248: Going The Extra Mile with K.C. Heitchue
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Summary:
How has your business grown? Growing rapidly is never easy. Since starting Fur Baby Comfort & Care three years ago, K.C. Heitchue has worked hard to provide exceptional pet care to Southeast Michigan and has grown to over 900 clients. K.C. shares her motivations for starting the business and how that has continued to drive her. She also discusses how growing her Facebook page helped her build a network rather than competition. She shares the key to staff retention and what it means to go the extra mile for clients.
Topics on this episode:
Her motivations
Going above and beyond
Dealing with rapid growth
Staff retention
Main take away? Building your social media platforms gives you another chance to be seen by new audiences and get your information out consistently.
About our guest:
Hello, my name is K.C. and I am the Owner of Fur Baby Comfort & Care, a professional pet sitting business that prides itself on providing peace of mind to Fur Baby owners!
As a graduate of Oakland University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and concentration in Childhood Development, my early passions have led me to a new and exciting path: opening Fur Baby Comfort & Care. The pet care industry has been an exciting new venture as being a pet parent myself has opened my eyes to how important having quality pet care is whether you’re working long hours or out of town. I’ve experienced the non-responsiveness from a hobby pet sitter and of course the worry that goes along with wondering if your pet is truly okay in another’s care.
After too many times experiencing uncertainty while away, I knew that I needed to transform this space and provide peace of mind to not only myself, but the plenty of other families in Southeast Michigan who were undoubtedly experiencing the same misgivings. From the outside looking in, many may think it’s just dog walks and the expected feeding or two, but my team and I know that for the families we service it’s so much more! We are dedicated to servicing all types of animals from dogs who have issues with socialization, temperament or medical problems to families who have a full farm of animals to tend to and more.
Furthermore, we seek to provide connection to the animals in our care to ensure they feel safe even when the owner is not present. The inner-workings and family dynamics that owners have with their pets are so important to learn in order to stay on the same page with communication and training techniques. At Fur Baby Comfort & Care, we pride ourselves on always going the extra mile to make sure all parties are comfortable with the care being provided.When I’m not tending to our Fur Baby clients, you can find me going on walks with Chloe, my German Shorthaired Pointer, or snuggling up on the couch with a good book and Nugget, my rescue cat. I also enjoy riding my Peloton and spending time with my two nieces and nephew! As always, I look forward to creating loving and lasting relationships with every client and their family as Fur Baby Comfort & Care continues to grow.
Links:
Fur Baby Comfort & Care Website
Fur Baby Comfort & Care On Instagram
Fur Baby Comfort & Care On Facebook
Give us a call! (636) 364-8260
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Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
clients, work, pet, business, dog, people, care, contractors, pet sitters, service, southeast michigan, specialist, offer, job, pandemic, home, year, necessarily, post, day
SPEAKERS
K.C., Collin
00:10
Hello, I'm Meghan I'm Collin and this is Pet Sitter confessional an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter brought to
Collin 00:17
you by time to pet and pet sitters International. Three years ago, Casey high two decided that Southeast Michigan needed a revolution in pet care. And so she started furbaby comfort and care. And ever since then she has grown rapidly. Today, she joins us to talk about why she focuses on networking versus competition. why it was important for her to focus on growing her Facebook page, and why she credits her rapid growth to her staff retention. Let's get started.
K.C. 00:46
So first of all, thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to be doing this. But my name is Casey Hi, Chu, and I am the owner of furbaby. Comfort and care. We are a pet sitting service based out of Southeast Michigan, we offer a variety of services such as drop in visits, dog walks, overnight vacation care and pet taxi services. And we actually just celebrated our third year in business.
Collin 01:10
Congratulations on 33 years. That's a really big milestone. And I don't think many of us celebrate those kind of milestones. In our business. Did you do anything special for celebrating the third year,
K.C. 01:20
I nothing too special. But each year I started it the first year, I do have photos taken of me with animals and just be able to kind of recap on our social media. The strides that we've made in the past year or so just kind of touch base and relate back to our clients. And especially with this third year in business, that post definitely talked about surviving COVID. As a second year in business, that was a very scary moment. I mean, it was scary for everyone, no matter how many years in business you were, or whatever industry it was, but it was definitely a lot of hoops to jump through to even make it through. Don't quote me on the statistic. But it's something around the US statistic of 60% of businesses fail within their first three years. So I was just like pushing through that. And I was like if I can make it to this third year, through the pandemics like we should be smooth sailing after that.
Collin Funkhouser 02:15
Yeah, if you can make it through the pandemic and what 2020 threw at you, there's not much more that the universe has in store, I don't feel like right. Really think that that's that's really special that you take some time to reflect on the previous year, because I think too often we can get focused on the day to day and not really see the amount of progress that we've made in our lives or in our business. And so to kind of encapsulate all that in a post or in a moment, that's really important. For the next year, we can go wow, I had no idea how much further I would be able to go in that amount of time.
K.C. 02:51
Right? It's definitely awesome for our clients, our team members to be able to read are my friends, my family members, people, the contractors that work for me, their friends and family that they're connected with, to read everything about the past year, but just on my end, being able to go back when I do come around to making that post and reading what I wrote the year before. It's just, it's always fun to look back on.
Collin 03:13
So reflecting back three years ago, what was it at that moment that made you decide? I need to start this business?
K.C. 03:21
Yeah, so the inspiration behind it was actually inspired by my own dog, Chloe. She is an eight year old German Shorthaired Pointer. And she's not only what inspired me to open up a pet care business, but she definitely is the one who kind of turned the business name as for baby. Because she is my baby. She's just a four legs. And I do think that term alone has connected to so many of our clients. Just because their typical call is, as you know, like My dog is my baby. It's like of course I know like that's what my business is going after it's for baby. So Chloe was definitely the inspiration behind the start, but also the name. But for a while I had your typical nine to five job. But with both business and community hours, I was away from my home on average 10 to 12 hours a day, sometimes longer in the winter months with winter commuting. And I relied completely on others. Whether that was friends family or just hobby setters to drop in clothes or Chloe mid day. But unfortunately during those days, I felt like a lot of my work day was worried about her well being checking my cameras my security system waiting for an update from my sitter. And then there was a lot of last minute cancellations where I'd be left scrambling at my desk just trying to figure out who can go let her out even if it was just for a minute just so she could get some relief. But the real turning point for me it was actually when one of the hobby sitters said that they stopped by to let her out for the day. But when I went back and checked my security system, they had never actually stopped by and that actually happened twice to us. So that's what really motivates made me to open up for a baby because I knew I wasn't the only one struggling with inadequate pet care that I was receiving.
