273: Finding Hope in Pet Care with Abagail Giordano
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Summary:
We all have our own way of joining the pet care industry. Abagail Giordano was given hope when she started as a dog walker for a company, but several years later found herself taking over ownership of it. She now runs Pack Pals NY and talks about her experience of growing into a management role and what it means to see change in yourself, without losing yourself. She shares what it means to fight for legitimacy in pet care and why we need to set appropriate boundaries. She gives advice on how our businesses can help others, instead of only thinking about what they do for us.
Topics on this episode:
From dog walker to owner
Scared to ask for help
Mid-day walks
Fighting for legitimacy
Favorite parts of running a business
Main take away? Stand up for yourself.
About our guest:
Like many animal lovers, Abagail has been surrounded by them her whole life. Her mother has been a Groomer since 1993 and Abagail has had a lifetime of opportunity to learn the intricate details and skills of animal care from her family. Her full time work here began in 2018 and she is dedicated to providing enriching services that better the lives of pets and their owners. Abagail is a homebody at heart and spends her time outside of work snuggling up with her two German Shepherds.
Links:
Email: packpalsny@gmail.com
Website: https://www.packpalsny.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/packpalsNY/
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, clients, dog, business, tasha, important, pet, walk, services, staff, hear, person, run, day, service, work, super, support, happy, role
SPEAKERS
Collin, Abagail G.
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
Collin Funkhouser 00:17
brought to you by time to pet and pet sitters International. Not everybody in pet care starts out by founding and starting their company. Sometimes they start out working for a company and work their way up, and then eventually take it over. And that's the exact story of Abagail Giordano, owner of Pac pals in New York.
Collin 00:38
She joins us today to talk about how her business and how providing Pet Care Services continuously gives her hope, and how she sees herself more and more as a manager and has grown into this role without losing herself along the way. She also dives into her services and how she makes sure that she takes care of her staff and her clients. Let's get started.
Abagail G. 01:00
Hi, my name is Abagail. First time podcaster and longtime listener, I'm excited to be here and talk to you. I took over a business that I've worked for for four years last year. So like many it's been a super busy year for me.
Collin Funkhouser 01:17
You took over the reins of of your of the business in 2021. Why was it time for you to do that? What was that transition like into the the new role that you have?
Abagail G. 01:29
Crazy. So this was a long time planned thing, our founder, Natasha, she was here in the area with her husband who was attended attending residency for his medical degree. And so they knew eventually his residency was going to be over and they were going to move. So we planned this for quite some time. And we had a lot of time to prepare. But it all came up really fast. I got married, bought a house and took the business over all within about a month of each other. So it was hard and fast.
Collin Funkhouser 02:04
So you started as a walker as an employee, is that correct?
Abagail G. 02:09
Correct. I started with Tasha in 2018. And at that time, it was Tasha walks dogs. And as we grew, we transformed into pack pals.
Collin Funkhouser 02:20
And so that transition for you when you went from from Walker to now owner, why did you decide that it was that that was something that you were interested in. And really, when did that start coming about?
Abagail G. 02:32
Honestly, from the very beginning, even before I started working for pack pals, the the idea of what Tasha was doing, and what Tasha walks dogs was planted a seed of hope for me that I could treat myself better and live a happier life. I've always been a hard worker. And before this, I worked really hard to hone in on a career in behavioral health. I was doing something that meant a lot to me, but it didn't make me feel good and I was broke. The reason that I started working for this company is really the same reason that I took it over, it gives me hope that I can do better for myself, and that I can help others do better for themselves while providing a top notch service. And seeing what Tasha was doing was really, really integral to me for that.
Collin Funkhouser 03:18
You talk about that word, hope. And I am curious how that plays into you deciding and making decisions as a business owner now and how you kind of guide that ship. Um,
Abagail G. 03:33
well it starts it starts in really not a good place. So right before I was working for Tasha I was a high school dropout. With limited education. I'd furthered my education career specifically. And I was doing a right but I really never pictured myself making more, being happier, feeling important and really succeeding in any type of role. And with Tosh, I got that opportunity. And now that's just blossomed into to challenging myself to do better, to seeing that there is more. And so I'm constantly reaching for the stars there. I never, I'd always worked hard, but I never realized that I might actually attain something from it. And I feel like I'm finally reaping all the rewards of that and I'm only shooting further and further so that others can have the same as they work with me
Collin 04:25
hearing that but it really it talks a lot about seeing yourself and having a purpose for what you're doing in life and finding your kind of niche in the world. And it's kind of wrapped around in this little this the the mental health aspect of it. So what what about petsitting? Or maybe what about Tasha was it that that helps you see that and help see more in yourself and what you had for the future?
Abagail G. 04:50
Well, my mom has always been a groomer. She's been a groomer for about 30 years and through her I've seen her work really, really hard and do well. But it's hard to financially prosper in this industry. And so Tasha has a degree in equine management, along with business management. And and she really she's got, she had her stuff together with that she started this business and was providing such an awesome service, that there was not only the opportunity to enjoy what we do, but to also make money. And so seeing how hard she's worked and what she built, it realized, I realized that it was possible for me as well, and possible to grow, and actually become a career instead of just a gig. And we've really tried to distinguish ourselves, as you know, like many that were professionals, this isn't a gig, this is what we do. This is the whole shebang for us,
Collin Funkhouser 05:47
it is something that we try and do and put because it's where we are putting our passions where we're putting our time where we're putting a lot of our, our resources, as well as, as a company. You know, if if somebody is listening to this, and they are struggling with seeing themselves as as valuable or what they're doing it, or whether what they're doing is worthwhile. What kind of advice or resources have you used, the two would really recommend somebody that they would reach out, and they would start using for those things
Abagail G. 06:20
that like, almost brings tears to my eyes, because through through this role as I got closer to it, and transitioned into it, it's really helped me find my voice, and become more confident and learn how to be more assertive. This role has been really important for that. And a lot of lessons were learned along the way that got me here. But really upon taking over, you know, I was thrust into it and learned how to do these things. And as a quiet and meek and mild person, that that's been hard. And honestly seeking out mental health, seeking out therapy, seeking out local people in my community to connect with who provide similar services and seeking out community online, through through petsitter groups and through podcasts has been so important. This careers really lonely. You know, we're with the dogs all day. And I think it's super important that we reach out and hold on to each other, pass ideas back and forth and get support from one another. You might feel really isolated. But there's probably two other people in your city that feel the exact same way right now. And they're dealing with the same type of problems. And so reaching out to them has been really, really important for me.
