199: Laying Strong Foundations with Heather Branch
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Summary:
Why should we have a good support community and what does it mean to be an advocate for the pet care industry?
Heather Branch, owner of Best Friends Forever Pet Services and a board member of NAPPS, shares about the tribe around her business and gives advice for building a strong foundation. Her tribe, which includes her staff, help make her better and continue to push for more education and excellence. She stresses the importance of learning about running a business and not just focusing on the pet care.
Heather also encourages us to get involved in the pet care industry at the local and national level to start advocating for the industry and let our voices be heard.
Topics on this episode:
Laying strong foundations
Keeping good staff
Finding joy
Getting involved and advocating
Main take away: Your voice is important! Get involved and help shape the industry for the future!
About our guest:
Heather Branch Is the founder and managing member of Best Friends Forever Pet Services, LLC ™ She has dedicated her life to pet care for the last 9 years! She is a lifelong owner of cats and owner of rescue dog Sam, a 4 year-old Bouvier des Flanders/Poodle mix (Flandoodle!!!)
One of her cats "Buddy" had cancer and survived 2 1/2 years after diagnosis. He was treated with chemo and daily medication. Shortly thereafter her little beagle "Dixie" had severe IBD for several years at the end of her life. Izzy suffered with Cushings Disease and Canine Dementia. Along with a holistic, homeopathic approach and crucial attention to nutrition, diet and supplements, Heather possesses a unique skill and empathy caring for sick, elderly animals especially in a hospice situation.
Heather is certified by the Animal Behavior College as a dog trainer and veterinary assistant and has successfully completed Pet First-Aid & CPCR training, Pet First Aid & CPCR Instructor Training, as well as classes on Caring for your Senior Pet, and Understanding Canine Body Language. She is trained and professional; certified by the National Association of Professional Petsitters and currently serves on the Board of Directors for NAPPS.
Links:
Email Heather: heather@bffpetservices.net
Give us a call! (636) 364-8260
Follow us on: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, & TuneIn
Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, business, pet, clients, industry, pet sitter, dog, helping, sitters, thinking, overnight, years, job, naps, knew, pandemic, staff, animal behavior, hear, foundation
SPEAKERS
Collin, Heather Branch
00:17
Hi, I'm Meghan. I'm Collin. And this is pet sitter confessional, and open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter
Collin 00:24
brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials. Why is having a good support system so important to your business? And how can we be better advocates for the pet care industry? Today Heather branch owner of best friends forever pet services and a naps board member joins us to discuss the pivotal role that her support network played in getting her business off the ground and continuing throughout the years. And why being involved at the national level helps us be better advocates for the pet care industry to help us all be better at what we do. Let's get started.
Heather Branch 00:58
Oh, thank you, Colin. I'm really excited to be on the show. Thank you for having me. And yeah, I just got it. My my my business name is best friends forever pet services here in Los Angeles, in the north part of Los Angeles, Northridge. That's where I live, which is you might remember that from the Northridge earthquake many years ago. But so that's that's where I live. And I do my work around here. So yeah, I've been in business for 10 years. And I worked with my own wonderful pet sitter prior to that, and I had laid a good foundation to build my business. And I didn't just jump right in thinking I knew everything I really took the time to learn. So yeah, but I've been in business 10 years and 2014, three years, and I was named the Business of the Year through nap, which was great. This is really great honor for that. And then a couple years later, at a conference that inapt conference, the president at the time came up to me and said, you know, it's time for you to start volunteering. And I always love going to the conferences. So I volunteer on the conference committee. And then they need to perform events, the Board of Directors, so they asked me if I would step in and be willing to put myself out there to be allowed to do so.
Collin 02:27
Yeah, and I definitely want to pick your brain about what it's like being a board member for naps. But I thinking back, you know, you mentioned that you had a really close relationship with your your pet sitter and I love that part of your story involves that your own pet sitter helps you get started in pet care. So how did that happen?
