155: Friendship in Business with Lalka and Amanda
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Summary:
Going into business with a friend may be something you’ve thought about. Lalka Morales and Amanda George have been living it for 9 years. SoHo Hound was founded from their passion for pets and is run on teamwork and trust. They share what it was like leaving their corporate jobs and starting a pet sitting business in Tampa. Lalka and Amanda discuss what it means to trust someone else in business and the importance of having the correct definition of success.
Topics on this episode:
How to connect with others
Defining success
Pet care in Tampa
Friendship in Business
Main take away? Trust is at the core of what we do in pet care, and is essential when working with someone else.
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
amanda, people, pet, clients, day, company, dog walkers, business, staff, dog, south tampa, walking, hiring, friends, job, connect, learn, person, background, animals
SPEAKERS
Collin, Lalka, Amanda
00:17
Hi, I'm Megan.
Collin 00:18
I'm Collin. And this is petsitter confessional,
00:21
and open and honest discussion about life
00:23
as a pet sitter.
Collin 00:25
Brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials. Many of us dream of working with our best friend and in our business, Bella locka. And Amanda, owners of Soho hound are doing just that. And together with their backgrounds in Merchandising, communications, and event planning, plus their passion for pets, they're making a wonderful business. Let's get started.
Amanda 00:49
Yes, thank you so much for having us too. We really appreciate it. We're excited. My name is Amanda and I am born and raised in West Palm, and went to Florida State University and moved to New York after that, to follow my dreams and you know, all of that fun stuff. And learned a lot along the way I had managing jobs ended up in a corporate buying office. And after that transferred back down to Florida to be closer to family, and for the most part, finished, you know, my what would be called my corporate career to start Soho hound, which we'll get further into I know. But that was a huge part of my career growth, all of these things. So hound started with loca and the rest is history. And we're excited to get into more of that with you.
Lalka 01:51
Um, so my name is Lalka and I just want to make a note how everyone always asked how do you pronounce it. So I will start there is la l k. So it's law and then cup. And this actually might help a lot of people who probably know me and still are confused and how to pronounce it. But it is a Polish name. It means doll. And so I get that question a lot. So I'm putting it out there. But I am born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. And I am very fortunate to have great immigrant parents who were entrepreneurs. And I think their spirit led me to where I am today. I graduated from Florida State, which is where I met Amanda will go into that. But I left after Florida State and decided to get into the event production world. So I was a senior producer in New York City for 10 years. I pretty much travel all over the world. Excuse ours. A lot of amazing men are clients. Also Google Maybelline and you name it. So is experiential marketing works with a lot of Fortune 100 to 500 companies. After 10 years in New York, that feels about seven years in Florida. So I decided to make the change leave this city try out Florida, my parents are actually here as well. So it was nice to connect with them. I had friends down here. And so Amanda and I kind of regrouped after Florida State in New York City days and decided, you know what, let's follow our passion. We love animals. And so how john was born.
Collin 03:25
Now, something that I love about both of your stories, is you have this background in Merchandising, communications and event planning. How did you make that leap into running an operating a pet sitting and dog walking business,
Amanda 03:38
that's actually helped us a lot along the way. We have strengths that, you know, we use on a daily basis that are so useful from you know, ordering apparel, or the staff to, you know, events and things like that, and also just being in the corporate agency world, having the background of a being professional and be sort of knowing just how to communicate with clients, with staff, you know, with the community and not, you know, starting from square one and being like, where do we start with this, it was sort of like we already had a jumping off point. And for so how it was using all of those career things that we have learned and just using them in a more fun way. And also are something that we love numerous so passionate about
Lalka 04:40
just animals. I agree with Fernandez thinking I think some of the key things for me is I was fortunate enough to as a senior producer working in New York City in LA. That experience alone as a young producer was something that gave me strength in staff management by having the different team members but also vendors That I manage on a daily basis. I also learned that building relationships are the number one thing and not as something that you need either in your business and your friendships or family, just having that connection is so important. So utilizing that with my clients, you know, my teammates, my vendors, I just transferred that over to these current clients in Florida. And we did a lot of volunteer work with the company that I was at in New York City. But I also personally volunteer. And I think the one thing that Amanda and I love connecting on getting together with the community and having that partnership, you know, working with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, working with pet Resource Center, partnering up with them, and also other local dog walking companies and also other small businesses. That's what gave us a leg up, a lot of people are so scared to go out and connect. That's the number one thing because right now, seven years later, we're living off so many referrals. And we're so lucky, just because they can see all our hard work. But we make it a point to do that daily check in weekly check in whatever it may be and connect. And we just honestly love making new people make new friends in the community,
Collin 06:08
a lot of us have a hard time making those connections. Because we, you know, I hear this an awful lot in the pet sitting world is I'm more of a pet person. And I'm not really a people person, and both of your backgrounds lend themselves to working with people and building those relationships. What advice would you give to somebody who doesn't have that kind of background? And you know, how can they learn to be better at that kind of thing,
Amanda 06:33
I would definitely recommend taking advantage of all of the resources in your community. When we first came on the scene in South Tampa, we join networking groups, we talked to dog walkers that, you know, we're our seniors in the field at that time, because it was all brand new to us. And we came into town, there were dog walking companies that had been around for 6789 years already. And using that more as a platform of,
07:06
Hey, you know, we're
07:07
new,
Amanda 07:08
we'd love to get to know you and learn about your company instead of, hey, we're your new competition, because we learned really quickly that there's more dogs than any of us could ever walk. And so it's not really competition, it's more of camaraderie, and just learning, you know, how they communicate with clients and things like that, you know, talking like Walker said, to all of the rescue people, you know, as most pet people know, it's a very small community. So once you tap in to one network, or one, you know, foundation or rescue, you pretty much have met most of them, you know, we played happy hours, we joined young professional groups and things like that to where you can become more confident and talking to people, not only about your business, but learning about their business, and you find where people are so fascinated, where you're, you're thinking to yourself, oh, we just started a little dog walking business, nobody's gonna care. And they're like, wait,
08:15
what,
Amanda 08:15
you started a business from nothing, and you quit your, you know, amazing jobs. That's just something that people are so fascinated with. And we just did it, because we thought it would be fun, and we would be really good at it. And turns out, you know, it's just really interesting to people. So I think, give yourself a little more credit, and get out there and just be really confident in what you do, because people are interested. And also, they want to learn more. And also they have a million friends. You know, and that's potential clients.
Lalka 08:49
And one thing I was going to say to that is, this is such a fascinating industry, when you tell someone, you know, we own a pet sitting dog walking company, people are immediately fascinated, because you always hear the typical nine to five corporate job, you know, whatever they're doing in terms of HR data entry. And so when they immediately hear what man and I do, they want to know more. It's unique, it's different. For us, we don't have fun, it's not daycare boarding. So everything is in home. So we're on the go, we are running around driving around all day, we have an amazing team. So the thing that I think sets us apart, and obviously our background helps so much is the fact that we're extroverts in the pet world. And so when you want to connect with others, when you want to speak when you are so excited, ask questions to go back and forth, speak on panels get interviewed, Amanda and I have been doing that for the last seven years and just trying to get our name out there. You know, we also have this platform where we're able to speak and so we can also, you know, let people know and informed about rescues because that's something that's extremely important to us. So I think trying to get into this job and being shy or an introvert makes it harder. And those are a lot of what the pet world is about. So we're always encouraging people go out there seek Connect, sure you just talk to someone, if it's once a week that you put that on your list, you know, don't feel like you have to do it every single day, don't feel like you've put a lot of pressure on yourself, because I think that's when people shut down. And they actually go the opposite way. You know, just because you may not be an extrovert doesn't mean you can't connect with the community. And then you'll actually find that there's a lot of people out there who have the exact same fears. And so you end up meeting new friends. So for us, we're fortunate with our background, it was much easier, but for others, we just want to encourage them, you know, just say, Hello, talk to people, it's really great to connect on so many different levels.
