107- Expanding from Arizona to Connecticut with Michelle Sabia
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Summary:
Many of us talk about looking into new service areas, few of us start up a new area hundreds of miles away. Michelle Sabia, from Paws & Claws Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Services, talks about why she started services in Connecticut while living in Arizona, and how she’s made it work. From getting connected to the local community, to remote staffing and management, Michelle encourages us to learn from others and have a support system.
Topics on this episode:
What ‘Heart-Centered Pet Sitters’ means
Importance of local community
Starting services in Connecticut
Remote staffing
Remote management
Main take away? We all have goals and dreams, so have a support system and just DO IT.
About our guest:
I moved from Washington, Connecticut to Cave Creek, Arizona with my family in 1999. I was too young to choose where we moved but beyond grateful to land in Cave Creek! I have been a grateful "Creeker" for the past 20 years while remaining very close to my roots in CT. My whole life I have had a love and respect for all animals! They have always been a part of my life. I can remember pet sitting for our neighbor who had a litter of kittens when I was 10 years old (Best job EVER!). Fast forward to today I have been able to turn my years of experience into an incredible company!
I started Paws & Claws Pet Sitting Services, LLC with the goal to help care for other pets just as I have my own. I would like to make it easier for you to leave your beloved pets home while you are busy. Knowing your pets will be cared for with full love and attention by one of our experienced heart centered pet sitters will put your mind at ease while you're away, while keeping your pets comfortable at home. I stand by our team of professional pet sitters and everything our company has to offer! We look forward to caring for your pets!
Links:
Check out her website: https://yourpetsitterdogwalker.com/
She’s on Facebook too!
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
connecticut, pet, people, pet sitter, person, arizona, business, hiring, thinking, dog, clients, area, claws, paws, company, sitters, location, learning, interact, big
SPEAKERS
Collin, Michelle Sabia
00:17
I'm calling. And I'm Megan. And this is pet sitter confessional,
00:21
and open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter
Collin 00:24
brought to you by time to pet. Well, hello, and welcome back. Today, Michelle sabian joins us as owner of paws and claws pet sitting. And she's done something pretty monumental. She took her business in Arizona, and open up a branch in Connecticut. And she talks through what that process was like how she handled hiring on the ground management and how she deals with it emotionally as well. Really enjoyed this conversation. So let's get started.
Michelle Sabia 00:55
Thanks for having me. My name is Michelle Sabia. I own paws and claws, fitting services. We are professional pet sitting and dog walking company based out of Cave Creek, Arizona, we offer professional pet sitting and dog walking in the surrounding areas of Cave Creek we're working on branching out, you're slowly hiring back, we are in the middle of COVID. So I'm just preparing for that whole, you know, busy season, this holiday coming up in August right now. We also recently opened a second location in Connecticut. And I know we're going to get into that a little bit later in the interview. Very excited, very scared for that. I'm from Connecticut. And that's kind of where the whole petsitting and just caring for others came from. I also have a background in babysitting and being a nanny. And I think that definitely has kind of brought me to where I am having a pet sitting company and caring for animals and has given me just a lot of just what you know, helps me be a better pet sitter and you know, knowing how to care for others, then, yeah,
Collin 02:08
I'm really excited to talk about that expansion, because that's a big, exciting move for you. And yeah, and you're back. It is and I want to hear all about that your background, really it really has been in caregiving, this, it really sounds like that. That's really where your passion is. And you've been able to nurture it in multiple ways over the course of your life.
Michelle Sabia 02:30
Yep. And then I do have experience in customer service and inside sales. So it kind of gives me a nice rounded experience. Yeah. And also being a people person, not just pets. I love people. And I love that.
Collin 02:42
Yeah, that's a big, that's a big part in the chunk that gets missed. Sometimes when people go into, oh, I want to care for pets, well, you've also have to be able to provide that customer service and care for the humans. Because, as I've said a couple times, like I've never once finished a walk in had the dog plot its wallet and pay me it's always
Michelle Sabia 03:01
that now, by the way. Thanks for that,
Collin 03:05
oh, you're Oh, it's just it's true of being able to provide that service and meeting both needs of the client as the dog and the client, as the human. It sounds like you're able to do that, you know, way with with excellence.
Michelle Sabia 03:18
Right? And that's really part of, I guess, like our motto or something is just providing that like exceptional care for the client. And then superior customer service for the client. So it's like it's all united,
Collin 03:29
right? Yeah, absolutely. No on your name, how did you come up with that one.
Michelle Sabia 03:34
And paws and claws, not very original. I mean, I'm fine with it now. But looking back, I kind of wish I spent more time on it. When I came up with the name it was in the very, very beginning it was before I even like knew this whole vast world of pet care professionals and all the things available to us. It really just stemmed from a scene in burlesque where the girl got her nails done, she was late for the show. And and you know, her boss was angry and like paws and claws. So that that was if you haven't seen the show. doesn't make any sense, but, and then also my cat doll who is on our logo, she would always stretch and stretch out her nails and our claws. And I'm like, Oh, look at those balls and claws. So those are my two inspirations for that name.
Collin 04:31
Well, and that that's really cool, because it makes it makes it fun. It makes it memorable for you and it gives us an attachment to it as well. that's a that's a neat story and you're able to incorporate your own pet into it as well.
Michelle Sabia 04:43
Yes. And Ozzy my other dog is also in the logo. So I got my two babies.
Collin 04:48
Yeah, well, that's cool. And then I do have to ask because you have a really cool website domain and How on earth did you get that one?
Michelle Sabia 04:57
Yeah, that probably goes against anything that you You hear people talk about was, you know, creating your domain name, I'm not really sure. But I urge it's a recent change I originally had paws and claws az.com and paws and claws. Because it's such a, you know, so many companies have it across the world, it wasn't available as a domain name. So I put AZ there again, not thinking I was going to expand. Luckily, I didn't, you know, put in my company name anything like limiting me to the location or anything like that. But when I searched for domain name I wanted to switch to that was the paws and claws or anything like that wasn't available. So I just thought, why don't I just do like what we offer our services. And I tried a bunch of different things. There were some that were for sale for like thousands of dollars. And then I typed in your pet sitter dog walker, calm, and it was available. So I just got that one.