Collin 05:07
Those kinds of experiences are really foundational again, as you experience, especially when it happens to, to one that you care for and that you love, and that's a member of your own. And that kind of drives you and your team to go the extra miles. But what does that mean to you? When you say, you know, hear it at Furbabies? We go the extra mile?
K.C. 05:27
Yeah, so I think a lot of it is relating back to the clients that we understand. We are pet owners as well. And we want that adequate care for ourselves, but for others as well. And we do what we do for a reason. So I always say, I will treat your baby as if I treat my own for baby. And that is what is the inspiration behind the business. And I really put that into everything that we do, just because that was the startup point of it. So when clients explained their ups and their downs and their woes of past pet care experiences, I can relate back to them and say, Hey, same thing happened to me. I get it. And I have close friends and family members who their horror stories are almost nauseated, sometimes the things that you hear in this industry that has happened to people. So just relating back to that, and just letting people know that we get it. First and foremost, for sure. You're going
Collin 06:24
the extra mile. That's that's something that I mean, people say they do, or maybe they're able to do one or two times, how do you do that consistently, and repeatedly, time after time again,
K.C. 06:36
right. So I mean, the ultimate goal is to provide the clients with a peace of mind. They want to be updated, they want to know how their animals are doing. You don't want to let leave anything left behind. So just thorough updates, photos, videos, everything. And then some of what happens during your visit or your time with our pet. There's no questions asked, there's no need to worry. And that goes hand in hand that we let our clients know that we'll be providing you these thorough updates. But we always ask them, Is there anything else we can do to provide you with a peace of mind? So that always just helps that like, if we make it very, very clear to them that like, we want them to be at peace with their Margarita on the beach in Mexico? If we let them know that, we don't want you asking questions, I'll have it handled, it definitely helps put clients at ease as far as what we're going to do to provide them with that
Collin Funkhouser 07:27
kind of walking through your process and letting them know all of the things that you take care over that you look for that you take into account. You can really see whenever you're talking to a client, like this tension, almost like release in their face and their shoulders get relaxed a little bit. I've seen that several times where this person all of a sudden, they're like, oh, they get it, they understand. Oh my gosh, like I didn't Wow.
K.C. 07:52
Yeah, and I mean, on a personal level, like, I'll tell my clients specifically at a meet and greet like, you're gonna probably get sick of me. So if at any point, you say, You know what, I'm good, like your content, you can tell me to slow down on my updates, if that's what you choose. But people love them. That is why we do what we do. And with that, as well, we let them know, like, even if one day, like their stool is a little bit looser, we're gonna let you know, or for the first couple of days of vacation, say they weren't necessarily scratchy behind their ear, but now they are. And we're gonna let you know. So there's nothing ever missed. The big and the little the fun, the quirky, all the way down to health concerns. We keep our clients in the know as far as that.
Collin Funkhouser 08:34
Yeah, yeah, those that it's not just the good news, as you mentioned, it's also the bad news or the slightly, I don't know about this news is, right, parents, they expect that they want to hear that we did a sit recently where the dog just completely shredded a backpack and like all of the paperwork in it. And I let them know. And they were just like, oh, my gosh, thank you. And thank you for picking it up. And that is that it really meant a lot to them that I was willing to show them kind of the bad side of what happened. And they were very thankful that I then went in and picked it up as well. It's, we when we focus only on the good or we try and smooth over or gloss over some of those things that happens. We miss out on opportunities to educate and help and then to just being honest with them as well.
K.C. 09:18
Right. Yeah, I mean, there's no detail that's too much in terms of that. So anything slightly off, we do try to bring our collect to our clients attention. And there's some little bit of leeway there as well because we don't necessarily want to stress our clients if it's something that's not urgent. But if it's something that probably should be brought to their attention, it made us kind of had a light bulb go on and go. That doesn't seem right or that's new. We definitely let them know.
Collin 09:44
Now you are located in Southeast Michigan. What's the market like there?
K.C. 09:50
Yeah, so we are very, very busy at the moment. And I just so blessed to be able to even say that after everything experienced I'm in 2020 with the pandemic. But I definitely have a lengthy referral list of other pet care businesses in our area. But I do have to refer our clients out to in the event, we can't get a job covered. I'm definitely thankful for every pet care specialist that accepts work and is willing to work. But also very happy to have such a large referral network to refer our clients to other businesses if needed. Just to be able to ensure quality pet care is provided every business on our list. It's our first little referral This is dog walking and pet seem like what we do and everyone is bonded and insured has their qualifications. We have another section even though it's not what we do have for boarding. We have a list of borders that we like, all the way down to facilities, but also in home boarding of people who have that set up in their home to offer boarding. So we're not just you have to use drop in visits and dog walks because that's what we do. We also have a referral list to other networks, other types of businesses in the pet care industry,
Collin 11:04
how do you build that referral list and go about vetting or understanding that that business is one that you're okay to refer out to?
K.C. 11:12
Yeah, so it's actually kind of funny how this list came about. Because when I was brand new, I was reaching out to other pet care businesses kind of to get on their referral list. To get my name out there, let them know that I existed that they could refer to me if I needed help. And obviously, it can be viewed as competition and one way, so it wasn't always greeted with like a warm welcome. But the ones who understood that it's not necessarily competition, but just a great network to have to be able to refer people out to quality pet sitters. It's great to have for your clients, and they know that you're not available. It's never fun to be able to say, Oh, I don't have anyone I can refer you out to but I don't have availability, right. So that's kind of how that list started to people when I first opened as a brand new business owner, with that much under my belt, that they accepted me and were willing to help put me on their referral list to kind of start getting clients at that point. And, and just from there, it kind of grew. And now, in three years, I'm being reached out to I'm new in the area, or they've heard about me, they've been watching our information. Or they searched us on pet sitters International, let's say and they need someone in our area, because they're in pet centers International, but Northern Michigan, and they found us. So it's just always good just to have that outreach and support from other businesses in the area.