Collin 10:50
Yeah, well, hearing from both of you is have have more confidence in yourself, like you, you are better at this than you may ever realize. And you're not alone in these fears. And that there are other people out there, even, you know, other business owners or even clients, right, that you can get connected to that are going to be experiencing these same things. So it's going ahead and putting yourself out there like there's there's really not as much risk as we build up in our minds about going out and connected with people
Amanda 11:18
100%. But when you go to the meet and greets with the clients, and we walk in and you know, we talk a lot, and we're allowed and you know, we're really comfortable with the animals and not shy and things like that. And people love that if you walk into their home, and you're nervous, and you're scared, and you're not really sure about your services, and you're like, I just started going out there and be so frightened. But even at the beginning, we didn't know what we were doing. But we you know, we were just told them what we do, even though some of it we hadn't even done yet. And some of it we made up as we went, but that's what they want to hear. Because you're in their home with their pet. They don't want someone that's nervous. And, you know, like, I don't know what I'm doing. Or, you know, I don't know what tomorrow holds. It's like, yes, we're here, we're in town. And this is what we do now. And so we're just saying, you know, we're gonna do it. 100%. So I think that's the majority of it is you're right. It's just, it's just the confidence. And, you know, you don't know what you're doing, you'll figure it out. But that's for you to know.
Lalka 12:25
Especially for a startup, I think you know, what, Amanda, it like the beginning weeks, months, you know, even the first year, everyone looks at it, they're like, you have an amazing background, you guys both have college graduates, you had successful careers, you were in New York City for so many years. So, you know, of course it comes natural and easy to both. But I think that's something that you know, we do have that benefit. However, we were still nervous, we still had things that we were trying to flesh out, we still weren't sure what the right pricing what the services we want to do, how often and you know, we learned very quickly that their first year as we were moving and learning every single day, there are things that just didn't make sense. And we were like a year later, we're like, you know what, maybe we shouldn't say know, everything, because we haven't been days. And so, you know, Amanda and I learned that from the beginning. And so no matter what your background is, it's not necessarily what college you went to who you work for, or what you know what job you did previously, it's really just finding that passion, loving it, and making sure that you're going to do that every day, because it's so much work. But don't panic, that you might not have all the answers in the beginning. It literally unraveled every day that goes by and when you learn something new, even if it's a mistake you made, you're not going to do that again, because you remember how much hard work it was to fix it. So it's just kind of an evolving process. We always want to encourage everyone Don't be scary. People don't jump into things because they're so nervous. But you know, once you do it, you just take it day by day and till this day. I mean, seven years later, Amanda and I are still learning, still making mistakes. And that's just true honesty, you know, it's not perfect. Everyone's like you have a great system. It's done. It's perfect. There's so many blood sweat and tears in the background. There's so many long nights early morning. There's so many last minute emergencies problem solving. I mean, we're still, you know, involved into the day to day and you know, that could be a good thing and a bad thing. But Amanda and I just love being part of the company so much. And you know, it's something that we just always encourage everyone just go out there, try it out. And don't panic, you won't have all the answers. Fortunately, there's Google that you can google a lot do.
Collin 14:41
I want to step back seven years ago, you both are in your corporate businesses in Merchandising, event planning communications, why did you decide it was time to take that step and go a into business together and be start a pet sitting and dog walking company? What was either the trigger or the thought behind that,
Amanda 15:03
we were on the client side of the pet industry having, you know, jobs where we traveled a lot and needed pet sitters of our own, whether it be in a boarding facility or hiring dog walkers, and we wouldn't have been able to do our jobs without it. So when we both got to a point, and it was just very simultaneous and very organic, where I was no longer fulfilled, fulfilled, and my job, I was, you know, having a successful career, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, I just felt in my heart that there was something more and I was young enough, and you know, was single and didn't have a family, where I needed to, you know, stay in a career and support them or anything. And there was just something pulling at my heartstrings saying, you know, this, isn't it, of course, you can always go back because, you know, but you never know, if you don't try something and, you know, I think and locka can speak on her part, but we both sort of just came to this sort of in the same point in our life. And we didn't know what we were gonna do, we needed a break, we literally took a break a summer off and just brainstormed and you know, prayed and talk to family. And with just knew something would work out. Because we were both smart and knew, if something nothing came about, you know, we could go back to our other jobs, or we could do something completely different. But it just turned out where this just completely fell in our lap. We were visiting friends, and you know, just saw, we were visiting friends in South Tampa. And we're talking to people and walking our dogs and people were actually asking us if we were dog walkers. And, you know, we love animals. But you know, we don't have a pet background, we just had dogs of our own. And we were, it was just this divine intervention where it was, you know, maybe, maybe we are dog walkers. Maybe this is you know what we're supposed to do. And maybe we'll try it. Maybe it'll last a week, maybe it'll last, you know, a month here. But it just really when people say things just work out and you know, work out how they're supposed to do this literally just fell right into our laps. And we just completely ran with it.
Lalka 17:39
Yeah. And just to touch on that, um, you know, I think the one thing that since we have the audience here, I want to tell everyone, people have this huge fear of failing. And I always tell us, I give this advice weekly to friends and family and just other people, I feel like the failure is not trying. It's not trying and then not succeeding. Because to Amanda's point, you know, the one thing My mom always told me, no one can take your education or your experience away from you, you know, you can, you can get fired, you can get laid off, and all that can be stripped from you in terms of your job and your paycheck. But one thing no matter what your education, your experience will always stay with you. So, you know, I would like to just put that out there because I think that's so crucial. People are just so nervous of trying because they're going to fail. And that's what scares them to do that. But the excitement is to try if it does not work out, you try again and you figure something out. And worst case, you can always do what you did in your other job. But I think when you go back after you try something, realizing that it's not still not making you happy, you're going to make that leap. And I think it's, you know, for me personally, leaving a six figure job in your city, living in Soho and having this amazing, glamorous, you know, life that everyone saw on the front end, deep down, it wasn't something that was fulfilling, when like I said, during 10 years in New York City, it just feels like eight years. So it was something that after 10 years, you get so burnt out. And it was at a point where I loved my job so much. And I know that I was good at it. But I was so unhappy and it was starting to show in my job. And one you're unhappy with your job and it pours and spills into your every day when you are waking up on Sunday and you're dreading the whole day because you know it's Monday and the Sunday blues are hitting you. I think that's when you know you have to reevaluate your life because you only have one of them and you want to make sure that you're fulfilled and happy. And so, for me, going through that every day and constantly complaining about my job and it wasn't fun anymore. I loved it. But there's a difference. We have to separate it when you work a job too much when you're exhausted when you're traveling and you're not even sure what day it is. You have to take a step back and unwind and enjoy the night. Both in unwinding at the exact same time. Coincidentally, we both were not we left their companies and happened to, you know, reconnect again in Florida. And to be honest, you know, we loved animals. So we knew that was a passion of ours, but for people to come up to us and ask us if we're dog walkers when we're just walking our friends dog, that was just, you know, I feel like God's in there saying, Hey, guys, I think you're onto something. Maybe you should dive a little bit deeper.
Collin 20:29
Yeah, it's one of those. Well, if if people are already assuming we're dog walkers, I guess that's something we can go ahead. And
Lalka 20:36
yeah, and it was interesting, because we were like, do you guys not have dog walkers here? Because it just seemed like there was a lack of it. And we were in this, you know, Hyde Park village, which is a very common area here. And we're like, No, no, we're just you know, we're taking a break or hanging out these are friends are used to our dogs. And so it just got us thinking. It's like, if people are coming up to strangers who have had and seeking service, do they not have that fear. And so that kind of when it unfolded everything where man and I started researching and seeing what's out there, but I think coming from being clients, because if I didn't have my dog walker in New York City, my poor dog would maybe not be here today, because I was traveling and working so much that until this day, I think about a bond shout out to Yvonne in Soho for all the New Yorkers listening, but she was the most amazing dog walker, pet sitter ever. And so, you know, it's an inspiration of like, what she did how hard she worked. I think about that, till this day, seven years later, and without her, I couldn't survive, and Amanda used daycare and boarding so much as well for her pets. So we just took all the experience from the client side, and we flipped it and then grew our clients.
