641: Building an Ethical Pet Business with Helen Motteram
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What does it really mean to be a kind and ethical pet care provider? In this episode, Helen Motteram of The Pet Professional Network shares her personal story of burnout, bullying, and the powerful impact of kindness in an industry that often lacks support. She explains how ethical pet care involves both the animals and the humans who love them, and why setting clear boundaries is crucial to sustainable compassion. Helen also unpacks common ethical dilemmas pet sitters face and how we can stay grounded in our values through them. Whether you’re new or experienced, her message encourages you to cultivate personal touch and protect your own wellbeing as part of professional kindness.
Main Topics
Burnout and industry bullying
Defining kindness in business
Setting boundaries with clients
Ethical dilemmas in pet care
Maintaining personal touch while scaling
Main Takeaway:
“You can’t be friends with everyone. But having a small group of cheerleaders you trust makes all the difference.”
In the pet care industry, it’s easy to feel isolated—especially when you face difficult client relationships or judgment from peers. That’s why it’s essential to find your people. The ones who get it. The ones you can ask the hard questions and be vulnerable with. Not everyone will be your supporter, but when you find your cheerleaders, hold them close—they’re the ones who remind you why you started and help you keep going.
About our guest:
I'm Helen - a Behaviourist, Coach and International Speaker and have loved and worked with animals all of my life. From rescue work, travelling overseas to work with hundreds of dogs, to helping my own dog, Sally, overcome her own fear of other dogs. But it’s not only animals that I'm passionate about. I help kind, ambitious, hardworking pet professionals to have more fun, more time and greater confidence in their business. With a focus on how to create a niche that fits to your personality or branding! I feel we all offer something truly Distinctive and we should embrace our individuality. So that's where I come in. To offer a soundboard and someone who can walk in your shoes. I'm the proud founder of the Pet Professional Network, a community that offers business support and networking for ethical pet professionals all across the globe. When I'm not working I'm running crazy marathons to raise money for bird rescue and spending time with my husband and Mum who've always been an inspiration.
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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 care industry, ethical practices, kindness, pet professional network, client expectations, communication, boundaries, mental health, welfare issues, training methods, personal touch, automation, social media, support system, business growth
SPEAKERS
Helen Motteram, Collin
Collin 00:00
Welcome back 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 timed pet and pet perennials. Being a kind and ethical pet professional is more important than ever as clients start demanding more from their pet care providers than ever as they become more educated and aware of their options out there. And so to talk about this and many other things in the pet care industry, we're really excited to have Helen Motteram, owner and founder of the pet pro network. She's also a behaviorist and works in rescues and all sorts of things. So Helen, I'm really excited to have you on the show today and talk about this topic with us. For those who aren't familiar with you the network or some of your previous work, can you tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you do? Yeah?
Helen Motteram 00:49
So yeah, I'm Helen. I'm from a little town called Cheltenham in the UK, and nine years ago, I reached burnout, and I was, unfortunately being bullied in the industry and with my business, social pause, and I decided to set up a free group on Facebook just to help connect the dots. And then it just grew from there. And one day I went, I want to create a proper organization so you know, to have all those standards professional look, and that's kind of where the pet professional network originated from. So if our ninth anniversary this year, and I've been in the pet care and pet training industry, been for 23 years, it's quite a while, probably longer than that. Yeah, it's a long time.
Collin 01:44
Remember, right? Well, what was, what was life for you like, before you got into the pet industry?
Helen Motteram 01:54
I've always, always been working with animals from a very, very young age. So I can my first job, I worked in a jewelry shop, so that was back in the day. And then I started doing some work just as sort of a local dog walker. And then I went off and worked at the animal shelters and the rescues. I've always been interested in animals. I remember when we were our infant school, we had to dig up and plan with these time capsules, you know, the ones where you put Yeah, and I remember putting on it. I've never seen a time capsule. Probably won't ever see it, because it's for the next generation, but I would remember saying I wanted to be a vet. Now, unfortunately, I couldn't achieve those kind of grades, but I still went off to university, did the animal biology, but I never could achieve the grades to become a vet. And to be honest, I'm not a big fan of blood.
Collin 03:00
Kind of a big thing in that field. Yeah, well, you mentioned that you were in the industry and you were starting to be, be built, be bullied. And I know this is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, but you know is that something that you see is common in the industry from professional to professional.
Helen Motteram 03:20
I don't see it as commonplace, but I do find that it's it's a tough industry sometimes, and sometimes it can happen to the people you get close to. Maybe there is a change in communication, or maybe you want to follow a similar route is somebody. So I remember it all started with me when I went from kind of doing the pet sitting and the dog walking, and I really wanted to specialize in anxious dogs, and there wasn't another lady doing that as well. And I think maybe, maybe she thought I was stepping on my toes. But we cross, preferred, we networked, and then the relationship just became, yeah, rather toxic. And I'm, I'm extremely kind and open, honest person, and it just started, it started off as a bit of sort of internet bullying, but very like, you wouldn't notice. It wasn't like someone was bullying you at school because I got bullet score, which was absolutely horrific, but we weren't going to that. But it was kind of very subtle. So I kept up the courage, and I picked up the phone, I had a conversation with person, and we just parked our ways. But it it made me feel like I at first, I said, What have I done wrong? Because I really didn't do anything wrong. I was just trying to collaborate, cross refer, and there's an effect should dog in this world to help and, you know? So I Yeah, it was a real struggle.