Collin 07:36
Yeah, I couldn't agree more, I really do think that doing something is I think it really is brave to ask a question online these days. So don't feel like that that's not a big step to do. If you have a question, asking somebody that could that can be a hurdle that we have to overcome to start getting into that. Maybe other people are struggling with this or who else could could help me with this, whether it is online or locally is so impactful thing, because then you have that immediate connection to them, where you're facing some of the similar struggles within your service area and within your community, you can really bond over that. But I feel like that really that aspect of I'm not alone in this, I'm not alone, feeling alone. I'm not alone in the struggles. I'm not alone and struggling to view myself in a new way or to overcome the things that I'm working on. I really do feel like that is particularly an issue in the pet care industry.
Abagail G. 08:31
It really is. I mean, especially for people who work one on one and don't work as a team, I can't imagine how that would how that would feel. I've always had someone whether it was Tasha, or, you know, after Tosh just left our our team members, I always have someone to connect with. So I can't imagine what it would be like to do it alone. And even even outside of our team members, of course, because you want external help external friends, reaching out to those of my community has been so important to me, we, I've made several good friends, and then realized that I have a lot more colleagues than I ever thought. And I never imagined how welcoming and how incredible they treat me. We try to go out quarterly a group of me and a couple local people, we try to go out quarterly for a meeting for dinner and to talk a little shop and to just be together. And, and that's been amazing for me, because coming into this it was it was lonely and scary. And without that support, I think my husband probably would have lost his mind by now just listening to me talk
Collin Funkhouser 09:34
about work all the time. There are some people in our lives where we can talk about certain things. And at some point they do stop caring about the dogs and the troubles that we have. So we need to talk about talk to other dog people at some point. That's That's true. Yeah.
Abagail G. 09:50
And I actually don't live in the area that I service. I live about 25 minutes away. And so one of those people that I've become really Good friends with she's now my dog walker. And, and we are just I mean, we're probably on the phone, maybe every day every other day, guess what happened with this client? How would you deal with this or I just need to talk about this or look at my little when I got fluffy to sit today and wait, just those little things that are hard to get maybe our non dog friends to care about or be excited about with us, it's been really cool to have that in someone else.
Collin Funkhouser 10:31
Yeah, it is, uh, you mentioned those little wins that you get, you know, it's not an easy career to be in. So after four years into this, what what keeps you going, especially through a pandemic, and everything that you've that you've experienced,
Abagail G. 10:48
um, everything's just getting better. It's getting harder, and it's getting tougher, but it's getting better every time I send a scary email, or have to remind someone of our policies, and it makes me really uncomfortable. Every time I have to speak with a team member about maybe doing something a little bit differently. I as challenging as it is, it's rewarding, because you've started to see change in yourself and in your business. And the confidence I've grown and the way that our business is molding into something really sustainable, and really amazing. It's just, it's more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.
Collin Funkhouser 11:28
What you mentioned, you can describe yourself when you moved into this role. And I'm assuming that to the role of business owner and now manager, you're kind of a meek and mild person. What does that transformation been like for you just personally, as far as taking on that role, and seeing yourself as as a business owner now? Well,
Abagail G. 11:48
I'm still the same person. But I'm a lot more honest about it. I think, being more I know, the whole cheesy thing of be yourself. But being more of myself, and being more open about that to people has really been helpful. So if I'm, if I need to have a conversation with a client, that's tough, I'll just be honest about and say, Hey, this is tough for me. I don't, I don't want to have this conversation. But this is what we need to have. And to go into it. And so just being honest, about who I am more through my communication, instead of trying to be something that I'm not, has been really helpful for me. And I think it really opens the door for others to be honest, and communicate as themselves with you because they feel like you're being yourself, you know. And I think that open line of communication between staff and between clients is so important. brutal honesty, may or may not always be the most professional, most tactful thing. But for me, it's it's lent me the best results when it comes to dealing with people, which surprisingly, for being a dog walker is kind of a constant thing.
Collin Funkhouser 12:56
It is it is I've said after several years in this and 1000s of clients and dog walks, I've never had a dog reach down and pay me at the end of a service, right. And I'm always having to interact with the people. And at the end of the day, I love how you you mentioned there, it's basically like, I've stopped apologizing for who I am in my actions and my deeds. And I love that idea of going of being that honest going look, I've got to have this conversation. And instead of trying to fake it and put on a mask or put on an airs about me being a certain role, I'm just gonna let you know that this is hard for me to. And I this is this is icky. And I don't feel good about having to do this. But in my role as a business, this is what I have to do. And we're having this conversation, I do really think that that really helps set people it sets the tone to a lot of expectations for that conversation, and helps the other person be more at ease to because they understand, okay, this is a there's a lot going on here. And that's something that we can all work through together.
Abagail G. 13:52
Truly, I think you you summed that up really well that's that's especially important for what we do. Because what we do is so personal, going into people's homes, taking their dog out of the home. In our case, sometimes we're taking them to locations that they've never been before. It requires an immense amount of trust. So we can't be corporate like and cold about it. It really needs to be a personal thing when we're communicating with people. We can't just blankly send over a policy reminder with no addition to it. Like, here's the policy, you know, about it has to be like hygiene, you know, so we've talked about this before, and this is the policy, and I hate to remind you of it, we tried to be really lenient, but in this case, I do need to enforce it. It needs to be a conversation and not a sentence when we're dealing with any issues with our clients or having any tough conversations for that matter. And it needs to be as personal as our services
Collin Funkhouser 14:47
when you're developing that viewpoint as far as like, how I communicate how I do this stuff. The Abagail four years ago, how did you get to where you are now?