Collin 05:58
One, it fits, as you mentioned, like, it explains exactly what you do. It's like it's written on the label, and it helps you span different locations is what you know, what are things that you were after of? Okay, if I'm going to be in two separate two wholly separate states, it keeps branding a little bit more consistent and keeps messaging kind of on point on your website, too. You also have this really cool phrase heart centered pet sitter, I absolutely love that. And I would like you to explain what that means to you and where that comes from, and how it impacts the service that you provide.
Michelle Sabia 06:31
Thanks. Um, yeah, I mean, I like that term. I think it just kind of, in itself just, like, defines what this industry really should be about. It's really what I'm passionate about. It's, you know, it's how I, it's how I want to be the type of person I want to be. I want to live life, you know, basically, like, through my heart, like, I want to follow my heart, that's what I'm trying to say, I want to follow my heart and I want to do the right thing, I want to be a good person, I want to just be as caring as I possibly can, I want to be open and you know, have compassion, I can't really say anything else, you know, just somebody who has a, you know, good conscience and good morals. And, and that too, I want to strive to be every every day. So it's kind of like waking, it's not just with pet sitting, of course, that's a huge part of it. But it's just when you leave your your Meet and Greet, or when you leave your pet sitting visit, you continue that mindset of being a good person and, and, you know, following your heart, like your heart is the one that's bleeding.
Collin 07:47
What that tells me is that it's both a personal and a business statement. Yeah, and one. Absolutely. And so you're really merging these two and going, yes, I want my business to reflect my personal values. So that I'm, I'm consistent in that if people who I bring on are, can combine to that as well.
Michelle Sabia 08:07
Absolutely. And it is, I am the same all the way around. I mean, I could see you at any, you know, time or location, and I'm going to be the same exact person. Each time you meet me, it's not an act, this is who I am. And I want, like, yeah, I mean, and even when you talk about with the people I hired, like, I want them to show their personalities and, and and be you know, be weird, be who you are. Let that shine through. Because that's what makes a really cool, diverse team. And it makes it fun for us to work because we don't have to try to be somebody else we can be ourselves.
Collin 08:48
Yeah, it's it prevents people from trying to be robots, right? That's not Yeah, after in your care, like, yes, we want the level of care to be consistent, but we also want people to have their own personality that speaks to what your business is about. being genuine with both themselves and your clients. So that you can build those kind of relationships of when you are talking with somebody you're talking to that person that person is giving all that they can to this care, so that it's it's as best as it can be like we're dealing with people here again, kind of speaking back to a lot of your focus there. We're dealing with people and we want them to be able to be themselves. Also on your website, I noticed that you provide a really cool list of local pet friendly resources, which I think is just really cool about bringing that together with the community for you know, as a resource for your clients. Do you have close relationships with those business is or is that just a list of things that are available?
Michelle Sabia 09:47
Yeah, I do have a close relationship with them. Or else I would have a lot longer of a list. Just kind of listing like any local business anything. But but they all pretty much means something to me. Like I have the local vet on there who we have some amazing vets in this location. But that one particular is my vet, and who has helped me with Ozzy, my dog and my logo who, you know, passed away? Well, I know, you know, when everybody knows, in in April, April 1, and so they've really helped me through kind of his, like, end of life plan and all of that. And there's a local pet shop on there. And they also do grooming and and the owners and the managers and all the staff are amazing. And I go in there all the time, just even say hi, or bring them treats, or anything like that. And so, you know, we've become really close friends. And there's different things on there, too. There's, like, there's a behaviorist on there, and a trainer, and she's a really close friend. And they all didn't start as close friends, but they have all become, you know, really important people. To me,
Collin 11:02
that kind of speaks to this importance of fostering those relationships. You know, we we talk about that a lot. But to see how you are going this, this, again, is getting back to the heart centered pet center center of going right, this means something to me. And so I can incorporate that I can build that into my business. So that here again, I'm being consistent across all fronts, in building these genuine relationships with them.
11:29
Yes, yeah, absolutely.
Collin 11:31
And so thinking broader of pet sitters across the globe, how important is it, maybe to a pet sitter, or to a dog walker, to have that connection to their local pet care community,
Michelle Sabia 11:44
I feel like there's so many levels to this industry. So definitely, there's the local, I think that's very important. And that that also goes into my, you know, number one, like suggestion for another pet care provider, or whatever is making those connections and nurturing those connections, really taking the time to just reach out interact with others. And, and building this like community within yourself, really. And it's not so much to get business like that should be the furthest thing from your mind, it's more about just creating this relationship, having somebody that you can lean on, because you need as many people as you can get to lean on and to have a support system. And there's some really amazing people out there. So just locally, you know, you could start locally, social media is amazing. You could do that locally, I obviously, with the way things are. Now not everything is open, there's just limited so it's hard to kind of pop into the local shop or bed or you know, whatever it is. But But Instagram is I mean, just, I couldn't I couldn't function without Instagram around have a business without Instagram, you can. You can connect with people here locally, you can connect with people all across the globe, as you and Megan have. And, you know, because of your podcasts, I've been able to even expand my group of people all over with locally in the beginning, for me, it was really important because we did meet for coffee, we met in person on a regular basis. That led me into a local pet care group, and just having the support. I, like many people fell into this business and knew nothing. And so the people that were either figuring it out together, or, or they they, you know, they're just that much further ahead of me, and they've already figured it out. And they're everybody's so willing to help. Yeah, a very long winded question. But just do it. Just reach out don't feel don't feel weird or anything I've had people are not interested. And that's fine. You just move on to the next person. And that's how you create. You know, that's how you meet something amazing people.
