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What changes when you stop simply running a pet care business and intentionally start building one that can scale? Jess Mather, owner of Pet Pals in Roanoke, Virginia, shares how her business grew from a small operation built around motherhood into a team of roughly 25 people. She explains why a strong foundation, thoughtful pricing, dependable systems, and a team clients can trust have become essential to that growth. Jess also shares how Pet Pals uses recurring dog walking memberships to create convenience for clients while bringing more predictable revenue and scheduling to the business. We also explore what success looks like after more than two decades in business, including Jess’s desire for greater freedom and a company that can continue serving pets long after she eventually steps away.
Main topics:
Building a Scalable Foundation
Raising Prices With Confidence
Creating Predictable Recurring Revenue
Building Trust Through Teams
Creating Long-Term Business Freedom
Main takeaway: “You cannot thrive and scale on a weak, shaky foundation.” — Jess Mather
For Jess Mather of Pet Pals, growth didn’t start by simply adding more clients. It started by strengthening the systems, team, organization, support, and mindset underneath the business.
Only then could she confidently market, raise prices, hire more people, and grow from a team of seven to roughly 25 in just a few years.
Growth exposes whatever already exists in your business. Strong foundations give you something to build on; weak ones become harder to ignore as volume increases.
On this episode of Pet Sitter Confessional, Jess shares what more than two decades in pet care have taught her about pricing, team-based service, recurring revenue, client trust, and building a business that can eventually operate without depending on her every minute of the day.
About our guest: Jess Mather is the owner of Pet Pals, a professional dog walking and pet sitting company serving the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. She founded Pet Pals in 2003 after relocating to Roanoke and initially built the company around her desire to care for animals while being an involved mother. More than two decades later, Pet Pals has grown into a team-based company offering dog walking, adventures, pet sitting, and other professional pet care services. Jess is focused on building a scalable company grounded in strong systems, excellent customer service, dependable caregivers, and a brand deeply connected to the Roanoke community. Pet Pals’ website confirms the company was founded in 2003 and describes its growth from Jess’s one-woman operation into today’s team-based business.
Links:
Website: https://www.roanokepetsitter.com/
About Jess: https://www.roanokepetsitter.com/about
Contact: https://www.roanokepetsitter.com/contact
Email: info@roanokepetsitter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petpalsroanoke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petpalsroanoke
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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
Collin 0:02
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. How do we walk through the growing pains of a business, still serve our clients while have peace of mind, and push some pricing boundaries along the way to address all of those questions and a lot more. I'm really excited to have Jess Mather, owner of Pet Pals, on the show to talk about her journey in pet care and all the fun experiences that she's had along the way. Jess, for those who aren't familiar with with you and what you do, please tell us a bit more about yourself.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 0:40
Hello, Collin. This is so fun. Yeah. So my name is Jess Mather, and I currently am the well. I'm the founder and owner of Pet Pals, and we reside in Roanoke, Virginia. And we have been in business for almost 24 years, and I have a staff of 25, and that fluctuates every you know every now and then. But we do pet sitting and dog walking, and we're kind of we do cats too. We're niching down a little bit though right now into more dog walking, so that's where we are.
Collin 1:22
I love that, and I right off the bat, Jess, I have to say, I love your logo. I love your brand so much. It is so cool. Cool. Thank
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 1:31
you so much. I rebranded not that long ago, probably two, almost two years ago. Yeah. And I worked really. I did not design it, but it took a while to find, you know, what I wanted, what felt right, and I'm really proud of it. So thank you.
Collin 1:47
Okay, yeah, and I'll again, I if anybody's listening, just go and and look at her brand. It's so much fun. We'll we'll get to that here in a little bit. But so you've been in business coming up 20 over 20 years now. What what was just doing? What were you doing prior to starting this,
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 2:02
so prior to this, I honestly I was in my 20s. That will age me, but I was in my 20s. So really, I was kind of a lost soul out there. Not exactly sure. School was not my strong suit, so I did not finish college, but I did go to college and I gave it a good try. And I was working as a office manager here in Roanoke for a law firm, and that's when I decided that we would be here a while, and I decided to give it a try.
Collin 2:41
Just I. did you go all in? Did you kind of start little by little building your clientele? What was that process?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 2:49
So I started in 2003, and I would walk dogs before work, during my lunch break, and after work, and at bedtime, so it was one of those things where at at some point walking a big German Shepherd in a black suit and heels was not super convenient. So I would come back all sweaty and hairy, and it just didn't look good, so that's what I was like. Okay, but in 2025, I or 2005. I'm sorry, 2005. I I got the. I decided to take the leap, and I quit my job, and I went full time pen pals.
Collin 3:38
Wow, and and you were solo for a lot of those years, right?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 3:44
Yes. Okay. For many years, I was solo 2003 until 2009.