Collin 04:54
I think that's, you know, that people are going to relate to that story a lot, especially when you. They are trying to do something new or different, and people who are kind of already on the other side, or they're already doing it, they can have, you know, harsh criticisms or words, or they can be kind of, I'm going to say the word gatekeepy, of of like, now, this is where we are, over here, and it's only for a subset of people, and it is a very interesting phenomenon that can happen. And being able to have a group of people that you can then redirect and rely on, right, that that is more open and honest and and accepting of those things is is really important and valuable to us as we go through this our
Helen Motteram 05:37
profession. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And so I started to develop my niche. And then I found, I found there were certain things about me that was very different to other professionals. So I found my own little personal niche. So I am quite unique in what I do, which is great, but I also, I also go, I know my strengths. I stay in my own pathway. I don't, I don't do stuff that I know is beyond my limit or my skill set, or perhaps someone can do better than me. So I think that is, that is the beauty of cross referring, because you can always find someone who has different strengths as you a different background. And I love that. I love that collaboration element and that kindness
Collin 06:21
well, you specifically describe your network as a place for kind and ethical pet professionals. What does that mean to you?
Helen Motteram 06:29
So I mean, kindness is a big word, isn't it, and it can mean different things to different people. But kindness, to me, is being, you know, being a good person to humans and animals, you know. So it's not just about having those ethics where, you know, I'm a force free trainer, I I apply certain ethics, but I think, you know, force free for humans too, for the way we speak to humans, the way we treat humans, and no judgment as well. And I try not to judge my clients. I want to walk in their shoes and understand their journey, you know, because it is a hard journey, having any animal that is has a training or behavioral issue, and it can really impact their lives, you know,
Collin 07:21
yeah, especially, I mean, you were made a kind of niching down into anxious, nervous pets with, you know, some behavioral issues that that is really isolating to the owner, right? They they live in a lot of, lot of times. They carry around guilt and shame. They carry around these, this, this weight, and feels like it's a burden of, what do I do with my pet? I can't live the life I want to I can't take them to do the things that I want to do. Did I do something wrong? Am I not doing something right? And so be able to sit with a client, and even if we are not niched into that, we still have to recognize that our clients do still carry some sort of burdens with them, and some sort of weight to what they're doing. It could be that they just a that they feel bad leaving their pet alone if they need a pet sitter, right? It could it could be that they feel like they're they're not being a good owner by not walking their dog in the middle of the day because of the work that they have to do and they're gone for long periods of time, and just being able to show that empathy to them and being like, Look, I I really get it like it's but that's why I'm here. I'm here to remove that from you, but not like you said, not judging them for where they are, instead thinking of, well, now that I'm here, how can I help get you to where you want to go
Helen Motteram 08:40
exactly, yeah. And I think my experiences, because I had major struggles with my dog, Sally, growing up. And I think if back back in those days, if people were pointing a finger and Collin me, I was the bad dog owner, you know, that wouldn't help that, that would have made a burden to me and Sally's relationship, I would have been worried and looking over my shoulder, but I had a lot of support with that, which was great. I always think about my journey with Sally, and I think, Well, I wouldn't want to be put in that position of someone judging me. It's really important. Yeah,
Collin 09:15
and like you said, it's it's both. And I like how you are couching this in it's both for the animal and the and the human aspect of this, because that's an aspect where, many times we come in thinking, pet, pet Pet Pet, or, you know, Dog Dog Dog Dog, and we kind of forget that there's a person in the room with us.
Helen Motteram 09:36
Yeah, I think it's as much as being a coach like sometimes they even feel like a therapist for The Guardian, whether that be, you know, you're sitting and helping support their dog or you're training them, you know it becomes like quite a you know, a relationship with them in a good way, and you know you have to have this personal support with them. And. Understand what they've been through. So I think that's really important. Yeah, I
Collin 10:03
know during meet and greets, we often will have the client say something like, Oh, I'm sorry. This is so much. I'm sure that this is just, there's too much, and I'm asking too much, you know? I just look at him, go, No, this is exactly what we do, right? Like, this is why we're here. Or another one we get a lot of is, they'll be detailing all the information, or what they're working on, and they'll turn and they'll be like, is, is everyone like this? Is this too much information? Just being able to say, like, at that point, it's like, my job is just to be the pet parent guilt app solution specialist, to be like, everything is fine, right? Like this is, this is completely normal what you're doing, or you can say things like, well, you love your pets, so this is fantastic. I'm glad that you know them so well, and just something like that can really help that person go right, like I am. I am doing I'm doing the best that I can, and you're being that encourager and coach to them too.