Collin 14:12
Yeah, just just ask, right that's, that's so huge. The worst that they can say is, is no, not really right now. Right. And then you move on, there's so many people to get connected to. And it's in there of the real one of the biggest, one of the most powerful aspects of that is yes, it's community, but it's the resources behind that getting the hive mind of business owners to go. Oh, yeah. When I you know, I tried what exactly what you're thinking and these are the things that I didn't think about and yet you need to do that. It really makes it so that you don't have to relearn everything right because many people have experienced or are experiencing and give advice and can to speak and can speak into things that you're working through and that just that takes a lot of weight off your shoulders. Did not get Like you're having to reinvent the wheel, because yeah, and go, Oh, wow, like, I can still be me, I can still be my own individual, I can still do things the way I want to. But there are some things that maybe people have tried that didn't work out for this area. And I can find out why didn't it work out? Maybe it's changed and and allows you to just brainstorm those kind of things. You also mentioned that there are many different levels to what quote unquote, local community means. And I think Arizona has their own professional pet sitters organization, which I think is just amazing. I know, Megan, I included and many others would love to have something within our state or within our region. So tell us about that group and how it plays a role in your your business.
Michelle Sabia 15:43
Yeah, I mean, it's a great group that I met a lot of the ladies before even joining, and then and then learning about it through them. So learning about those connections is how I was able to hear about this group and join it. The group is it's a resource for us. It's called Arizona professional pet sitters and Associates. So it's not just pet sitters, but it is majority pet sitters in the group. And we meet once a month, and we either have like a roundtable discussion, we provide a topic prior we've actually recently, we provided that link to your podcast, I'm a huge podcaster not everybody is, so I'm always pushing different podcasts and your podcast. And that's a huge resource that I feel like not everybody is, is utilizing. So that was my idea, like, hey, instead of doing like a roundtable topic, like, we'll, we'll have them have a little bit of work to do prior to the meeting, listen to the podcasts, and then bring your comments or anything like that, too. And we're doing zoom meetings Now, obviously, but we used to meet in person at a restaurant, it was just a way to get us kind of break away from our schedule. A lot of the pet sitters are like sole proprietor, so they're doing the majority of the services themselves. It can be difficult to meet in person, but it was a way to kind of pull them away from their, their visits and and just a chance to socialize, have a good meal, whatever. And then we also have guest speakers that come and yeah, and in anywhere from other pet sitters to accountants to trainers, one of them we had a specialist from like, our orbital, logical place. And she thought she couldn't bring any of the animals but she talked about, you know, their snakes and their lizards and their crocodilians, and tortoises. And, and all that, and this taught us because that's part of pet setting is taking care of those reptiles and those different animals, and we don't know, usually know a lot about them. So it's just providing that extra, you know, layer of knowledge and resources. And then also just being a support person. We, we like to vet everybody that joins the group, because we also provide a website to the public to be able to just, they're looking for a pet sitter in Arizona, they can type in their zip code, and then, you know, whoever does that area will pop up.
Collin 18:14
Wow, that sounds like a really amazing resource. And just so cool to be able to bring everybody together. And, you know, while it's probably not as fun to not be able to meet in person, meeting online does make it easier for people, probably more people to join than would have been able to beforehand. So that kind of it is it is an interesting bonus, I guess from the the new way of operation right. I think the big question out there. The big topic, and we've alluded to it a couple times here is that you've made a really big leap in service area recently. You've moved from Arizona and now operate in Connecticut. And I mentioned it a little bit earlier, but why did you decide to expand they're specifically
Michelle Sabia 18:59
there specifically because that is where I'm from and a lot of my family and friends are still there. And it really started as a dream that I've had ever since we moved to Arizona at first moving here, it was exciting. It was you know, new friends which is scary at the new place and it's just so different. It's It's It's beautiful in its own way, but it is I mean like so opposite from Connecticut, and I just I i've always I've just never been able to let that go. I love Connecticut so much. I love New England the trees. The seasons might be a little tough for me, especially now being an Arizona for so long. But I am a huge history buff. I love being on just the ground of really old places. And old buildings. I love brick. We don't have brick here. I love trees. We don't really have trees here. We have amazing things here too. But They're just having, like, my heart is just part of it. Like, they they're part of it is here. And my dream had always been to somehow make it back to Connecticut. And and, and this just kind of made it possible. I mean, at first it really was a dream, it was something I would joke about with my family. And you know, when I started this business I started, I opened here in Cave Creek in 2016. Before that, I did do a lot of hunting for friends and neighbors and that sort of thing. But never really took it seriously never thought it could, it could turn into anything. And then when it did in 2016, that's when that seed was planted and thinking like, wow, this actually might be possible. And, and I just put it on the back burner, and it stayed there on the back burner, but I never stopped thinking about it never stopped dreaming about it. And that's where that's where it did start though, with making those connections. Again, social media is amazing. Facebook and Instagram. So I made those connections with people in Connecticut, other pet sitters and everything. And, and then now just recently, I mean, it just the opportunity kind of presented itself. And in. I mean, when all logic said no, I leaped.
Collin 21:24
Well, yeah, it just seems like such a big monumental task. And I can't even wrap my head around doing that. So maybe break down a few of the steps or thought processes that you went through as you move towards that goal.
Michelle Sabia 21:40
Yeah, and I know you guys mentioned recently that you were thinking about moving to a new location or something.
Collin 21:49
Drop all of the details here. So I can just copy and paste it.
