
Yes, yeah, it's that balance. We're like, it's, it's okay to get jobs from this kind of thing. I think many of us, like, we stop ourselves from doing community outreach events or things like that for two reasons. Like, a lot of times we stop ourselves because there's, well, there's no way I'm going to get a job from this. So why would I do like, that's definitely one tact. People go and then the other side is, well, I don't want anything from this. I just want to do it. So how do I make it sure that they know that I'm not in this for whatever? And I think what's important is you just show up, right? It's like, okay, people, people understand intentions and intentionality. They understand the heart that we're bringing to this. They're not they're not dumb, right? They know why things are being put on. They can detect if somebody is here for other reasons, and they have this secret thing, and they know, but if we show up as ourselves and just say, Hey, I'm here to help, and then we actually help in some way or provide something, right? That is where that connection actually gets made.
Olivia Hanson 38:13
Absolutely, yep, like you said, like, there's some people that are there that never use my services, but I've given them business cards for people that they know that could use my services, or, let's say they were able to use Angela the dog trainer services. Well, that's great. I'm, you know, it's all about and, gosh, I hike so much with my dogs. If I'm pet sitting, I want to be out in the trails anyway, I'd as well put on an event, you know, right? But, yeah, I've had people, though, come up to me. They're like, You should really charge for these events you put I mean, there's been times like the goodie bags that I put together. Takes me a while to put together them all. But it's, it's stuff that I like to do. This isn't I'm not doing this to like you said, Get money or stuff like that. Out of it, the goodie bags I find to be important if people bring a donation in, because I will one help at the Humane Society. And also that's community right there. The Humane Society is huge in our community. So if I can have people bring a donation in for them, if I can get it, give a goody bag, I'm going to give them a goody bag. Thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming to my event and thank you for donating. It's all a win win for everybody.
Collin 39:45
Yeah, it's that genuine. It's that genuine care and concern for others that really right, that people are looking for. They want authenticity. That's an overused word in a lot of case of, oh, you know, be authentic and show your authentic self. But Oh. Aside from all the cliche aspects that can be, especially in a business aspect, because that can kind of put a dirty taste in my mouth, like, oh, I have to be authentic as a business owner. What does that mean? But it's like, no, everyone's showing up because they're passionate about pets, right? They love pets. I love pets. You love pets. Okay? Great. Commonality. Done. Now we can get about to having a good time? Exactly.
Olivia Hanson 40:22
Yeah, no. What I found with dog owners too, or even just pet owners in general, is we have more in common than we think. We just love our pets and we love other people that love our pets. Yeah, so if we can get together and have a good conversation with our dogs and walk and have a good time, then we're all merry
Collin 40:49
when you, when you when you started. You talked about how you were looking for something that fed your heart and your head, and you're looking for something that was both, you know, it got you right and fulfilled you in a lot of ways. You're running a business, you're busy, you're not taking on new clients, you're doing these community walks that take you a lot of time. How do you protect the joy and protect your heart through this and everything that you have going on?
Olivia Hanson 41:13
A very quiet question, I would say, boundaries have been huge for me, personally and business wise, as far as protecting my heart. Yes, we love what we do, but if we are burnt to the ground and constantly getting kicked down, we start to have that we stopped having that passion. And so I, long story short, actually, not too long ago, I would say, over the winter, I realized I wasn't my Yes, my head was there. My heart was losing because I wasn't putting up some boundaries that I needed to put up, and I was just feeling like, Yes, I love my job, I love what I do, but I I was just stuck. I was stuck with some things. And so I think the biggest thing right now for me is putting up some boundaries, and that has been protecting my heart and keeping the peace so I can continue to love what I do and do it well, I think has been the biggest thing. Like you are why I'm not taking new clients is because, yes, could I take a couple more clients right now I could, but then I'm not doing the things that I like to do at the end of the day. My My schedule is thin, and so that's kind of one of the boundaries that I've have right now, is quality versus quantity right now, keeping the clients that I have, how happy and all the things and going above and beyond for them has been kind of working for me right now, and that's what I want to continue to do. And then, of course, when I have time to fill another client, I will, but that's kind of what's my bread and butter right now is keeping my clients that I have happy, and in return, that is making my heart happy.