Heather Branch 02:45
Well, I was working in radio, my husband and I were working in radio, and we had a blended family of pets, those are kids. And so he had his er dog, and I had a cat. You know, all these years, I've been able to get neighbors or friends to take care of my cat. And there have been some mishaps along the way. But their cats and so they survived. But, you know, I knew that we couldn't take a chance with our dog when we wanted to go away for Nine Nights. And I caught some thinking, every friend I have is gonna lose my dog. Which sounds terrible, but you know, you open the door the wrong way and the dogs out the door and oh my god, you know, so I just didn't want to take any chances. So I was looking, searching high and low and people I caught contacted. Just I wasn't really clicking with them. And then finally I found the nap website, which is pet sitters.org for your pet parents who might be looking and they have a find a pro area and you put in your zip code. And so I did and a whole bunch of pet sitters in my area came up and she was the only one that was certified. So I thought that do I want to watch because I knew she had that extra badge there and share prices were reasonable. And she came over she had a package that was back in the day 1012 years ago. Do we still have the paper packets? She came over and and we just instantly knew that she was gonna be great. And she was and she caught me a lot right then and there because I thought she would just moved into my house. And I said earlier husband can provide you I don't want you to be lonely or whatever. But there's no no no, no, no, I'm only here for 12 hours. That's what an overnight and then if you want me to come in the midday to let your dog out or take your dog for a walk. That's midday there's a separate charge. So that was news to me. But I learned that from a really great testator. That was a nap and so but which was totally fine. We would we wanted the best. So that's how it is and sweet. She has a route of dog walks and cares Sherpa day If you're busy, I had said, I'll leave some petty cash. So you can if I run out of food or anything you can think of Oh, no, no, no, I don't have time to go grocery shop. Oh, okay. All right. Yeah, that's what I learned right away, and I respected her. So, whatever. Okay, great. I make sure I have all over the food. And so I kept thinking, I did the numbers like, geez, I just paid $900. You know, wrote out practically $1,000 check to this person, I could do maybe two of those jobs a month, and be fine. And so my wheels started turning, because radio was starting to lose its luster for me. And so I kept thinking, what else do I like, and my dog always brought me joy. So I looked up the animal behavior college, and that was down the street. So I could go and look, investigate that, and then make sure it wasn't a scam. And I did all these classes. But I knew I wouldn't be a good dog trainer. Because if a dog looks at me the right way, and they don't fit, I'll just give him the treat anyway. A good foundation, because this is a my husband's dog was the only dog I've ever had. So I wanted to more and more. And then when I was completed with those certifications, I contacted my testator, because I really didn't want to step on her toes and just go out there and say, hey, I've texted him now and then have her see an ad or something. And what was my client making? You know? And so I called her and asked to sit down for lunch and see what the pros and cons are, before I took a leap from my regular job. And she brought me on to work for her, she needed some help. And her experience, people would say they wanted to do this. And then they would play that for two weeks, because it was a lot more work than I thought there. Forget it. So she said, just before you do anything, why don't you work for me and see if you like it. And I just took to it. And I really loved it. And I just drank in everything that she had to offer to teach me. And she helped me build my business because she was kind of wanting to segue out of it. So this was a great opportunity for her to train me to take over her clients, and then move on to the next phase of her life. So then a little while down the road, she approached me to buy her client list. And the client at that point had known me. And we did it very, very slowly, because our clients out here very hesitant for change. So all this was done in a very slow, methodical way. So that nobody was caught off guard. And they knew me by the time I was ready to take over. That was as good as she can move on. And that was great.
Collin 08:00
Yeah, and you talk about that, trying to learn as much as you could, before you made that leap out of your first career, what was it that finally got you to make that leap and to make that jump out of everything that you had known and had been in over the years into something so brand new?
Heather Branch 08:19
Well, um, I got into radio because I first I came out here to be an aspiring an aspiring actress and did a few parts here and there. But that was always feast or famine. You know, I was kind of thinking, you know, you can just have these dreams forever, or you can come back to reality and grow up a little electric. You know, if you're not really anywhere, I just kind of looked at the future. And I thought, well, and then I had an opportunity to get into radio, which was great at the time, and I met my husband's there. But um, you know, the hours were really brutal. And as I was getting older, and then that married I had the weekend overnight shift on my shift started at 330 in the morning. And you know, I just didn't see like there you know, it looked to me like once they got a weekend overnight sucker, you're never gonna have that, you know, new people would come in, you know, I in my world, you know, you do a great job and you move up. But I saw in that world is like, you know, someone who's willing to do overnight and all these new people that come in and like why don't do we get overnight? Okay, great. We're gonna give you a great shift. like wait a minute. Wait a minute here. Okay, you know, what else do I like? And I like my dog. And which is pretty much about it is I really detest a regular job like an eight to five arrests at my office setting. So to me that entrepreneurial ideas really Important. I still work there, even when I was doing my internships for the school and all that, you know, I kind of segwayed out of it right under their nose. Because I come in and my scrubs to go to the vet office to work in the back of the bed office. And then I leave my at 11 o'clock in the morning, and I go to my internship, and it's like, okay, you can't see that I'm planning. But, um, but that I was working for my pet sitter for two years. So I still kept my job. And then suddenly, it just got really busy, and I couldn't do it anymore. So I was able to go in and give it two months notice. Plenty of notice. Get another weekend overnight, find somebody else to do something that I enjoy, right. But the funny thing is, is sort of out of the fire into the frying pan, because I never imagined that I would get so busy as I do. And, you know, now I'm working overnight, so much. in this field, at least I get to sleep. In the other weekend overnight, I was up all night doing traffic every day. But I'm still I'm away from home. Yeah, well, and you,
Collin 11:20
you attribute a lot of that success and how you handle that growth to some of the foundations that you've you've laid really early on what kind of foundations are critical to a new business and in how do we continually refresh them and make sure that they're still healthy?