Abagail G. 14:57
Um, Tasha was really important for me About she kind of took me under her wing like a little baby bird in that way. She's the type of person that is cool, calm and collected. And we all want to be a little bit more like her and that way, and I am high speed, high, strong, all over the place. Go Go, go, go go, you know. And in addition to that I'm a workaholic, I must say yes, person, I'm just do it and don't complain type of person. And so she's really, she always, always encouraged me to set boundaries, hey, you can say no to this, you don't have to pick up this work. And after about three years of that I started to catch on and realize that my life would be a lot better. If I spoke up for myself and did in fact, start setting these boundaries. And then, you know, taking over the business, there's no option. But to do that, other than to run yourself ragged, you have to set these boundaries. And so now being put in a position where I have to, I noticed that when I don't, my life is really uncomfortable. So every day I learn how how much more important that really is,
Collin Funkhouser 16:05
you said that phrase, speak up for yourself. And it really does start with our personal boundaries. And we have to start there, because then when it comes to implementing business boundaries, that's a whole whole ballgame. But we've got to work up and build those muscles to get to the business side. And that starts with ourselves and start protecting ourselves and our mental health and our time and our stress, and things that we don't want to do. So that when we get to the business, we know where those limits are, and especially if we've got employees, so we can be protecting them too.
Abagail G. 16:38
I agree. And I think I think something really important about this. And that's what Tasha did for me is, is constantly reminding the people that you work with or that work for you, hey, I want you to be setting these boundaries, I don't want you to be doing anything that makes you uncomfortable. If you're tired, I want you to go home, I don't want you to take that last walk, and, and really caring about people in that way and reminding them constantly, everyone's happier, we're all doing more of what we love and less of what we don't want to do. And without that sustainability is really questionable. Everyone needs to be true to themselves on that level. For us to continue to function well and to run smoothly.
Collin Funkhouser 17:22
Exactly, because this is something that we have such a passion for. And especially, you know, hearing your story of seeing the this position in this kind of work gave you a lot of hope for the future and valuing yourself, it is this very, it is very precious to us. And it can easily start taking over our lives and really ruining a lot of things. And especially when you experienced that personally, when you see someone else going through it, yeah, you do need to remind them and help support them and tell them, Look, it's not worth it that that last visit is not worth you doing this to yourself, you've got to protect yourself, and we'll figure it out. But you know, taking care of yourself is really, at the end of the day, like that's what the business runs on ourselves and our ability to show up and perform excellent work. And if we're not protecting and taking care of ourselves or those on our team, we're not doing the work that we have passion for
Abagail G. 18:13
them, right. And I think a lot of this too, you can support your staff and support yourself in this way by actually creating you know, all of the things in your business around how you want your your work life balance to look, for instance, how you want that to look. So your business hours, your policies, they should all be a reflection of, of how you want that to look, if you don't want staff that are working all hours of the day, maybe it shouldn't be 6am to 8pm. And it should be a little bit shorter. And that's kind of the process I'm in or have been in is really honing down on. Okay, what policy support us best long term? What What should our hours look like for our staff to be happy? Should we close on weekends permanently? And these are all decisions that I've been making to try and support our staff and support us because it it doesn't matter how good we're doing this right now at this moment. If we can't sustain how we are now for six months, for two years. We're doomed. Not doomed. But we need to be thinking of is can we run the way we are run right now in six months continuously? And if we can't, something needs to change. What do we need to change?
Collin Funkhouser 19:26
Yeah, I love I love going through that process of doing the 10x rule. Do I want 10 More 10 acts of whatever's happening right now? Is that something I can do? Is that something my staff can do? And then putting that timeline on it of going? If we ran at this pace? For six months, for a year for 10 years? How would we be doing and just being brutally honest with yourself and I think getting feedback from those in your life have those or staff or those family members or other business owners being like, Hey, this is how I'm running my business. Do you think I can do this for 10 years? Yeah, just seeing what kind of response you get because I think you know sometimes You'd be surprised of going, ooh, you didn't think of this? Or what if this happens, can you? You know, how can you manage that, and getting that good input? Again, as you mentioned earlier, getting that community that support is what's going to help you be successful for the long run.
Abagail G. 20:14
I love that. And without intentionally doing it, I've made it my life's goal to annoy everyone around me asking for their input about things that we're doing. And you know, it's not because I can't make these decisions myself, I usually make the decision that I'm asking everyone else about anyway. But it's important for me to get that outside perspective and really see what others think. Because you know, we can be really one track minded and if you take a vote with your staff, and you trust your staff, and they trust you, and feel comfortable giving you honest answers, you might hear something that you know, changes your mind. And it's super, super important to me. And otherwise, you might propose something and everyone's like, Yes, we all want this, this is great. And you know, you're moving in the right direction, and making decisions that are best for everyone.
Collin Funkhouser 20:59
Yeah, and we can be hesitant sometimes to also reach out for that kind of help, because we feel like we have to maybe have all of the answers of well, I'm the business owner, right? This is my industry, I don't, I don't feel comfortable asking people I don't know who to ask. But that process starts with just asking somebody and seeing where it goes.
Abagail G. 21:19
That's super important, I think especially the fear of of looking silly, or looking, you know, stupid looking not not knowledgeable about every topic is is a big one for people, especially business owners. And I think the more that we're, we're honest with ourselves about, you know, we're just human. We don't know everything, I don't even know everything about my business. And I know everything about everything, you know, reaching out to our staff into our clients. You know, we don't know everything about blogs, either look at look at our clients, sometimes fluffy will do something that we've never seen before. And then we ask the owner and owners like yeah, they do that all the time. You know, you just haven't noticed it yet. Like, oh, my goodness, I've been caring for this doc for six months, I've never noticed this weird quirk of a behavior, they've never done it for me. We just have to admit that we don't know everything. And asking for help only makes us better. The I was I was someone who was very scared to ask for help. Because I wanted to, to present in such a way that I have it all together. I know what I'm doing. But who really does? Really does, you know, and the more you gather from community, the more the to ask, the more that you learn. Really? That's a little cheesy, but but that's the truth. That's how we learn is by asking and growing? It is
Collin Funkhouser 22:37
it is it's being recognizing I don't have all the answers. I don't know who does. But I just need to start asking. I know for Megan and I, one of the ones that came up for us is we had a client who their dog had a torn ACL, and wasn't quite bad enough to have surgery. So she was asking us a lot of questions and like, what if leg braces worked and all the stuff? And I was like, Look, I I don't know, actually. But I think we have a couple clients who have gone through this. So let me reach out to them and get you guys connected. So you can start sharing your experiences with this because I don't have anything firsthand experience on this. You can still, again, reach out for help still help in the aspect of you can ask questions and assist your clients or you can ask questions about your business, and know that I'm doing the best I can by seeking help right now. And I think we forget that seeking help is sometimes the best thing we can do. It's not just sitting in a corner and trying to think of a new answer. Sometimes it's going and getting that help that we need. That's perfect.