Collin 21:50
Have you heard about time to pet krisann from raining cats and dogs has this to say,
Lalka 21:55
becoming a time to pet clients has been a game changer for us. We can give our pet services clients real time, cloud based information they never imagined they'd be interested in. And most importantly, to me personally, I can better manage my company and look forward to more and not a small thing. Time to pet is responsive to my requests for new features and modifications to existing ones.
Collin 22:20
If you're looking for new pet sitting software, give time to pet a try. our listeners get 50% off their first three months, when you go to typepad.com forward slash confessional coming from your corporate backgrounds and experiences what's it like running your dog walking and pet sitting company? And I guess, you know, do you feel successful in doing that?
Amanda 22:44
Well, at first, it's scary. Because you make the phone calls to your family and tell them what you're doing did going to do? And they're like, Well, good luck. And you know Godspeed. But you're crazy, right?
Lalka 23:03
But nervous breakdown. I think my mom Yeah, she's like you're going through a midlife crisis. I'm like, in my early 30s. So yeah, scary. Yeah,
Amanda 23:16
it is scary. But you do have to sort of have that faith. And for both of us, we just really had a piece about it. And if it had seemed wrong, I think we both would have felt that or if one of us was like, I don't know about this, I think it would have been different. But we were both just really gung ho about it and felt really good about it. And, you know, talking about what's more important in your life, happiness is what's important. You don't find the pet industry. For everybody listening. We all know this, you don't join the pet industry to make money or get rich, you join the pet industry, to be with animals and do something that you absolutely love. And that, you know, the animals give us more than we can ever give them. They love you unconditionally. They don't care what you look like, they don't care if you're, you know, brush your hair, thank goodness, they don't care what you're wearing. They don't care. You know, if you're having a bad day, they make your day better. And that is just so priceless. You know, there are tough days, there are days where, you know, we're like, what did I do? You know, I can't believe you know, how much little money we're making or and then some days, you know, it's like this is this is what we're supposed to do. But at the end of the day, we 100% feel successful. This is we never thought this would last seven years. Not that we didn't think we could do it. But just when you start something like this, you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know it. You know, there's not going to be a need anymore, you don't know if there's going to be a gift big company comes in and you know, wipes you out, it's just so much unknown, especially, you know, I'm sure we'll get into what happened this year, it's just completely unknown. And, you know, we're just more than anything proud of what we've built. And just out of all the clients that we've made happy out, that, you know, people can go on vacation and go to work every day and not worry about their animals and excited that we're coming and be happy to open their checkbooks, you know, to us and our staff, because without that, you don't have anything, you don't have to excited hire you, and telling all their friends, you know, it's really tough out there, you have a good reputation, you're golden, but, you know, just one or two clients who weren't happy. That's, that's, you know, that's, you don't want that in this industry. Because especially where we live, it's very small, which is good and bad. And everybody knows everyone, and we just use that to our full advantage. And, you know, it's that's really how, how it's worked out for us here in South Tampa.
Lalka 26:17
And I think one thing you know, to really touch on is, unfortunately, you know, it's 2020. And we're still speaking, like this, which is, you know, that money equals happiness. And I think, unfortunately, that's the thing that we all need to remind ourselves that it's not financial, that are going to make us happy. Now, when I say that a lot people are like, That's not true. If you have money, then you can travel, if you have money, you can buy the boat, or go out to eat, and they started listing all your stuff, and your listing everything that is, you know, majority is materialistic, but the other items both fade. And so you'll create those memories. But if you have to always go back to the job, you do not like, what does it matter that you're traveling or getting away, or going out to dinner or buying that special person wants, etc. So it doesn't matter. Because if you have to still go back to that job, you're not happy with to make that money. That's not fulfillment. And so the fulfillment part of it, and I loved on it, you know, it's such a cliche, and I think people say too much they don't believe anymore. It's like, oh, if you find what you do, and you love, and you're, you know, that'll make you happy. It's absolutely true. And the reason why people constantly say that is because we're living it. And so when you take away you stripped everything from you, whatever, if it's a big city life, you know, your hair, your makeup, your money, your personas, all that stuff. It doesn't matter at the end of the day, because if you're waking up to a company, you build you love, or you find a company that you can partner up together amazing company culture, where you're excited to get up, you're ready for the next projects, you know, you're actually not having the Sunday blues. That's the most important thing. So I asked everyone here is like, if you're dreading work on Sunday, to go into work on Monday, that's something you need to reevaluate. And everyone's like, Well, what do I do I need to pay rent, I need to pay my mortgage, I hate car payment. Absolutely, that all makes sense. But you can still find that thing that you love, and excel it because what happens is you need to start with the foundation of happiness and build from there, the money will come because if you do something you love, and you grow, and you expand, and you either you build and partner with the company, all that will come into play. But when people start with money, and that's all they're looking for, unfortunately, their happiness goes in the backseat. And so that's the most important part of it.
Collin 28:46
Yeah, you start making sacrifices in the sake of money, as opposed to your personal happiness. So the happiness of people around you, you start living outside of your purpose. And that doesn't go too well. Right? You face burnout, which both of you sound like you experienced in your other jobs, right? Because you were living outside of where your passion actually was. You had all the other materialistic impacts of what a quote unquote success looks like. But now able to make sure make everything aligned. Everything, everything just just fits and sounds like it's been a much better experience for both of you over the past seven years.