Heather Branch 11:39
Well, one of the things that I wish I would have had a better foundation for business to have more of a business aspect of it. Because even my own pet sitter, I knew that she was under charging a lot, even for the calls I made. And so that is just something that it's just really hard to raise the price on people to get to fair market value. And then as you grow and start having a please, you know, you really need to raise the prices a lot more. And that's just something that I feel that that is kind of lacking in our industry, the business idea because we all have such big hearts. And we, we feel sorry for people who want to help we have that feeling of wanting to sell. I think that's a big draw for this industry. And, but sometimes we neglect ourselves and our needs, help others. But otherwise, um, as far as the foundations that I did lay down for myself, when I went to the school to animal behavior college, I knew I wasn't going to be a dog trainer. And I knew I didn't want to work in the back of the bed office, but I have these skills if I need them. There's a better office on every corner. So, you know, I can transfer that someday if I needed a some kind of job. And like that. So I did do that schooling. And then I did mentor with my pet sitter, and I was honest with her about my goals, and it was a complimentary relationship, it's not really good if you're working for somebody, and then secretly, you're gonna try to do it on your own. And then, you know, you're going to take some of their clients because they're your clients. And that's just really underhanded. So, you know, I found a great relationship. And that was very important. And those some of those clients are still my clients to this day. So it's a worthy investment. Going to that right away. I join that because that's where I found her. And they have a whole member benefits section where you have business forms. And you can get those for free, because an app is nonprofit. So they're not going to charge you for these seven members help each other members helping other other members. So if you have a great contract, you can add it to the business site can show people what you've got, and it helps other people, mentors, other people to do so I used those templates for my contracts and my policies. And I learned from reading those and using them. We have a veterinary authorization form. Do all these basic things. I even have a pet guardianship form and I got all these for free off the map website and the number of benefits section in the business school kid. Maps has been quite the foundation, going through the conferences. As always, I owe it doesn't matter. I've been in business 10 years and I always still learn something from golf mechanics. And oh, I did like I saw that my own customer seemed a little bit just tired of me. I mean, she was so wonderful. She was wonderful. But I, I saw that she needed more help. And so right away, when I started, I was like, I need to have a team around me. So I found somebody that I went to school with the dog obedience training, and I brought her on. And we still have, she still helps me to this day. So I'm having that backup. Having a backup is an important foundation, because I did break my leg, my ankle and 2014, as I couldn't walk or drive for two months, but luckily, we didn't have to cancel very many jobs at all, because my team just stepped right in and did everything. Um, one other thing, one other part of the foundation piece that I would have to say, for any kind of person trying to get into pet today and get the software right away. I mean, even if you only have one client right now, and everything's really slow, that's a perfect time to learn the software, because, you know, I was resistant to it for. First of all, my pet sitter didn't have that. So I didn't, you know, I didn't see how it was beneficial. And I couldn't see that. And I didn't think my clients would go for it. And but after many years, I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome from texting back and forth, and just being always online when my client when my staff would go, and then they'd give me the update. And I'd give the client data, I was always the middleman. And it's just a lot of pressure. And then the software, which I do use time to test. The software is just a game changer. I mean, now I don't, but I can even look and see how they started the job yet, because a lot of times I'd be waiting till the end and anxious, like, I'm not gonna be, you know, be able to relax. That's why they'll make sure the job is done. And now I can just go on software. Oh, they're over there they started. I can just go on with my day, you know, I'm late to devices.
Collin 17:14
Yeah, it gives you peace of mind, since you're managing them. And it also gives peace of mind to the clients and your staff that you have on because they know again, it's this big open communication that's going between everybody and they're working in synchrony and in harmony.
Heather Branch 17:30
Yeah. And the clients, you know, they can talk to the sitter directly. And before hiding them, I'll tell you as I just didn't want any kind of direct contact, you know, because it's just, you know, then it leaves room for confusion about who to contact or scheduling and, you know, there's just create confusion. So, you know, I wanted to be the middleman but this way as well. But, you know, by the time I did it, it was I had 100 clients. And then it was like, who has the time to input all the clients and all this information? I mean, I had to have a younger person. You know, they say the millennials are great with computers. And I will tell you, that was that was absolutely true in my case. I mean, she set it all up and moved on to a better job at that hospital and emergency that hospital. But she was here for the time I needed her to be here and she set this all up for me and I just really thankful for that.