Collin 3:50
2009. Okay. And what was that trigger in your brain to go? I need help right now.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 3:58
Well, we did start to our clientele started to grow, but we decided to have children. I was expecting my daughter in 2009, and the economy crashed, and it was a baby business. There was it was small. There was no selling the business. That was not an option. So I was like, "Well, I'm either going to have to close or I'm going to have to hire help." And so that's when I decided to hire like my first independent contractor at the time.
Collin 4:29
Oh my goodness! So you're having you're starting having a family, economy is crashing down around you, and you go, "You know what? I'm going to hire."
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 4:40
Great idea, right?
Collin 4:41
I mean, what were you really like? Did you struggle with that initial step, or or did you really see like if I don't do this, I can't continue this business?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 4:51
Well, it was just going to be really sad. So it was like I either close this business that had become a dream of mine. And then, or I had to just power through. And the thing is, is that you know our clients still needed care. We still had clients that needed us. So I just thought I'd give it a try. So that's when I hired help. People were willing to help, and we powered through.
Collin 5:18
I you said you know this this business that had become a dream of mine. I think that there is always that there's that stage in the life of a business owner where it's it becomes real, and a lot of times we don't even recognize the attachment that we have to something. Because I mean, you started in 2003, doing a little bit here, doing a little bit there, and then suddenly 656 years later, you're like, well, I can't imagine a life without this. Like this, like that's that's such a wild, an interesting product part of that process of being a business owner.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 5:50
Yeah, and it's not like I was a kid and thought, oh, I'm going to grow up and be a pet care owner, you know, or a dog walking business owner. I never that is when I say dream. I guess you know it wasn't that type of dream. It was one of the things where it just fell into you know I started doing it. It started, you know, it got off the ground, and then it became my baby at the time. And I just I didn't want to let it go.
Collin 6:16
No, it's it. I think we are all faced with those kind of decisions of of no, I I'm gonna fight for this, and because it's worth it, or because this means so much to me personally, or as you said, hey, the clients still need care. Can I figure out a way to make this work and still make sure that they're taken care of? And that's that's such a again a different way of thinking about of like ah if it's there it doesn't matter like that's that that's that subtle shift between like a lot of the the kind of gig mindset around any kind of work of like ah I do it here I'm not I'm you know here today gone tomorrow versus a no I can make this I can make this last and make this a real thing
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 6:59
right right well and I knew I was going to be a mom, and so I was like, "Well, this can be something that I could possibly do while momming at the same time."
Collin 7:09
Well, so you're hired in 2009. How was growth like for your business back in those days, and how quickly did you start bringing on more and more people?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 7:23
So it was. So I made the decision to be a very involved stay-at-home mom. So that I always say that this business could have been a lot larger than it is now, and that is true. However, I don't have regrets. I chose to be at home with my kids, and so I kind of built it around my lifestyle to make it work for me. And so when I hired our my first contractor, she also had another job, so she would work her job and then work this on the side, and then as it, you know, as as I needed more help because I couldn't be everywhere all at one time, especially with a baby, that's when I I I started asking friends and neighbors, other stay-at-home moms, do you want to make some fun money? And that's who I hired first, which is funny because although I love my friends dearly, they end up being the worst employees you could you could get. Actually, but that's kind of how it it didn't grow as fast as it's grown now. Let's put it that way, and so and I didn't have the resources that I have today, so I in higher everything looked different. Technology was so different, you know. We didn't. I had a website pretty early on, but I didn't have. There was no social media and digital ads and marketing, and so It was, you know, it was old school advertising.
Collin 9:07
Did you ever struggle with handing off those responsibilities to other people? Because I know that's a common thing that business owners have. Of, oh, I I don't want to hire because I can't trust her. I don't want to. I mean, was that ever something that crossed your mind.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 9:23
That's why I only hired friends and people that I just I knew through somebody else. Because no, I had no experience. I was not. I had never had to hire anyone before. I was 24 years old, so I did not know how to do that, so I just kind of went off gut instinct and who I knew.
Collin 9:46
Yeah, well, and and also it sounds like you were aware enough to say, "I still want this to take place, but I have my own priorities right now, so I just have to.". Accept that that has that someone else has to do that. I think that that's like a really wonderful example of a well-defined boundary of hey, I I am I could technically make that work, quote unquote, but I am unwilling to because of my priorities, and so therefore I have to make this decision. There's no if-ands or buts about it. It just has to take place, and that like I just I love the clarity that you had through that, and just you stuck with
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 10:26
it too. Yeah, and you know that's why I got and you know I got insured and bonded immediately because of that reason because I was like you know this has to happen, and so at least I can protect myself in case I made a mistake or somebody makes a mistake. Yeah, but I have been as much as I want to be everywhere and take care of every cute dog there that we bring on. I have to tell myself like you can't do all of this. Like it's just not you have to you have to give it over. You have to hand it over, and you have to hire reliable people so that you feel good about handing that over. Yeah,
Collin 11:05
and so you're you're at this stage. You're you're hiring people on as your business is growing. You're building the business around you. I mean, what's what's that point in the business life cycle like where you're? I mean, you really stepped in and kind of became a manager pretty immediately. Then, if you're outsourcing a lot of that that work and not taking that work on directly yourself,
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 11:25
well, I did stay in the field some. While yes, and I have for I did for a very long time stayed in the field, but because I loved the work. But I stayed in the field because it was just you know I was able to bring in more revenue if I stayed in and worked, and they stayed in worked. But I was able to work when I could work. Yeah. So I worked around, like you know, when my husband would get home from work, I would do nights, while my team would do daytime, and I was at home. Yeah.