Collin 12:35
Now, you mentioned that in Southeast Michigan, it you've been insanely busy, and you've actually experienced quite a rapid growth in your business over the last three years. What's that ride been like?
K.C. 12:47
Um, well, it wasn't necessarily rapid growth because of COVID. And so when I first opened my business, I had high hopes and dreams for it. Um, and my mom actually makes us joke now where she was like, when you first told me about the idea, and you started it, I didn't want to, like get under your feet and say, like, and push you to your ultimate balance, because I knew you were going to be successful. Because it was kind of that thing where I feel like your mom's like, you're going to do great, but you're not going to be like, Oh, maybe I'll like do okay, you know, she's like, I knew you were gonna, yeah, she was like, but I knew that you were going to be successful and take it off to your wildest dreams, even though you didn't know it at the time. And a lot of people it looked like, Oh, I'm good luck, or kind of like, let's see how that turns out. Or you're gonna have to have a full time job still. So kind of an at the time, I also didn't know, it was just something that it was like one day, I literally was like, I need to start a business. And this is what I'm going to do. And this is how I'm going to do it. And I just jumped into it. So as far as how successful we came so quickly, there was no plan for that. It kind of just took off in that sense. And yeah, our first year in business, I had two contractors with me. And then after that, it just kept going and going and going and we couldn't handle the workload. So it just kept the hiring process kept growing. And then as far as the second year in business, things obviously slowed down. When we got creative with our services, we started offering select times where we would do drop in business and dog walks because right now it's a two hour window where like you'd say, I need to walk around 12 You'd be there sometime between 11 and one just to allow that flexibility in our schedules. But during the pandemic we push for if you need to schedule a direct time because your dog barks during your meetings, we will come at 12 o'clock and get your dog out of the house. So we definitely started having that as a specific service that we offered. And then wedding services. We didn't offer that prior in 2019. And that was a newer service because people were still having their weddings and weddings are never gonna go away. So That was an industry that we kind of hopped into as well to survive the pandemic. And now as far as this year, um, the way that looks is I anticipated a travel boom. And that is exactly what we got. And who knows what next year is going to look like, hopefully, international travel starts becoming more of a thing, because right now we get a little bit of international travel clients. Definitely more so domestic. But once International, hopefully sometime soon, becomes more of a bigger thing. Like I'm anticipating even more of a bigger boom. So it's just kind of like working through all of that and anticipating what's next. Obviously, in 2018, I didn't anticipate a 2020 pandemic. Why, but we got crazy, but, but we got creative with it. And that's kind of how the three years have gone on.
Collin 15:50
I think it's important for for people to listen to that. And because many times we get concerned about growth or rate of growth, or what's happening, or oh, I don't really have a plan, and I'm just kind of writing this. And in some sense, it's really okay to do that, and just adjust over time and continue to meet the needs of clients, and adapt and change as things happen to you. And not really so much focus on the numbers, right, I think we can get too focused on what's going on what's going on, you know, what's my, how my bookings looking? What's the percent increase over this time versus this time. And that is important. But that loses sight of why we're doing this, and what the what the motivation is behind the business and to continue to invest in that in those relationships and the people. And in really meeting those needs, as you said, even offering brand new services because you need to into because there are new needs.
K.C. 16:42
Right. And as far as numbers go, and like how my business model was different, because a lot of people do go in it with a plan and numbers and goals reach mine is a little bit different. But it works, you know, and I can't exactly say how it works, or why it works. I just jumped in it. And I had a passion and I went for it and then created what I've created today. But as far as numbers, though, I never was like I need 20 clients this month to feel successful or be successful. Because some months we might only get five new clients, but then the next month, we get 25. So there's really no balance in this industry. As far as growth month to month on, you can keep wanting to get more clients, but it's not necessarily going to be a steady number each month that you're getting new clients. Um, I would say my main focus, as far as numbers goes that I can give a concrete answer on would be social media, I was really big on social media and our followers and our likes and our reviews and getting those numbers higher and higher and higher. And that is what I focused on. But focusing on that in return. Our clients numbers increase, I'm definitely directly correlated with that. And then I was actually talking, I have a contractor on my team who's actually a trainer, and she does contract work with us for pet sitting and dog walking, but she owns her own business as a trainer as well. And I was talking to her about it because she had a seminar recently where they told her to not have a review tab. And to not focus on those numbers. And I told her on a personal level that that is what I believe helped us be so successful as we are because if you're getting tagged on a post, let's say for recommendations, and let's say there's three businesses and your potential client clicks on all three, just human nature is going to gravitate gravitate towards the business that has the more likes that has the more post that has the more reviews just naturally even as yourself you guys myself when I go to look for something in a different industry and I do comparisons, it's always the one that has more reviews, I'm usually the reviews and so that is a number that I definitely focused on as far as growing not so much month to month of what our revenue was or how many new clients we were getting.
Collin 19:02
Yeah, that is a fine line to walk with the reviews and in the star ratings or whatever I think on one aspect. It's okay to not be so consumed with what the rating is, you know, it's gonna fluctuate, you're going to get some bad reviews, somebody is going to not be satisfied you're gonna get three star blah blah like and that that's important for you as the business owner to not really focus on but like you mentioned, for the business, the reputation wise, trying to get new reviews, frequent reviews, and a lot of reviews really does show the A you're active and be the people that are reviewing you really like you and I do agree that that is important to have at least as an aspect for your business reputation in your community.
K.C. 19:46
Right and just not even the numbers of followers likes reviews, but active social media especially now when I go to a page for something that I'm looking at in their last posts, whatever 2017 I kind of automatically just kind of steer away from it. Um, compared to if I log on to a page and they're posting every single day, I'm definitely more able to gravitate towards
Collin 20:12
I assume they're closed if they haven't posted since 2017. I go okay, this person I and I move on to somebody somebody else.