18:35
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Collin 18:56
are looking for a new petsitting software for your business, give time to pet a try. As a listener of pet sitter confessional, you'll get 50% off your first three months when you sign up at time to pet.com slash confessional. Part of the foundations that I hear you laying many of them have to do with surrounding yourself with with good people and a good network. And so you're kind of building this support system with the people that you're bringing on. How important has that been to you to have a good support system?
Heather Branch 19:30
It has been very important. And I knew that from day one even before getting into it because I was observing that you just can't do everything all at once and 10 years in and you're doing everything all by yourself and takes a toll. So just naturally it takes a toll. So that's not any statement. I guess anybody is that. What happens if something happens? You break your leg. If I didn't have How to say, okay, Kim can do this. And Doris can do that. Done. So, you know, I had that already. And we didn't skip a beat, and I didn't lose my business, because of it. So, and that is my stuff stuck through me all these years through with me, we've had some changes. At first, we're doing the independent contractor model, because that's what I was taught. And that's what the accountants were saying. And the lawyers are saying, Oh, well, this is the kind of business independent contractor, and then down the road computers, and I realized, from a nap conference, like, Oh, that's I, I read everything on our state, labor law, information, I read it all myself, and I realized, Oh, my God, we need to make an immediate change. And that's the time where maybe people might last, you know, just because of that change, you know, they were used to not having the time taken out of funds, and, you know, but they all stuck with me. And that was a lot of anguish for me to have to do that. But it was a great, everyday safe thing to do the state because then I think they get a refund now, instead of having to pay out from their taxes, because they all the taxes were taken out. You know, it's just better. And then, you know, we all I always have workers comp, even when I have independent contractors, but so it's just, it's just a better situation. And most of the states are veering in that direction,
Collin 21:38
right? Yeah, there's been a lot of crackdown on ICS, across the country recently, and it's really making the employees almost the default these days for your business structure.
Heather Branch 21:52
Yeah, before it was independent contractor was the business default structure. And, you know, it was natural, and it still has carried through to this day. But, you know, I think everybody just needs to really understand that this isn't going to go away, it's not going to change. It's just better to look at examine these things. But I think then, that's the time that you need to examine your pricing. And that's hard. So
Collin 22:18
yeah, there's a lot that's tied up into that as far as business structure and profitability and a service area in a whole new way of thinking about your business in that in that model. But at the end of the day, you're taking better care of the people who are out there doing the work. And you're providing more structure and reliability and predictability for both them and the clients. And it really just is a win win win all down the line.
Heather Branch 22:44
Yeah, I will say that I still treat my staff as independent contractors, and I treat them as adults that can make their own decisions. So there's really no change except the classification. But as far as how I treat, because I tend to hire people that are a little bit older. So you know, they're not just, you know, starting out, and I don't want to discriminate, but the thing is, the people that gravitate to me, tend to be my age and older. So we all feel like we're adults. And if there's an issue, I feel like sometimes I learn a lot from them, and their life experience and their experience with that. They'll tell me Oh, so and so is limping today, or they bring up concerns that, you know, I think that their life experience makes a big difference. Oh, and I'm also so thankful that they were classified and swabbing during this pandemic, they were eligible for unemployment, no problem. And we didn't have to figure out like, Oh, my God, but he didn't have a separate bank account. Jerry, you know, you were classified as this. And now you've had this. Now you can't get this when people needed it. So, you know, I was free and clear that way and my staff were taken care of. So well. And, you know,
Collin 24:11
you said, you know, your staff are taking care of you've had you mentioned it that many of your staff have been with you for a really long time. How do you keep them around? Because I know in the pet care, it seems like the staff turnover is insanely high. It's something that I see a lot of people talk about and complain about. What What do you think you do differently? Or what recommendations would you give to people thinking about? Okay, how do I retain these high quality people that I have?