Lalka 29:21
Yeah, has been amazing. We're so fortunate. I mean, I'd be also lying to say, not doing hair, makeup and being in gym clothes every day has really sold if you're in Florida, so you have beautiful weather. So we we don't really miss that too much. So there is that perk. So we, you know, a couple of those dollars, we may have lost, we did benefit with that when everyone looks at us and they're like, Oh my god, you're in gym clothes, and you have your hair in a ponytail and you're very relaxed and you know, laid back Look, I'm like, you know what, that's what? This is our work clothes. So that's the fun part about I'll say
Collin 29:59
yeah, Earlier, you mentioned how both of you are still involved in some day to day operations for the company. But tell us about your team and how that hiring process was for you when you first got started. Yeah,
Amanda 30:11
the hiring process, you know, is definitely something that is scary at first, we do know from talking to dog walking companies, and also, you know, listening to podcasts and reading things that that sort of letting your baby go, you know, to somebody else's hands is already, you know, always really scary. For us, it was just something that needed to happen. We started in, you know, the website, and after we started the website, and it was official that we, you know, weren't just on Facebook. And it wasn't just our fliers everywhere, we really started to grow. And so the opportunity showed itself and we started hiring, we didn't start hiring in droves, but we definitely built up a decent team. And it never stopped from there, the most stuff we've had is 20. And right now we have eight, which we're really proud of just because of the year we've had where, you know, in March, we had to cut everybody, fortunately, and that was really sad. And since June, we've been building backup our staff. So the hiring process is really scary at first, you want that perfect person, you want to clone yourself, you want someone to love the company as much as you do. And you know that you can send them off into the world. And they are going to think like you and they're going to do everything like you do. But the fact of the matter is, is that's really, really hard to find. And so you hire some people that don't work out, and then you sort of find a formula, you find out that Oh, yeah, we do need to do background checks. Yes, we do need to talk to references. Yeah, we do need to tap into, you know, our staff that we already have, and tell them to post tell them to ask their church friends, tell them to ask, you know, their sororities and, you know, roommates and things like that. But it's definitely the most challenging piece, as I'm sure everybody who owns a dog walking company would agree, because you can't clone yourself. And we talked about that all the time is God, I just wish we could because we would have 200 staff, you know, we would be all over the country. And it would just be like, easy peasy, done. But the staff definitely makes, makes it so you can, you know, keep growing and doing what you love. So there is a fine balance and you find what works, you know, for us, what's worked is college, because of flexibility, you can obviously have a nine to five, and then help us burn lunch walks,
32:52
that's
Amanda 32:52
not gonna work. So, you know, we've tapped into yoga teachers, we've tapped into teachers who, you know, just teach at night, we've done all kinds of people. And we it's best to have, we learned to have a diverse staff to have college students who have the yoga teachers to have, you know, the people who just happen to help us on the holidays, the people who just helped us that night, instead of having, you know, one kind of staff where they can only do one thing and you're, you know, you're lost the rest of the time. So staffing is definitely something that we're always fine tuning, we're always looking for opportunities to find different kinds of staff, and you know, things like that, just it really just to make your life easier. You know, that's the whole point. If you were gonna do everything, you might as well just not have any staff and then just walk all the dogs. You know, that's, that's not really the point anymore. So, yeah, I
Lalka 33:55
think one of the stuff that I think, you know, just to kind of touch on that is the biggest fear that people have, you know, is starting a business or company or making that leap to different jobs. And so once you do that, I think that fear is, you know, once you figure out website and how do I get LLC is what my company's name is the second biggest fear that everyone has is, you know, to Amanda's point, we can't clone ourselves, that would be great, but we also need to grow. And so Amanda and I, when we launched in September of 2013, we had maybe six blocks. Now I say six blocks, and that was two clients, okay? They're not six different clients. October, maybe doubled November, triple December got, you know, maybe 40 watts total, again, a handful of clients. We come into January of 2014, and it just skyrocketed. We had 108 to visit them on when you're going from six in September and unless you know them six months ago. Your your numbers are drastically skyrocketing. We're like, wait a minute, some obviously, there's something here. And we're doing really well, Amanda and I are working around the clock, but it's not feasible if we walk, you know, even if we work at an ATM or sleep overs, everything, we couldn't even fulfill it. And so it comes to the next question. And a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of business owners, you know, their, you know, their next thing they're wondering is, do they hire? And everyone knows the answer is yes, you want to hire you want to expand, but who, how the perfect fit, are they going to mess with the company culture are they going to be wonderful client facing are they going to have the same love and passion and I think when you're hiring, you know, for a nine to five corporate agency job, which I have a lot in the past, this one is very different, because we are dealing with not just college kids, but a different spectrum. It is not a typical nine to five, you have to balance their schedule, but you're also entrusting them 100%, after we train, they're going in alone, and they're doing their schedule, and if they have weekly, and so we have to let go have those rains. And we felt like a parent at the time. So we actually hired our first employee in February, then asked in January spikes, so we're looking at five months, once we started the company, we had someone on board, and I mean, I we love her Emily, we're actually still keep in touch with her. She graduated with us in college, she's moved on to doing amazing things. But you know, we think about her a lot, because we put a lot of pressure. And I'm sure she probably seen it hurt at all, because we were so nervous. And thankfully, she was such a rock star. And she really worked so hard. So our first staff, we got lucky in the sense where we put all our trust into her and we receive that back. So I think it's that big fear of do I hire How many? They're not going to be like me, what do I do, and I want to just tell everyone that that's okay. They're not going to be like you, you're never gonna have that they don't own the company, they didn't start a company, they don't know what that is like, and it's okay, you can share your story. But some of them it's also part time, they're not living and breathing this, some of them are like, Hey, I'm going to college, I'm doing something else, you know, I just want some extra side money. And that's okay, too. So I think, Amanda and I learned a lot that by building a team were allowed to help others. And giving them that trust, they were able, you know, to be excited and felt like they were their own boss, and have their own schedule with their own paths. And so it actually worked out really well to finding the right people.
Collin 37:39
Yeah, there are a lot of those initial hurdles. And you know, you mentioned like, you hired your first employee, and you were nervous, both of you were nervous about bringing this person on, even though it sounds like it was something that you had done previously. So maybe talk a little bit more about that, what makes what makes hiring somebody for a pet sitting company, you know, so, so different and unique.
Amanda 38:00
Yeah, you know, it's different when you're hiring someone for a company that you work for. And when you're hiring someone for a company, that's yours, it's just a whole other level of, you know, this has to be right, we don't want to put all this time into this person, if it's not going to be right. We don't want to tell the clients that we're introducing someone to their pets, and you know, that has access to their home and all their personal belongings if it's not, right. So the pressure mostly, is that like Walker said, they they're going to be on their own, we're not going to be with them, we can't hold their hand, the whole time. You know, we have an extensive training process where we don't send anyone in blind to a home. And so that's something that, you know, we really take pride in, and we spend a lot of time in, but at the end of the day, eventually, you know, they aren't going to be on their own. And so you kind of just have to, you know, pray and hope for the best. And, you know, before you actually put them in that situation, you make sure it's okay. And you talk to them our interview process, we we end up talking to our candidates at least two or three times, to get to know them not just to you know, look at their resume, but to also get to know them as a person at the end of the day. They become part of our family, you know, we communicate with them 24 seven, we know you know, we know about their family, you know about their dreams and their goals and things like that. So it's not just someone that you know, you're hiring to come talk in somewhere and you train them for an hour or so when you let them you know, go and you never see them again, it's it's definitely forming a relationship and you're trusting them with your entire company, which is such a huge thing. So we really we really try to get to know our employees and like Walker was saying, you know, They have to really be interested in the culture of the company, when we hire people who, it's just a part time job to them, that's okay. But they really don't end up staying with us a long time. The ones who end up staying with us a long time are the ones who are so interested in the company, or they think it's so cool we did, or, you know, maybe they want to do something like this one day, and they just want to learn from the experience, or maybe they're just absolutely obsessed with animals. And it kind of takes all of those things to make up, you know, our perfect staff. And when you find someone like that, you you get more confident in your interview process. Because you think, okay, we can find more people like this, because they are out there, we're not the only two people that feel this way. You know, and so that's sort of the process of, you know, finding the right Stop it. I mean, it is in it's hard, it's challenging, but there are people out there, who, they're just one on the animals, and they want to do a good job for you too, because they see how much blood sweat and tears that we put into company. And, you know, and they appreciate it. And, you know, it just it takes a really special person.
Lalka 41:19
And, you know, just to let cap that off, you know, people would ask, like, you know, how do you find the right person? How do you know if you're hiring, right? You know, you'll figure that out, once you go through the interview process. And, again, spend a lot of time like Amanda said, we do extensive with interviews, references, background checks in person, you know, this year, we're doing some zoom interviews, and then we do in person. So it's a little bit challenging with COVID. But, you know, you have to be creative, and you still have to do the same thing, we're not going to compromise our process, because of this year with a pandemic versus what we've done the last six years. But I also say, you know, some people put so much pressure on the hiring process and finding the right person. You know, that's important. But once you do, the most important thing also is to keep that to make sure they're happy, make sure they feel that they're part of this team, check in, ask them how they're doing. And we also have all our tools set up in terms of our interview, after the interview process. We do one on one trainings of all our apps in the program, we also manage that we go one on one and we train personally to every house. A lot of other companies are like here, the key is getting their good lifestyle nice. For us. We do training on all the harnesses all the leashes, there's so much you have to deal with home thing as well, people don't think about, Oh, that's right. There's a garage code, there's an alarm, there's a special gate, there's someone you know, upstairs, like there's two things that you deal with not just pet but house. And so we think we have to remind everyone that I know we always try to put pressure in the interview and hiring but have the tools beforehand so that we can equip our staff with that, so that they have a guidebook and be like, what do I do when it is pouring down rain? And I don't you know, do I walk the dog in the rain? I mean, we get this question all the time. And so in the handbook, you can reference and be like, Oh, I know what to do. So I think it's really important for entrepreneurs, business owners, managers to remember that, you know, that process is difficult, and you have to be patient. But you also have to have all the tools to click on with them. Because I think that sometimes these mistakes that maybe the staff make, and they're so they're innocent. You know, we always Amanda, and I look back every day, and we're like, you know what, we should put that in the handbook. That's why it's not there, or maybe, you know, elaborate on it, because they didn't understand that or, you know, we sit there and say, you know, maybe we have to do better time and spend, you know, more time with training. And you know, maybe we rush that process. So we never try to blame the staff, we always try to look back at us and say, you know, what, can we do better as managers to give them those tools, because they cannot be successful without us helping them? And, you know, we always put that, you know, pressure on us. Because when something goes wrong, I'm like, What could I have done to make that not happen? And honestly, every single one of those mistakes have made us grown and we don't we try not to make it again. So a lot of our mistakes are one time and we don't want to repeat them. But I think you know, people worry about team and staff. But if you're equipped on the back end, the process should be as smooth as possible.