Collin 11:55
And so, how long was that period in your business?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 11:58
Well, I would say probably just a few years, and then as soon as kids were able to go into like a you know couple hours at the church or whatever for mommy's day out or whatever, I was able to use that time to do middays and to grow my business a little more. And so that probably, I, you know, it's it's hard to tell. I I would tell you, as of three years ago, I was a team of seven. Wow! So it didn't, yeah. So it didn't grow. It could have, but it did not. It was I was in the field full time until probably three years ago,
Collin 12:43
what do you? I mean, you've. I mean, that's a lot of growth. Okay, three years of growth like that. That was that a you just said? Like, what was that decision for growth? Because you didn't grow for many years, and that sounds like you were just you know being the business, kind of doing your thing. What what changed for you than those three years ago.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 13:02
Honestly, I discovered Michelle Klein. That she popped out of nowhere one day on social media, and I kept seeing her, and I was like, "Who is this person out of nowhere?" And she seems to really know what she's talking about. I introduced her myself to her at PSI because honestly PSI you know holds a lot of responsibility of why I'm here as well just because it gave me resources it gave me friends connections and reason to stay but it was at PSI that I introduced myself to Michelle three years ago and I hired her as my business coach almost immediately, and went through her cohort three.
Collin 13:48
Wow! Because you were, it sounds like you were kind of ready for something else in your business at that time.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 13:53
Yeah, I was ready. I was. My kids are older now, and I said, you know what? It's time. I gotta. I gotta make. I gotta make this a a real life, a real lifestyle, and so and a living. And I have it put a fire, lit a fire, and my entire mindset has changed around this business ever since. And that is why it has taken off.
Collin 14:19
What would you tell Jess from 2003 about growing your business?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 14:25
It takes a super strong foundation. You really need. You cannot thrive and scale on a weak, shaky foundation. You really have to have a strong foundation. So you have to be all in, have to be organized. You have to have a very strong team, systems in place, and a support system. Friends, colleagues, which again, I didn't have a whole lot of all. Those years until PSI and I met some people, and we stayed connected. But it was different. It was we would touch bases every now and then.
Collin 15:08
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Speaker 1 15:13
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Collin 15:38
you're looking for new pet-sending software, give Time to Pet a try. Listeners of our show will save 50% off your first three months by visiting timedbet.com/confession. It's amazing. I think a lot of us think, "Oh, I need to get my bigger business, so I need to market more. I just need more clients. If I just get more clients, it'll solve all my problems." And I love how you're reminding of, "Wait a minute. Do we have the support to accept those new clients, to serve the clients, to serve them well, and not lose my mind?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 16:10
Exactly. Yeah. Because if you have that strong, if you're organized, you have a clear head, clear mind. You're getting rest, taking care of yourself. You have a really strong team behind you, systems in place, then you can market like crazy, and you're able to withstand, you know, withstand all of that demand.
Collin 16:31
So your your new brand came in about the same time where you really started to to grow your business too. Was that just a I need a fresh look to to make this a thing, or kind of what was the the the reason for that rebrand? I guess
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 16:45
pretty much it came in. I guess it did. I guess it came in right as I graduated from cohort three in Dogco, and I had decided I just need an entire new facelift. I mean, it had been years. I had hired someone locally to do my logo and someone local to do my website, and it was all just kind of pieced together. I decided it was time to go big. I was like, "We're doing this," and so that's when I rebranded. And yeah,
Collin 17:20
yeah, I I I love, and I think it's it's part of that. Like, not that a a brand will make the big difference, or like it's not like a oh this is it, this is the one thing that we're going to be doing, or whatever. It's, I think though, it gives us a lot of confidence in our business too. Of I've got something to yell and scream about, or I have a way of communicating and connecting with my team as well, or sorry, not with my team, with my clients, with my community. It becomes a this outward expression of what I want to be doing and where I want to be going.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 17:57
Right. Yes, it does. It there's a whole feeling behind that. Was my whole like goal. There's a feeling behind my brand.
Collin 18:06
Talk about what what feeling do you hope people get out from your brand, and who are you trying to connect with?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 18:12
Um, I. It's it's just it's it was I put a lot of thought into the brand. The color. the pictures, the font, everything. I included the. You know, I live in the mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, so I included the mountains in my brand. I thought that was really important, and I just, I for me, community, the the warm feeling of care, professionalism, and that's what I wanted people to see through our brand.