Heather Branch 24:38
Well, I think that with my business, it's more of a boutique type business. So I really have no desire to get much bigger than this. I mean, even right now the workload is almost a little bit overboard for me, but I'm so you know, keeping it so this is just me how I I just want to keep it the size. I don't need To grow any more than I have been there, I did that now just kind of want to say so I keep a nice level of balance. So, my, I bring my people in organic. So my staff, I know that I'm I ran into Doris, when she was training at Petco. And we had gone to dog training school together. And she was so great with my dog. And I was so happy to run into her perfect cuz she's a dog expert. And she's a trainer. And like, I'm doing this business. And it's just really been great, give and take. And then, and she's still here, and she's had other jobs. And she had a full time job for four years in between when things were a bit slow, and she had an opportunity. But now that job is over, and she's back. And so really appreciate that. I mean, we still have this long term relationship. And then one of my other clients, I just saw how thorough she was with her nose. And I was like, This is amazing. I was notes, and posted notes, very organized. And we got to be friends. And I know she didn't have a job of her own or husband's in the music industry out here. And so it was just a natural fit. You know, I said, Why don't you come work for me, and as part time and it's flexible. And so that has been really great. And then my next door neighbor helped me. And he had a business for 30 years. And then that ended up closing. And they were thinking, well, he's so great with the animals. He's like the Pied Piper of animals. Like if he walks down the street, animals come running out the house. Even the neighbors all come by, he's like some kind of magnet. So this is perfect, because he needed a job. And it's flexible part time, and I'm not, you know, corporate or anything like that. So, you know, that's my team right now. And I've had more people that have come and gone. But the solid core team, I'm very thankful for them.
Collin 27:20
Yes, even viewing your own team and the team members around you as part of that support system, right? Because they're doing things that you can't do, or doing things that help you have less stress in your life, and allow you to be more focused on other things, right. So they become integral to that support system for the business. Because without them right, the business wouldn't be able to function at the level that it is.
Heather Branch 27:43
Right. And even when I had the other girl hair that was doing the kind of pet setup for me. And also she did a pet study. And she was great. She was really great with animals, but I had her working 20 hours a week in the office. And so she was doing the time to test it off. And she organized in the office. And that was really great. Because I was like, Oh, I can go get my nails done. Like she didn't want me around, you know, so it's like, okay, you know, this is perfect. I'm getting stuff done. And I'm getting something.
Collin 28:20
Yeah, it's it's an how you view them right as as valuable assets to the company into the business versus just another person to do work. Right? Like, it's, it's a whole mindset, way that you view the people that you bring on your team. If you view them as valuable assets you're going to hear and treat them differently, right, you're gonna have different concerns for them. And you're going to do different things for them than if you just view them as something you know, somebody to do work that you don't want. It's hard. And I know, I know, California has some of the strictest rules and regulations when it comes to employees versus contractors. But it is just a reminder of that you should be looking into your local area that's county, city and state level to make sure that you are dotting every I and crossing every t with the staff members that you have or that you want to have and to get those, get those ducks lined in a row if you haven't hired for the first time really ironing out exactly what your your obligations are to them and what the expectations are before you bring them on. So you don't have to make a huge shift down the road because you did something wrong right at the beginning.
Heather Branch 29:29
Oh god. Yeah. But you know, there's a lot to do i mean ahead of time, and I can certainly understand why people are hesitant to bring on employees are tempted to still continue doing independent contractors and not worry about it. But the thing is, he's any other pandemic and not all your independent contractors are going down to the Labor Board and trying to get unemployment because they can get that $600 extra. And, you know, all of a sudden there's a crisis that brings That oversight now out here and also with one day, just because your state has a minimum wage, like are we in Los Angeles, Los Angeles minimum wages even higher than they
Collin 30:17
were on the on the pandemic, you know, it brought out a lot of regulatory scrutiny and a lot of things as far as the way businesses were set up. But for you, you know, you're 10 years into running a business, what ways did you have to adapt through last year? And how is that impacting how you're moving forward through 2021?
Heather Branch 30:35
Well, of course, last year, at first, I wasn't paying too much attention. I'm kind of like, the kind of person that thinks the news exaggerates things. So I wasn't really thinking too much about it. But then I started hearing that our governor was going to add all the sick pay. And at that point, most of my employees were already up to 72 hours a day. So I was like, Okay, now we're gonna have this extra COVID. Okay. And COVID is very contagious. Anybody can get it at any time. And now you're gonna have to, oh, that you will accomplish it forever. How long? It's done. No, I can't do this. And of course, everything was shutting down. So I, I lost about maybe $25,000 of business, which isn't really a lot. I know, other businesses that have lost hundreds of 1000s of dollars, you know, but anyway, it just everything shut down all the vacation repos. So I laid everybody off, you know, they're, they have that extra, you know, federal money to I could never match that. So, and I didn't have, I only had three people that kept me on. And we just developed a system to go walk their dogs, get them from the backyard, or just get them from the player really fast. There are no overnight last year, which was a really great time to reconnect with my husband. And the tail end of 2019. I was did three and a half months worth of overnights back that I hadn't been home for. Yeah, I mean, we I thought flowed in and out. But, you know, I was at home at night. And that can take a toll too. And the last year was a really great segue to regroup. We just kind of made a party out of it. And I tried to keep a positive attitude. And I knew that my employees were taken care of, and I still have some more as I'm grateful for everybody. People kept me on, or a lot of my clients even sent me money. I mean, they canceled the trips. And then they called me and said, You know, we're really wanting to give you a donation. We know our time we're like, Well, okay. Because, you know, I think that the thing is that they want us to ensure that I'd be there when they're ready to go. And so this is their way to express appreciation, and that they didn't want to lose me, though. And I had been thinking about maybe closing up my business because I wasn't making any money. It just kind of redirected my mindset that, you know, people still want me. So they want to ensure that. So, john still here?