Michelle Sabia 21:52
Yeah. Oh, my gosh, okay, well, it really does start with a dream. And that seed is planted? Yes. Oh, I'm really breaking it down here. Right. Um, but really starting those creating those connections reaching out and interacting with people. I mean, you could definitely reach out and kind of state what you're thinking about, but even just kind of, you're like the creeper behind the scenes just kind of like peeking behind the tree or something. So you're really just really in the beginning, you're just observing everything and you're soaking it all up. For me, I was able to take it very slow. So in 2016, that's what I did. I just I befriended different people, I follow different people on Instagram, Instagram is obviously much bigger than it was in 2016. You know, now, and so many more people are now joining Instagrams to just follow as many companies as you can, and just follow their posts comment, like, interact as much as you can, but then also get connected to the community. So this one I actually learned from Dan petsitting, is really getting involved in the community, social media and everything. So restaurants, I mean, restaurants is really a big thing, but just by interacting with not only the fellow pet sitters in that area, but just also with local businesses. And it's so easy now where I literally can connect with that. Pet boutiques, restaurants, you know, date doggy, daycares, realtors, here in Arizona, and I'm interacting with them in Connecticut. And I'm creating those relationships here. Yeah. And, and little by little they grow, you know, these connections do turn into relationships. And recently, I was asked to help mediate a couple of Facebook, Connecticut Facebook groups. And yeah, I mean, if you can do that, that's another way to get. One is one is pet related. And then one is just local businesses and Connecticut. I hired an accountant to you know, get everything set up in Connecticut. That was tricky, because in the beginning, when I started here in Arizona, like many of us, I didn't realize I was starting a business. I think it's easier to start and have a business here in Arizona, just based on how the laws are. So that was, and I knew going into it was going to be trickier in Connecticut. Also, it was tricky for me as we just recently made the leap to employees here in Arizona as well. And that is still a really scary leap, but exciting. I know it's going to be worth it. And being able to create that team. I mean it has it will allow me to create the team that like I envision I see us, you know, it's just, you can't so much. So yeah, definitely hire an accountant to help you set up their, you know, with their business and learn the laws and fill out all the forms and know what websites to go to. It's definitely an investment. I'm very fortunate to have a lot of family and friends there. So my cousin, my cousin is a doggy daycare director at at one, they're in our service area in Connecticut. And we had talked about it years ago about having her be, you know, work for me there, but it just never was the right time. So she is, you know, my, my person there in Connecticut, she's really helped me get started there. She brought on our first client, we have our first official client, in Connecticut, yes. And it's, it's a regular three day a week dogwalk, which is awesome. And then also having family there has allowed me to open a business because you do have to physically be there. Right? So they have allowed me to, you know, act as my person physically being.
Collin 26:18
Yeah, throughout that process, you're overcoming some of the local laws you're relearning. It sounds like how to open a business in a completely new area. But you do have that connection with the community because your family members and that long, slow build that you've been working on that throughout over the years, what what other obstacles did you have to overcome, maybe seen and unforeseen along the way
Michelle Sabia 26:43
that really is just getting out of my own way. And letting go of my own kind of fears and ideas that I have about opening there, the fact that it is so far, like that doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm sure to a lot of people, but I wouldn't be where I am today, if I listened to what most people, you know, what their opinions are, and everything. So it's really just a matter of just letting go of the fears and my expectations of it and just kind of diving in. And, and and then also reminding myself that I have a really good support system. So I'm not jumping in this alone, and leaning on the support system that I have, and not being afraid to make mistakes and ask questions and ask the Ask for help. So I think that's just the biggest thing is just getting out of my own way and going for it. I mean, it just, it just felt like the right time, it just kind of it was almost like I was just guided through the whole thing without actually doing it myself as strange as that. But I think that means it was the right time, because I had been thinking about it for years. And it never felt like a possibility ever.
Collin 27:52
Yeah. And with that support system with the the help that you had gathered, and all the research and all that work ahead of time, when it came time to push the button to go. It probably did feel like you're like, Oh, this is just this is quote unquote, just happening well, but there was years of work there and a huge support team, you know, from the, from the account down to the family members that you had in the community and all those relationships in between that made it seem quote unquote, easy, or at least, you know, just it just happened, right? I I can't think of Yeah, I say that. It's like, I know, I just started a business in Connecticut. Well, you know, there was a long lead up to that. And so all that planning, all those thought processes, everything put in place, made that process, probably more smooth than if you just woke up today and went, yep, I let's do this. Like, I don't know, this was a dream that came to me. We're let's let's try and figure this out.
28:52
Yeah, that's so funny.
Michelle Sabia 28:55
But it's true. That's probably why you get all the weird looks when people ask me like, what made you decide or how did you do it? I'm like, I just did it. Because it because people don't see what's happening behind the scenes. And like for me, maybe it's an artistic, you know, process, but everything is being processed behind the scenes in my head. And then it seems like I'm procrastinating or it seems like things are happening really fast. But they're really not. It's all already happening in my head for quite some time. We all just have a different way of planning and processing. And I'm a little messy about it. But eventually it works out.
Collin 29:36
That's that's a good reminder to have. We talked about these kind of moves, these kind of things expansion. And so to be really careful about not comparing the way you're doing it to the way somebody else is. And vice versa. Right not not looking at somebody going wow, what are they What on earth are they doing? I have you know what, yeah, because everybody does
Michelle Sabia 30:00
That will stop you.
Collin 30:01
It'll stop you out of fear out of anxiety. It will. It'll just put a lot of barriers between between you when you start comparing yourself and how you're doing it going, Oh, well, you know, it looks like they they just did this over over the course of a day. This just seems like it's taking me forever. Well, that person most likely was doing it over the course of a very long time too. It's just from the outside we don't see those things going on.