K.C. 20:21
Right and I Yeah, it's it's totally important on as far as how often your page is active, that's for sure.
Collin 20:29
Have you heard of time to pet Dan from NYC pooch as this to say,
20:34
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Collin 20:54
If you're looking for new pet sitting software, give time to pet a try. Listeners of our show save 50% off your first three months by visiting timed pet.com/confessionals. What do you think it takes to convince somebody out on Facebook to like your Facebook page is that the kind of posts that you're doing the interactions that you're doing, or because they they know your business, and they trust you?
K.C. 21:18
I would say, um, I do get a lot of messages where people will say I've been following your page for a while. So I think potential clients who end up wanting to have interest in your business or want to like you to save you for down the road. We'll go ahead and like our page, because they want to see our post be updated be reminded almost, Oh, yeah. Like when I go out of town, like I should contact them. That is definitely one of the bigger ones that I get, I get messages sometimes where they're like, I messaged you, Neil, I don't need pet care right now. But I want this in my archives. Um, so that's definitely one of the things I would say I really try to get engagement by saying like, comment below, or like this post, and that actually doesn't go that far with us. I think it just comes naturally that people want to be involved in checking in our page. So they will like it, and they'll follow along. As far as like trying for engagement, it definitely hasn't been as successful as I thought it would be. And then our clients, our clients have to stay up to date on our information on our social media, both Facebook and Instagram. I keep our stories up to date with our daily visits, anything any new news or important articles. So a lot of our clients like to see not only their fur babies on our social media, but checking out all of our clients for babies, because who doesn't like to look at cute dog and cat photos? You know?
Collin 22:47
Yeah, 100% is a way for people to get a glimpse into what your business is doing feel like they're connected to something bigger and involved in that and know that you're doing work in the community as well. And then they get to see their their fur baby kind of rise as a star and see them on the page to it is a good feeling to give pet parents Oh, definitely.
K.C. 23:07
And they always engage on it. Our current clients definitely have a lot of engagement on our social media.
Collin 23:12
I wanted to take a moment to have you talk about your your team members that you have, because I know that they are critical to how you're able to operate.
K.C. 23:22
Yeah, so my team currently consists of about 25 pet care specialists who are all independent contractors. And I actually decided to have contractors over employees based on my past experience as a contractor actually, I was in a completely different industry other than pet care. But throughout college, I worked as a contractor with a company. And the freedom a contractor position allows you to have just truly can't be be in being a contractor is definitely ideal for college students because of the ability to pick your own schedule. But it's also super convenient for others who want a flexible work schedule or just want to make supplemental income. So all the pet care specialists that we contract, they're able to choose when how and where they work. But I think that the most notable aspect of having contractors on our team is just the ability for them to be able to build their own clientele list and form deep connections with the clients that they serve on a personal level. So when I first started furbaby, I had around 20 clients under my belt just from previous hobby petsitter job that I did myself. And I knew almost immediately that I was going to need help. So the first two contractors I hired worked overnight vacation care jobs for clients, while I handled now what is called our weekly regulars, which are clients who need drop in visits or dog walks regularly during their work week. So from there, it kind of took off and now there's more than 20 contractors to help service our 900 Plus clientele list that just continues to grow.
Collin 24:56
Thinking back to that first one that you brought on those first two What was it like going from just starting your business to now getting so busy? You need people and and what was your What was your thought process in bringing on some some some help?
K.C. 25:11
Yeah, I guess I know a lot of solo centers I'm kind of ebb and flow with potentially hiring or not hiring. But I guess it kind of just depends on what you wanted to do. I wasn't quitting my nine to five to become a solo pet sitter, I was quitting my job to open up a pet care business to make a name in the pet care industry to provide quality pet care, and I wasn't going to be able to do that by myself. And so as far as like when it comes to solo pet sitters being nervous about hiring, I think the ultimate goal should be to look at their current business model or plan and what they want to make of it. So I know some solo pet sitters are content with their client list and don't have an eagerness to expand at all. But for solo pet sitters that need the help contracting other pet sitters to help with a workload could definitely help expand the business. And there are a lot of areas to cover when it comes to hiring a contractor. But my main point would be to ask yourself, would I be comfortable with this person caring for my pets? That's definitely the question that's always at the forefront for me when looking to contract work out.
Collin 26:24
I think that's a really important question to ask it because we especially the kind of business that we're running, we're passionate about, not just pets, but also passionate about the quality of service that we're offering. And getting to know that person, understanding how they operate, and then doing some self reflection going, what I want this person, but I'd be feel comfortable with this person in my house, but I feel comfortable with this person caring for my pet is that the level of care that I expect as well, and then go from there.
K.C. 26:50
Right, and it comes back to relating to your client. It's not just that I want quality pet care. I want quality pet care for myself, but for my clients as well. And me being at the forefront of that asking, would I be okay with them caring for my pets? And of course, I'm gonna be okay with them caring for my clients, pets? So letting clients know almost like, hey, yeah, your cat sitters have sat for my dog before? I'm definitely just helps write them in there.
Collin 27:19
Well, so maybe break that down a little bit more? What makes a good pet care specialist for for baby?
K.C. 27:25
That is a hard question to answer just because everyone brings so many different things to the table. Um, but I would say just having the ultimate goal of that that person wants to provide quality pet care. And that is what their intentions are just sets the tone right then in there, everyone has their different works as far as how they conduct their meet and greets or provide their care. But as long as you're able and capable and wanting to provide the quality care, it doesn't necessarily come naturally. Because there are things that you need to know like as far as like CPR, first aid, health science, to be aware, just everything nitty gritty behind the scenes like that. But as long as your passion is there at the first and foremost that this is what you want to do, you want to provide quality pet care, you're not just there to get them out, get them in, they went potty done lead on to the next. Like that kind of mentality is not going to have a great pet care specialist. You want someone not necessarily in the same position as I that I experienced bad pet care. So therefore I want to provide good pet care. But as long as the pet care specialist has true intentions, and actually wants the best for every animal, and every client that they encounter, that ultimately sets up successful pet care specialist.