Abagail G. 23:37
And it's funny that you mentioned that as an example, one of our team members, maybe six months ago, their dog had ACL surgery, and one of our clients maybe two months ago, let us know that her dog was going to need ACL surgery and she was asking me questions. And so the next thing I did from there was say hey, you know team member Do do you want to talk to this person and then we immediately scheduled her for the next walk that the that the dog had so that she could go and talk to that person. And you know, she was super the the client was so thankful for our team member coming over but also thankful for me for connecting them. If we can't directly help people we can source and and find help for them. And that's just as valuable, in fact, more valuable because we're actually sending them in the right direction. You know?
Collin Funkhouser 24:29
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Collin 24:59
It's your Looking for new PET scanning software, give time to pet try, listeners of our show can save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com. Forward slash confessional. I know you are working through the business and making a lot of decisions. So I did want to ask some questions around your services and how you operate. The first one that I wanted to hear from you on is you have this reliability promise, I want to know where that came from, and why that kind of thing is important to
Abagail G. 25:31
you. Okay, so this reliability promise is a page on our website that I wrote at maybe 2am, a couple months ago, while crying in a fit of rage. And it's been edited and edited and edited ever since. And it's looking a little bit more professional now. But I wrote this reliability promise really is like a letter from my heart to our clients. This all started because I woke in the middle of the night to my phone ringing because maybe 12pm, or sorry, 12am on I think a Friday night. And it was a client that we haven't seen in maybe two years we used to do walking for them, and they kind of dropped off and our service radius changed. And the client was in tears, hey, I'm like six hours away. And the pet sitter that we hired is not answering the phone. She's not at the house, the dogs been alone for like 12 hours. I know this is crazy, but my sister's not picking up. Can you help me. And so from there at midnight, you know, I throw in my jacket and drones and pants and went over to her house and I stayed there, took care of the dog made sure they got home safe. And mind you this is the client we haven't talked to in two years. The reliability province for us is all about being really an emergency contact. That's that's what sets us apart. We're there to do so much more than walk your dog. We had a client recently who's going through chemo, and she called me in the evening like 8pm. It's like, Hey, I can't get out of bed to take the dog outside. I'm on my way, I'll see you in a minute. And I'll be back at 6am Because we're here to be extended family for you extended family for your dog. So when you have an emergency, when life gets rough, where they're rough, we're there, we're there for that as well. You know, not just not just the good times, not just the enrichment or the or the dog walks, but, but really to be reliable, reliable, extended family for you.
Collin Funkhouser 27:29
Yeah, you have this sentence in there. We're not in this industry. Just because we love pets, we love families. And I think that that is really important for us to remind ourselves that our clients are the humans, and we provide them peace of mind, we provide them love, and we provide them care through the excellent high quality care that we give their pets. And that's the connection that we have, we can't forget that there is this one more step, this connection that the family has to their pet. When we care for the pet, we are caring for the family, family, when we love the pet, we're loving on the family. And they see that and that's where that interaction, that's how that connection gets made. Hmm.
Abagail G. 28:07
And that and that's why we're so valuable to people. And in that way. You know, if you've ever hired a pet sitter for yourself, if you've ever hired a dog walker for yourself, you know, the peace of mind that you have when someone is caring for your pet, and they actually mean it. They love your pet, you can count on them. That's it, that's an ease of mind that is indescribable. And so when you find someone that awesome, you really appreciate them. And it's really cool being able to do that for people, as someone who's who's recently started using dog walking services for my dog. Like, oh, my goodness, this is amazing. I'm not worried about you guys, while I'm at work. And when I come home, I get to just enjoy you for a little bit before needing to throw your leash on and start going down the street immediately. Even something as simple as just that extra walk really makes a huge difference in my life. So I'm I'm eternally grateful. And I really hope we're providing just a smidgen of that to our clients.
Collin Funkhouser 29:06
Yeah, we are in. We've had our dog for 10 years. And in that time, we've needed to hire a pet sitter exactly twice, once was a few months into owning him because making I had to go on a trip, we couldn't take them. And the second one is coming up recently. And you're right. It's like, oh, I'm on the receiving end of this now, after going through all of this, and, man, this feels really good to have caught. I think it's like a lot of confidence and security and knowing that everything's gonna be okay, like, that is something that I like there's no price on that. Just coming from this that side. And I know not every pet owner really, really sees that value. And they have different reasons for needing a dog walker or pet sitter and that's, that's totally fine. But there are those out there who get it. And they understand that that peace of mind has no value. It's not there's no price that you could put on that. And that that really is a connection that we get to make when we are when running our businesses like this.
Abagail G. 29:59
We do and And it's also one of those industries where almost everyone hears, I mean, or even experiences, you know, one of the nightmare stories that you hear, like the one that I described, where, where the sitter just kind of went AWOL, and someone was left hours away wondering about their pet, you know, we've all heard something like that through a friend or a family member. And the idea that that could very much happen to us based off of who we choose to care for our loved ones, is a scary one. So when we receive the opposite, when we receive the awesome care that we're looking for, and that peace of mind, it's just, it's such a relief, it's such a relief. And that's what we aim to provide people. We're not in the business of running and jumping at everyone's whim or last minute schedule change, but when we're needed, we're there. And that's what that reliability promise was really about to me.
Collin Funkhouser 30:52
Yeah, I really do love reading that and think that that at the core is what makes our businesses stand out is because we show up, when we're gonna show up, and we, when we say we're gonna do something, we're going to do it. And that's what helps build that trust. And that furthers that relationship that we have with the client too.