30:29
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Collin 31:08
You mentioned you were able to bring on a family member to be your own person on the grounds. They're in Connecticut. What has staffing up look like? Are structuring that new area? How are you going to how do you plan or envisioned Connecticut looking
Michelle Sabia 31:22
not only is it a new area, it's a really weird time right now. Again, we're still in the middle of COVID. I feel like it is just dragging on so long. This year I feel it is like on its way to be over which is crazy. So it all it's it's new here in Arizona and it's it's very new in Connecticut. What I like about Connecticut is it feels like a clean slate like I really need a clean slate right now because I feel so discouraged because of the pandemic. It's given me hope. Just having that that fresh start there. But I started to I staffed up there, pretty much just like I'm staffing up here in Arizona, we we pretty much with our ICS we didn't have any more work for them not having that the the petsitting work has allowed me to spend a lot of time on my business. Like a lot of time, I definitely did go through a rough time where I I barely did any business, I did the bare minimum. And then and then my dog died. And then I really allowed myself to do like nothing and just mope around and cry every single day. But then I got motivated, I joined a couple of of like membership groups that support be, you know, being a business owner and one of them supports pets, the pet studying industry, again, making more connections, learning more, learning more about having an employees having access to an employee manual and a training guide, and then spending a lot of time on kind of restructuring or editing it to be more specific to my company. And but most of the work was done. And it was all legally done with an HR person and an accountant. So I didn't have to worry about all of that. But it is still a lot of work on top of that. And then and then working with my accountant on switching to employees. And then it's really hard hiring and creating ads and everything. So I was able to recruit and hire some people here and in Arizona. So I hired my cousin. And then Ah, it must have been through just an ad, I hired another lady in Connecticut. So we have to officially, you know, trained ready to go in Connecticut. And then and then we've got four here in Arizona, some kind of, you know, taking a pause on that, because it is a it's really draining, recruiting and hiring and training and all of that. And again, you learn a lot. So it's like you just kind of have to go, you just kind of have to go through it and then take a break and then you can and then you can get back on track again. So hiring employees here in Connecticut at the same time. It actually like it just it taught me what I how I want to structure it with being team collaborated like what Natasha says. So really putting the focus on us working as a team, we collaborate together. So I I created an account on slack. And we're able to as a team, internally communicate and ask questions together to I mean, even you know, here in Arizona and Connecticut, so it's like really right now everything is so virtual. Yeah, it almost doesn't even feel like we're in different states. Honestly,
Collin 35:01
yeah, I'm sure it must feel really weird to to know that your employees are separated by many, many miles are working together and solving problems together. Yeah, that that I can see where you'd be able to pop in. And you'd have no idea that these people were separated by extremely different time zones and locations and rules and regulations, all that kind of stuff. But they're still able to collaborate and come in and solve problems.
Michelle Sabia 35:28
Yes, yeah. And on there, we have like the welcome page, this I got from Liz elec, she does slack for her memberships. And any new person will do like a welcome. And they just do a little like, Hey, I'm Michelle, and just kind of talk about yourself and what you like, and, you know, I'm happy to be here thing. And so then that introduces to the rest of the team. And then they can just, they just talk and get to know each other. It's
Collin 35:54
awesome. on your on your join the team section of your website, you have a statement that says applicants must be responsible, driven, honest, and able to work independently. How do you go about screening and looking for that in a new hire, especially remotely,
Michelle Sabia 36:12
I've been lucky to have most of my people be more referrals. So either I know them personally, or their referral of somebody who I know and trust. And I've been fortunate with that. We don't have a lot of, of employees right now. So I know this, this will in the future and be something that I really need to maybe practice because yeah, the whole hiring process is really crazy. I mean, it just, it takes a special person just to get through the application, following directions filling out the application properly. You kind of set it up in a way so that it's like, this is from Kristin Morrison, but she says on her application, she lists three words that best describe why you're a great pet sitter or something like that. And, and a lot of people will list out three sentences or you know, five words or they don't follow the directions and in be a petsitter there's, like, one of the most important things is to follow directions on what the, you know, the owners are telling you, and then what your boss is telling you to do. Also not flaking on the interview. I mean, there's Yeah, you schedule an interview, and then they're just not there. It's like the weirdest thing. People you think are like going to be really, really awesome pet sitters who work out of that. And they just like on the interview, it's crazy. And then also having a list of interview questions and having a lot of what if scenarios. You can really learn a lot about a person obviously asking them questions, and there's not really a right or wrong answer. It's just kind of listening. It's listening to them. Like I like to do it either in person or now we do it on zoom. So just kind of watching them. You ask them the question, and then you just watch and listen. And then you you just kind of soak it in and and you can really just see what type of person they are. And and usually I'll know instantly, yes or no. I mean, occasionally there's been like one or two people and like, I'm just not really sure. Like, they seem really good. But and then you just kind of have to think on it. And then eventually the answer is right in front of your face. And you're like get to know if it's not a yes or no. So going through that. Um, I mean, it just weeds a lot of people out it not a lot of people make it to the interviewing process. I don't know what it is, I mean, maybe that's something I need to rethink. And then you do the typical background check and the reference check and, and then you can even I know some pet sitters that take them on, they take them along with them. I'm like a day like, you know, a day of a few pet sitting visits, and just have them shadow you or just or see how they interact with the animals. I think you mentioned that you meet them at a dog park or something and then you can see how they interact with the animals and then just being around people in public or something like that.
Collin 39:22
Yeah, that was and that was something to that. Doug mentioned on one of his dog, okay, that he liked to do, because then he could see, okay, how are they interacting with the people, these strangers in the area? How are they interacting around strange dogs, and just kind of stepping back and observing? And, yeah, you could do both. You could have them okay, you're gonna shadow me for a day so that we can both see like, is this something you really want? And you can and I can see how you're reacting and take it to just throw them into a situation and go man, I've added
Michelle Sabia 39:53
Yes, yes. And I've had one girl who I thought would be an awesome candidate, make it all the way through the interview process. We did this Shadow where she came with me on a pet visit. I got you know, permission from the client prior. And it seemed great. And then we left. I said I'd be in touch with, you know, the next step or something. And then she reached out and she said, it's just not the right time. And that was it. I mean, it's just, I don't know. It's hard.
Collin 40:21
It's like, it is so good to know that before people sign paperwork, right? Yes. Because then you know how I've got to start this whole process. Again, I've got to go dig through this stuff I got to place knowing just allowing someone just okay, we're gonna peek behind the curtains for a little bit into the life day in the life of of a pet sitter. Is this something you really want? Now? That way? You know, okay, that in and of itself is a screening step or can be at least for some people?
Michelle Sabia 40:47
Yes. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, so many people don't, don't realize, I guess what goes into being like a professional pet sitter? I mean, I never did either, right. But it would surprise a lot of people.