Collin 28:42
Well, it shows you that they are that they're teachable, that this is something that they really want to get. Right, and that you're able to help them and help them grow and expand and use them in new and different ways. And you also touched a minute on there saying, you know, we're also everybody is different for what they bring, and for you. And I know for other people who have, you know, 510 20 or more pet care specialists and staff members working for them, you start looking at it more of what what is my team able to provide? What kind of information knowledge skills experience does my team have? Because that's going to help set me up for success. I know not everybody can be experts in everything, to where great expertise and how can I shore up the areas that I need to
K.C. 29:30
even though we are contractors and not employees, it's there still is a team balance there. For example, if someone has a question because they're caring for a rabbit, let's say they're not too familiar with rabbits, but I know someone on our team has rabbit care experience I'll connect them to and then they can learn from each other. Or, I mean, we have each other supportive in ways that for example, we had someone a couple weeks ago couldn't get in the house. Key was not working. I was FaceTiming them, I didn't know if she was doing something wrong, or what was going on. And I kind of sent out the request the team, hey, can anyone hop on over to help her out, and everyone who has been in these positions before, right? Like they're working on their own, they have their own clients, they understand how stressful being in a position like that can be. And we're willing to step in and help each other out. Same thing, literally last weekend, we had a cat that we've cared for her him before, and he took his insulin like a champ, no problems this time around, you were shutting all the doors, and he was still bolting from you, there was almost no way to catch him as a solo setter. So we ended up having to contact the client and saying, in order for him and his safety, and well being not only the sitter, but the cat as well, we're gonna have to get two hands on this cat. And I sent out the request and three contractors were able and willing to help out another contractor. So that's just the beautiful thing that we all have our own schedules, our own lives, we're all caring for our own clients. But we're still a team dynamic there. And the fact that we all get it, we all understand we're all willing to help each other out.
Collin 31:16
Yeah, well, that gets back to intention there, they have the intent of quality care. And when you bring people right, that means that that permeates everything that they do. And even as you said, even the willingness to go in and help others in those situations, and to help help them give good quality care as well.
K.C. 31:33
Yeah, and that just speaks on behalf not even just being as a pet care specialist. Just paint the person in general. And I always tell my clients, especially our clients who meet more than five, right, they have a wide, a wide range of personalities. Some are more shy than others, some are more outgoing, some more have the more experience or knowledge, but it ultimately comes down to what their passionate passion is, and are they going to provide quality pet care? And that answer is yes, across the board, no matter what the differences are between everyone
Collin 32:05
know on your team, I know you have a couple different layers of staff and people on board. How did you build to that?
K.C. 32:15
Yeah, so they're, it's quite an interesting dynamic. But we have first and foremost, our weekly regular clients who are serviced by their specific pet care specialist. So I have four pet care specialists who have their own set of clients that they service weekly, Monday through Friday, right now, three of them have about eight to 10 clients that they're servicing weekly. So they are responsible for their weekly regular clients Monday through Friday, every way that kind of looks like if every Friday, they ask their clients for the upcoming week, hey, what days do you need me and then those pet care specialists are responsible for scheduling those clients on the days that they need care. So that's definitely the sweet spot on our team. Because that's where I started. That's what I was doing. When I first started was having my own Weekly regulars. And then it kind of expanded from there that I need more contractors, more care specialists that can help me out with my weekly regulars. And now each person has their own set of clients that face service regularly. Um, and with that being said, it's still comes out the help dynamic, where when we build our routes, and I realized that I'm not going to be able to get to one of the dogs on time with the way my route is planning out, I asked someone else to help me out and sometimes ends up in being that we swap apply it just to help build our route better or pay my my loads pretty light that day, I can help you out. So that is one of the layers. The next layer would be anyone else on the team are either they have a full time job or they have a part time job. So they just kind of pick up work as they see fit on what works with their schedule. And then we also have a few team members who don't have another job. So they are working often and picking up jobs often. They just don't necessarily have their own Weekly regular clients like our full time route clients, but they do have like their repeat clients who vacation a lot or go out of town a lot on the weekends. Where they need they're dropping visits if they're gone longer. During the day.
Collin 34:23
You mentioned when you were describing, you know maybe sometimes you may switch swap clients with somebody because the route doesn't work out. How do you build your routes?
K.C. 34:34
So normally our routes are full time clients are Monday through Friday, usually like 10 to three give or take and based on location but also timeframes. So we book our clients into our timeframes. So it might be 10 to 12 or 11 to one so you kind of know you know what timeframes that their visits need to be conducted in and you kind of just go off of that of building your route. Making the most sense of where you're starting and where you're ending as far as the route that you're gonna follow. And some days, it might be a little wonky, and you are doing a little bit of backtracking. But we have everyone's pretty efficient at finding a route to avoid that.
Collin 35:13
Sure. It kind of It's a mix between an art and a science, kind of putting all those factors together, and then just being familiar with the area and going, Oh, this is actually a better way to get this whole thing done at the end of the day,
K.C. 35:25
right. And when we go out of town, like the full time route coverage, I will literally break my days down each by each for that person that is covering me, I will write Monday 10 o'clock, this client 1045 This client and break down the routes for the person that is taking over my route, if I'm out of town, just to help out that other person. And everyone on our team that does have their full time route clients will do that for anyone that covers for them. Yeah, I
Collin 35:54
know, that's a process that will sit down and do between Megan and I look ahead for the week and try and plan out most accordingly. And that doesn't always work out sometimes with something goes long, or there's a you know, we've got to squeeze somebody in. But I think it does just take sitting down and in actually planning it out like that. I know many people just kind of wing it and figure out and make it work. But I think some forethought in especially when you have so many people that you have run running around with nine 900 Plus clients it planning is very important with those things. Yeah,
K.C. 36:28
planning. And then especially in Michigan, in the wintertime, it doesn't hurt to leave a half hour early. And if you happen to get to your first client too early, let's say you were not supposed to like the time prints 10 to 12, you're not going to go to their house at 915. But if you happen to get there at 915 930, it doesn't hurt to sit in your car for a little bit, or sometimes and plan other stuff are working on other stuff. But also, I've had it before where I've gotten there early in the wintertime. And I just go in early and say I'm going to hang out for an hour. And obviously I'm only getting paid for what I'm assigned to do. But you can still spend extra time and it's the same thing. I'll have time to kill because I have a meet and greet scheduled and that's not going to get moved around. So my last day, I need to have my lunch with a client's dog for an hour and a half. And we let our clients know that, hey, if you have extra time in our schedule, today, we'll be here longer than normal. But who's gonna say no to that. So that's, that's a whole nother aspect of it as well. And yeah, just the route planning and the efficiency of having those weekly regular clients, it definitely takes a specific type of person. And as far as so we have myself included and three others. And as we grow, you can't, you can only fit so many in in those timeframes. So as we grow, and I will potentially, we'll need more contractors to have their own Weekly regular clients to cover that kind of is assessed by what they're currently doing right now, if they will be able to handle such a job, because it's totally different than the people on our team who are just doing overnight vacation care that only takes planning and sense of arrival and departure time to the client home. And then whatever you're doing during that job that was specified by the client, but there's not as much planning involved as that as it is with our weekly regular clients.