Abagail G. 31:10
Mm hmm. And like we mentioned with help with, if it's helped, we can provide, we will help find you that help. You know, if if I was out of town, and I got a call that a client needed help, I would, I would go that extra step to to refer them to someone, let the person knowing referred that they can take care of it and make that connection. So even when we can't directly be helpful, indirectly is just
Collin Funkhouser 31:34
as good. Do you want to know, your your services break down what you offer, and what is kind of the bread and butter of your business at this point,
Abagail G. 31:42
we have our private visits, which are your more traditional services where we spend 30 minutes with a pet, doing whatever it is that they need, which is often walk and play time and you know, medication and whatever mix is appropriate. And then we also have our group services. Within that we have group walks and playdates. And our group walks consists of taking a couple dogs who have good temperaments that pair easily together. For adventures around town together, so we'll, we'll go walk in one dogs neighborhood, or we'll go somewhere completely different so that these dogs can be in a new environment together. And then we also have our playdates, where we pick dogs up, small groups of dogs are large for some but small groups of dogs, you know, five to six, and we'll go take them to play in a fenced in yard together and then transport everyone home. For our sitting services, we have boarding and overnight sitting, we do not offer a drop in sending anymore. And our boarding program is you know, family style in home.
Collin Funkhouser 32:43
How do you make boarding work and overnight care work
Abagail G. 32:47
and stuff when we make it work? So boarding and overnight services are about 6% of our business. So very little compared to what you'd think. But that's something that we offer, because we really want to be a one stop shop for our clients. You know, if we walk fluffy five times a week, we don't want you to have to go somewhere else to board them. They know us really well. They're comfortable with us. So why shouldn't they just come home to us. And our clients love that not needing to have a boarding facility a daycare, and a dog walker on call, they have all three. And that's really valuable to them. And so we make those services work, particularly for IN HOME boarding, which you might imagine, you know, can be stressful. At times we make those services work because we we only offer them to our recurring clients that we know really, really well. And if they don't do well, if they're not comfortable here, we can't provide those services for them.
Collin Funkhouser 33:47
I think that's key to making sure that that service doesn't turn into an absolute nightmare, is by keeping it to people who you already know and have that relationship with and you know really well because they are reoccurring. It's we start getting into the the one offs are the people who come into town and there's no chance to get to know them or their dog that it really does have to go off the rails.
Abagail G. 34:09
Yeah, I mean, I think of it is this as if I was having people come to stay with me, I don't want strangers in my house. My dog doesn't want strangers in my house. And strangers don't want to stay overnight in my house. It's not comfortable. And, and I'm not willing to provide a service where where dogs aren't comfortable and happy. And I mean, some dogs are happy go lucky enough that you can place them anywhere and they'll be comfortable, but typically not not the dogs whose owners are seeking out such a specialized service. You know, if if the dog was comfortable going to just a kennel, they'd probably already be there but they're coming here for an in home service. So the dog likely needs some extra love and attention, you know, and so they need to be comfortable without that it's miserable. We have had a couple miserable overnight stays and that was before We move towards recurring clients only for boarding. I remember one distinct incident that that is how our trial nights came to be. So even for our recurring clients, they're required to do a trial night a paid trial night in our home. I need to make sure that your dog is comfortable here before you take a two week vacation, and you're just gone. So that trial nights really key to keeping dog happy me happy and clients happy?
Collin Funkhouser 35:29
Yes. Yeah, well, it's one of the things you kind of learn from experience. And you go, what can I do to make sure this never happens again, right, and then go from there.
Abagail G. 35:40
Yeah, and that that incident that I mentioned, was one of those where, you know, clients get to be gone for like five days, but this dog is miserable, for not really doing anything wrong. They're just not comfortable here. They're Hi strong, you know, it's been two days, they're still not calming down. But we've got to grin and bear it for the next couple of days. And I don't want to do that. I don't want to put clients in a position where they're, they're away. And I have to either lie to them and say, Oh, your dogs doing great. Or I'm honest, of course, and say, oh, you know, fluffy is doing this fluffy feeling this way. And that sucks, like, and I don't want to be on vacation and know that my dogs aren't having a great time. So we aim for great times only.
Collin Funkhouser 36:18
I think I think that is an acceptable goal. So if the overnights in and boarding are really roughly 6%, then that means the rest of it is really those those drop those those private visits in those group walks for you, then Mm hmm. Wow.
Abagail G. 36:34
And, and so we're technically open nine to five. I haven't put a percentage on this. But the mass bulk of our business takes place from 10am to 3pm. We get a lot done during that time.
Collin 36:48
So I am curious about that. Because that that is really I think a lot of people's goals is to be from 10 to three or 10 to four to get those big middays in there. Are you finding that you are attracting particular clients that just need that? Or are you advertising and marketing for that time range to
Abagail G. 37:08
our advertising and marketing is super limited. I plan to do some here soon as I learned more about it, I listened to a podcast episode recently from you all which I really liked on that. But but for now, it's been it's been word of mouth. And it's been people hearing about the specific services we offer and going from there. We don't really have an option for outside of those hours, because now we are Monday through Friday, nine to five. If a regular client needs something on the weekend from us, and it's a rarity, we'll do it, you know, with a fee. But we don't take anything recurring outside of hours that we don't want to work.
Collin Funkhouser 37:46
And yeah, was the Monday through Friday cap. Was that a recent change for the business?
Abagail G. 37:53
Um, that was I believe we did that. November, December. And that's something I mean, we've we've had about four years. And particularly, as I mentioned before, I'm one of those people that always says yes. And so I realized I'd be going like three months without a day off. And that's not okay. And taking a hard look at things and going okay, how much money am I actually making for these weekend visits that are taking up my life? Very little, there was not a lot of reward for what I was giving up. And so from there, like we talked about earlier, I reached out to my staff and said, Hey, this is what I'm thinking, I don't want to take anything off of your plate financially. So if we get something, I'll always offer it to you. But I'd like to go ahead and permanently close on weekends with very little exceptions. And everyone, you know, cheered from the from the stands. Whoa, let's do it. We've been a lot happier ever since. And, you know, we did, we did let our clients know. And no, no one said a peep. Because we don't do a ton on weekends. But it just let them know that hey, you know, we're there for for you guys if you need us. But we need to slow down and take some time for ourselves. And we actually got nothing but support on decisions like that. And our clients are like, yeah, you deserve it.
