395: Roundtable: Self-Care

395: Roundtable: Self-Care

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Are you prioritizing self-care? As a business owner, we are often the last to get cared for. The fact is, your business will suffer if you’re not taking care of yourself. Michelle Kline (DogCo Launch), Doug Keeling (Bad to the Bone Pet Care), and Dan Reitman (Dan’s Pet Care) share their journeys and struggles to learn what self-care means to them. Your health, and the health of your business, depend on you operating at your best. To do this, the roundtable encourages us to not numb the struggles and instead seek professional help and healthier ways of dealing with stress. They also walk through what “work-life” balance actually is and how to find your priorities.

394: How We Expanded to a Remote Service Area

394: How We Expanded to a Remote Service Area

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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.

393: Working From Your Passion with Stephanie Brown

393: Working From Your Passion with Stephanie Brown

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How do you know it's time to bite down and go 110% to make your dream a reality? We all find our own motivating forces in our lives. For Stephanie Brown, owner of Happy Trail's Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services, she found her motivation in her family. She shares how her business has evolved and how it wasn't always easy to leave services behind. Stephanie focuses on client education and fostering relationships through a personal touch. She also gives great advice around implementing a power hour to stay organized in your business and how she's navigated bringing on a manager in her business.

392: Finding P.R.O.F.I.T in Your Business

392: Finding P.R.O.F.I.T in Your Business

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Are you profitable in your business? More than just finances, truly being profitable is about finding balance and building relationships when running your business. We break down the six aspects of being profitable and the major roadblocks to achieving them. From vague mission statements to your pricing structure, there’s a lot that could be holding you back.

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

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What does it mean to live a balanced life? Finding balance as a dog walker and pet sitter is one of the most crucial aspects of running a thriving business, and maintaining personal well-being. Renée Stilson, former owner of Home Sweet Home Pet Care LLC and now The Balanced Sitter, draws on her 23 years of experience in the industry to share the lessons she learned. She discusses how she had to adapt her business multiple times, and how pet sitters and dog walkers are true ambassadors to their communities. Renée also reflects on how she knew it was time to retire, and how she's found a new way to live since hanging up her shoes and leash.

389: Live Life Full and Happy with Morgan Weber

389: Live Life Full and Happy with Morgan Weber

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How do you delight your clients? To delight your clients, you must first find delight and joy in the services you’re offering. Morgan Weber, owner of Lucky Pups Adventure, joins the show to talk about how living a fulfilling life in the present is crucial rather than waiting for some future event to happen. She explains how taking the time to appreciate the little things in life and finding joy in even the most mundane tasks is essential. She discusses how to ensure customer satisfaction by finding delight in the services you offer. Then stresses the importance of treating every client with the utmost care and attention to detail, which can lead to word-of-mouth referrals and long-term client relationships. She also gives advice on how to grieve the loss of a client’s pet and how to work closely with a significant other in your business.

388: AI Deep Dive For Your Business

388: AI Deep Dive For Your Business

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What can AI do for you and your business? Even though we're still in the early days of AI development, many practical and powerful applications are already available for use. We'll outline five ways we're integrating AI into our business operations to regain time and streamline our processes. From creating images to drafting policies, AI has the potential to enhance many aspects of the businesses we run.

387: Good Will is Good PR with Remy Bibaud

387: Good Will is Good PR with Remy Bibaud

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What does having good PR mean to you? Many times we use customer relations and public relations interchangeably, but this is limiting our ability to have a wider impact in our community. Remy Bibaud, co-owner of Pet Perennials, joins the show to share how to foster public relations and use it to your advantage. Remy walks through the major points of cultivating high quality experiences with your business, and the role you play in guiding that. She also shares how she stays ahead of understanding her client’s needs.

386: Embracing The Hard Work

386: Embracing The Hard Work

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Every day we do work that both directly and indirectly makes us money. The dog walks, grooming, pet sitting visits, and training are all pretty straightforward in that when we perform those tasks, we get paid for them. But what about the other work? How do we find the motivation to keep doing it, and doing it well, even when we don’t get paid directly for doing them?

385: Promoting Professionalism with the Florida Pet Services Association

385: Promoting Professionalism with the Florida Pet Services Association

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Today, we’re joined by the Board of Directors of the Florida Pet Services Association. Savanna Westwood, Doug Keeling, Amber Van Denzen Suarez, and Heidi Lewis-Pracko explain why it was important to have a local organization and how it helps the industry be better. From setting the standard, to providing locally relevant educational and networking opportunities, they share about their upcoming Summit as well.