Collin 38:20
With so many pet care specialists on on your team, in your opinion, what is your secret? Or how do you go about increasing the good ones and having good retention of your staff?
K.C. 38:35
Right? So I don't necessarily have a secret to being able to have such a large outreach of contractors. But I would definitely say, first and foremost, that appreciation goes a long way. So I've been in plenty of work situations personally where you don't feel appreciated. Not only is your work ethic going to be affected, but just overall like the want and willingness to be at a job is just going to lack if there's no appreciation behind the motivation. So it's not just saying thank you. It's like letting someone know why you're thankful for them that can help them occurred to them along the way. And besides letting all of our contractors or pet care specialists know why and how they're appreciated. Appreciation as shown in other ways throughout the years. I do Christmas in July, and around Christmas time in December, many contractors will be paid a higher percentage per job than what's normally offered year round as an example. Just kind of say thank you. I hope to one day to be successful enough that any contractor through furbaby comfort and care can be paid at a higher percentage but for now, a few times a year which where jobs are offered at a higher percentage rate per job. It's just a way of being to express my gratitude outside of using words. I'm on top of that I put a huge emphasis on mental health and work life balance. It's so easy In this industry just to work work work, because there's just that much work to go around. But it ultimately comes down to balance. Some contractors hustle and work as much as they can for a few months, but then they'll take a few months off, or they only accept a job here and there. And there are other contractors who keep a balance going month to month and keep their workflow as at a steady pace. And then there's some contractors on a team who just pick up jobs when it fits into their life schedule. But regardless of how often and how much a pet care specialist is accepting jobs and working, I always check in on them just to make sure that mental health is a priority. I obviously wear many hats as a business owner, I'm a dog walker, pet sitter accountant, media manager, content creator, like you name it, I'm doing it. So I know firsthand how important it is to make sure they're still balanced there with work in personal life. So not only do I share, like self care tips with everyone, but I definitely let the team know that I'm an open book. So if anyone needs help, or ideas, or how to create a better work life, balance, or schedule and manage their clients, I'm here to help and everyone on my team definitely knows that. And then it kind of goes hand in hand with what I mentioned earlier, that appreciation goes a long way when it comes to when it comes to contractor retention. Um, but just anyone I know that I come in contact with if they understand that I go through the same ups and downs of contract, and petsitting life firsthand, it helps build a connection that, yes, we have the same ultimate goal of providing quality pet care, but we are more than just pet sitters. For humans, we have real emotions, and we're not just a pet sitter or a pet care specialist. So having a support system where everyone can feel not only appreciated, but understood, um, definitely goes a long way for us.
Collin 41:52
Yeah, really humanizing the job, the position and the work and letting them know, yeah, I understand I can empathize with you in these moments, I think that's really huge. Because, as you know, and as listeners know, this can be a very lonely job and very isolating and feel like no one else understands what you're going through. And that can be really detrimental, on tough days, or on long slog of a lot of work that's piling up week after week, to know that somebody alongside you, that's cheering you on, that's rooting for you that has your best interest at heart. That's huge. And is really a game changer when you know that you're surrounded by people like that.
K.C. 42:30
And it helps like I said earlier how our team members are willing to step in and help each other out when needed. So just knowing that there's that support system behind you, even though you are working with your clients, one on one, and you have your own personal life going on. And you may even have your other job going on, knowing that there's other people doing the exact same thing as you, and then some to be able to talk to them about or just explain something that happens or get help on something. Just their support system in general is huge,
Collin 43:05
right? Yeah, it's really critical to having success and having people be there year after year. And because you want the best members on your team, and you need to be we as as business owners, if we have staff need to be ensuring that they're going to be able to do that and keep up that quality work.
K.C. 43:21
Yeah. And when I first talked to contractors that potentially working for me, I do ask them, like, what their goal is, do they want to hustle and grind and work as much as possible? Are they going to do this just part time cuz they have another job? Is it going to be supplemental because they have a full time job, so they're just going to pick up casual dropping visits on the weekends. Right now we have a few team members who are doing this on behalf of their mental health because they have a Monday through Friday, nine to five work job and they need to get out of the house. Because their work from home still. And or like I need to get out of the house on an evenings on the weekends. And I'm all for it. Because there are benefits to what we do. But like you said it can be very lonely. So just having that support system no matter what you're doing, how much you're working while you're working, and just helps tremendously.