Collin 39:15
I think that is important to recognize, too, is that the clients that really are shouting from the bleachers are the ones that want to see you succeed. They recognize the value of the service, they appreciate you and they want to make sure that you are doing well. And we forget about those people cheering for us. And too often we focus on the negative voices and the people that we're concerned about or the unhappy or this the disgruntled clients and we let them run our business instead of recognizing that there are people who support these decisions and that gives me freedom to move ahead in making this and running the business that I actually want because there are people who support that decision too.
Abagail G. 39:55
And and more than we know I think in our in our minds or at least in mind You're ready to announce something like a, like a price increase or, or something that you don't think people will take? Well, because it does have negative aspects, we make a big deal of it in our head. And we think a lot of people are going to be upset. And you know, we're really doing them a disservice. But we have to do this. And what I found personally, at least is every time I've made a tough decision like that, right after I press send, I'm relieved. And then I wait for the angry emails to come in, and I wait for the angry phone calls and and they don't come I get a comment, maybe here or there from a client in person. Oh, you know, we shouldn't do this, okay. But the angry emails that we picture and the clients leaving and firing us it, it hasn't happened, at least for us with the decisions that we've made. And it's important to remember that, that we really make a bigger deal out of things in our mind than they actually are.
Collin 40:57
We do I'm the exact same way I sit, I hover my mouse over the sand or publish to the website, and I just have like cold sweats, stressing out about what what the feedback is going to be. We recently made some changes to our service lineup as well. And I was just like, oh, no, here it goes. The thing this is, this is what's gonna end it. This is the one thing and it never does. And literally nobody has said anything. And not to say that people won't. But you're right. And that we build that up in our minds of like, that's the only response we're going to get. And genuinely the the word, the vast majority of the response that you're going to get is complete and utter silence.
Abagail G. 41:33
Yeah. And, you know, our, our clients know that that too. If you're, if you're that type of person, and you don't hide it super well, like I am, you know, you're super concerned. For others. Our clients know that we're like that. They, they they see that we're people pleasers, and when we make tough decisions like this, that's when I hear from people the most like good job. Yeah. All that's awesome. I'm super happy for you guys. And like, Oh, I thought y'all were gonna be you know, pissed. Thanks. This is great. Yes, you're right. This was hard for me.
Collin Funkhouser 42:02
Yeah, exactly. We had a recent experience where we decided we were just going to take a weekend away as a family and announcing those days to our clients, and letting them know in advance that we weren't going to do something, but our staff could cover you in this other thing. And they were all like, great. Yeah, it's been a while for you guys having it. Where are you going? We're super excited for you camp, glad you can go and do that, you know, we'll catch up next time. And it was just like, oh, like, thank you. Like, that's awesome. Like, I really like that really helps make it when you understand that those people who again want to see you succeed, and they know what that means. They know that every other job takes time off, or every other company raises prices or all or has policies or boundaries, or cancellation things and all this stuff like that is normal. And for us not to put those into our business and view them as Oh, I can't do that. Because I'm I'm super special or whatever. It's like no, no, like, all companies have things that protect them and make sure people are following proper guidelines. Like that's okay to put in. And people kind of expect that. Mm hmm.
Abagail G. 43:03
And that's, it's kind of a conundrum for us, right? Because we we fight to be seen as really legitimate businesses. And not just, you know, not just gigs, not just a college, get home for the summer, you no petsitting, we, we really do a lot to advocate for ourselves as businesses, and we need to treat ourselves that way as businesses, even when it benefits us like things like vacations. I'm glad to hear that you guys are doing that we we canceled our honeymoon when I took over the business because because of that. It was bad timing. And so we're hoping to take it at the end of 2022. But I've yet to press send on that email on it. So even as we have this conversation, like Yeah, kind of follow through with that. Good advice. I'm going, Oh, this is the thing about our vacation, we want to take a road trip across the country. So it's not really something we can do in a day or two, you know, and I keep fighting with my husband like what, you know, what if we just took four days? What if it was just five days and not seven? He's like, though, you know, we have to do this and go will people understand that? They will, they will, I know they will.
Collin Funkhouser 44:17
He touched on a great point, like we as an industry are like stamping our feet constantly and raging to be seen as legitimate. And then yet we don't act legitimate in our policies or run our businesses like they should. And we feel guilty whenever they benefit us like cancellation policies or like raising prices or whatever that is, we start to feel guilty about that because of these relationships that we have because it is relationship based. So there is this balance that we have to have of leaning into and investing in these relationships while also holding up on this other side that I am a business I do I have to protect myself and that can be hard to juggle and make sure that we're working and walking that out appropriately.
Abagail G. 44:54
It really can and at least for me, that's something I've only been able to get a handle on Through practice through making those tough decisions, every email I send, that gets a little bit easier. Every tough conversation I have that gets a little bit easier. And that annoying voice telling me not to do things that benefit myself or to have these conversations. It's still there, but it gets quieter each time. Practice, practice practice.