Helen Motteram 10:56
Yeah, I think that's very important for sure. Now
Collin 10:59
you know, you know, specific to the pet care industry. Why? Why do you believe that things like kindness or even ethics? You mentioned that word, like ethical treatment and things? Why are those so essential to what we do?
Helen Motteram 11:12
Well, being someone who has pet sitters regularly coming around, and I've, I've also had pet behaviorist help me with my birds. You know, I want my animals to be treated with respect as an individual. I wouldn't want any harm done to my animals and and also, like we discuss, I I don't want, I don't want the guardian to feel bad or or to struggle, or, you know, and kindness to these animals. You know, it's so important for individuality, helping them with their welfare. And I do believe punishment doesn't work, and it's it's not necessary. I think there are other ways that are better for the animal welfare, and that's just truly what I believe in. But at the same time, you might have a client come to you that is maybe doing something that we wouldn't 100% recommend or feel is right. But again, to get that client through the door. You've got to leave that judgment at home, yeah, try and open the door and encourage to let them in. Yeah.
Collin 12:28
I think it's, it's really rooted in what are the client expectations. And I think this is something that specifically has really changed in the last decade, of how do owners view their pets? All right? And that gets to, oh, this. This isn't just a cute dog that's around, or this isn't just a cat that helps with, you know, mice on the farm or whatever. This is my family member. And I think when, when we can really understand that, of like, No, this is a person in their family that we're talking about here, not to anthropomorphize too much, but like this, this, this person has emotional needs, connections with this pet in their home, and it means so much more to them, and they're caring for it at a level that people have never cared for animals before. And so when we talk about when you talk about kindness, ethics, when you talk about these things in the industry, we we're extending these Yes, from everything that we do right, from how we interact to how we treat, how we train, to how we ask questions, all of that gets gets encompassed and, you know, put together.
Helen Motteram 13:38
Yeah, yeah. And communication is so important, isn't it, the way we treat and speak to clients, I think that's so important. It's got to have that respect and understanding, you know,
Collin 13:48
yeah, and it does, you know, it also, you know, from, I know, from your past experiences too, it does also extend then to other professionals too, right? So, right?
Helen Motteram 13:59
Yeah, we were all new once, and I always look back at the beginning of my journey. And I had an incredible support system. I had a mentor that helped me for free, and I wouldn't expect that. I did offer her money, but she allowed me to come to her puppy classes and shadow them. She allowed me to sort of observe her one to one, and the generosity that she gave me, and we're still really in touch today, and I just look back, and I think, you know, it was incredible how she gave me that helping hand. But Jill had said to me, look, the more we can help each other, the more dogs we can help. And dog owners at the end of the day by coming and joining forces. I think that's really important.
Collin 14:46
Yeah, it does. If going, okay, hey, we can. We can work together if we are on the same page with how we're going to operate, or maybe even set aside some differences in things of you know, oh, you something as petty as, Oh, well. You use software, so I only use pen and paper so we can't work together. It's like, well, what put some of these things aside and really keep what you're talking about there, Helen is, is keeping the best interests of the person and the pet at heart and focused on everything that we
Helen Motteram 15:19
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Collin 15:22
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Speaker 1 15:26
say, time to pet has been a total game changer for us. It helped us streamline many aspects of our operation, from scheduling and communication to billing and customer management. We actually tested other pet sitting softwares in the past, but these other solutions were clunky and riddled with problems. Everything in time to pet has been so well thought out. It's intuitive, feature rich, and it's always
Collin 15:46
improving. 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 with that, you know, let's say somebody's listening to this and they're thinking, Well, I'm a kind person, and I feel like I run a good, ethical business. Do you have any recommendations for people to start, you know, cultivating kindness in what they do, especially because it gets hard when you have difficult clients. Because, I got to be honest, Helen, there are times where kindness is not really the first thing on my brain or or when we're facing burnout, right? Of like, it's like the last thing that we really want to try and build the energy to do.
Helen Motteram 16:32
Yeah, I think we've got to have boundaries and expectations. So it's not about trying to help every dog Guardian out there. You sometimes have to be a little bit picky for your own well being and theirs, because the last thing you want is to work with someone that you just don't gel with, or maybe they they are doing stuff that maybe you couldn't turn around. So it's important to set those boundaries, those expectations, find the client that is ideal for you. And talk about this. When I have my discovery call, I talk about the hours I work and my boundaries, and I also say, Look, I'm quite flexible, you know, especially if I'm working with a client who has got health issues, because I know sometimes people do need to cancel that I need to be a little bit of wiggle room, but the end of the day, you know clients can be unkind to you, and they can mess you around and take advantage. So it does have to work both ways.