Collin 41:02
It does. And so for people who are listening, and maybe you're thinking about hiring, one of the things that you know, when your steps that you listed out there is it's not necessarily exactly what you ask or the qualities, but you're looking at a lot of these just responses did person follow directions, like I love that list three words. And if they start writing a huge paragraph like that, should that should be a red flag, like maybe you can weed out for other things. But that's a very simple direction. And if they aren't following that, or choose to blatantly disregard it, and go, I'm going to do this one thing like that should tell you a lot about that person's character. And so don't get hung up necessarily on Oh, did I craft the exact question the way I wanted it to just look at how people are responding to them, and read body language and all those other kinds of things, too.
Michelle Sabia 41:53
Yeah. And then also looking for that person to take initiative and and like, show independent. I mean, usually, everybody that I have hired has taken initiative from the start, or they asked questions. I mean, if you don't understand something, ask a question like communication. I'd rather them ask a million questions. And then none at all, like to ask as many questions as you need to, and take that initiative.
Collin 42:25
Because that shows that they're, they're genuinely trying to understand exactly what needs to happen. Because Yeah, you would rather ask me a million questions and get it right, versus not asking questions and possibly get it wrong, and right, wind it and wind up in a situation where nobody wants to be.
Michelle Sabia 42:42
Right, and that that needs to continue with the client. If you have questions for the clients about what did you mean here and don't just, you know, everybody raised their pets differently, or they feed them differently. Like, every pet you're taking care of is completely different comes with its own long list of things. And it's like over communication is better than none at all. Just Just over communicate, I would much prefer the pet sitters over communicate. And yesterday, I was training one of our new girls on a dog and she's like, it looks issue rescue. It looks like there's a scratch under her Ayers scar. And I was like, I think it's just I Goofy's because we're swimming. And she's like, no, it's a scar. So we messaged the owner. And we're like, we noticed the scar in the eye. And, you know, pointing those things out to the owner. And the owner explained what happened. It was like a, like a dog fight basically, at one of the other pets like pet sitter that was taking care of the dog or something. And and yeah, I mean, that's really scary, too. But just yeah, over communicating, or just saying like, Oh, I noticed the light was left on. Did you mean to do that? I mean, just any little thing I would say is go ahead. And if you're questioning it, you need to bring it up to the client.
Collin 43:56
And then thinking about the structure that you have in Connecticut, what role Are you playing in the day to day operations of the new location
Michelle Sabia 44:04
for Connecticut, I mean, it's just everything except for doing the physical in person meet and greets, and the pet sitting and dog walking visit. This is another opportunity for me to take a step away from the I hate saying that but take a step away from doing the actual services myself in the pet sitting in the in person meet and greet. And my goal is to have this company grow. And I know it's not physically possible for me to do all of the pet sitting and the in person meet and greet. So just getting it to a point where I am going to quote Chris and Morrison again is like getting out of the belly of the ship into the captain's chair. I mean, I can't run a business if I'm down in the belly of the ship doing all the hard you know the work as much as I'd love to. It's just not possible for the direction that I want to go. Yeah, so this allows me to really get a feel for what that would look like, since I'm just not physically there all the time. And, and really just becoming the owner of the company and and running the company,
Collin 45:15
that is a really big mental switch to get yet, right and going, I'm still involved in the work, it's just different work, right? It's just yeah, doing a little bit differently. As opposed to that and, and so what's interesting is that this move that you're making to Connecticut is all of the same steps that you would have gone through to try and move back from your location in Arizona. It's just you have to operate that way now, because of your just of the remoteness of it. And so you are building these muscles, you are going through these exercises, so that you can you know, that would be a great learning experience to just slowly see, okay, this is how I apply that to the whole thing and start stepping back that way into into different roles. It is strange,
Michelle Sabia 46:04
I convinced myself a lot.
Collin 46:07
Do you ever wake up in the middle of night having an urge to walk dogs in Connecticut yet?
Michelle Sabia 46:11
I mean, I'd love to when I'm out. I was supposed to be out there in August. But of course, that had to be canceled. So yeah, hopefully, I'll be out there soon. I'm hoping maybe November, we'll see. But eventually, my goal really is to spend more time there. And and, you know, maybe half the year there half the year here. And then and then being able to be there physically. And then you know, maybe at that point, I will walk the dog and just kind of help out. Yeah,
Collin 46:36
yeah, it gives you that flexibility to see what role do I play? What do I want to do? Right? It's not necessary, it's not any more, what do I have to be doing, it's once I get these systems, these structures in place, then I can see what i what i want to be doing and how I would like to fit into,
Michelle Sabia 46:52
right, and then and then doing the pet sitting and dog walking, I'll be able to be a better, you know, boss and coach for the, for the pet sitters that I hire, because I know exactly what it's like and what and what I want it to look like. So it's just it's like, a no brainer, just to kind of, you know, spell it out for them. Right and not thinking, I mean, the hardest thing that i i really have been learning is, is training and being a coach, because, you know, it's all saved in my brain and I in what you think might be common sense. You know, it's not like I'm learning more and more that common sense is not, I mean, it's so different for so many people. And literally spelling it out. Like if you are cat sitting and you need to throw out a can of cat food, make sure you rinse that can out first before you toss it in the recycling or the trash, because it's going to stink really bad. And then the owner is going to come home and like what the heck did you do? Like what were you thinking, that might be a no brainer for me. But for the pet sitter that you hire on, if you don't train them, they're not going to know any different. It doesn't make them a bad pet sitters just, you have to literally teach them like everything.
Collin 48:05
And that that phrase, it's common sense. As you said, like it's common sense to me, because this is what I do. I don't have to think about this because I am who I am. And if I want other people to do that, I cannot assume that they have had the same lived experiences, they've been brought up the same way. Or they view things the same way. So if I want them to continue to provide the kind of service that I do, the first thing that I need to get done is Get out of my brain into black and white on a sheet of paper. Yes, they can read and then I need to train them on that. And then yes, that helps you step back and go, Okay, I have offloaded my brain, they have that on a sheet of paper. And now I can go and do other things.