Collin 43:28
It's so that I'm it's so amazing, right? When you find that, especially when you have those clients that are like that are so good, right? I think too often we discount the piece that a good client can give us until we get that one or two. I don't know if you've had this, Olivia, but that one client will come in and it's, it seems like everything is just like everybody else. Then all of a sudden they start robbing our piece, and they start being the squeaky wheel. And then all of a sudden, you're like, you know what? I you Yes, you pay on time, and you book me a lot, but my goodness, if I get one more phone call, I and all of a sudden, because that person is there, and they're grinding you away, everything else gets soiled, and everything else get looks terrible, and then I'm not in a good mood, and then I'm not showing up well, and so knowing when to Fire and when to just kind of hold, and I think it's really easy and tempting to feel that constant urge to drive and go. More growth, more growth, more growth. I mean, do you struggle with that? As far as, oh, let me fit in three, four more here. Like, how do you work through
Olivia Hanson 44:37
that? Yes, I do all the time, especially because I am not taking new clients right now, I feel slightly bad because of that, but I think right now, like there is another pet sitter in town here who is really just grinding. I'm grinding, grinding, grinding. She's getting a ton of clients, and I'm seeing it, which is great. I'm not I'm not saying that because I'm like, Oh, I wish that was me. It's more of I need to do what I need to do right now, and if I need to slow it down and not take as many clients, that's fine. It may not. Yes. We want more clients today. We want the growth, but sometimes we have to slow down and realize that that's not what is necessary right now. So I'm okay slowing down, even though, do I necessarily want to No, but I need to Yeah, and so, like, for a while, you know, I was so busy, always feeling like I had to get more clients. I had to do, like, my days were just, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then I'm like, I don't even have time to, like, next thing, you know, my like, the dishes weren't getting done, like just, it's just the little things and and so taking that time to kind of set those boundaries has been a godsend for me. It does suck to have to turn clients away, but that's why I have really good collaborations with other pet sitters, so I can give them a referral and I I'm not like when I first started, I hate, I hated saying that I was busy and then giving somebody else a recommendation, because I was like, no, no, they're gonna take this client for me, even though I'm busy right now. But it doesn't mean that I can't pet sit for them in the future. But just it is what it is. Kind of a thing, if you are busy and you're not taking any clients, it is what it is. So, yeah,
Collin 46:51
well, as you said, it's those little things. And I'm glad that you pointed out the dishes, right? Because that is such a thing that's like it it does need to get do done, right? It does that is important.
Olivia Hanson 47:01
And me right now, they're just staring at me. And I'm like, oh my goodness,
Collin 47:09
we'll ignore those for right now. But like, yeah, pretend, pretend those are done. But it's also a reminder. Like, hey, if the dishes aren't getting done, am I taking care of me, right? And, and in the grand scheme of things, which is more important, myself or the dishes? Well, if I'm mad that the dishes aren't done, I should be madder than snot that I'm not taking care of myself and going okay. Is one more client worth it to not be able to unwind at night or spend time with my own dogs, or to skip another meal or to whatever that is. And when you put that into place, it's really focusing in on, how do I be here in another 10 years? Right? How do I be here in another day?
Olivia Hanson 47:55
Oh, yeah. Like, am I gonna make it to tonight? Like, but no, it's so true, and that's also why I tell like I'm not out there telling people that they need to put up boundaries. But a lot of the times in these like these community Facebook groups with different dog walkers or pet sitters, a lot of people feel like they have to get a lot of clients, and they have to say yes to every situation. And I think since I've been doing this for three years now, I'm it's nice. I have the privilege to be selective now with the jobs that I take it, which is great. I'm glad to be able to do that before, when I first started, yeah, of course, you kind of want to get really whatever you can. But now, yeah, it's just protecting my peace. I yeah, like I said, I could take another client right now, but then, yeah, my nights would be very limited. So I have six clients right now that I do every single day, drop in visits or whatever, and then I will occasionally take some on if they're going on, you know, vacation or whatnot. But right now, the six that I have, I start by like 8am and get done around three, four, and that works for me. That's a full day, you know, I'm glad to get done at a decent time. And when I first started this job anyway, I wasn't necessarily doing this for the income. I wanted something that was I could make money off of it, but it's more that I enjoy. So like, Yes, I know I can make more money, but for me right now, I'm glad I'm good where I'm at. So I'm good I'm where I'm sitting. I know not everybody has the privilege of that, and I understand that. Um, but for me, it's protecting my heart and peace is my biggest thing, so And, but, and that's making me better at my job, is having those boundaries so well.