Collin 44:31
So give us a little idea and a little sense of what it's like running a pet care business in Tampa.
Lalka 44:37
So pet Tampa is awesome, because one thing that and I don't know if you actually saw this, but it was just released in July through wallet hub. That Tampa Bay got voted number one most pet friendly in the US. And so when we saw and heard that we jumped up, down, we celebrated We're like, this is amazing. That means 100 more million clients are coming our way. And so living in the city that is ranked number one for most pet friendly, and we see it all the time. But I don't think that process until it's actually in print. And being able to have so many clients how and in just south Tampa alone. So one fact that we love to tell people that they get so fascinating. We just deal with South Tampa Tampa Bay is massive. We have a camper around us with BMP in Tampa, Brandon, there's so many different areas. But for Amanda and I, we both live in South Tampa. And we both do majority of our walk, pet visits, etc. In this area, the area that we cover is a five mile radius. So everyone out there, that's extremely jealous right now they're like, wait, I'm driving 40 miles, or it takes me an hour here. And this not everything spread out. I'm so confident. But don't I'm kidding. It's spread out. No, but like Amanda and I are so lucky because we have a very small radius. And that's how dense this area is. And so I amplify that, which is why I think we got number one. And obviously this is a bay area. But just south Tampa alone. Everyone has a pet, a dog or a cat. And if you have a dog, you know what restaurant you're going to your dog is going everywhere with you. They're outside, they're playing, there's so many dog parks here. So we're fortunate that the area that we chose to launch this company is an area that we've seen in the last seven years make it to number one, we knew it was very dense with the pets here. But it has grown so much. I mean, the lot the money that benek is putting into the city, I mean, you can see the Superbowl is coming here, February, you know, people are excited about all of that. We're growing extremely fast. And when you come You know, you've been to South Tampa, but it is actually really small, you can learn to drive in ob. And so as exciting that is and we mentioned that earlier that Amanda said this city is small could be a good thing and bad thing you do run into everyone. So you know, if you're not feeling your best, or you didn't brush your hair, you just have to be prepared for it. You know, don't walk your dog in your pajamas, you know, like people will comment and laugh about it. But it is such a wonderful city because the one thing that we've noticed is the community here, the market is so great, not just so it being pet friendly. But everyone really helps each other. Everyone's so friendly. I think, you know, I always asked myself with Amanda, like, what would the experience like be in a different state? What would this experience like be in another city? Would it be the same? And it's hard to answer that question, because we got very lucky not only with the weather and the five mile radius and being ranked number one, you know, the people here are what keeps us honest as well, because they're really genuine, they're very sweet. People love asking you how your day is, and I help you out. And we see that often larger cities is a little bit harder, because everyone's running around, especially you know, as a New Yorker, I know that your head down, you're just trying to make your next destination. But we're really fortunate to have so many of the check marks. And plus, when you're looking at you know, if anyone's trying to open a dog walking pet sitting company, we are very fortunate to have such a great community here. And so pet friendly, we love it. We talked about all the amazing positive stuff. The one thing that we also always try to reiterate is, if it was so easy to start a dog walking business, everyone would be doing it and we've seen so many companies come and go in the last seven years and everyone's like, what happened or why didn't work and the things that we share the feedback from the community, it's a lot of work, you know, you think about the radius and the weather, you know, and how beautiful it is. And it's Florida and not much driving here in our Tampa area. But when you actually lay it all out, I mean, a lot of clients is difficult with some pets that have specific needs either seizures or medicine or diapers. You know, so there's a lot of accidents, there's cleanup so that's the non glamorous side and then we talked about so the weather is gorgeous, but June July and August. I mean you're roasting out here You can't even breathe and you're walking 610 12 dogs and you're like getting a tan but it's not the good time you know, the poor pets struggling through that feed as well. You know, and then the house stuff that comes with it, you know, alarm then people home and running around and pets not there. And so like it's the everyday things that you go through that we usually don't talk about the only people that talk about other dog walkers and pet sitters, you know in your forum, but in actuality it's it's definitely hard work and I even look at our staff, they go out there and it can be raining. It's hurricane season they II and so it's so much that you put on your body and it's a physical job that people are like, Oh, it's famous puppies all day. I would love to save a day to play with a lot of puppies, but it's not When a when results come puppy accidents that really tell everyone you know, I hope you don't like your outfit you're wearing because it will get dirty. But there's a lot that comes to it. So you know, we kind of talked a little bit about all the awesome positive stuff to it. But it is so much hard work. And that's why to Amanda's point, you have to love what you do and be so passionate about it. Because it is the everyday grind of dealing with so many different types of breeds temperament, obviously, the clients, you know, the weather driving around from house to house to house, it kind of all factors in, but we're very fortunate to have such a great balance,
Collin 50:36
something that I wanted to pick both of your brains on here, it's something that I find really cool is that you first met back in 2003, as both of you stayed back at Florida State University. What's it been like working together? For in a business for seven years now? Yeah, that's
Amanda 50:55
what everybody asks us. And, um, you know, that's something that everybody kind of wants to know the answer to. And, you know, we talk about it all the time. And it's, it's something that not everybody can do, obviously, you know, it's, you have to know the person already. And jumping into a business with someone you don't know, is something that I would never recommend. But I know people do that. And I know, I'm sure sometimes it works out great. For us, you know, we had, you know, lived together for a long time, which I would highly recommend, if you're going to start a business with someone young, like we did, is, you know, maybe you might want to live with that person. Because as we all know, you know, you can be best friends with somebody, and then you may live with them. And you guys might end up hating each other. Because, you know, the real deal comes out when you actually live with someone. And that's the truth. And so, you know, we had already lived together we had lived together in New York. And so, you know, that was sort of already under our belt, and we knew, you know, each other very well, obviously. So, you know, that was something that was already something major that we had been through. And also just finding somebody that you 100% trust. And that sounds really simple. But at the end of the day, you know, there aren't a lot of people like that the leading foot, like we talked about already for this job is happiness, and it's definitely not money. And so if you're leading foot with this business is money, and one of you really cares about money, and the other doesn't really, or you both really care about money, you know, that's going to be a recipe for disaster. For Laura and I were both, you know, just very honest, when things are tough, you know, things are tough, and we agree, and we're like, let's get through this together, when things are great. You know, it's like, Yay,
53:01
we did that. That's awesome, you
Amanda 53:03
know, pat on the back. And, you know, the advantage of running a company with your friend is that you can High Five each other. We talked about a lot of these other companies that it's one man show, which, you know, is completely understandable, but they don't really have anyone to lean on, except, you know, maybe their family members or their other friends. But we'll walk on I found out really quickly was when you talk to your friends and your family about this business, they don't understand it, because they're not in it. And people are like, what is it so hard? It's dog walking, like, Get a grip? Like, why are you guys stressed? or Why are you always working or just hire someone to do that, you know, and it's like, we we are doing our best and, you know, it's just, it's harder than it sounds, you know, you're dealing with hundreds of clients, you're dealing with all of these stuff. And so, you know, having each other to lean on has definitely, you know, helped in that. And, you know, when you're stressed out, it's like, okay, you know, you're having a stressful day, let me take this or, okay, you know, we're, let's, you know, we're doing really great, let's have a day off, or I'm going to cover this and you cover that. And, you know, we hear you know, like I said, we talked to dog walkers all the time in our area, and we're good friends with them. And they always say, well, we you guys have each other. And they'll say, you know, they'll complain and, and they'll say Yeah, but you do that and you do that. And it's like you're right. Like sometimes you take it for granted. It's like Yeah, sometimes, you know, we do pick up slack and sometimes, you know, it's um, you know, and it's important to do that and being selfless in it, you know, walk in, I like we both love this company equally. It's not like one of us is out to lunch. And the other, you know, is like, you know, I'm obsessed with this. It's like we're both on the same level. And so she knows when she's away, everything's great. I know when I'm away, everything's great and we don't have to worry about it. And you know, just being fully transparent and being honest with each other, that is the main, the main thing, and I mean, it is a it is a challenge owning a business. And you know, we go through a lot, but we go through it together. And it's never like we feel alone. And I think it would be really hard feeling alone sometimes in this business because it can be lonely, I can see how it could be lonely if you were doing it on your own for sure.