Collin 44:14
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K.C. 45:33
we first started offering wedding services, it was to help us survive through COVID. So it kind of got creative with that as far as what we offered, and what it all entailed. And it's definitely become more in depth as far as service goes. So when we first started offering wedding services, it involved a pet taxi to and from the client's home and venue, venue assistance, and then overnight care afterward if needed. So essentially, I find out from the bride and groom, what bride and bride groom and groom, whatever it may be, and what they want out of our services. So usually, they just want a photo with their dog. That's our typical thing. So you have to dive into I find out, sometimes it's just a photo with our dog, which is most typical, or they want their dog as a ring bearer, or they want their dogs or the entire night. So we have to, we have a very extensive client intake form as far as what they're looking for. Because when we first started offering that service, we would think that we were only bringing the dog there for a half hour, but they wanted the dog there for much longer for more photos for more of this. So typical service is picking the dog up from the home, bringing it to the venue, venue assistance, as far as whatever they booked what they need help with, we've had some pet care specialist walk the dog down the aisles here full blown part of that wedding. So that or that we hand it off and grinning at the edge, or they're not a part of the wedding at all, we're just showing up for a quick photo. So it kind of just depends as far as that and then bringing the dog back home. From there, sometimes overnight care is offered. Sometimes the dog is just bought out one more time, and they're coming back later that night. But we've picked up dogs from boarding a daycare, where we take the dog away from daycare, and then bring it back to daycare. So it's definitely a unique service. And when I first started, it definitely was just kind of something like this will work. Let's do it. And then it became much more detailed and much more complex than what I thought it would be. But we definitely have it nailed down now.
Collin 47:54
Yeah, just hearing you walk through each of the also a ends, or oh, we could do this or this. It really sounds like something that can spiral pretty quickly. So how do you go about? Is it just an hourly rate for the dog? Or does it get more complicated if you're doing all of these running around and doing different services?
K.C. 48:16
Yeah, so as far as not letting it spiraled out of control? Now I actually have an initial conversation with the couple where I will find out. What are they thinking that they want? Because a lot of times people come to us and contact us. And then we heard you offer wedding services, but we don't know what we want. So there are a lot of questions I have to ask like, do you just want the dog there for photos? Do you actually want the dog part of the ceremony? How long do are you anticipating a lot of questions to ask. And that kind of got to get a free flow down of what they think that they want. And then from there, I have an initial client intake form for wedding services that ask all those questions and then some. And from there, I kind of become a wedding planner, where I will kind of break down a timeline of this is what we're going to do. And this is what it's going to cost. And then the floor is open there. Obviously if they want to tweak something or take something out whatever they may want to do. And then once we have a concrete plan, I will tell them their quote, our way we quote that, as is just a service in general has a base fee, just to be able to have and use our wedding services. There's a base fee for that. And then from there on time and travel. So it's calculated by every half hour, and then mileage between home and venue and then an hourly rate depending on how long you want us at the venue. And then as far as afterwards care, like are you going to need a standard drop and visit afterwards? Are you going to need the overnight vacation care afterwards? Is it just a quick potty and let out? So then it becomes very expensive as far as the quote goes, but once I have all that information down, I'm able to break down their timeline and provide them with that, quote,
Collin 50:01
sounds very hands on and involved in that planning process. And I like how you said you kind of put on your wedding planner and event cap to walk through each of those things. And it's, it's always fascinating to me when clients contact, and they have, they know they're interested, but they have no idea what they want. And those are always kind of the fun ones to get to talk with and walk them through which able to provide, because then you can really help guide them and help shape something that's going to be more beneficial to them probably,
K.C. 50:28
right, because a lot of times people will see our services offered like the photographer might post a photo of a couple with their dog, or they might see at their venue how to jog at it. Or they might see someone posting in a wedding group about our services may see and they go, oh, I want my dog my wedding. But then when they call me, they don't necessarily know what they want their dog doing their wedding. So there's tons of options because like one call you might be looking at, might have had their dog at the venue for four hours, while the other couple had them for maybe three minutes. So it just really depends on what they're looking for. And I kind of talk them through that to figure out why they want to incorporate their dog and how we're going to do that.
Collin 51:05
Yeah, it really sounds like a very premium service. And I know you actually also have a whole entirely dedicated, premium pet sitting service that you offer. How did that get developed in do is that is that? Is it common for people to use that service?
K.C. 51:23
Yeah, so it's actually more common than I thought. And that's kind of how it came about. So I can kind of break it down. So we have three different overnight vacation care services that we offer. The first service offered is when a pet care specialist spends the night each night and then aims to match the normal routine during the day, which does allow the pet care specialist during the day to leave for six or seven hours. And there's not an extra daytime fee for that it's just a nightly rate. So that's like our base model. Um, from there, the next service is the same exact thing. But now you're on a four to five hour accommodation instead of the six to seven. So at that point, the extra daytime fee is applied because they're more in a stricter schedule. So then comes into play the premium pet care service, which is ultimately around the clock care. It's three times our normal base rate, because the pet care specialist will be there around the clock, they're unable to work any other jobs. And ultimately, they have no personal time away from client's home. During that time. This service came about surprisingly, because there was quite a need for it. It usually is utilized by clients who have puppies, dogs with severe separation anxiety, or dogs who are on strict medication regimens. And sometimes animals who are recovering from surgery,
Collin 52:42
I think this the surgery one and the medications and Well, I think even increasingly, the separation anxiety are all really common needs or concerns that clients have have really needing somebody to be watching in really, I think the key term for a lot of this stuff is monitoring there, especially as it's recovering from something.
K.C. 53:05
And as far as it being a premium service, and it is three times the base rate job's not necessarily that easy to get coverage for, even though the compensation is quite high, because it does entail a lot of work. It does take a lot of toll on you because you are almost ultimately house bound to someone else's house. So that's kind of where that fee comes into play. And as far as the necessary necessity behind like the medication or surgery. And obviously now we COVID separation anxiety because at initial intake, I asked the client, how long is your dog comfortable being left alone for? It's one of my first questions I asked because that is what is ultimately going to deem your quote. So if they say, oh, eight hours, they're good, they're going to get our base model. They say like, oh, like five, six hours, well, then that discussion comes about pay four to five, cuz you're gonna get charged extra, or six to seven. It definitely matters. But then we do have those people who they kind of get stunned by that question when they come to the realization that Oh, never, um, or will cause a COVID and I work from home and I'm not a social butterfly, I'm home all the time. Um, so at that point, I actually will offer them the opportunity to potentially look into training or behaviorist, to kind of get them on a different routine as far as being that attached to having someone at home because as great as it sounds to charge a client triple. It's not always my intent. I would love to have them set up for success that they get on a six seven hour time clock. And I also talked to clients at initial intake when they have a puppy and they have to use our services because they are in puppy phase and they do have to be let out every other hour that I invite them to slowly start getting them on a different regimen so that doesn't have to be their life course. And I'm very upfront as to why, but also just what that price is going to look like down the road if they don't get the dog on a different schedule.