Collin 17:32
I really appreciate that you brought that up, because I think many times we can misconstrued kindness with being a pushover or people pleaser, right? And, and there's definitely a spectrum there of, oh, well, to be kind, I just have to make sure people are happy, right? That's what I need to do. And, and that really leads to some very toxic places and relationships with clients for how they're going to take advantage of you, right? We always like to think, no, they'd never do that, or, Oh, they're gonna they're great people, but you can see it. I've seen it happen over the years with some clients that are no longer with us. Of Man, there was just a slow progression of them pushing the boundary, pushing the boundary, pushing the bunch, get what they want, get what they want. And us not recognizing at the time, until suddenly we looked up and we were like, Oh, I'm actually 100% not okay with what's going on right now. How did we get here?
Helen Motteram 18:24
Right? It is, it is challenging. I mean, I've had over the years, you know, I've had my challenging clients, but actually, I can say the past year has been incredible because I've really got the right message and communication out there, and all the prep work we do, and the expectations, you know, I I find in the people I'm working with at the moment, they really do gel with me as well. So I'll turn up for the house, and they'll be like, they've got like, a marathon boat on the wall, because I run marathon, and I'm like, Oh, you're running too, or they've got little mini parts outside. I'm like, I've got a mini so it kind of feels like written. Think it's this past year, it's just been phenomenal. I'm really attracting the right people that I can really help. And our energy just thinks, and there's that personal feeling as well. So when you walk to their house, you've got that connection, that energy, and it's just awesome.
Collin 19:24
And that, like you said, that starts with what we are communicating, and especially with those boundaries, right? Those policies, those procedures that we have, cancelation things when payments do that can sound really technical and dry, and that's not fun, right? Nobody got in to do training or pet sitting or dog walking to tell somebody what the 48 hour cancelation policy was, right? That's not, I didn't. At least I'll raise my hand, but it's critical to set those expectations for that relationship as you move forward, because what we found is it's. Turns out, when you are open up front, it really helps smooth things out down the line. Because, you know, we when, when we were working through this, we definitely had some experiences where we weren't as like, like, highlighting and bold. Here's the cancelation policy. And then when the client does cancel and you enforce it, then they just like, Well, why did you do this? I didn't know about and then you're then that feels bad, and then we're in a situation that could have been avoided had we not. And we've also certainly had the instances where we have told somebody our cancelation policy, and somebody has specifically said, I can't work with a company that does that. And it's like, Well, I'm glad we found that out. Now that's
Helen Motteram 20:41
they told you that as well. So that is a real good example of communication. Yeah, you were both honest and transparent with each other. That's perfect. Yeah, yeah. And then
Collin 20:53
the more we talk about that in our social media, in our newsletters, in the discovery calls or the new client meetings, that just starts getting it out there right, and now that becomes part of how we operate and what we do, and those expectations are set and and that is being clear. And we believe that to be clear is to be kind to people we don't like there being anything that they have to search for that is being hidden from them and that they're going to suddenly discover. And that's with everything across the board, not just cancelation policies, but just how we operate as a business.
Helen Motteram 21:26
Yeah, yeah. I know because, like, I'm part of a lot of like these, you know, like Amazon memberships and things like that. And when you go to try and cancel these things, you just can't do it all. I mean, I was trying to cancel one thing the one time. I don't know what it worked some kind of subscription life. I mean, I just couldn't. And I was like, why are they making this so hard for me? You know? Yeah, yeah. Just have to be made simple,
Collin 21:52
really, yeah. It's like, well, in order to cancel this, you need to hand deliver a letter to New Zealand at our offices that are only open from 12 to three on Tuesdays. Have fun, right? You're like,
Helen Motteram 22:05
Yeah, I like things to be simple in life, because I'm not. I'm not one of these people who wants to jump through all these loops to do, yeah, I just want simple.
Collin 22:14
Well, we mentioned some, you know, kindness and ethics from your perspective and kind of what you've seen, or maybe your own experiences. Helen, what are some common like ethical dilemmas that you see petsers and dog walkers that face facing
Helen Motteram 22:31
so when you say that, do you mean the ethical dilemmas when they are hiring a client or something they are doing to the clients? Yeah,
Collin 22:39
let's say, let's say they've got a client and they're working with a client at that point, what are some things that you see people having to work through?