Collin 33:24
Well, and so what what, what kind of lessons or applications are you taking from that and applying to how your business is going to be moving forward?
Heather Branch 33:35
Yeah, that's a good question. Because I really enjoyed having the downtime that I have, I still have enough work that was just more of a balance. So I really want to explore that having a great balance going forward. So I don't need to take on every job. And you know, there's saying no, it's so hard for me. So I always feel bad for the pet, or I want to keep want to be happy and vacation. So you know, that's something I need to work on. And so I think the pandemic was great to slow things down and make me think about and also eventually I will raise, when I do have my staff will be back, I will have to raise the prices because, you know, if I learned I'm not going to be accept not making money and own the company, and I deserve it. And people need to pay what I need to charge. And if that means we have less work, okay. You know, I mean, we are a quality company, and my staff is worth it and I'm worth it too.
Collin 34:51
I absolutely love that coming out of last year going, you know what, maybe I didn't value myself as much as I had been previously. I think that that's a really common mentality. And a common lesson from for a lot of us I know, from my wife and I, as well of like, you know what, like, man, we actually are worth a lot more, right? Or we are worth what we're asking for, and we need to stop making rebates are making special cause clauses or doing all of these little things. Because we are we are premium we aren't we do a really good job. And I think, as much as we started to value our clients and missing them, and, you know, the work, I think, I think alongside that, you know, we really did start to look back and start to value ourselves a lot more. Yeah, across the industry,
Heather Branch 35:42
I think so. I do, you know, I still hear people say, Oh, I'm working, I work 16 hours a day all by myself, but I don't have any backup. That's like, you know, why are you doing this, you know, raise your prices, and then you'll be making the same money, and maybe some people will drop off. But you know, in self care, so important.
Collin 36:06
You've been in business, 10 years, you've been through some ups and some downs. And I know, you had originally said that, when you started, you know, your own dog brought you a lot of joy. And that's why you got started, after 10 years in business and everything that's happened, what, what continues to bring you joy,
Heather Branch 36:25
I really thrive on helping people. So I really thrive on helping my customers. And, you know, putting the schedule together. And it's just like a puzzle. And I like and figure out the puzzle. And it's like, aha, I got it. And then I like help my team, my staff, because I feel that the job is important to them. And I feel like that helps them put food on the table. So to see the what I've done this, and how many lives and makes a difference for them. That brings me a lot of joy. But that also actually helps makes me not want to say no, or give too much or, you know, in some ways. Because there's you know, you got to figure out where that line is where the joy ends up. There's a fine line, and then any what gives too much and then you're on the other side of it, you know? So it's a good time to think about balance. I still love I love my dog, I have a different dog. Now it may is he passed away a couple of years ago, and now we have a new dog Sam, he brings us a lot of joy and all the clients dogs just going in and that they're also happy to see us they know who we are like, Oh, do you know that joy from now is really infectious.
Collin 37:58
Yeah. And that joy from helping people really is a fine line because it becomes a really addictive cake. Right and no, too much of a good thing like, Man helping that one person was awesome. I'll eat a whole cake of that. And then you're like, Oh, no, nevermind. And yeah, it does take it that takes time. And in doing a lot of self discovery to understand who we are, what our actual limits are, is no, no one can tell you how many clients you need. Right? No one can tell you how many times you can say yes, before you have to start saying no, it is this, it is this weird self discovery process that if you're not careful, you know, many years can slip by. And before you look up and you realize that it's all out of balance and all out of whack.