384: Making the Most of Physical Marketing

384: Making the Most of Physical Marketing

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How are you using physical marketing? We dive into the importance of using more than a digital approach. We explore different marketing options and how to make the most out of each. It starts with knowing your target client, so you can craft relevant materials and speak to their needs. We also share our recent experiences, and some lessons we’ve learned. All of this is for naught unless you’re being strategic and tracking results to grow smarter.

383: Setting Your Mindset and Doing Hard Things with Colleen Sedgwick

383: Setting Your Mindset and Doing Hard Things with Colleen Sedgwick

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What does it mean to do mindset work? As a business owner, we encounter so many trials and tough situations. Having the right mindset doesn’t just help us when times are tough, it helps us take advantage of when times are good. Colleen Sedgwick, The Pet Nanny Coach, joins us to share how she approaches mindset work, and the importance of being intentional with what we focus on. Instead of mental toughness, Colleen shares the idea of how surrendering leads to more flexibility and resiliency. She encourages us to tackle hard things so we can grow personally, but cautions against pursuing anything that feels like suffering.

382: Finding Your Approach to Social Media

382: Finding Your Approach to Social Media

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How are you using social media in your business? From just having a presence to being the main powerhouse of new clients, there are an infinite number of ways to approach social media. We break down our own usage and why it’s so important to find your purpose before you create your next post. It’s all about the content, but you won’t know what to post until you figure out why you’re posting.

381: Finding Worth in Your Work with Madeline Best

381: Finding Worth in Your Work with Madeline Best

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What does it mean to serve others well? Pet care is a service industry at its core, meaning we need to be hyper focused on the needs of our clients. Madeline Best, co-owner of Happy Bark and Tails and Royal Dog of Honor, shares how she is balancing serving others, while running a business that meets her lifestyle. By leaning into wedding services, she’s found flexibility while also giving her clients a high-end service. She shares how she’s changed her staffing to hiring full-time only, and how we can continue to refine the services we offer, without losing touch with ourselves.

380: The Pet Business Owner Toolbox

380: The Pet Business Owner Toolbox

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What tools does it take to build a business? As the business owner, you need to be equipped with the right tools to grow and run a successful business. We break down 10 tools we think every pet business owner should have in their tool box, and why they help you run a better business. Everything from organization and policies, to mindsets and personal development are needed, but you get to decide how they’re implemented for you. The best tools are the ones you know how to use and fit how you work.

379: Building Resiliency with Pack Pals NY

379: Building Resiliency with Pack Pals NY

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What does resiliency look like in your business? Abagail, 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.

378: Are You Committed to Your Business?

378: Are You Committed to Your Business?

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What does it mean to be committed to your business? It means fully dedicating yourself to the success and growth, but it also  involves a combination of personal investment, professional investment, and planning to ensure your business thrives. By fully committing to your business, you demonstrate your belief in its potential and lay the foundation for lasting success. We break down the key areas to commit to and how your goals and values drive everything.

377: Keeping a Business Owner Mindset with Maria Teran

377: Keeping a Business Owner Mindset with Maria Teran

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Where do you go for new ideas and adapt to changing business landscapes? The ability to create and seek out new ways of thinking is a super power. As a business owner, it’s critical to staying successful and relevant to your clients. Maria Teran, owner of Chicawoof Dog Walking and Field Days, joins us for a conversation centered around how to seek out feedback and then make necessary changes. Maria walks through her two powerful tools for getting feedback, and why you have to leave emotion out of it. She also shares what it means to stay creative as a business owner and the importance of continually exposing ourselves to novel ideas. Throughout the process of changing and adapting, Maria stresses how to stay connected with your mission so you stay true to yourself.

376: Task Management for the Pet Professional

376: Task Management for the Pet Professional

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Do you feel like there’s too many things to get done in a day? Running a business means there is never a shortage of tasks demanding our time and attention. As pet professionals, our schedules are even more hectic, making managing tasks all that much more difficult. We break down the Getting Things Done system and how to apply it to your business. From capturing everything to regular reviews, once you get a system in place, your mind is freed up to do what it does best: create.

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