Michelle Sabia 48:44
It takes so much work doing that. And then and then being available for your clients or for your your team of sitters and dog walkers. I mean, I get so frustrated because if I have a really busy day or week or whatever, with petsitting visits, and I get a call, somebody leaves a message and they're like, I really wanted to be able to talk to somebody, please don't worry about calling me back. And it's like, yeah, I didn't call the person back. Because I mean, it doesn't sound like a person I'd want to work for anyway. But it's, you know, it's frustrating because I'm working so hard. And then I get a call like that I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm a horrible business owner, and just not allowing yourself to to get down that mindset which is hard to do. But you have to lift yourself, you know, up out of the trees or whatever and so that you can see the whole forest if you're down there amongst all the trees, you can't see what you need to see as a business owner and you can't you can't be there for your team of setters. It's good to get down there in the forest and work with them and everything but but not all the time.
Collin 49:52
to tag on to that that Kristen Morrison example if you're supposed to be captaining the ship and steering it you need to be in a position both both both Physically, mentally, emotionally to be able to do that. Right? If you are stuck in the belly burnt
Michelle Sabia 50:06
out or Yeah, right like you
Collin 50:08
you're you're not giving vision you're not able to see left nothing, you're not able to see that big picture kind of direction that that the business
Michelle Sabia 50:16
big avalanche coming right in front of you.
Collin 50:21
Right and so that that too is just part of that like, Okay, if I plan on doing this, if I plan on expanding and operating in this way, I know I need to change my view and how I how I see myself operating.
Michelle Sabia 50:34
And that doesn't happen overnight. Yes, that that happens over a period of time.
Collin 50:39
We've mentioned them a couple times. But I'd love for you to tell us a little bit more about about your team and your team members kind of brag on them a little bit.
Michelle Sabia 50:47
I think they're all fun, they're all so unique. And I learned a lot from them. We just, I mean, we just throw ideas back and forth. And I can really see, it's weird, because just see them actually show interest in like my company, this company that I created and throw ideas my way. And they're like, Oh, you know, I love to do this, we should really think about incorporating this into your company, one of the girls in Connecticut, she is really big into wellness, and, you know, Reiki for animals. And she's like, I wonder, you know, could we add like a wellness package or something and, and then another one, we don't do a lot of harming animals and other ones really big on horses. She's like, you know, we should add services for horses on there. And at first, I'm like, No, I don't really want to do that. Because I'm thinking of me, I'm thinking about me physically doing that, like me, and taking care of horses is a lot of work. I don't want to do that. But I don't have to me do it anymore. You know, these people who I brought on, and they're the ones that want to do it, I'm like, Oh my gosh, this is amazing. They all bring so much value to the company. And they're all just different personalities and different views and opinions and, and create more of a you know, diversity to the company. And then I have an office assistant here that is going to be helping me a lot with a lot of just, you know, office stuff like emails, and hopefully, eventually, we'll get her set up on answering phone calls and social media. She's like, Great on video and getting her to do more videos of walking dogs and different things like that she's, you know, maybe more like in person videos of like, Hey, I'm Allie. And this is me out walking a dog kind of thing. Yeah. Because, you know, I really don't like to do video. Um, I just, I'm just so like, picky about, oh, like, look at how I found or what I look like, and Pat, you know, again, like having somebody else be able to do that. Um, and then in Connecticut, I have my cousin, Lydia. She'd hate me saying her name. She's been amazing. And she's brought so many different ideas like this client, she literally brought to the company, it was somebody who she was caring for before. I even brought her on and she's like, let's bring him on to paws and claws. I'm like, No, you can keep doing them yourself. You don't have to do that. But she insisted that we got them on board and her taking him through the process. While she's learning about. We use time to pet so at the same time, she was learning about time to pet she was taking him through and she asked a million questions, and I loved it. And yeah, I just having that support is I mean, I don't know how I want for so long without having the support.
Collin 53:33
It really is. It really sounds like that as you went through this process of Yes, expanding but also hiring people. It sounds like it was really energizing for you. It really got you excited again, and and allowed you to be, you know, start looking at as creatively thinking of new ways of doing it.
Michelle Sabia 53:53
Yes, it's it's cleared up my brain to be able to be creative and think about new ideas or restructuring the company and yeah, all that stuff that we just don't have time to do. We're just so busy with the day to day. Yeah.
Collin 54:09
And I want people to hear that. That is a really great side effect of bringing on Yes, help, right is because yeah, start being able to free up mental mental capacity to do these things that maybe you never thought you'd be interested in. But after a while, when you have somebody else doing the work, you start going, Oh, well I can do this now like these things, just they again, they just kind of happened once you put in that initial work. So that's, that's really cool to hear. And it's really neat to see how excited both you and to hear how excited your team members are to start doing some really cool things and in both of your service areas going through this. Do you have future expansion plans, whether in you know just expanding out the existing service areas or do you have another state you want to go work in
Michelle Sabia 54:53
probably not another state because it's always really ever been Arizona and Connecticut. Okay, but I won't, I won't limit myself There's just nothing on the back burner. Now, I would like to expand more so in Arizona, so the area that I live in, there's a lot of building happening. But it is a little bit of a smaller town. So expanding to a little bit more of those dense, denser areas, I'm really working on getting more of those dog walking clients. like regular pet sitting clients versus the vacation clients. We were pretty much all vacation. These are not based, but we mostly had vacation clients before, in our clients went on vacation, like all year round. So we were really, really busy with vacation clients, it was never a concern of like, Oh my gosh, are we going to fill up this month because we always filled up. Even on the even on the months that most people don't go on vacation. I mean, it was just amazing. So now, again, taking a step back and just kind of rethinking the services that we offer. But then also working on I'm definitely taking a break right now with hiring. I'm a little burnt out with hiring right now. But eventually hiring again into, like I said, more of those dense areas. As far as Connecticut, it's just more about building the, the service area that we're you know, starting in, but maybe eventually filling up to the whole Litchfield County. I mean, we'll see, it's really exciting, because I'll bring stuff out to my parents, and they're from there. And you know, just a lot of memories will come up, they're like, Oh my gosh, like I remember this person at this location. And, and even here in Arizona, I mean, a lot of people from Connecticut, so we're able to, like, connect to a lot of things. We just put that.