Heather Branch 38:53
Yeah, and I'm still learning that and right now is a critical time to because last year, everything was closed, and nobody's going anywhere. And nobody needed us. And now all of a sudden, everybody's got their vaccinations at the same time. And now all of a sudden, it's like, everybody in their mother is going away and meeting all of a sudden, you know, all this testing? And just like a little bit. I don't know, I just feel that there is I've seen in other groups that, you know, we're just a little much, you know, I don't think the clients understand. Yeah, we love the business. But some of us are short handed right now. And, you know, you can't just short order it right now. You know, it really has to be planned. You know, there's only so much so much one person can do right
Collin 39:47
client behaviors have really changed very quickly. It felt like the entire industry had spent the last 30 years trying to convince people that they needed to plan ahead that they that last minute bookings were unacceptable and That, if you did a late cancellation, you know, there were there were applications for that. And then 2020 set us back another 20 years. Yeah, as you know it again, because people canceled last minute for changing conditions of the pandemic, and last minute bookings, cancellations, all sorts of stuff. And now those habits just immediately came back in we're as the businesses are having to sit there and go, Okay, how do I start adjusting and adjust quickly? Right, as everything is just going, going to the wall? You also talked about how you got on the board of naps, and that you are part of part of that the board for them and how they operate and some of those decisions that you get to do so what's it like to be a board member for naps? And why was that something that you were interested in,
Heather Branch 40:54
I really like being part of a nonprofit organization that helps is dedicated to helping other pets or helping other testers. So we have one entity that's like, in charge of everything, there's a board that makes decisions about what we're going to be doing. And we have committees that is dependent on tourism. So our members, so like, for instance, I'm on a conference committee. And you know, we have a meeting once a month, and we have no stepping stones and blocks complete, like, who what kind of topics do we want to talk about, and then who can speak on those topics? Good. And so, you know, it's just us coming together and making it happen, and the mentorship from getting to know other pet sitters this way, that's very helpful. I really like making helping make these decisions. And part of something important, because I feel that professional captioning is important. Like I said, Before, when I was looking for a customer, first, it was difficult to find somebody that I clicked with, that I could trust that has the keys to my house. So you know, to get more people that are professionals with more options. And that's more education. The education I had from working at a shelter or the rescue. For my internship for the animal behavior college, we did do hours at a shelter. And they taught us they had we had a orientation, and they taught him how to open the door to get the dogs out or get the cat you know how to come in and take care of the cat in a clean way and what diseases that will be something you don't want to get. So just if they taught me I mean, I've learned so much just from the animal behavior, college is my experience, on hand experience in the shelter at the vet office, and with a mentor trainer, all this knowledge really helped because I mentioned before that I just kept imagining, and my friends are great, I love my friends, but they have their own lives. And I can imagine that anybody I think of that might even have the time would definitely open the door the wrong way. And then my dog would just be out. And you know, before I had people watch my pet, then I had a neighbor, and she forgot. But that was years ago when I just sent the cat. And I went away on Sunday night. And on Tuesday I decided to call because it was a holiday and I thought well, it would be weird to call and say Happy July 4. And I did I called and I said How are the cats? And she said oh is that this week? You know, and he just can't do that with the dog. You know the cats are fine, thank goodness and thank goodness the calls. But you know, a dog not going to be far along for more than 24 hours, professionalism and employment.
Collin 44:13
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Heather Branch 45:42
Well, we do have our website, the pet sitters dot work, and then we have an admin that helps that works for us. But very similar. I mean, there's international is also a wonderful organization. And they have an administrator that everyone knows. And so we have someone similar to that, except that our board makes decisions. So she's not take making all the decisions. But she handles everything. And we could not do without her Kathy Delaney just she's been taking care of that. Members, and she knows everything all about naps, that she's worked here for 1618 years. So she's the one that you will want to go to with either through the website or the phone number there. You could call or an email, there's, I'm sure there's an email there. I'm sure she gets bombarded with calls all day long. So maybe email is better. Hey, you know, I was thinking about this, or I was noticing that or how come this or why do we do things this way? And then she can either tell you why, or what committee handles that. And maybe you'd like to join that committee and really the committee's are about once a month meet over the phone for an hour. So it's not that much fun to be on a committee. Yeah. And the board, of course, we made like, three or four times a year quarterly, I think. And those are much longer. meanings, of course, but they're not that intrusive into your life. I mean, when people think about volunteering, they a lot of times they hear, oh, I don't have the time. But you know, you don't have time for an hour phone call. Right. And I know so many brilliant customers, I really welcome their ideas. You know, I mean, I can imagine would be such a great industry. We just need our, those brilliant minds. Sometimes when you're in business for so long, or you're at the top of your level. You think you don't need the association, but maybe the association needs it.
Collin 48:14
Yeah, it sounds like there's a way to have your voice heard a way to start making some changes. If you're passionate about something, there's some great ways to get plugged into whether that's with NASA, it's other organizations. But if it's something that you're really passionate about, or if it really bothers you, get involved, right, start getting involved in a committee and start talking to other people about it. And and really see where that's gonna go.
Heather Branch 48:39
Yeah, I mean, I've thought in a lot of people to speak at the conferences, some years, we sit down, and we we need a marketing person, like I think I know, from networking groups out here, and then they don't mind flying, you know, to Chicago, and then they had other seminars to instruct and teach you. I mean, and then I brought on, I brought on so many speakers, and they've been really beneficial, valuable, and they love coming and they, we've enjoyed having, we've had people come back and do webinars to, for us to kind of now involved in that, like these people that aren't even tested or know anything about the industry now are kind of part of the association in a way.