Collin 18:50
I really like the the like you said. It's this. It brings this locality to it. People immediately know I they're for me because they're where I am. It is this very in a very subtle way, that community aspect, that local aspect that people look for? They want that kind of connection. They want to feel like they belong and you belong with them. And I just, I, it's, it's really neat how it's done. So again, I'll make sure your website is included in the show notes too, and go look talk about what. Look at what we're talking about here, but yeah, I think it's just really fun to, especially your colors too. It's also like, I think there's one way to go in a brand of I can go serious and I can go these dark colors and these things, and and these are a lot more fun, I think, and a lot more maybe a little bit, a little bit more whimsy and and light, but also you know, yeah, right, absolutely.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 19:44
Yeah, and it's kind of funny when you're picking out brand, and when you think about it, I mean, I would, I was going. It was really hard for me. I did not do the quick. There's a, there were a couple options. It was like get a brand in like three days, or you can take several months. And I was like, I'm gonna have to take this several months. Because I cannot, I have to sit with something for a long time, and for me, you know, it's one of those things where it's like, okay, well, I know exactly what I love to look at, but what do my clients want to look at? What is this gonna? How is this gonna make my, you know, potential clients feel when they land here? So it was a mix of having to do like, what do I like, and what do I think they would like? So
Collin 20:22
I'm I'm the worst at that too. I I tend to go. Yep, I like that. Ooh, but wait a minute, I'm not my ideal client. So hold on, hold on, hold on here.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 20:31
Right, right.
Collin 20:33
And it can feel. I mean, so that did you ever do you ever feel disembodied when you're dealing with your business? Then if you have you have a clientele that's not you, you know. Do you ever struggle with that aspect?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 20:46
I mean, yeah. I guess yes, I do in both ways. So there's the clients that you definitely don't want, but then there's the clients where you're like, I mean, you're you just are like oh my gosh they're they're spending this money it's not a cheap service and they really trust me and I trust me and I'm glad that they trust me but I am just I guess I'm just like flattered but I'm also like this is this is what you're this is the service you're selling.
Collin 21:20
Well, you mentioned the kind of the pricing there. I am really curious about this, Jess, because I know you have worked really hard on your pricing and kind of pushing the the envelope with pricing in your area. And was how have your views around pricing changed? And kind of what's been that process with you over the years?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 21:41
So, you know, raising prices is scary. All the every time, anytime I do a price raise, it's scary. It's never easy. And I actually, again, going back to the branding thing, like I same thing. I have to sit with it for a while. So it's not one of those things where I'm just like I'm going to raise my prices today. I have to really think it through. You know, one thing that I've noticed when raising prices is our problems, client issues decrease. So you're the if the lower the price, the more client issues I had. I know that sounds weird, maybe to some people, but maybe it makes sense to some people. But when I raise the price, it's almost your niching. You are really narrowing in your your target client avatar, and when you really hit that client avatar, that target client. You have less problems because you're solving their issue, and you're right for them.
Collin 22:51
When you say problems, what are some common ones that you were experiencing? Maybe to give some to listeners like an idea of that, because is is it the the nitpicky details, the level of communication, is it cancelations? Like, what what do you feel like is better now?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 23:08
Yeah, you you're right. The nitpicky details, people will push boundaries, and I don't know. I'm trying to think of something specific, but they will talk you down in your price, or you know. But they still want that level of service. So you, it's also holding your boundaries. It's like this is what we are, and for me, in raising the prices, one of the main goals, and always has been, is not only am I raising my prices, but I am raising the value in our services. That is really important to me. So not only are there our prices going going up, but the value in our our services will always be going up as well.
Collin 24:00
Do you? You said you spend a lot of time thinking about the price increases. Do you do you test prices as you roll them out, or do you do a lot of work behind the scenes, then come out with a number and see what happens?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 24:13
I've done both, but usually I do some testing. So around this time of year, I start. I've changed my prices on my website, and all new clients come in at a certain price point. All my old clients are at the older price point, and then I send out an email sometime around October 31st or November 1st, and let people know that our prices are going to be going up. I try to let people know that our prices are going to go up. Usually, I send it out in October and let them know that as of november 1, our prices will go up. Just not to bring everything on all at the same time at the holidays. You know, so that's you. But I really am thoughtful. With that letter, that's a terrifying letter. It's terrifying to send that email out. But I really think on it, sit with it. I make sure that I am listing out the values and the benefits that you get with what you're paying for, and I I feel like the quality of service that we give is worth that.
