All tagged hire

484: Balancing Your vs Your Company’s Needs

Ever faced a business roadblock that made you question everything? Here's a deep dive into how we handled an unexpected hurdle and the strategies we used to keep afloat. From employee turnover to shifting business goals, we share the ups and downs you could potentially encounter, and the mindset you need to overcome. Balancing personal life and company demands is a constant challenge, requiring flexibility and a clear vision. That balance is critical to navigate obstacles while keeping your business and personal values intact.

465: Building a Team Structure with Anna Rickert

How do you envision your business in the future? If building a team and having employees are on that list, you need to carefully consider your team's structure. Creating a team involves ensuring each person is in the right role, equipped with clear directions to accomplish their tasks. Anna Rickert, the owner of Pup Culture Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, joins us to share her strategies for developing a robust business structure. Aiming for her business to operate independently of her presence, Anna discusses the importance of having a balanced mix of services and a team that excels in delivering them.

457: The Art of Compassionate Leadership with Ruby Ballesteros

What does leadership mean to you? 💪 Ruby Ballesteros, owner of RubyReds Pet Care, discusses her transition from a corporate background to pet sitting. Ruby emphasizes professionalism and leadership, and stresses the importance of viewing and presenting yourself as a business owner first, rather than just being a pet lover. She highlights her military background as influential in shaping her values and practices. Ruby also speaks about the art of building strong, trust-based relationships with clients, going beyond mere services, to ensure their complete peace of mind.

427: Finding Flexibility and Freedom with Shade Long

How much is your time worth to you? As busy business owners, we often get caught up in the grind and hustle of our day-to-day operations. Ultimately, we have to step back and ask what truly matters in our lives. Shade Long, owner of Complete Pet Care, joins the show to share the learning curve she's experienced over the last two years. From managing massive business growth amidst overwhelm, to refining her onboarding process, she's finding ways to strike a better balance. Shade explains why it's not all about bursting at the seams and emphasizes that you can run the business you want while also having a life outside of it.

423: Building Trust with Clients from the Start with Kimberly Layman

Are you running the business you thought you’d be? Kimberly Layman, owner of Kimberly's Kritter Care, shares the process of refocusing her company to better align with her passions after experiencing burnout early on in the pandemic. She outlines her personalized onboarding strategy of phone calls and in-person meetings to set clients at ease. In addition, Kimberly explains how she structures clear expectations around communication preferences upfront to avoid issues down the road. She also details her strategic approach to obtaining reviews through timely and specific follow-up requests.

421: Overcoming the Barriers to Hiring an Employee vs an Independent Contractor with Kim Ottone Tank

Do you struggle with whether to hire an employee or work with an independent contractor? Many of us face wanting to grow, find space in our life, or take a break from the day-to-day work, but then worry about whether an employee or independent contractor is the right fit. Kim Ottone Tank, owner of both Apronstrings and Staffingstrings, joins the show to help us understand what it really means to hire an employee. Kim breaks down what the differences are between an employee and an independent contractor, how that impacts our businesses, and how to understand the true costs of each.

415: Fostering Relationships Through Your Software with Mike Grenier

What drives close relationships in your business? We should view everything we do as an opportunity to foster relationships with our clients, including our software. Mike Grenier, co-founder of Time to Pet, joins the show to share how they prioritize problem-solving. Mike emphasizes the importance of adhering to guiding principles while not being afraid to pivot in response to market changes. He describes the process of building a niche business and how his early days running a pet sitting business with his wife influenced their approach to software.

414: When You’re Paralyzed by Doubt

Have you ever experienced self doubt? It can come from many areas; lack of information, conflicting information, or internal conflicts of beliefs and values. As a business owner, we’re required to do hard things in our business, which means we’re likely to encounter doubt and insecurity more often. We break down the relationship between fear and doubt and how to keep moving forward. Doubt doesn’t have to mean the end of anything. It should act as a trigger to do something different or seek out help.

396: Considerations for Starting a Remote Service Area

What should you consider before expanding to a remote service area? After a few years of trial and error, we've broken down 10 things you should ask yourself before starting in a remote area. We cover everything from planning your logistics to following local licensing and legal requirements. We also share about the biggest struggles we've faced and where you can expect to grow the most as a business owner.