Collin 45:23
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Collin Funkhouser 46:07
I know that you have some amazing people on your team, so did want to give you an opportunity to tell us about them. And kind of one of the things I noticed on your website specifically was you have some very interesting titles for them, and specifically guarding about what they do. So tell us about your team and really kind of how you developed their, their, their positions and some of the titles that are involved to
Abagail G. 46:31
Yeah, so Wow, I'm lucky here. Tasha got really lucky with me. And she knew that and I knew that and I got really lucky with her. She was a great person to work with. And so I was really her right hand person. And you know, she was my left hand and even though I worked for her, you know, one without the other. It just wouldn't be as much. It was really the two of us so steady together for such a long time, you know, working interchangeably, constantly and communication. And so as we approached Tasha leaving, I'm like, I'm never going to hire a me or Atocha. I don't know how I'm going to find it. And that that honeymoon that I mentioned. Well, I hired someone to take care of my dogs for the honeymoon that never happened. And you know, found a great sitter on rover. She came and did a meet and greet and I jokingly said, hey, you know, we're hiring soon. And yeah, we were hiring soon. And she ended up coming to work with me. And her name is Anna. She is amazing. It's it's really a blessing and an amazing to be able to tell clients like yes, I trust this person with my dogs. They've been with my dogs before. And everything. Historically, hiring for us has been organic. You know, the reason that I met Tasha is I moved here to New York. We hadn't even gotten our puppy yet. But I worked overnights and I, we were getting this little eight week old German Shepherd puppy and I decided, you know, we need some help. And I found Tasha on rover, just the same way I found Anna. And she started taking my dog to work with her while she walked other dogs. He was just eight weeks old. And he went to work with her on a baby carrier on her chest. And she kept poking me Hey, you know, I'm getting busy. Come work with me. Hey, I'm getting busy. Come work with me. And so that happened really organically and I was really lucky to be able to find Anna organically the same way. Um, Carlin another person on our team. She's a former client of ours also super organically. Amy, another person on our team, good friends with Carlin Vet Tech for 10 years. It just makes sense. And our most recent addition, Courtney. We found her through a former team member who was a trainer for us for quite some time. So we've gotten really lucky to be able to find people. Or I keep saying organically but that's really how it's been to find people through people that we know. And yet somehow still all super experienced people. I feel really lucky to have them. The titles and roles that I've given people, we don't actually have any official roles. These are just people that that work for us. But I tried to put something that really sums up their position with us what they do. So for instance, Carlin, she's a she's a full time school teacher and mainly what she does for us is provides a second location for boarding. So I believe she's on there as like boarding super host because she has garland does for us. And then I think Anna and Courtney are on there as canine in Richmond specialist which really sums up what they do. I didn't want to just slap the title dog walker on our website because man that doesn't even begin to encompass the work that our staff do. dog walker medication giver fun time however hiking partner taxi Everything canine enrichment specialists, we are there to enrich your pets life. So that sums it up a lot better than dog walker to me.
Collin 50:10
Right? Because again, part of this is trying to help people understand what exactly it is what we do. And I love that viewing of the position of like, this is way more than just walking around with a dog. And sometimes when we, when we use the terms that we use to describe what we do, and especially to ourselves, can sometimes start to limit what we view ourselves as capable of and communicate to other people what the business does. So putting, thinking through those titles, and making sure they are appropriate, communicates the seriousness with which you take the position and it helps people understand exactly all that this one person is doing. So that again, they can start saying wow, that is that's quite a lot, I see where
Abagail G. 50:48
this benefit is. Hmm. And that's a hard thing to do. When when as a pet care business, you do so much, you know, you're trying to tell people what you do, but you're like, really, it's everything, we do everything. So I think through every level of your interaction with potential clients and current clients, you know, every everything on your website, every form you have every conversation you have needs to be, but oh, wait, there's more. You know, they should have a good idea of what you're doing. But being able to show that through each level of your interactions I think is important. You know, through through your report cards, through your communications, when talking about your potential services, you know, if this service isn't great, we could do this for you, really being able to show them like, you know, we're a one stop shop for your needs, trust us really helps really helps him give the impression or not give the impression but impress upon people how valuable this service can be.
Collin 51:45
Yeah, and that experience that each one of these people have. And that's why kind of as a kind of like another reminder of this is why this person is on my team, look at all that they do and look at their experience. This is why you want our company because this is our experience. This is what we do. That's all part of that process.
Abagail G. 52:02
Mm hmm. And each person, and I think this is true with with most businesses, each person brings a really different perspective and a really different value. You know, Amy, for instance, she was a vet tech for 10 years, that's valuable for pretty obvious reasons. Anna has been a dog daycare manager before, that's super valuable when talking about pet behavior in social settings with owners. So everyone really brings a different level of knowledge and to be able to pull from each other. And to pull from each other for our clients is really an incredible thing.
Collin Funkhouser 52:40
You are coming up on a year in your role as manager and owner of Pac pals. What are some of your favorite parts about running your business that maybe you didn't expect?
Abagail G. 52:53
Um, I'm here because I love dogs. America's I love cats. That's pretty obvious. I love what what I do service wise. But I never imagined how how wonderful it would feel to be supporting others to be supporting a team. Financially, the ability to give people a great job where they can not only just pay the bills, but thrive and buy the big TV they want and save for the vacation and actually put some in retirement. Like being able to provide that financial opportunity for people while doing something that they love is is wonderful, is just wonderful. A lot of people leave the pet care industry because of money. It's really sad. You know, everyone knows about techs and vests are underpaid. And everyone wishes dog daycare attendants made more. And so we as a community need to fight to make those positions so that we can continue to thrive and allow others to thrive in this community.
Collin 54:00
I really love hearing that. Because I definitely have felt that too, as we've been bringing on staff of going, I think stepping back sometimes in awe of just going like, wow, like this is this is what this is now this is and look at these people and look at the work we're doing and look, they're able to, like you said, like, pay their bills because of how we are running this and I'm able to run the company because of their input and really just kind of seeing how it all works together with very little planning for a lot of times like I
Collin Funkhouser 54:33
don't know everything still making most of this up every single day as we go along. But just stepping back and being like, just really being appreciative. I think I know for us going wow, like I'm so thankful for all the opportunities and for the ability for not just me to do this, but for my team to get to do this to
Abagail G. 54:51
know Yeah, and I think I think that really starts with you know, it's very easy to think well what could a staff member do for me What is bringing on this person do for me, and that that is really important. But it's just as important to flip that and go, What can I offer someone? What is the most I can offer someone? What can I do for them? And when you do that, and when you do everything you can for someone else, it's a no brainer, they're happy working with you. It's a no brainer, they're happy to pick up an extra Walker, they're getting paid for it. Well, you know, it's it's a no brainer that, that people are happy working with you. Yeah. And I think that mindset is really important. Because if you have the mindset of what's important for me, what can they do for me, that's when you talk about things like rampant staff turnover, people leaving the industry entirely because they can't pay their bills. It's super important for me to foster a completely different attitude about that. With PAC pals.