Collin 25:21
Well, you mentioned the people expect a lot, no matter what the price, and I think that that's something that Megan and I have really had to come to terms with. Doesn't matter if I'm charging $5 or $50 for my visit. There is still some baseline expectation of that white glove concierge, high touch, amazing service, and I have to then go. Well, what's the actual? What am I valuing? And as dog walkers and pet sitters, I think it's just kind of old hat to us, where we're like, well, this is just what you do. This is just what it is. It's like this is in and of itself one of the most premium level services in the in the economy. It's a one for one or a one for small group. However, you have it set up to come over personalized direct attention, one for one time. All of the little details that you go through in the home, like each one of those, is worth a lot of value. It gives a lot of value to the client, and we can often. I think I we often undersell ourselves because we just think that's just what that's just what I do. That's just what's included, right? Right,
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 26:30
right, right. Yeah, and I are one of the main things I tell our clients is that because we are team based as well, is that no matter who comes into your home, you're going to get the same level of service, same level quality level as anyone else, and that's really important to me. So when I bring new team members on, I let them know like that is expected of you. We we run a certain level of quality in this business, and you are expected to deliver to deliver that, no matter who goes in. We've guaranteed this to the client, so that is what we have to do.
Collin 27:07
How do you how do you ensure that quality? Because again, in this industry, they're out there by themselves. There's nobody standing around a corner. There's no other stuff. What does that look like for you? For that quality control of the services that you're you're you're doing
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 27:22
mostly. So I have managers behind the scenes that are constantly watching time to pet. So every single visit report that comes in is looked over, read. The pictures are looked over, and we make sure that it's quality that way. But not only that, but our clients will let us know. Our they will let us know, and honestly, I'm so proud of my team right now. And I always let them know how proud I am of them. But we get a lot of compliments, a lot of positive feedback from our clients, letting us know that people have done a great job, and what's so cool about team-based because that can be scary too for businesses. It's all about them trusting me, and then when they trust me and to bring somebody into their home, and then they learn. It's building trust, and you are literally building trust from the moment you meet them all the way through their journey. So every single person who comes in, and the person who was scared to have a few people come into their home, they love our service. It's because we've proven ourselves to them. Like we are going to do what we said we're going to do. And I love my. You know, I we go through a big interview process. So you know if there are any red flags that is another thing that I've learned over the years. I listen to my gut a lot more than I used to, and I don't ignore the red flags anymore. So for
Collin 28:53
the for the hiring, right? Because it's easy to go. Correct. It's easy. It's and it can be difficult to go. Is that trainable or is that stuck? And I think that that that's that question that we have to always be asking ourselves. And honestly, there are a lot of things that you can train or train out of people to do in the in this job. We always have to ask ourselves: Is it worth it in the end? Do I do I want to be stuck training that, or what's my minimum level that I need for my business? And that's different for everybody,
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 29:28
right? Yes, right. I we you. There are certain things you cannot train. I can't train someone to be honest. They have to just be honest, you know. Or I can't train somebody to have respect.
Collin 29:45
Yeah.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 29:46
So we look for those things, obviously.
Collin 29:49
Something else you offer that I was curious about, Jess, is you offer something called the club. How long has that been around, and what's that look like?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 29:58
So. I've gone back and forth with like what to call it, so it's it's basically our VIP clients who are on a reoccurring three or more services per week. So their services are auto renewed every single week, and they have three or more. And with that level of service, you get free same day, so no same day charges, no weekend charges. Whereas if you are as needed, or you're a pet sitting client, you have to pay after hours fees, same day fees, and weekend fees.
Collin 30:40
Okay. Is that something that I mean? What's that conversation like when somebody comes in? How is that? Do they typically see that value in that, or do you have a sales process to get people into that club?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 30:55
So that's something I've been working on. Oh yeah. Okay. Yeah, really closely with Michelle, my business coach. Just because right now I am trying to niche down more to dog walking, so I've put a lot of friction on the pet sitting side. Was my first move, and then just kind of have it has naturally more. We're more focused on dog walking. But what I think it comes down to for my clients is convenience and ease. So when I let them know, I have clients who will add four visits every single week, every single week, and I and I think it's just a lack of knowledge, and perhaps I just didn't do a good job at the meet and greet, or it's been a while and they forgot. But when I let them know recently, I've done a lot of this emailing. I'm like, hey, if you get on a regular reoccurring, you don't have to go in and manually put these dates in. You will get this discount. You will get all these added benefits. And if there's a day that you don't need, all you have to do is go in and request the cancelation by 8 a.m. But this way, you don't have to worry about your your visits. They're always on there. They're in the time frame that you want, and it's a set it and forget it kind of deal. And they're like, oh, so it's really honing in on that like target client avatar.
Speaker 2 32:27
Yeah,
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 32:27
it's those people who want that. They want that. That's they want the convenience. They want the ease. They need more time back in their day. So it's when you present it to them, they're like, oh, absolutely. Please put me on a reoccurring, and I'm like done.
Collin 32:43
It's it's fascinating because the the walk solves the dog problem, the the club solves the people problem, and that's like that's we we often think as dog walking pet sing companies of solve the pet problem, solve the pet problem, solve the pet problem, and I have long said, I've long talked to Megan about this. Like, there are people who want the dog walk, but they don't want the dog walk how we offer it. So, am I making the packages? Am I making the club? Am I making these things appealing to the person, so that I can do the service that's best for their pet? And that's that balance between making sure we're serving the person and serving their pet with with what we do and how we're structured.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 33:26
Yeah, it's an art, and it's a lot of testing and studying.