Collin 56:42
So thinking about this expansion process. And the way you did it, what kind of big takeaways or maybe lessons have you learned that you're going to apply moving forward,
Michelle Sabia 56:52
spending more time on nurturing those connections and relationships that I've made, I guess, with that, it's just so different. Now, even just having social media, I've never been big on on going, you know, in person events and pet sitters, because my fear of being like, shut down, always prevented me from going to different places, sure, but being able to just look for different companies on, you know, social media, Instagram, or, you know, searching the different hashtags. And then like, so many pets have their own profiles, and then just kind of commenting on their profiles. Just making sure again, like, okay, so repeating pretty much a lot of what I said, having a support system in place, you know, an accountant, people who have done it before you even if maybe they didn't expand to a new new location, just connecting to those people that are like, for me connecting to other pet sitters that are in Connecticut, never stop asking questions, and never stop learning and always be teachable, become comfortable with making mistakes, make connections without the motive of getting business. Like I think that's the biggest thing nobody wants, desperation is not a pretty look. So just make connections with other companies and people. Yeah, without the motive of wanting their business or like, Oh, please like my Facebook page, or please, you know, refer my company to other people or anything, like just take that out of the equation completely and just get to know them or comment on on their, you know, pictures or, or interact, ask a question on Facebook or their Instagram story or something, respond to that, and just get to know them and let them and let them get to know you,
Collin 58:39
it gets back to that what you started off talking about of being heart centered, of going this is how I would like to be interacted with. So I'm going to interact with people that way. I'm going to take a genuine interest in people, I'm gonna put myself to the side and just get to know people and as you said, like just Just do it. Like just
58:59
yeah, there
Collin 58:59
comes a point where you can look at all the pros and con list and make out make your spreadsheet and look at you know, the price per interaction and all that kind of stuff. And we just go I, I can answer this question. Like I can like this post, I can leave a reply I can, I can do that. And it it doesn't take a lot of time. But it shows that you are you are seeing people you are just interacting to interact and have fun and treat them like another person.
Michelle Sabia 59:26
And it shows that you are a real person like with what your point was before about not being a robot with just doing it taking that leap. If you have to turn somebody down because you're not available or whatever it is, that's fine. Like learn to be learn learn to be comfortable with saying no. So if use if you if you set up you know your website saying that you're open in a second location or you like one thing I did was I I got two numbers. So I have ours here. for Arizona, which is the business number, not my personal number, and then I, I set up a another one for Connecticut because I wanted a local number. I didn't like how it looked when I wanted to call somebody locally, like here. And it's, it's like a, you know, a California number or something. I'm sure it works fine. But for me, I would kind of I just, it just would throw me off. So I wanted a local number. Do you do all the things behind the scenes? And and then you don't create a whole new website, you don't create a whole new Facebook page, you don't create a whole new Instagram? Yes, it's a little quirky, because you know it, there's so so much of your original location in there. But eventually that other location will, will build, you know, do the Google the Google page where your business page on there so that they can search you there and work on your FBO. So that I mean, I'm still working on all of that I don't come up right away, you know, just get set up there. Even if you don't have any sitters in place yet, or whatever, you at least get the because you're not going to get hundreds of calls. And like, the very next day, it's where you're like, Oh my gosh, like what I'm losing all this business, like, we've gotten a handful of calls for that location. I mean, you just if you're not available, you're not available, but at least you talk to them, at least they talk to you, they heard a voice and and you just strike up a conversation with them. And if anything, it's like you leave them feeling really good, because now you're setting yourself up, you know, to be a company that that might be talked about in that location, like oh my gosh, I just had a great conversation with Michelle at paws and claws. They just opened up in Connecticut. And how cool is that? Like I had a I posted on a local Facebook group. I connect with a lot of local Facebook groups. That's another thing. And I posted on there looking to hire and a guy from one of the newspapers in Connecticut reached out and he did an interview and he put me on for the business spotlight for I think it was July 20. Oh, wow. Yeah. I mean, it's just just by putting yourself out there. And it's amazing what again, what just kind of happens on its own like I didn't, I didn't make that happen. It just happened.
Collin 1:02:18
It just again, just how inspiring that is. That really does help you when you think of it in that way of the possibilities of good of that can happen that can come from that and getting outside of yourself and to kind of tamp down those those naysaying voices that you have going on in the back of your head. Just going Oh, yeah, I just need to get this done. And just and just see what
Michelle Sabia 1:02:39
happens. Absolutely. Everything kind of just snowballs, like the snowball effect. Yeah. It Yeah. Total snowball.
Collin 1:02:48
I love it. Michelle, this has been a real pleasure. It's been a real joy, getting to hear your story and hear about the importance of having a wonderful support team and being genuine and seeking that out in all that you do. So thank you so much for coming on the show today. How can people get connected with you and ask questions about more about your process or just just see all the cool stuff that you've got going on?
Michelle Sabia 1:03:11
Yeah, thanks. So you can go to our cool, new domain name. Our website is your pet sitter dog walker, calm. And our Instagram and Facebook is paws and claws pack. And then you can email us at info at your pet sitter dog walker calm.
Collin 1:03:31
And I'll have links to all that in the notes and some other stuff that we've talked about too along the way. So again, thank you so much for coming on.
Michelle Sabia 1:03:39
You're welcome. Thanks for having me.
Collin 1:03:40
It's great hearing Michelle's enthusiasm for her new expansion as well as how she's leaning into her employees, looking for their advice, looking for their insights into how to make her business the best it can possibly be. If you've been thinking about expanding to new areas or new states, Megan and I would really like to hear from you and how that process has gone. You can send us an email at feedback at pet sitter confessional comm You can also give us a phone call 6363648 to six, zero. Tell us about your story and all the things that you've been learning. We'd like to thank our sponsor time to pet for making this week's show possible.
1:04:23
Also,
Collin 1:04:24
head on over to facebook and join our sitter confessionals group where you can join pet sitters and pet care providers from around the globe. Thank you for taking your time to listen to us this week. We'll be back again soon.