Lalka 55:26
I think the one thing that really worked for Amanda and I and this might not work for everyone, but I think what was really great is that we are polar opposites on so many different things. I can talk to a wall for like 19 hours and Amanda's like, No, thank you, you know, I do like to crunch numbers and be on the back end from all her merchandising experience on like, wow, I don't know, I rather do marketing and front facing stuff. And that's what I'm used to. And you see a lot of her stuff from, it goes all the way back to our previous jobs. And so the great thing about it is that we lifted everything down of what we all like and what we want to manage, so that I'm not doing something that, you know, I'm not really that interested in, and Amanda loves it. So we had to make sure to create that separation. So everything that she loved and wanted to be heard of, and that she wanted to take the lead on, I was like, go ahead, that's awesome. And vice versa. And there would be things that you know, we each jump in and help because obviously, you need all hands on deck when it comes to things because it's a lot overwhelming. But I think that's the most important thing as business owners, if you do have a partner, sit down before you start anything I know you're gonna be like, what can we name the company? And then and take a step back, forget the name. Think about each other's roles, like what role do you play with this company? And what will you contribute that you love, that'll make you happy, and that it won't sacrifice why you're working so hard, because nothing is worse than busting your butt. You're putting 1215 hour days or working 6080 hour weeks, and you're not happy and you're just staying with it because it's the company you started and you're hoping something will change? Well, it won't change if you're not changing the way you operate. And so it's really important to be strategic. This goes back to us having all the tools for our staff, Amanda and I needed the tools for ourselves. So we're starting a company and it was like, Well, what do you like, what do I like, I'll do that. I'll take that, you know, we started with this to do list. I mean, seven years later, we don't need a real to do list. It's more like, I'm going to run with this, you're gonna run with that. And we both kind of just separate divide and conquer. But I think that's the great thing is that Ying Ying Yang with our personality and what we love, that's what worked really well. You know, if you're going to have two extroverts in the room, or to introvert, it's going to be harder, can it be done? Absolutely. But I think you have to outline everything in the very beginning before you jump right in, you know, and the point to other dog walking companies. We love setting up monthly coffees, I mean, now with COVID, it's a little bit harder, but Amanda and I would do happy hours with a lot of other companies. You know, people are like, That's crazy. You're sitting with your competitors, they're not our competitors. This is family, and we all love animals. And some of these, some of the best laughter has come from these sit downs, because we all sit and we can vet and have that amazing circle of trust and love. And no one's gonna understand it. Like Amanda said, your parents, your significant other, your family, your friends, they are going to tease you they smile and nod and they're like, Okay, I think she'll be done soon. But we can go on and on and on. But when we sit down with other dog walking and pet sitting company, it's so refreshing, of course, they have to have the same mind like us with, we're not competitors or family, we have come across other companies, you know, you you feel, you know, they're a little bit nervous, and they go that competition route. But the ones that do sit with us. It's really I think they lean on us a lot too, because Amanda and I have each other and they don't. So when they hang out with us, and we sit there for hours and hours and talk, they're like, thank you so much. We needed that because we don't have anyone else to vent to or ask like, what do you do in this situation? or How much do you pay for that? Or where do you you know, give a good vendor for this. We share all our resources. I mean, we sit down with some other companies, they were seven years, there's 10 years, 12 years, 15 years, I mean, they have longevity versus us. But I think with us having the background that we do work so well together, and there's two of us, people really do like sitting down and we can kind of just talk about everything and and that's something that we're certainly fortunate of and we have to remind ourselves that having two brains is better than one
Collin 59:39
it is and you know it's it's as Amanda you said like it's trusting and loca it's trusting their strengths, right and trusting that these motives are there with the other person that they're that they're good that you they have best interests at heart and that that's, gosh, that's really hard to get especially with somebody that you don't know. So, you know, Fast Track Business School, you know, room with your business partner, I guess for a little bit to see if it's gonna work out.
Lalka 1:00:07
I think we roomed together because we had no money cuz we drained our savings to start the cow. I think that's the truth of it. But Amanda, right, you want to see, you know, are they putting their laundry away now? And who's doing the dishes?
Collin 1:00:22
Yeah, absolutely It does. It does show you a lot of stuff. But it just gets down to like, getting to know that person and building that trust in that relationship. So you know, you've got this, these work hats that you wear, and you've got these friendship hats that you also wear? How do you create a balance or dividing line between those to maintain a healthy balance?
Lalka 1:00:41
No, I think that was our toughest thing that we had to kind of figure out together. And the only way to do it is a slow process day to day. The benefit of Amanda and I being roommates in the beginning was really awesome, because instead of texting and calling each other, they did not live together, we were next to each other on the couch, surrounded by all our dogs with our laptop, and just figuring out all the problems putting a plan, marketing, strategizing, and we were with each other. So it was 24 seven. So initially building a company and having that close proximity was only a benefit to both of us. It doesn't mean everyone should move out and live with your business partner. It worked for us because we wanted to obviously save money. But doing this together really helped because it was 24 seven, and when you're starting a business, your first year to two, I would say first year to three, but mainly your first year it is 24 seven, and you are learning so much, and you are making a lot of mistakes, but you hope to only make that mistake once like I said, so that was something that we really benefited from. But once we got the company up and running, we had a team, we realized that if we live together, we actually going to work too much. And you do have to take a break. And you do have to take that hat off. And so when we obviously moved down and we got our own places, it forced us to actually stop having that worktop and we weren't talking about work 24 seven so that we can have you know, those personal friendship conversations. You know, we have the same friends from college that we'd go hang out. And it was really nice to actually not talk about work. So it is something that you have to separate it it's hard to divide their time demand, and I would be out to dinner, and we'd be talking about, you know, this new movie that came out. And I'd be like, on the side be like, Oh my god, did you see that? From the client, we should respond to it. And then we get into work conversation. And we like to stop ourselves because we're like, admin, and we're out, we're trying to have fun, it's our night off, you know, so I think it's really hard to shut like shut off work mode, especially as an entrepreneur, but if you don't separate it is extremely difficult. So it was nice to have those that lights together in the beginning to kick this off. And I think that's what made us learn much faster, because we were able to have that, you know, togetherness time. But once we got it up and running, and we felt more comfortable, where we don't have to sleep, you know, breathe, eat, go home, it was nice to kind of go our separate ways. Start our life with new families and friends and significant others and you know, share those experiences and you know, not just make this whole thing about work because they think that's the hard part. If you just have it about work it, it makes it more stressful.