Collin 50:12
So somebody's listening to this, they're they're a solo sitter, and they're struggling to stay connected. They're struggling to stay joyful and be present. What kind of advice would you give that person?
Olivia Hanson 50:25
I would say to
Olivia Hanson 50:32
Great question. I'm somebody lately that's like, I think, yeah, protecting your peace is your biggest thing. But also there's going to be hard days, there's going to be really challenging days and hard days, but it's how you pull through. And community is huge. I think for me, community has helped me with those feelings, having those collaborations, talking with the other pet sitters in my area, if I'm having a like, even a couple weeks ago, I was just having a really hard day. It was a really difficult day with some pets, and I reached out to a girl in town who pet sits, and I was like, I just need to vent to you. And we just had a long session of just being and it just felt good that she understood where I was coming from, and we and then after that, I was like, okay, I'm good, like I did, and I'm good, so at least having like a person to connect with too, because, yes, it is a very solitary job, I think is the biggest thing. I didn't have that at first, and I felt very alone when Megan, the girl that I connected with, with her pet sitting business, when she moved, you know, that was kind of a, you know, I wanted to ask her a lot of questions, but I felt bad because she was moving so I I tried to kind of do things by myself for a bit, but now I have a ton of people to ask. So, yeah,
Collin 52:14
those connections are so critical at every stage, right? It's not just in the beginning stage, but even as you grow, and the more years that you're in here, there are more things that both you can share and you can continue to learn from others. And it really just makes as you everybody benefits from that, and it really does help when you can have somebody to bounce ideas off of or just vent to. I think that's the other thing, where, because we're in our car alone all day, it's like, Who do I get to yell at that will hear me? I'm not doing it at a client's house because they have cameras, right? They don't want to. They don't hear that.
Olivia Hanson 52:49
Yes.
Collin 52:54
Well, Olivia, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today, sharing about your journey and encouraging us to get connected with community and collaboration with the other businesses, other pets. There's dog walkers, trainers and being able to give back to our community in unique ways. For those who are interested in getting connected and maybe having follow up questions or just checking out everything, all the cool stuff that you're doing. How best can people do that?
Olivia Hanson 53:20
I would say they can go to my Facebook page or Instagram page. My number is on there too. People can text me off of there, but Facebook Messenger is probably the best way to reach me on my wagon tails Winona page. But yeah, I would love there's actually somebody in one of the dog walking page that I follow, she's looking to start her community pack walks too. And she asked, she's like, did any does anybody do pack walks? And somebody is like, I'm pretty sure Olivia does. If I'm not right, and I'm like, I do. So if anybody has, like, questions on that, or if they, like, want to start up something like that, or even just something like that. I mean, I would love to talk about that stuff. It's been awesome.
Collin 54:08
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I'll have links to the Facebook page in the show notes and on the website, so people can get connected with you and start following along. Olivia again, this has just been an immense pleasure. Thank you so much for coming on,
Olivia Hanson 54:21
thank you, and thank you for like I said, I've been listening to your podcast, and they've been really helpful, so they help me and so many other people in the pet sitting world.
Collin 54:31
So one of the reasons such a supportive community around us is so critical and important to our business and ourselves Surviving and Thriving is the fact that when we have others in our corner, it helps us protect our peace, all the more. When we can have people championing our business, who are on board and on a mission with us and where we want to go, it makes our job just a little bit. It easier, from feeling like we don't have to say yes to every job every single time, to turning things away that don't align perfectly, to working with clients who get us and having the support of vets, groomers, trainers, other business owners who are out there who are cheering you on, it gives us the confidence to do the things that we need to protect ourselves. We want to thank today's sponsors tying to pet and pet service international for making this show possible, and we really want to thank you so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, and we'll be back again soon. You.