Helen Motteram 22:47
Okay, so it depends on the job role. So with like, I don't know, pet sitter, you might go along to the house and have that meeting and find there are certain things in the home environment that are welfare issues, and I think that is really, really hard to tackle, particularly if the client may have mental health issues and cannot, you know, quite look at and stuff. I saw one client, and I could tell they were having a few issues with their mental well being and how the way they looked and acted, I felt almost quite terrible taking my money off them, because I looked down and the person, their shoes were all tatted and fallen apart. And it was kind of an ethical dilemma for me to take that money off that person, but they wanted to pay me. They had the money. So that was kind of a thing there. And then. So, for example, a lot of the pet fits I went on back in the day, you know, I personally wasn't provided with an adequate environment to, you know, work in. So that became a bit of an ethical dilemma to me. And then sometimes there will be clients that maybe watch certain TV programs or do certain things with their dog, but they don't know. They don't know any different. So rather going in organizing just you know, you've got to sort of talk and discuss these things about these TV programs, maybe that it is TV, it is a short space of time, and give, give examples, you know, human examples to try and, you know, lighten the load. But if you go in all, yeah, I'm not going to work your dog because x, y's dead, you're really going to, you know, affect that person. And that could have a real emotional burden. Then. So a few examples that,
Collin 24:41
sorry, no, no, it's good. And I'm glad you brought up the pet sitting, the welfare and the conditions of the home. I know that's one that that we have faced, right? We did a new client onboarding, we brought them on, and then they didn't use us for a long time, and they suddenly had an emergency. We. Came in, and they, over the course of that period, had suffered some some mental health issues, and it was a very bad hoarding situation where, like, really, like, like, really bad, and we're standing there going, Well, what do we do? Right? We we did say yes to this and but these conditions are not really safe for us to be here, and we have concerns about the animals. And then you as a business now that that is a that's a business decision now, like, how do I handle this? And how do I if, and also if we hold being kind to others, really, if that's a top priority for us, how do I address these ethical dilemmas while being kind and while treating somebody with respect? And that's all of a sudden where we go again. I didn't sign up for this. I just want to walk dogs, or I just want to take care of cats, and now I'm having to be I'm walking the situation that I never expected to be in. And honestly, like a lot of us, we go, oh, man, I don't want to be here. Like, this doesn't feel good having to walk this.
Helen Motteram 26:04
Yeah. I mean, I do have a really good example, actually, back in the day, when I was doing a house fit for a well meaning lady, the house was amazing. She looked after a pet, and she said, Oh, I do have an unusual pet. She didn't tell me about it. She didn't bite. And I said, okay, the ferret, yeah. And then whether you have pets out there, ferrets do people? Many people have ferret
Collin 26:32
they do have them. They're they're not as common. But yeah, we do encounter them every now and then. And every time I'm like, I this is I didn't grow up with ferrets or have a lot of experience with them, so every time I see one, every time I see one, it's like, this is I don't know what to do with my my brain kind of
Helen Motteram 26:46
short circuits a little bit. Yeah. And then so he was in like a rabbit hutch outside, which on the I was just like, okay, um, she's all you really need to do is just feed and water him, you know. And then, um, the first day I got there, I opened up the hatch, and it was just crawling with maggots everywhere. And so I approached her. Obviously, I wasn't going to leave that animal like that. I said, to be honest, it's really hard to handle. He does bite. She goes, Yeah, I'm actually scared to clean him out myself, but I've just been kind of and I said, Well, how? Why, you know, you've got the ferret was, you know, did you, did you mean to have a companion has their ferret? And she told me, then the backstory, she said, Oh, it was going to be put down. It was an X hand pin Ferret, but it was, it was a failed ex tension, because she said, I saved it so she was doing the best she could by saving that ferret. And I said, tell you what. I'll take it. So off I went. I got this massive enclosure, brought it back home, took the ferret home, and he had a lot of deep rooted trauma, bless him, and he would when he bit, I tell you, he bit really down to the bone, like, come on, I bought this big enclosure. It cost me more than the bloody pet, but she was so grateful. She's like, you basically saved his life. She said, I couldn't, I couldn't have had him much longer. So that was kind of an awkward eye level. I think I went above and beyond then. But I I learned a lot about ferrets. I got another ferret as a partner for him, and oh, my God. They were like, they were like, the best companions. And he did get better. He didn't buy anymore. I tried him, I worked with behavior, and he didn't bite me anymore. So I was like, yay.