Collin 1:03:33
Yeah, it's about creating that space both physically, you know, like you guys did, like, okay, we've gained this physical space, we're also going to create space with time. So we've got these office hours we got these work hours that we can have, we know when we're off the clock, what we're going to talk about what we're not to keep that going and to keep those hats separate because that is really important. You don't want to ruin a good friendship relationship with a bad working relationship and vice
1:03:57
versa.
Collin 1:04:00
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Amanda 1:05:15
that is something that you have to make sure that you are both 100% all in. And I think that's probably one of the most important things is, it's okay to try something. And it's okay also for it to not work out. But if you are both not in it, 100% and somebody else is doing more work than the other, I think that would be, you know, really stressful. Doing something that you both entirely love, you know, would be the most important part of it. And doing something new would be, you know, is even more challenging. If it's something that you know, you already do, and you want to join forces and do together, you know, that, to me would be a lot easier. But doing something new is just, you know, and having fun with it, you know, we learn so much along the way, like Walker said, we learned stuff every day, but you have to be able to have someone that you are comfortable making mistakes in front of, we learn new things all the time, and we'll mess things up or, you know, I'll say, Okay, I'll take care of that. And then I do it, and it is a disaster. And it has to be you know, with someone where you're like, Okay, I did this, and I need help, or this was my best shot, like, I need someone else, you know, or we need to find someone to help us with that, or we don't know how to do this, neither of us do, like, we need to reach out and pay someone to do that, or pay someone to show us how to do it, you know, because at the end of the day, you're really, you're really just making it up all as you go. And everything's new, from you know, bookkeeping to, you know, we no longer had a marketing background, but you know, not a dog walking marketing background. And so you know, she's taking those things and use it for dog walking, but you know, from building a website to, you know, finding apps, trying apps using apps that, you know, didn't work and, you know, moving on to the next one, but, you know, having humility, I think is such a big part of it, if you have a business partner that, you know, you are intimidated by, or stressed out by and you're like, Oh, God, like, I was supposed to take care of this, but, you know, it's, it doesn't look good, or it's not great, or they're not gonna like that, I think that would be just really detrimental. And I just, I don't think that it would last that long. But if you have someone you're like, Oh, hey, like, I learned this, or did you see this on, you know, the new app, or, you know, I tried this out, and it worked really great. I think it that that part of it is fun. And at the end of the day, you want it to be fun, you know, it's it's so much more fulfilling, when it's fun, and not just like, Oh, here we go again, like we have to do this. It's, you know, what's the point if you're not having fun with it? And at the end, it's dogs, you know, so really, you know, come on, there's nothing more fun than dogs well, to us.
Lalka 1:08:28
You know, I think if the, you know, listener was reaching out to us, and they said, Hey, I haven't heard a company, but my best friend and I are talking about it, before thinking of and I always say the name because I feel like that's where everyone starts. They're like, okay, we're gonna start this business. What should we call it? Like, that's because it's fun, everyone's excited. But I think the first step and like I said before, is sit down and have a real conversation. And the real conversation is, we may start this and this may fail, you know, fail. So what would your feeling beyond that, you know, hey, we may start this, and we're gonna make $10 How do you feel about that? Hey, we may start this, and we don't agree on something, what's our best approach? You know, hey, we're gonna start this company and we're gonna fight, you know, should we walk away? Or should we wait an hour, you know, to just hash it out then like, so I think the, you know, bottom line is have an open, honest conversation with that person that you want to start the company with. And if you are already in, you know, the position where you both have the company together and you're struggling, it's okay. I think the one thing with Amanda and I, we each can tell when one of us is more tired than the other. And so we'll say take a break, take a day off overlock you know, we could see your head spinning. So I'll take over and then you take over you know, another time and I think that's important when it comes to a business relationship that you're already in. Knowing the other person, and what are their limits, or when they need a break, because it is a lot. And sometimes my limits may be more than Amanda's. Amanda's may be higher in certain things than mine. And so it's time to find that balance, but reading your partner, your business partner, and being able to know that's like, hey, let's take a break, or let's table this conversation, you know, so it always goes back to honestly no matter what, but it's being a great team member, where you can actually, instead of worrying about all the stuff, they didn't do focus on the stuff they have, and help them out either, you know, elevate the other things that are sitting and waiting and work as a team together. Or if they need time off and happier with just feeling overwhelming, or they have other things personally going on. I mean, that's okay. And so it's important to just come together during those really tough times. And instead of fighting and disagreeing, it's really taking a step back, analyzing everything, come back together and work as a team and remind each other, why did you start this company? What was it that brought us here together, I can make this happen and how much work we've already invested. And so right now we're focusing on the small stuff, like, wait, you didn't do that, and you forgot to pay that. And I told you to research that or whatever those conversations are, forget about it, because you have to remember that you started this company together. And there was a reason and that was a foundation. And that has been lost, you know, during that journey, and so you have to go back to day one. Remember why you started that. And if you come to a point where you're like, you know, maybe one of the presenters, someone might not be in it as much as they were before, that's actually Okay, that goes back to being honest. And so the other person needs that opportunity to figure out what their next step is, they're fully invested. So you know, all of that is okay. But it just goes back to honesty, and really just working as a team during the hard time.
Collin 1:11:54
Yeah, and I like hearing that because it is, it's being creating a space that each of you has confidence and security enough, and you're in each other and in the relationship, to fail to try new things. And to be honest about that to go, Hey, this isn't really working out for me anymore. Or, hey, I think you need to take a break and trusting and knowing that the other person has your best interests at heart at the end of the day, and they want to see it succeed just as much as you do. And remember that in those hard in those tough times, for sure, it
Amanda 1:12:21
doesn't work out if both of you are stressed out in, you know, it's just, it's best to just sort of play off each other's strengths. And, you know, recognize all of that, because at the end of the day, you know, it's it's not brain surgery, we're not saving lives, you know, we're taking care of animals, and, you know, it's, it's just, it's rewarding. And, and that's what it's supposed to be. So when you're getting stressed about the little things like walk us out about, you know, paying this bill, or, you know, doing this task, it's like, wait, let's take it back. Why are we doing this, it's for the animals, let's go walk a dog, that's a dog, let's go see a cat, you know, cuz that's why we're doing this in the first place.
Lalka 1:13:08
And take turns if you need to, like get a calendar and be like, okay, Monday, you're you can be grumpy. And I'll rock it out, and then do that. I'm gonna be grumpy and you rock it out. I feel like maybe sometimes you just have to, like, take turns. And I think this actually goes for even relationships. But I think it's good to have that balance and swapping out. Because if you're both having a bad day, on the same day, it just makes things a little bit harder. I would say rotate the days a little
Collin 1:13:39
thinking about some of your favorite resources that you've used over the years that you use in your business, maybe that you first started off learning from or that you use to this day, what are some of your favorites that more people need to be reading, listening to or using?