Collin 33:30
Well, so you mentioned that if they get in the club, that you do do offer them a small discount. What? How did you work through that trade off of? Okay, so you are there is one model where you'd say I give no discounts ever, and everyone pays full price for the services, and you know which could lead to a bump in revenue. But by you saying okay, you get a slight discount for this three or more reoccurring, that's giving you you that that predictability and reoccurring revenue. Like, what was balancing that trade-off like for you as the business owner?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 34:06
Honestly, it's just so we're giving them ease, but they're also giving us ease. So it's the predictability of being able to build out schedules for staff, being able to, you know, we are team-based. However, I do try to keep, you know, reoccurring dog walkers and caregivers, if I can, just because we've developed relationships with these animals, so it's really nice to be able to know that so and so is going to be every single Tuesday and Thursday, and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I know that I have these dog walkers every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So it's predictability and building out schedules for our staff, and like you said, knowing kind of just knowing what the revenue is probably going to look like.
Collin 34:54
Yeah.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 34:54
So that just you know, even though you do, it is. Less revenue, it's just ease and a little bit more convenience for us.
Collin 35:05
And it really is that stability. I think that that's that. Okay, so I give up 5%, 10% top line revenue. But if it's if I because we've all looked at our revenue over time, and it's this little graph that's like way up high, way down low, way up high, way down low, and I get really excited, and then I panic and freak out, and I get really excited, and then I'm crying in my like, yes, it just level. And you also you also mentioned too, it it can be beneficial for the the team members, your employees, because now they have some predictability, they have some consistency, whether that is in the walks they're doing or in the just number of hours that they can have, so they can plan their life around it.
Speaker 3 35:49
Correct.
Collin 35:49
You talked initially how you would go around to friends, families, neighbors, acquaintances, and say, "Hey, do you want some fun money now?" I mean, how are you talking about the job now that you're offering, given the structure and everything that you're doing
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 36:01
when advertising for that we're hiring, I'm kind of I kind of hire for shifts.
Collin 36:09
Okay,
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 36:10
so it's letting people know like more part time is evening and weekend work, and then if you want to work, we don't have anyone that works full full time. Sure, but if you want more hours, you can work Monday through Friday, 10 to three. So I'm kind of giving them an idea of like what that looks.
Collin 36:30
And now a word from our friends at Pet Sitters International.
Speaker 4 36:33
Hi, this is Beth at Pet Sitters International. The pet sitting industry is growing fast, and so is the need for professional pet care providers like you, whether you're just starting out or scaling a multi-team company, you don't have to figure out everything alone. Since 1994, PSI has helped 1000s of pet care professionals like you build reputable, profitable, and sustainable businesses. If you're thinking about joining, visit petit.com/psc to learn more and get a special promo code.
Collin 37:01
Now we we are also shift based in our hiring, and even though sometimes the hours are going to fluctuate within a shift, what we found is it really helps the person we're hiring plan around our expectations. When I can say I definitely 100% need you between 11 and five, or whatever, right? Whatever that time block is that you're doing, that tells them, okay, now I can go and I can find other work, or I can be going to school, or I can be staying at home, or that's, and it just gives that like our one of our just big goals is just predictability all around. If I can get predictable for the client, if I can get it predictable for me in the business, if I can get it predictable for the team, like that is such a wonderful goal, and like that that would bring a lot of stability and peace of mind for us as owners too.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 37:50
Oh yeah, that's the dream. The dream of just having the exact same schedule every single week. It's so easy. Put it there, there, there. The dream.
Collin 38:00
It it is now. You've obviously you've grown you've grown a lot over the last three years. I mean, you mentioned that you're fully team based. I am curious, Jess. Jess, like you had clients, I'm sure that were with you for years and years. What have? How have you? You mentioned building that trust. How have you built that trust with people? Because they don't get Jess anymore, or at least not as much as they used to. Maybe like what? What are a couple things that maybe you've done to help with that transition and build that trust with your clients?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 38:34
You know, I think. Well, number one, I'm still very present, so I will respond to clients personally in email or in time to pet message. They can still reach me if they want to talk to me on the phone. I'm happy to hop on a phone call. So I'm still there, and I will have the hard conversations as far as the business goes if if I have to. But I think again, it just goes back to they trust me, and they also really clients really like it when I tell them that we have a manager that behind the scenes on call all the time. So it might change the manager might change from one manager to the next, you know, changing shifts, but there's always somebody watching, making sure that things are being completed on time, making sure that everybody's where they need to be. If a client has an urgent need, somebody's going to be on the other side of that screen, ready to answer your your question or your concern.