Collin 28:38
Yeah, it's the win for everybody, right? And and it is, it just goes to show that whether it is you encounter somebody who has different training methodology than you're comfortable with doing, or you encounter the welfare issues or the home conditions, or maybe it's the client has a dog and they want you to do a big, hour and a half long walk, but the dog, just health wise, can't physically do that. We have to have that conversation. And and, you know, when we have to have just understand how we work through that. And what that means is we have to have clear values, as at a personal level and as a business level, to know how to navigate that, because otherwise it's like, well, which direction do I step? We have to know where do we actually stand, and what does our business stand for, to know how to how to navigate those
Helen Motteram 29:24
Yeah, and I think, like you said, having those boundaries set so we're doing a dog show in a week's time, and I've clearly said, if it is 24 degrees, I will not do the dog show. And I really laid that down, and they disputed us, and I said, Oh, but the dogs can go in the shade, you know, and they've got water. I said, it's a day long event in the UK, 24 it's hot for a dog, if they ever, yeah. I said, you know, they'll, they'll be walking their dogs around the event all day. There might be shading in the dog band, but I know for a fact. That it's open, it's, you know, your typical dog park. And I said, I will not do it. And anyway, they listen to me. And I would like, I just, you know, sometimes you have to be a little bit blunt, but without hurt. You know, people tweet there is it's borderline, isn't it, you know, sometimes. So, yeah,
Collin 30:19
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Collin 30:52
You're right. That doesn't. That does mean that it doesn't. It doesn't mean that we how to say this like we can still be direct, right? We can still hold our ground firmly in what we're doing and not just saying, Oh, well, never mind. You're right, absolutely, it's okay, like, that's we can still hold that ground because we are defending a principle in that right? We're defending that boundary, yeah, yeah, for sure. And for those who don't know, Celsius, right? 24 is what 75 degrees Fahrenheit. So that's just Fahrenheit. So that's just so everyone understands
Helen Motteram 31:27
that's really cold. We do not get hot weather. So when it's 24 degrees, like us humans are just like
Collin 31:39
so you when you started the the pet Professionals Network, right? You wanted to help support people in in this mission of being kind and ethical and in these things as as professionals. How? How do you support people in that in their businesses? What does that actually look
Helen Motteram 31:54
like? We do a lot of training via zoom, where we come on board and we might talk about a certain subject, it's geared up more to business ethics. Of course, we talk about kindness for humans and animals, but I really want them to not be using any of these, like sleazy, outdated marketing methods, or saying they're going to do this for the client and not actually do that and and I think the standards really need improving. The days are gone where a Pepsi is just go in and change the cat biscuits and walk out. That for me, is not the standards I want. So we educate in a way that is accessible for all, and we offer resources that they can download and templates, and we also provide things like templated terms and conditions. And sometimes we have a theme of the week, which is question of the day, and then we pose, like an ethical question, and then we sort of look at the answer. So kind of like troubleshooting. I think that's really important, that you can troubleshoot in a really safe environment and you're allowed to question things. Because I think a lot of time you ask a question on Facebook, and then it's like, oh, my days you can't ask that, you know. And then you're like, What did I say? You know? So it's good to have that safe environment where you can ask questions. Because if I'm going to be honest with you, and I started my journey. I was a little bit naive at birth, and I shadowed a couple of people that I thought were doing stuff right, but I didn't realize because of my lack of knowledge. So I think it's really important. So yeah,
Collin 33:33
yeah, having that ability to bounce ideas back and forth off of is fantastic and and that's where you go, Oh, man, can I, can I ask this question? It's like, Well, honestly, like, yeah, we need to, because we don't know what we're going to encounter. And we just we don't know, right? Is it okay to talk about, how do I address a concern over a dog's weight with a client? Or how do I address a concern over the nail length of the client? Or how do I address a concern over this or over that, or what this situation I'm in, and we may go, Oh, that'll never happen. Like, well,
Speaker 1 34:06
give it time,
Collin 34:10
because it then gives us that time where we can bounce ideas off of and just have that discussion, because then we can help grow too of, Oh, I've never thought about that. How would I actually handle that? What would I actually do in that situation? And that just helps strengthen, I think a lot of cases, it's not one of the best things that that does. It does help strengthen our convictions and our resolve to know how we would stand up and what we would do, because otherwise, it's just all kind of theoretical, and we've got to then we feel like we're making it up on the fly, and we're making it up under stress, which are two things that should never go that don't go well together, at least for me.
Helen Motteram 34:47
And you can learn a lot from a textbook, but I think it's really important to learn from other people's life experiences. Been in an industry quite a while now. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly, you know, and there's been. Be other people in our community who maybe they've just started their journey, so they've not actually experienced these situations. They don't know how to handle them. So by having other people who are later stages of their journey, they can ask them for advice and share ideas, so that when they come against the bad and ugly, they know what to do. So they're prepared. Preparation is really important
Collin 35:23
well, and so, you know, as we as our businesses, the hope is that they're going to grow, right? They're going to expand. We may bring on people. We get more clients. We're busier than ever. What kind of recommendations, or how should we go about maintaining these high ethical and kindness standards that we have as we grow and expand as a business. Yeah,
Helen Motteram 35:44
so of course, in this day and age, we've got all the AI, we've got automation, and we do need some of that as busy business owners, because otherwise we just can be burnt out. But I think you do need to have that personal touch. So you know when you when you've graduated with a client, you know a nice graduation email, the onboarding process has to be personalized, not just something that you frog everyone. So I think we need to maintain these personal stages of our business with the clients, but also have that automation in place. When someone joins the pet professional network, I always send out like a welcome email, but I try and get to know them a little bit more. And when they leave the community, I thank them for being with us. And I you know, people's journeys change, and sometimes people have got the most from the community, so I always thank them and say, Thank you, thank you for being with us. Because I think it's these little steps that are just so important to know that you're a valid person, and, you know, a value person that we're thinking about in not just a number, not just another client, not just $1 sign. You know, I think that's so
Collin 36:58
important, and that means that does take more time, right? That's more energy, that's more attention that's being called from us, that is demanded of us to in order to do that and do it well. But it's so powerful on the back end, and when we think of, well, it's something as simple as well. When I write the email, I should probably just say hi and insert the client's name, instead of just my copy and paste. Like, that's like, kind of like minimum there of just saying, like, Hello fellow client or Hello future. How are you like? No, if you just say hey, hey, Cheryl, what's going on? Welcome to the company. Glad to talk. You know, see how we can help you that even that little bit of of customization and personalization goes a long way for helping people see, seen and known. And that does mean we have to budget our energy. We have to have other systems and processes in place to allow us that ability to take the phone calls right, to respond to the messages, to do all of those things, to maintain that touch. But it is well worth it on the back end for the relationships that we maintain.