Collin 55:08
Well, and again, it's you also noticing that that level of separation anxiety, it's not, it's unhealthy. And you're No, it's not setting that dogs to be successful down the road when things happen when the owners need to travel or when you know, something happens. And you want to make sure that that dog is set up for success. And so I love that you're able to turn it and go, Okay, you know, we also there's also training other options, other options to work on this and really partnering with them on that care.
K.C. 55:37
Yeah, and after getting of a pandemic, I reached out to our clients that we service regularly, like, Hey, you're working from home, you don't have to use us as you're dropping service midday, but put your dog in the crate work. If it free realms leave the house, go for a walk by yourself, go for a drive, even if it's sitting outside and have your morning coffee, but your dog is inside, like still create some type of balance there. And I pushed, I mean, that was mainly all my, all my social media was about during the pandemic, because we didn't really have work. It was about setting these animals up for success. Because on the outside the pandemic, I knew it was going to happen. And it's happening, unfortunately. And it's a big Whoa, especially with the trainer that I'm associated with. What she works with a lot now is correcting the separation anxiety, it's a huge thing. And I don't think people realize the extent to because it was only supposed to be two weeks, right? And it turned into a year. And now they're stuck with a dog who used to be able to be left alone in its crate for seven hours. And now you step outside and it screams. So um, it's definitely not necessarily an issue. But it's something that can be fixed for sure. And when our premium pet service comes about, because of the separation anxiety issue, I want what's best for the dog, but also just the to help the people that you don't have to be on this stock regimen or paying triple the price. Like there's a solution on the outside of it.
Collin 57:13
Yeah, yeah, I think that's really key is that best interests at heart for both the owner and the pet at the end of the day, that's what we want. We want that to be healthy relationship. We want both of those, those members of this transaction to be to be happy and to be leading good lives. For sure.
K.C. 57:29
So I just always open that floor to that conversation, especially now where work from home isn't as common or being housebound is as common, but when they come to our puppies, yeah, the four to five hour or the premium service is fine. For now, it does need to your dog does need to be laid out every other hour. Or so give or take. But keep in mind that you want to if you work Monday through Friday, you have to start putting your dog in the crate, stepping away taking your lunch outside the house getting them used to you leaving. And it's a big, big thing with work from home owners.
Collin 58:04
Casey, you've experienced so much over the last three years and grown so much in experience, knowledge and expertise. And your business is doing so many things. But what is the future look like for you? What are you looking forward to?
K.C. 58:17
I am looking at? Gosh, I don't even know how I want to answer this question. Um, it's a hard question for me to answer just because when I started the business, I didn't ask myself that question, I kind of just went with the flow. So as far as projection, or growth or my goals, I'm kind of staying on the same path. There's definitely not concrete set plans as far as where this business goes. On a personal level and a business level, I don't necessarily have a productive path for myself, because that's been working for me. And I think if I start overthinking and trying to concrete numbers and figure out a plan of where I want to go, I don't necessarily think it's going to benefit me. So I want to be successful, I do want to keep growing, I want to keep letting the community know that quality pet cares. That's because that is what we are based on. Because a lot of times right now, people don't necessarily know that like a service like this exist. And they get so excited when they find out like I can have quality pet care, I can sleep on my vacation because I'm not worried if my dog is going to the bathroom or not. And so when people find out about the service, they're just mind blown that they have this opportunity to not be almost anxiety ridden while they're out of town or away from their home. So just in terms of that just learning and helping the community grow not just in Southeast Michigan, but all over that. This is a thing that is offered in the pet care industry and how great it can be for others. So I don't necessarily have a concrete answer as far as goals and growth because I never did from the start. So I'm gonna keep kind of working with that.
Collin 1:00:02
Keep on keeping on and keep doing it for sure.
K.C. 1:00:07
Because maybe I just I don't know if I overthink it. And if I tried coming up with a plan three years in the business, I don't think it would do any good.
Collin 1:00:17
Well, I think it's, it's, it's it's focusing on fundamentals and staying true to your why and to your passion. And I think at the end of the day, there's not much more we could ask for in our lives than that. And I think that that really is, is the message there of have a passion, work the passion and help others in your community,
K.C. 1:00:35
right, because it never was about how many clients I could get how much growth we could have, or how much revenue we could create. It was just more so of creating a name in the pet care industry that quality safe, and healthful pet care exists and that you don't need to be put into these positions of ultimately inadequate path care,
Collin 1:00:56
Chloe, sir, lit a fire in you to help other people. And I think the Southeast Michigan is the better for it. Casey, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today for sharing your passion for sharing your journey, and for sharing how you've learned along the way, and you continue to grow and equip others and your staff and your pet care specialist to do invest and in the in the clients and to continue to raise the bar in your community. But I know that there's a lot going on and you've got a lot of things on your plate and you're doing so many things. How can people get in touch with you follow along with all of your work and start picking your brain?
K.C. 1:01:34
Yeah, so I am on Facebook and Instagram if you haven't picked up on that yet. As for baby comprehend care under a business name, my business name does have an and sign. So that is how it's found on Facebook, but on Instagram is the word and so we can be reached there. And then our email is also located on our website, which is www dot furbaby. Comforting care.com.
Collin 1:02:00
Again, Casey, I've really enjoyed this conversation. And I'm so appreciative of you taking time every day to come on. Thank you so much. Yes, thank you so much. Why does your business exist? What is its purpose not just for yourself? But what is the impact that is having on the community that you live in? I think that's a really powerful question that we need to consider, especially right here and the first of this new year. And at any time while we are looking at our business and trying to understand exactly what it is not just what it's doing for us. But what in turn it does for those around us that helps us see ourselves in a bigger picture. That helps us push ourselves through tough times. And it helps us surround ourselves with people who can help us reach that goal every single day. We'd love to know the purpose of your business and what it's doing in your community. You can send us feedback at feedback at Pet Store confessional comm we're everywhere on social media as well. And we really want to thank our sponsors today time to pet and pet sitters International. Thank you so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week.