394: How We Expanded to a Remote Service Area

Have you ever wanted to start a remote location for your business? We share our experiences two years into our experiment with our business. We needed a way to grow our business, and found a remote location fit exactly what we needed. From our struggles hiring and training the right staff, to managing an office and learning a brand new city, there was a lot we had to learn. We’ve changed our entire operations and many of our policies to meet the new challenge, and give insights into how that went for us.

357: Empowering Empathy with Stephanie Castro

What does it mean to be empathetic in our business? Showing empathy allows you to connect with nervous clients. It also helps both clients and staff feel like they are understood and are not alone. Stephanie Castro, owner of Stay Home Pet Sitting, joins the show to share why the words we use help clients see the value in our business. She also explains how she’s growing her company culture, and what it means to make hard decisions.

333: Finding the Voice of Your Business with Katie Kenton

How do you provide personalized care? Katie Kenton, owner of Katie’s Kennel, shares her experience of business growth. Katie is committed to focusing on her community and making connections with her clients. As a new mom, Katie has found a new way to balance her personal life and work, and works hard to stay in tune with what her brand is and the voice of her business.

331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando

Alicia Obando, owner of Pitter Patter Parenting, joins the show to share why she has stayed unapologetically solo. She walks us through how she markets herself effectively and how she’s set her policies to support being a solo sitter. Living in a society that says we need to always go bigger and “better”, Alicia pushes back by changing her mindset about the kind of services she offers.

319: Sales Psychology of the Affluent Client

What does it mean to market to affluent clients? Sales psychology is all about knowing and understanding the needs of your clients, and providing appropriate solutions to them. Natasha O’Banion, business coach with Automated CEO, shares how to target affluent clients by having a well planned buying journey and being authentic. Natasha gives tips on identifying your ideal client, what their mentality is, and what it means that affluent clients buy with facts.

318: One Year Hiring Retrospective

It’s been one year since we started hiring in our business! A lot has changed in our company since then so we discuss what we’ve learned. We share the importance of trying new things, leaning on your strengths, and what it looks like to grow company culture. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I scale as a solo sitter?”

297: Evolving as a Business Owner with Michelle Sabia

How do you grow in the role of being the founder of your company? Many of us feel uncomfortable using such formal titles in our businesses, but words have meaning for a reason. Michelle Sabia, owner of Paws and Claws Pet Sitting, discusses what it's like growing into new roles in her business. She shares how her expansion into a brand new market has been going, and how she has been trying to break her addiction of working 24/7. She also encourages us to get more involved in pet sitting organizations.

266: Rising Costs and Uncertainty

Once again, there is so much going on in the world around us. From Ukraine being invaded to rapidly rising inflation and gas prices, there’s a lot to overwhelm us. As business owners, we’re now navigating through yet another period of the unknown. How do we do that without burning out and stressing out every day? We share some ways to stay adaptable and deal with the rising costs. Natasha O'Banion answers the question, "How do I hire a virtual assistant?"

257: Onboarding and Training Staff

It’s now time for you to bring your new hire into your company and help them feel like they belong. You need them to feel valued and part of your company, which takes time and intentionality on your part. Onboarding and training staff can feel daunting, but planning out the first six months to one year for them will help you make sure they’re on track and you don’t miss anything that will leave them hanging. Then, Natasha answers, “How do I become a better manager?”

251: From Application to Job Offer

in this episode, we break down the 4 stages in our hiring process and why we think they are critical. We also explain how to remain impartial throughout the process and the importance of knowing exactly what you’re looking for before you start.. You should have a plan and know what is a good vs bad answer to your questions. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How can I celebrate holidays and still run my business?”

250: Stop Overcomplicating Marketing with Jane Harrell

Do you ever feel guilty that you should be doing more in your marketing? 📢With as many hats as we wear as business owners, it's common to start feeling like you're not doing enough. In this episode, Jane Harrell, from Working with Dog and Cause Digital Marketing, shared ways we can market efficiently, use time effectively, and learn to forgive ourselves when we don't get everything done.