Helen Motteram 37:56
Yeah, and I know, personally at the moment, I'm struggling with my rescue work, so sometimes I don't email as quick as I should. I'm actually really usually good at answering emails. So I do explain, and I think people sometimes know certain times of the year we do get busy. You know, Christmas time you don't want to be answering emails on Christmas Day. Do you know? I think there is that understanding there, you know from our clients that they're busy, we're busy, but again, it is, it is nice to keep that personal touch. And I, what I do is I bookmark a date in my diary. So when I graduate, clients graduated, I bookmark three months, and then I check in with them, and then I do it another three months, and then sometimes I'll even do it two years later. Actually, if somebody reminds me of them, I'll be like walking into a gift shop and there's a picture, a picture of a German shepherd that looks like a client or dog. I'll let you just email them and just say, Oh, I've just seen this picture, because that's what I do. I've always done that, and I love that little I thought of you. Because when people tag me on Facebook or go, oh Helen, I've just been a crow picture, I'm like, oh my dude, they thought about me. And I really like that. That's so special. Yeah, yeah,
Collin 39:14
yeah, it does make it. And it is. You know, the industry is changing fast, at least from what we can see there's the businesses that are out there for pet sitting, dog walking, trainers, they're bigger than ever, right? They're they're more complex than ever. And so we really have to find those intentional ways to keep the kindness, keep the ethics, keep the personal touch there, to preserve what what most of us find so special and unique about what we do now. From what you see, what kind of red flags would you see, or look at a business and say maybe they're not acting in the most you know, ethical or kind way to their clients?
Helen Motteram 39:56
So I suppose within regard to the methods they're using. Always a bit of like, they're not kind of open or honest on their website. Sometimes they use these, I don't know, like random words or words that kind of you think would mean they're kind and honest, but they're not kind of like, what's the word? They blur the lines a bit. It's a bit odd, and also the way they speak to them on social media. So I have been, you know, there have been times where people have given poor reviews on certain businesses, and the way they respond to those reviews kind of stands out a lot. If they're really defensive and angry, I kind of think, oh, you should have thought a little bit better about how they responded to that review, and I know I've been defensive in the past, but I really think of how I respond on social media, and also, like today, I saw like a post flight in my timeline, and it was like a meme or something, and it was someone who'd run like a dog training business, and It was, it was kind of like making the clients feel guilty. And again, I'm thinking it was a poor choice of picture and meme, and even though it was, you know, they were doing it just out of maybe having a bad day. So I think it's really important the way you speak and act around clients, and the way you respond as well social media that can tell a lot, you know?
Collin 41:24
Yeah, those, those responses on reviews are sometimes more telling than the review themselves and and we do it is, it is, take being being careful. Take that big breath before we hit Send or upload. Like, that's a big one, you know? I We see sometimes too, where people are. They're trying to talk about, like, a tricky subject for a lot of people, is to talk about how their services are different than something else. And I right, and it's it's easy to then fall into, like, bad mouthing or trash talking the other people, instead of talking about the positives of where you are, and it always just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. When you read what they're writing, you're like, Oh, that. I don't know if that's like, that's we need to work on rephrasing that a lot.
Helen Motteram 42:11
Yeah, I saw a post this couple of years back, and it was someone who did home pet sitting, and they were discussed in kennel boarding kennels, and they were basically saying, you know, you don't want to be hurting dogs in kennels. The standard should be home pets sitting. And I thought, Oh, that's a bit off for those boarding kennels that do have that high standard, and people do want their dogs to go into kennels. So I felt that with a little bit or you shouldn't be putting them down to make your travel look better, but whether they meant it to come across that way, but it seemed like they were totally against the kennels idea. And like everybody should do home boarding, which, which would be impossible, you know, right?