Collin 49:28
That's really cool. And I like hearing that. It's about giving my hand about helping others and about building again, that support network and that support system and taking that at a national level, right, having people close by to you, speaking to your business, but also getting involved at a larger scale. Right, because that that there's really no excuse to sit back and be concerned or be annoyed about something when there are so many opportunities to start getting involved and start getting connected.
Heather Branch 49:58
Yeah, I mean, I can tell you When I would sit back and say I brought these two people, these two speakers are here because of me. I mean, that was just like, oh, the perfect thing, you know, I mean, I take care of the clients, I take care of my staff, and then now I've made a difference in life. Wow. That's, that's pretty good.
Collin 50:23
You know, Heather, I have really appreciated you coming on, and this conversation about having a support system, and about reminding ourselves of where we get joy, and then also how we can and you're encouraging us to get involved at the national level and to get involved in the industry to help make it better for everybody. I know that there's a lot of other topics and a lot of other things that we didn't touch on. So if other people if listeners want to get in touch with you and follow along with everything that you've got going on how best can they do that?
Heather Branch 50:58
Well, my website is Heather, the pet sitter calm. And that just takes you to my best friend's forever page of my site. And then Facebook, a lot of sitters I'm friendly with on Facebook, and then that private Facebook group. And you know, just Also, my email is Heather at BFF. Pet services.net. So email is better. I don't really answer the phone when I see with all the spam. You know, you see a number you don't recognize, like, Oh, no. straightaway, but if I get an email and yeah, right. So emails, always I think better. Right now, for people.
Collin 51:43
Well, perfect. And I'll have links to those in the show notes and on the website. So listeners can click right to those and can get in touch with you again, Heather, this has been a real pleasure. Thank you so much.
Heather Branch 51:54
Oh, it's been a real pleasure for me to thank you. And I look forward to seeing your Facebook group. And I'm enjoying that. And just look at the difference you're making. And your podcasts, I mean, that it's just really low bid, and you have such great people on. So I mean, that's a huge difference. You must be really proud. Thank you.
Collin 52:17
Yeah, blown away by the response by the acceptance. And we've grown a lot through it too, right? It's really been a huge learning curve for us and has really opened our eyes to not just the diversity of services, but ways to operate a business of people in the industry, and has really given us a much deeper appreciation for, for everything going on.
Heather Branch 52:47
Yeah, well, it's great. It's great to see people like you and, you know, doing these things and bringing everything here professional, just bringing this industry to professional level.
Collin 53:00
Yeah, we we hope to have equipped passionate advocates and listeners for the industry to be grounded in knowing what they are doing and why and to have good healthy boundaries in their life to some of the goals that we have for doing the podcast, and then just for telling stories and helping people know that they're not alone. Yeah. And that. Yeah. Everybody has a similar struggles in their life, too.
Heather Branch 53:28
Yeah, definitely. Thank you.
Collin 53:32
My three big takeaways from my conversation with Heather is a strong foundation laid in your business, whether that is through joining an organization, getting connected to other sitters in your area, getting software or going out getting some education and continuing to learn about new things to increase your business and how to run your business and not just focus on the Petcare. The second thing was getting a close support system that can encourage you that you can bounce ideas off, that will be there through thick and through thin to help you and to guide you to give you some place to go to vent and to offload things so that you are not carrying the weight of the concerns and everything that goes on with running a business all by yourself. And then make your voice heard. Start at the local level and work your way up to the national level with concerns with changes with initiatives that you want to see and take the Petcare industry in new and exciting, different direction. There are an awful lot of headwinds facing the industry right now. And one of the big looming ones is what role regulations and oversight will take place. The more we can set those standards ourselves as an industry and be speaking out and being advocates. for higher quality standards for everybody, the better off we'll be and we can present ourselves in a better light. So start at the local level, getting involved with your local pet sitters and the community around you have a group together, where you're presenting, where you're talking about new ideas, where you're getting involved, and then I really encourage you to the next Time that there's a conference, maybe it's nearby. Or maybe it's when you've always wanted to go to submit an idea for a talk something that you're really passionate about something that you've learned, and start helping others. That's our whole goal of this podcast is presenting ideas, having conversations and helping everybody raise the bar in the pet care industry. We want to thank our sponsors time to pet and pet perennials, for making today's show possible. And thank you so much for being already very awesome, well equipped advocates for the pet care industry. We couldn't be more proud to have you as listeners and to be involved with you as a community. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and we'll be back again soon.