Collin 39:37
I love that you focus on the customer service aspect. I think I know. I tend to fall into the again the I'm serving the pet. You know, like hey, we guarantee services because we're team based and somebody will always be there and blah blah. And I think that tends to get people thinking about oh, there's so many people in my home, right? Or oh, there's a lot of things going on. Instead, I love that just like the support you. Get the the calls. Your calls always get answered. Your questions always get addressed. Your concerns are always taken care of. That level now of going, yes, I serve pets, but again, back to this like serve pets, serve people. Of this is how we do that. You are our number one priority at all times, and here is what I have in place to make sure that you are okay. It's one thing to direct that to go. This is what the pet gets, but they have a hard time really connecting with that. And most of the time, they're going to be like, but if they know, they can pick up the phone and call, and someone's going to answer. That means so much, especially in this day and age, given how how disconnected people really are.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 40:39
Yeah. No, they. It has really helped with client retention is being able to be very connected, fast to respond. My even my staff like if if somebody if a client messages and says you know Stella isn't feeling very well today, so you might want to just take it easy? My staff member that's set to walk that dog that day will come in and say, "Oh, give Stella a hug for me. I'll be sure to let you know how she's doing." Like it's just we're there, we hear your concern, and we care too. And I think that just means a whole lot to the clients.
Collin 41:18
They just want to be heard. I I 100% agree that whether it's from you, from the team, from an admin, from a manager, they want to know. They never want to feel like this is something that we've really focused on. Is I never want somebody to feel like they are screaming into a void at my company. Yeah, we've all been there. We've all had that service or that communication or that chatbot, or that email, where nothing of substance comes back, if at all, and you just feel horrible. Like like they don't, they genuinely don't give a rat about you, and you have to go. I never want somebody to feel like they don't mean something, and so I'm gonna call you back, right?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 42:01
Yeah, well, and it's the same reason why I stayed with Time to Pet for so many years. If I have an issue and I reach out to them, they are on it. They get back to me immediately. They make sure that my problem is solved. I have never had an issue with if I need something figured out, we figure it out, and it's very quick response, and that to me really, I I can't wait around. Like we don't have time, right? So that means so much to me, and so that is why I think it's very important in our industry as well.
Collin 42:34
It's this. It's it's almost the the single most important thing. In addition to did you show up? Okay. Yeah. Step step one: show up for the walk. Step two: answer whenever they have a question. Like beyond that, like come on, like it's not it's it's it's when you put it, it's it's not hard, but it's extremely difficult to do all the time and consistently. And that's where the policies, the procedures. That's why I have to have such a strong base and good scaffolding and support because as I add more people to that, I'm just inviting an avalanche of customer service concerns and problems that I have to dig myself out of.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 43:11
Yeah, and it's scary.
Collin 43:13
Yeah, it's
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 43:14
scary to think about it. The more your team grows and the more your business grows, and you're like, my gosh, I'm responsible for all these animals today.
Collin 43:23
So, how do you deal with that too? Because it's not just I'm I'm dealing with you know 100 different pets today. It's there are I mean you over 20. You said 2025 people on your team. I mean that's not a small number, Jess. I don't don't need to freak you out here, but that's a lot of people. Oh my gosh, that are depending on your business, and you've got a lot of clients that you're serving. Like, do you feel that that weight of oh my gosh, like what what's happened?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 43:50
I do, and there's days where it's a lot harder than others. But honestly, I've got going back to like having that strong foundation. If my managers are everything, they're amazing. They've been with me for years. They've been in the field, and now they're doing you know management work. They know how this business works. They know how pep houses run, and they're they've got my back. And then our team has our back. Like that's what I need. Everyone bought in. That's that's where the success and the good stuff happens. Is that they're bought in, yeah,
Collin 44:21
and because then you're not fighting against the the direction you're going, and I think that that's that's a lot of that tension that we might not recognize initially with with with team members of oh right they're not bought in. It's not that they like we can think of oh they're not listening or oh they're not trying or oh they're they're you know oh no common sense they might just not be bought in with what you care about
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 44:46
right
Collin 44:46
and that's a startling discovery to make with an employee but that's where you have to make that decision of can I train or do we need to have a hard conversation
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 44:56
yeah yep and it's nice to have those managers to yeah to fall back. On and say, am I making the right decision? Like I have to do that all the time, and I'm so thankful for it. So,
Collin 45:06
yeah. After you know, over over 20 years in business, Jess, what's your definition of success at this point? Are are you looking for like more growth, more revenue, or stability for you? Like, like how has that changed for you, if at
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 45:23
all? So I am scaling, and I don't, you know. At one point, I was like, "Ah, I don't need to be any bigger. We got everything we need, and we can pay the bills, and it's fine." And then, just somehow, that fire just keeps growing, and I'm like, okay, I guess we're not. We're going this way, so we're gonna just keep going. And honestly, I'm really happy and proud of what we have. And so I don't see any any chance of stopping any anytime soon. But honestly, to answer your question, Collin, my my favorite, my dream for this is that I have a little more freedom, I have a little more flexibility as far as location, and that my admin and management team grows, so that way we can all support each other, so we can take off and leave and not have to worry about things. I think that's my ultimate dream is to be able to unplug and know that everything's going to be okay.