Collin 42:53
And that's that line of like, well, I need to, I need to talk about how I'm different, but I need to do that without, you know, putting other people down, or mud slinging or things like that, because that now of a sudden, we're breaking our kindness rules. We're breaking our ethics rules. We're not treating other people well, and we're also not being honest with the client, because we all know there are very legitimate reasons to choose one over the other, depending on the client expectations and what the dog or cat needs. And so to come down and say the only way is no, like, that's not. We need to help educate and give people options, and talk about why one would be more beneficial over another given certain situations. And that's where we come in, you know, to help educate in that way.
Helen Motteram 43:35
That's perfect, yeah, and that's what I love doing, and I think that's so important that that's the way we take it. So, yeah,
Collin 43:43
let's say someone's listening to the episode right now and they're feeling kind of isolated or discouraged by, you know, kind of what they're experiencing in the industry or from their clients right now and behaviors that they're doing. Kind of, what encouragement would you give them?
Helen Motteram 43:59
I would say, reach out to start with a small circle and find your cheerleaders. And if you connect with someone and it feels icky or a bad relationship, you can just shut that door and leave that relationship. You can't be friends with everyone. But I have a small, small group of what I say my cheerleaders and I can go to them for advice and tell them stuff that maybe I wouldn't tell another person. Having that small knit community is really important, and also don't spend too much time on social media all my days. I was on that Tiktok last night, and I went to bed anxious and anything. So I watched all these, like horror stories and all the, you know, conspiracy theories. And once the algorithm picks up on it, every post, and I went to bed and I said, Oh, you know, I said, I can't do can't do this anymore, all this conspiracy theorists. So do go easy on the social media. Try not. To get in heated debate, put your energy and education and support on your page, rather than going in these groups and starting these because she won't half come, you won't get anywhere, you know, because it's the person on the end of Yeah, the computer, unless you know them, you know, yeah.
Collin 45:17
Well, I think what that recognizes is first step is recognize what we have control over, and that I can choose to be present for the toxicity and be present for the bad behaviors, or I can choose to leave right like that is in our purview, and I we should be really empowered by that. And yes, it's scary, especially if it's a client and they're paying us, and we have to shut that door on them and say no, thank you. That that's less money. We're worried about bad reviews. We're worried about long term things. But if we really value our piece, our our how we're doing that, sometimes that's the best thing that we can do. And same thing with social media. I do that. I fall into the same thing where, man, it just loves feeding you video after video after video, and then either a it's all good. It's like, it's just three steps from something horrible, right? It's like, three videos later, and now I'm in toxic land. It's like, oh, I don't want to be here, or I end up being I am staying up too late, and so I don't get the good sleep, and I wake up tired and groggy, and I just repeat the cycle. And then all of a sudden, I'm impacting my sleep. I'm impacting how I interact with other people. And I need to, you know, shut some of these other doors around me to really protect myself because I and recognizing I'm valuable. I'm worth that and and when we talk about being kind and ethical, it's, it's to clients, it's to pets, it's to, you know, people in the industry. It's business ethics, it's, it's also being kind to ourselves. First and foremost,
Helen Motteram 46:41
I think we are so so mean to ourselves sometimes, you know, putting ourselves down and saying we can be better and not giving us those boundaries and that space. You know, so, making sure you switch off that phone at night, having time with your partner or your family or your friends, making sure you're you're you're giving yourself that break, because if you're going to be burnt out, you're not going to burn out those clients. And I know when I'm grumpy or tired or grouchy, that energy is going to go on to my clients. And they're going to know that because they know when I'm grumpy and, Oh, didn't sleep so well, I'll say hello. You can tell. You can tell. You can tell when your adage is, you know you sound so, yeah.
Collin 47:26
Well, Helen, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today talking about this really important topic of kindness and ethics in the industry and how it really should be, you know, the foundation of everything that we build from and do to build a place that both we want to be and attracts other people to the industry, to be the amazing place that we know it can be. So for those who would love to reach out, get connected, learn more about your the network and everything. How best can people
Helen Motteram 47:51
do that? So our Facebook page is the pet professional network, and we have a website and pet pronetwork.com and I have my own website, Helen Mottram, and I'm always present on the on my profile on Facebook, so if you drop me a message, I'm usually a lot quicker to respond there, yeah.
Collin 48:17
Well, I will have links to those in the show notes and on our website, so people can get connected with you right away and start learning about that. Ellen, this has been just an immense pleasure. I'm so thankful for you taking time out of your busy day to come on and talk with us. Thank you. Running an ethical business means taking care of both the pets and the people that we interact with. It also means making sure that we are taking care of ourselves. Having a group of people around you to encourage you, to cheer you on, to run ideas by is one of the single best things that you can do to make sure that you are taken care of. And unfortunately, it's one of the first things that we chuck off to the side because we don't have time, and we think we don't need it in order for us to stay on track, in order for us to operate as best as we can, and for us to operate an ethical business, it means taking care of ourselves. It means having a group that we can go to so that we can make sure that we are okay. First and foremost, we want to thank today's sponsors, timed pet and pet perennials, 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.