Lalka 1:13:53
I love this question a lot. Because I'm an avid reader. I live for a podcast, when I'm not playing with puppies. I'm addicted to any crime podcast for anyone out there that has any recommendations for more, I'm running out. And so I think that resources when it comes to reading podcasts, connecting with the community, all of them are so so so crucial. So I want to talk a little bit about actually this podcast because we came across it later than I wanted to, to be honest, I wish we were there on episode one with you guys. Because just listening to each one back to back. I mean, it's kind of fun, because we have a lot to catch up on. So we've been trying to listen to all of them. But this podcast was so informative and it took like a minute for us to be like wow, we really forgot about something in this aspect. You know, or Well, we never thought about that and or we didn't think about it. That's seven years ago, we should bring this back to the table. So you know I do want to start off by saying a podcast like this is what keeps us excited and going, we are in a podcast world now, you know, this was not here seven years ago. If it was, it would have been awesome because we would have listened to you. And maybe our job would have been a lot easier, you know. But when it comes to listening and catching up everything now and I feel like podcasts crazy in the last couple of years, this is something that we really, really, really love. And so we connect with so many different ones, you know, we have not besides you guys, but you know, we also looked into selling your business, she talks about a lot of dog walking stuff, Kristin Lee mind your own dog business. You know, that's also a great podcast as well. So I think it's important to try so many different ones. You hear different perspectives, different angles, they have different guests. And so you're able to learn about so many different ones. But honestly, you're this one right here, the one that got us really excited. You know, we talked about the one that you it was Episode 59. And it was with Natasha O'Bannon, and she has some really great advice. And you know, one thing that I will not forget about that. And the reason why I remember number 59 is because when she told me or told the world, that she doesn't tend to form gigs, Mondays through Friday, I was like, What the hell am I doing wrong? You know, and I started laughing. And I texted him and I'm like, we're closing the company. That's it. We're not working for 10. We're not working after four. And I was like, wait, I'm not, you know, I don't have kids. I don't know if I can do that. And our poor clients, that would be so sad. And so you know, it was really fun listening to it. But I think what I learned from that podcast, specifically was not about me changing, you know, our business strategies to fit the hurt, it was reminding us, what can we do to scale, it makes sure that we are doing the right thing for us. And so, you know, we're kidding, we're not going to close down and just be tender for but it was a really great reminder of how Amanda and I have our hands into everything, we're constantly, you know, part of the conversation with our client part of a conversation with our staff. And I think, you know, that podcast reminded us to just take a minute and, you know, lean more on the managers let the staff be, you know, a little more self sufficient, you know, not being 24, seven available to our clients. And it's not a bad thing. It just means we have a life and they want that for us. And they don't even realize that, you know, if you email us at 5am Well, I get up that early. So I'm always responding back. And so I'm creating the madness to so I'm part of that problem. And I think, you know, listening to podcasts like that, others it just remind you of things that you're doing and what can you change? And how can you grow. It's really nice to hear other people's feedback, because you're sitting there when I'm listening to get my car or walking the dog, I'm like, we're not crazy. There's always do the exact same thing. And so I think that we love that it's so it's a kind of a virtual community and to connect with so many different states, you know, from my living room, or in my car, I think that is the gift of podcast. So I know I'm preaching a lot on podcasts, but I do love it. And I think that's great. The other thing that we will highly recommend is what vendors are you using. So if you're using time to pet for your app, like they have such great articles, you know, they do client spotlights, they have such great feedback. They're also connected with so many different companies, you know, talk to that and see what their newsletters are like, what insurance company they use pet sitters associates is who we use. And so we get feedback and information from them. They have forums that we use, there's a lot of Facebook groups that we encourage, you know, going through all that if you're thinking of certain company be part of that now you don't have to purchase all of that you can literally just learn on Facebook groups, make phone calls, ask for just an information meeting. And people really love that they want to inspire others they want to help there's there's a lot of people that actually would love to help. So I think it's just making that phone call dropping that email setting up that coffee chat. The other thing is shelters me like we said we work with Humane Society in the pet Resource Center, either the county shelter, just talking to them and curring their shelters and learning what their everyday life is and what they need and how we can help as a company and use this platform to promote rescues is something that we're so fortunate and so even connected with them, we've learned so much, you know and plus they also have team members that are part time there and they want to be part time dog walkers. So even connecting to get, you know, build your team up in that community is extremely helpful. But the only other thing is reading. I think that's fundamental that is extremely important. And I the one book that has got me through a lot of this from a business perspective, and it's one of my favorites and I literally handed out like candy or I tell everyone to download it and read it but Tony Shay's book was It's called Delivering Happiness. I don't know if you read it, but he's one of the founders from Zappos. And he talks solely about company culture and quitting working for different companies, so that he could find happiness in what he does. And he did accomplish that today, he has been doing it for, you know, so many years now. But when you read the book, you, you hear his story from the start to end, and how he gave us so much money, and I'm talking millions of dollars, you know, just to find happiness, while others would have stayed in his job worked for Microsoft, those big corporate companies. And they would be like, absolutely not not getting rid of my bonus, or I'm going to stay here, six more months, I can get my bonus, and then I'm going to quit. And he talks about the journey of how everyone that's finding their way through just that financial quitting is not going to be happy, and making that leap early on, because some people don't want to take that risk. They're very nervous to make that leap. And so if you stay below, on the stage, you'll be shocked at sometimes you're like, wait, why am I here a year later, I thought it was gonna quit a year ago. And sometimes, you know, making that leap is when you're excited, you're ready, just do it. And he talks about that journey. So I really recommend that book, because they think it's something that people need to understand that someone who had the opportunity to make millions would turn it down so that they can just build a company from the ground up. And, you know, full circle, he is making millions. So it all worked out and benefit. But he you know, he talks a lot about company culture. And that's what has been featured on every single you know, fortune one to 100 500 company, people are following their ethos people are even writing, texting, emailing, finding out, like, what do you guys do differently? When How can I bring that to the table? And when you talk about his interview process, and getting to know people, and just asking personal questions, you know, and having an an HR person for the business, but then having a company culture person interviews to see if you're, you know, you mesh with the company. And I think that's really important. When Amanda and I do the hiring process. We want to be like we're talking this person every day, can we connect with them? Can we envision talking all the time and emailing and having you know them at staff events and volunteer events. So, you know, that is something that's really great for those who want to feel inspired. And they're not sure how to maybe make that first step? I think it's a great book. To start with,
Collin 1:22:28
I'll make sure and have links to everything that you've included in the show notes and on the web page, so people can go and listen to those. And thank you so much for your kind words about this podcast. It really does. It means an awful lot to know that it's having that impact. And Natasha is awesome. I would love every time I get to talk with her about all that stuff. Yeah. Yeah. And that's our that's our goal to bring a diversity of backgrounds, voices and influences and get people to telling their stories, because that's just, it's something that we all need, especially in New Year's like 2020. And so we're, we're really thankful for that for the opportunity. And for you guys coming on today. I know we kind of blitzkrieg through seven years of a lot of work, hard work and stuff that you used to have been working on. So I know there's a lot of questions left out there. If listeners want to get connected, follow along and see everything that you are doing how best can they do that?
Amanda 1:23:25
The best way is to follow our Instagram. And it's just at Soho house, one word, you can see all of our clients, all of our staff, all the fun things, we do all the events, we attend all the events that we throw, and things like that. And also, if they want to get in touch with us, they can go to our website, and it is a Soho house. calm.
Collin 1:23:48
Awesome. Really cool. Thank you too, so much for coming on today. It's been a real pleasure. I love hearing your story and how you guys are working together to make a really awesome business that both of you are so passionate about, and that it's feeding you and making sure that you guys are are living that dream and living that happiness. I just I love the story. So thank you so much for coming on today.
Lalka 1:24:09
Thank you for having us. Yeah,
1:24:12
we appreciate it so much.
Lalka 1:24:14
We know how hard it is to put all this together. So we love the fact that you are connecting everyone via this podcast that we're thankful.
Collin 1:24:23
Thank you so much. I had two big takeaways from my conversation with Amanda and locka. The first one was to have confidence in yourself that you are enough and that you are capable, that really struck a chord with me, especially going through last year when there was a lot of self doubt going on. It's still true today. So I hope that you're able to take that one away with you as well. The second one is that if you're going to go into business with a friend, to have good boundaries, to have good systems in place, and to trust the other person, trust is so key in everything thing that we do, it's at the core of our business clients trust us to take care of their pets, to be reliable, to be moral to be ethical, we have to extend that same trust and even more so to our friends, to our family, to those that we bring into our business to take part into that we bring them in for a reason. We recognize their strength, and then we trust them to accomplish the goals that they have, and that we all want to see success in the business. A big thank you to this week's sponsors, time to pet and pet perennials. And a huge thank you to you for listening, for sharing and for being part of this growing community. Megan, and I thank you so so much for your support and for your generosity and for tuning in every single week to help you have a wonderful weekend and we'll be back again on Monday.