Collin 46:28
Mute Slack and turn off my emails, right? And know know that everything's going to be okay.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 46:36
Off, and I guarantee you, doesn't matter, Collin. We can turn it off, put it on do not disturb, but somehow, some way, there some notification is going to slip in there. Speak
Collin 46:46
through, or or you're trying to look what happens. You're trying to look at just peek at one thing, and then it just all unravels after that. Yeah, yep. And I mean, I know Megan and I have this the stream of our of our business of, hey, like I want to be here for decades, and I want to be I want the Simpson to to not stop with us. I mean, do you think about that in your business?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 47:16
I do, I do. I think about that all the time. I'm like, hmm, should I set a retirement age? I don't know. I don't have any. I the one thing I keep saying is that I'll probably work for a long time just because I love it. I love. I truly believe I was put on this earth to make the lives of pets Better and honestly, that's why I do what I do. I I was we do this because I want I've just always wanted to make the lives of pets better, and in turn, I also want to show my gratitude and thank pet owners for being such great pet caregivers. So that is like you know our gift to the pet is what it is: taking good care of them and making sure they get good pet care. But then our gift to the human is the great customer service because I'm thanking them for being such great. You know, you took this pet in, and you're taking great care of this animal. Like, not everybody does that. So that that's all I ever wanted to do was just make the lives of animals better and and their owners. And I don't ever. I I would hate to see pet pals go away. So it's one of those things that like I have to really think about, like you know, I have two kids. Does somebody want to take the business over one day? Perhaps, maybe. But if they don't, you know, I that's going to be. We'll see. I have a great team too. Who knows? Maybe somebody who's completely bought in wants to take it over.
Collin 49:00
Yeah. Well, I think that's just a wonderful place to be. Of yeah, it's a little scary and a little unsure, but like so many options. And I think that that's one of those immense benefits that we get as entrepreneurs and business owners. Of if there's one thing that we are really good at, it's about taking advantage of the options in front of us, of whether I want to do this on my lunch break in high heels, or whether I want to be passing this off to my kid, or whether I want somebody to take this over, or whether how involved I do or do not want to be, like that is just all those are opportunities, and we get to make that decision, and that's one of the things that like I I just smile about every day. I don't know about you, Jess, but it's just like some days are hard, and sometimes I am not happy. But man, I I get to make a lot of decisions that I wouldn't get to otherwise, and that's that's really great. It
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 49:53
is really great, and there are days that are so hard, and that you're crying or that you're really upset. You're like, how can I go on? I just need to just close up shop and go get a job somewhere else. But then I come, then I ground myself and go. You get to go walk dogs today. Like you get to go see these animals that love you, and they're so excited to see you. And that's all you ever want to do, anyways. Like that's what I want to do in my retirement, anyways, is just spend time with pets and animals, you know. So I basically get to do that. So it's just the hard part, I think, is running the actual behind the scenes business. But I get to go do this today, so I have to remind myself of that. But for the most, I'm I'm with you, Collin. On most days, I am very just grateful that we get to do this. We get to make decisions on how we get to do this because we are entrepreneurs and we are doing what we love. So,
Collin 50:50
Jess, I really want to thank you for coming on the show today and sharing us with your story and the you know making sure that we are focused on the client and the pet and thinking about how we can be a little bit more grateful every day about what we get to do. I know there's a lot here, and again, if people want to check out your awesome brand and and everything, how best can they get connect with you and follow along?
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 51:11
So my website is rowanoakdogwalker.com. Even though that's not my business name, my business name is Pet Pals, but the website is roanokedogwalker.com, or you can find us on social media platforms. Pet Pals Roanoke.
Collin 51:28
Awesome. I'll have those links in the show notes and on the website, so people can get connected and follow along. Jess, again, I can't thank you enough for this time. I've really, really appreciated. Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you.
Jess Mather (Pet Pals) 51:38
Yeah, this has been great. Thank you.
Collin 51:41
I absolutely love when Jess said, "You cannot thrive and scale on a weak and shaky foundation." Growth doesn't start by simply adding more clients. Growth has to start by strengthening the systems, strengthening our team, making sure that we are organized, that we have our operations, we have the support, that we have the mindset, all strong in the business. Only then can we go in market, can we raise prices, hire more people, and grow from a small team to who knows how many people, right? Because what happens is, growth will expose whatever already exists in the business. Strong foundations give us something to build on, while weak ones become harder and harder to ignore as the volume, as the busyness, and the chaos increases. That's what we have to focus on. Instead of just thinking of the numbers, reaching for the numbers, focus on the fundamentals, then allow the growth to flourish and be way more stress-free. We want to thank today's sponsors, Tiny Pet and Petsitters International, for making the 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.
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