All tagged week
Have you ever been frustrated by one more thing being added to your plate? There come times when our personal life impacts our ability to run our business and show up at our best. Whether it’s a personal loss, a new venture opportunity, or even moving to a new home, the pressure to continue to perform increases beyond our capacity sometimes. It’s in these moments where we have to carve out space we need to take that pressure off so we can focus on the right priorities.
What does resiliency look like in your business? Abagail Giordano, owner of Pack Pals NY, discusses how she is building her business through policies, procedures, and retaining the right staff and clients. She explains how it's important to create a sustainable and happy environment. Abagail also suggests to make decisions backwards and start with what’s best for you first. As she prepares for the birth of her child, she shares why making changes to your business is scary, but also necessary, to keep it resilient and relevant for the future.
What’s the hardest part of being a pet sitter? The challenges certainly change as we grow and evolve as a business. Our role as the business owner and entrepreneur is to overcome them. Justina Allen-Yancey, owner of Justina’s Pet Sitting, joins the show to share how she approaches challenges. Justina works on her training and services to market guilt free pet parent lifestyles to her clients and focuses on being reliable. She also talks about the gear she loves for winter and how she specialized in rabbits and guinea pigs.
Once you have contact information from your lead magnet, what do you do with it? Use email to have a conversation with your customers. Email is a great marketing tool, but it can help your business in other ways, too. More than just a marketing ploy, email is a great way to build trust with your clients. We break down what kind of content to include, how to shape an email marketing campaign, and how often to use your list.
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.
Have you ever wanted to give up on your business? Challenges happen, no matter how long you’ve been in business. Facing challenges means assessing how we are doing, so we can handle it appropriately. When we start feeling like quitting and giving up on our business, there are things we can walk through to gain clarity. We break down six things to ask yourself and work through and why you should not isolate yourself in times of struggle.
How do you plan your meals throughout the week? What makes a good snack for a busy dog walker and pet sitter? It’s not easy and is unique for everyone. We sent out a survey to other pet sitters to get a better idea of what others have experienced. Our businesses run on our bodies. So, we should seriously consider what we’re putting into it. For preparing the night before, to staying hydrated, there are simple things to get on a better track. We share some of the biggest struggles to planning meals, how to overcome them, and hacks to being more consistent. Then, Natasha shares her best piece of business advice.
Where did 200 episodes go? The world of pet care since we started 199 episodes ago is totally different than today, and we are so thankful for all of the support and love from everyone! We answered some of your questions, from what we thought about the podcast when we started, to handling client communication. We discuss how to deal with your significant other when you don’t see eye to eye in the business. Thank YOU for listening. We are truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful industry.
Throughout the year, most of us reflect on our personal life, where we excelled and where we fell short. The same should be true for our pet care businesses. Whether you’ve been in business for 6 months or 16 years, it’s important to be introspective so you know where to improve. We discuss how being reflective will help you and 10 questions to ask yourself about your business. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers “How do I stop feeling like I have to be ‘on’ all the time?”
A stomach bug ran through our house last week. Thankfully we are on the mend now, but it was a reminder that we need to have a plan for our business, ourselves, and our clients! While we never plan to get sick, we can plan what to do when it happens. We outline the four major components of planning for sickness. Whether you're solo or have a team, having a plan helps you to continuing to provide care to your clients. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I keep myself from being overwhelmed by social media?"
Stressed? Feeling overwhelmed? We are. The rapid increase in new clients has caught many of us off-guard and scrambling to meet the new demands. We want to give you permission to press pause for a few seconds and just breathe. We know there are so many things on your plate to get done today and this week. Which of them are mission critical to your business? We encourage you to seriously take 30 seconds to rest and focus on the emotions, fears, and stresses that bubble up Natasha O’Banion answers the best way to scale to meet the new demand.
Happy Professional Pet Sitters Week AND International Women's Day! We discuss the tremendous impact women have made, and continue to make, on the pet care industry. We also talk about how the industry has changed and the state of pet care. We highlight what being a professional pet care provider means and how to have a more balanced business. YOU are what this week is all about. Thank you for inspiring us and for making the industry better. Natasha O’Banion answers, “What should more people be doing in their business?”
What does telling your story mean? We hear it all the time, but how to do you actually do that and what does it look like? In this episode we talk about why your story is so important and how it connects with your clients. Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I set myself apart?"
Jessica Abernathy, President of NAPPS, comes on the show to share about their 2020 conference and her encouragement and excitement for the future of the industry. Jessica also describes the importance of taking time right now to dig into your business and where opportunities are opening up.
We are joined by Courtney, owner of Palmetto Scoopers. Easily one of the most passionate people about a dogs #2, Courtney shares his enthusiasm with us and helps shine a light on a side of pet care that doesn't get talked a lot about.
On this Kitchen Confession, Collin and Meghan discuss some of their thoughts on what it’s going to look like reopening, questions they’ll be asking clients, and what procedures will stick around even once everything is fully opened again.
How is house sitting being impacted? What does the future look like for that industry? On this episode we are grateful to have the wonderful Jennifer Flett and Henry Lecky, from Hoopla Adventures on. Because they are working and traveling abroad as full-time pet sitters, teachers and writers, we wanted them to come on and share their experience with the Covid-19 pandemic.
On today’s episode, Darcey Kearney, owner of Up Dog LA, joins us to share how her business has been impacted by the stay-at-home orders in California. From how her business was prepared, to how she’s managed her team and clients through the chaos, she talks openly and candidly. She stresses the importance of having a diverse business and a reserve and savings in place.
On this episode, we talk a lot about preparing for what happens next after Covid-19, seeking out local tax and CPA experts to guide you through the confusing world of pandemic relief funds, and how to keep your social media relevant and engaging while you’re sheltering in place. Plus, we give some of our recommendations on what we’re listening to and doing these days.