Collin Funkhouser 55:52
I think that's really, really impactful. And I think that that's something that's really going to, you know, like a lot of those foundations you set now, you're not quite sure where they're going to where that fruits going to come down the line. But that's definitely something that that's not going to hurt anything, and if anything is going to make you stronger.
Abagail G. 56:08
Yeah, yeah. And when, when people like working with you, and for you, because you treat them well, they're a lot more apt to recommend a friend to come work for you Sure. They're a lot more apt to stick around. I don't know if this is appropriate. But I mean, one of our staff members is on track to make 72,000 This year, wow. 72. She works her butt off, and she deserves it. But I'm making, I'm making money off of that. But I'm not, I'm not worried about making my income off of one staff member. Right, we pay a commission based because I want our our girls to see per service, I made money off of this service. And I know there's a million different ways to pay. And people like all different types of methods. But I wanted something that really encouraged our team members to take ownership of the work that they're doing. Because they do have a lot of autonomy with with their visits, it's not a required 30 minute walk, it's a you go there and you do what you think is best for the dog. And I trust you to do that. So if it's two degrees out today, and that means 15 minutes of playing hide a treat in the living room, and five minutes of a potty break. And then you know, four minutes of snuggles, and so forth, it's up to the staff member to do that I want them to take a really deep pride and personal responsibility in their work. And you simply can't do that if you're underpaid?
Collin Funkhouser 57:41
Sure. It is right into recognizing part of that does also is it recognizes the hard work that we know, that visit is we recognize that this is a highly skilled position and that there's a lot that goes into this. And that comes with commensurate pay and and and some some accountability too. But recognition as well for what that job is.
Abagail G. 58:01
Oh yeah. And you can pay people the correct rate all day long. But if you don't back up your, your actions and your words with that, it means nothing. So, for me, I select it gift giving. So my answer is money. Money, and thank you. So like, yesterday, it was it was a negative eight out. And I sent one of my girls $50 on Venmo. And like you can you can walk out the door today. It's gonna be great. I promise. Thank you for showing up today. Yeah. And little things like that. Like, oh, here's a here's a tip. Thanks for taking on some extra work this week really helped me out. I appreciate it. A card saying the exact same thing does the same thing. But constantly recognizing these awesome things that that your team does for you is super important. That's been a really cool thing for me to be able to appreciate people that way. And to see the same appreciation and return to see that people are genuinely happy to work with me is it's pretty cool. I never thought of myself as a boss. But I hope to be a good one.
Collin Funkhouser 59:10
Yeah, no, it's something we all hoped for and try and improve little by little we've we've talked about a lot of stuff today we've talked about a little bit mental health and and finding value in our work and purpose in our lives. And then about setting good being a good role model and protecting staff, but was wanting to know what's what's some advice that you'd like for others to know or to give to others that they have that you didn't have when you began or something that you've just just learned that you'd like other people to know about?
Abagail G. 59:42
I think the biggest most important thing for me is it's really something that we've we've already touched on a lot is being willing to say I don't always know what I'm doing and being willing to go get help and ask questions and learn about things. Just yesterday I called her Insurance Company and asked, Hey, do we have this coverage? What does it really mean? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, being willing to go deep dive and dig into the businesses of others, the resources that you have, like your insurance, and learning more about each tiny aspect is what's going to make you the best business owner and the best pet care provider. Because we are really jack of all trades here. Especially as business owners, you know, we're somehow now the marketing expert and the website designer, and, you know, whatever you don't dole out to get help with, you've got to cover all of it. So having the ability to just say, I don't know what I'm doing, what do you think, is really valuable? I encourage people to go out into their community and to meet their local walkers and sitters, ask them to have lunch, ask them about their business, even if you don't think it's relevant to yours at all. Learning and making connections from other people is absolutely invaluable.
Collin Funkhouser 1:00:59
Abagail, I want to thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to come in and speak with us and encourage us to get that help to get connected and to support those around us as well. But I know that there's a lot that you do that you're constantly evolving and changing and working through a lot of stuff now so people want to get connected with you and your business and and pick your brain on stuff how best can they do that?
Abagail G. 1:01:22
Yeah, so we are pack pack isn't pack of dogs, pack pals, and why and why is in New York, on pretty much everything. So Instagram is pack pals and why for tons of pictures of dogs and cars. And same thing on Facebook tag pals and why our email is packed pals and why at Gmail. And yeah, I'd be happy to talk to anyone about anything. I've really enjoyed talking about what our group services look like, because that's something a lot of people are really curious about. So feel free to reach out for anything.
Collin Funkhouser 1:01:55
Perfect. And I'll have links to all those in the show notes for people to click right to those again, Abagail, I can't thank you enough and how appreciative we are. Thank you so much.
Abagail G. 1:02:04
Yeah, thank you. Have a great day.
Collin Funkhouser 1:02:06
What does it mean to speak up for yourself? How do you stand up for yourself in your business, and in your own personal life? In this business where everything is so personal, sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between the two. But it's ultimately and totally foundational to us running a successful business. When we speak up for ourselves. What does that look like? That means saying no, when we don't want to do something, it means pushing back when somebody tries to overstep the boundaries that we have set in our lives. It means not letting other people run our business. It also means allowing yourself grace, and giving yourself and ability and space in your day to do what you need to do for yourself. It's not all about business. It's not all about the numbers, although those are really important. At the end of the day, are you okay? And the only way that that can happen is if you are speaking up and standing up for yourself. And then if we have staff, are we doing that for them? Do we have their backs? Do we allow them to have a voice when things are going on?
Collin 1:03:21
And are we treating them well? Are we treating them like we would want to be treated? So how do you speak up for yourself? What does that look like in your business? We'd love to know and we'd love to hear from you. We'd also like to thank our sponsors time to pet and pet sitters international for making today's show possible. And we want to thank you so much for listening, for supporting and for showing up every single week. If you're not already, head on over to YouTube and subscribe to our channel. Every Friday we release a YouTube specific video where Megan and I talk about what we've learned that week we expand on ideas and dive a little deeper with topics that we'd like to talk more about. So you can check out the link in the show notes to subscribe to YouTube or just search petsitter confessional on YouTube as well. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend. We'll be back again soon.
