305: Advocating for Pet Parents with Tannis Martin
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Summary:
What does it mean to alleviate pet parent guilt? Tannis Martin, owner of Pawty Waggin, saw firsthand the power and impact pet care services had on pet owners, and knew she had found her calling. Tannis shares how she focuses on serving her human clients by helping to make her community more pet friendly and advocating for pet owners. Tannis grew her business extensively without a website and gives some insight into how she did that, but how ultimately she knew a website would benefit her company. She also breaks down her pet taxi service and how it became known not just to pet owners but to the local vet clinics and hospital as well.
Topics on this episode:
Knowing your purpose
Using your email list
Growing without a website
Pet taxi services
Main take away: Defining the purpose of your company helps connect with potential clients and keeps YOU consistent in your business.
About our guest:
For time pressed busy professional pet families, Paw'ty Waggin is alleviating pet-parent guilt throughout the Fraser Valley by delivering premium services that help balance both pet guardians and their pet's busy schedules. Pets never need to miss another appointment or be stuck without a potty break again. A new concept to keeping your furry or tail feathered friends connected to their current services in order to foster optimal wellness for pets throughout the Fraser Valley.
Tannis Martin is owner/operator and a pet enthusiast. I use to own large breeds in my early days, now baby two small little one within my own home. With previous Early Childcare Education and production in my background, I have always been passionate about children and animals while aware of the importance of animal/human bonding and development. I have a deep desire to nurture my own love of pets through maintaining pet connections to the wellness industry thus promoting healthy longevity for your furry companion.
Links:
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
pet, people, business, dog, clients, hiring, walks, area, service, website, feel, pet owners, thought, wagon, helps, realized, advocates, home, waiting list, dog walker
SPEAKERS
Collin, Tannis M.
Collin 00:10
Hello, I'm Meghan. I'm Collin. And this is Pet Sitter confessional and open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials. What does it mean to alleviate pet parent guilt? Tennis Martin, owner of a potty wagon saw firsthand the power and impact pet care services had on pet owners in her area and she knew she had found her calling tennis joins the show to show us how she focuses on serving her human clients by helping to make our community more pet friendly. And by advocating for pet ownership. She also shares how she grew her business without a website and gives insight into how she did that and why ultimately, she decided that she needed one. There's a lot here. So let's get started.
Tannis M. 00:49
Hi, Collin, thank you so much for having me. I am the owner operator, as you said of potty wagon pet taxi and checking services. It's a bit of a mouthful, but I wanted everything encompassed into that. So people were clear, potential clients knew exactly what we were. We are located about an hour outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. In Canada, so I'm located in a in a town that has been growing rapidly called Abbotsford when I started the business almost five years ago now. We we were at about 141,000 in population. And we're working now probably about, I'd say over 160 some odd 1000. Now, when I first was looking at starting this company, it was interesting because I procrastinated. I will say that is one of my pitfalls. I am a real fascinator. But I was employed with a really comfortable job. I was working for a production company for about 1617 years. And it's really hard when you're in a comfortable position. It was a union job that I had high seniority and, and it pays well you've got all the benefits. But during my time there, I became a pet parent once again, and it was a different experience being in a full time position and trying to raise puppies. I realized over the time that I wasn't the only one that was you know, supposed to be operating machinery and have your mind at hand and doing everything safely. But really, my mind was jumping back to how my puppy was doing, who could I call to see if maybe they need out for a potty break. You know, all those things that a pet parent may go through and feel really guilty about. I realized there was a gap there. I didn't know of anybody at the time in my area. So I sat on this for I can't even tell you it was possibly not quite a decade
Collin 03:33
that it's an expert level procrastination. Oh, it
Tannis M. 03:36
was terrible. It was terrible. But you know, it's funny because the Creator works in mysterious ways. And my passion wasn't really there right at first, but it grew over time because my partner ended up not well, because of a workplace injury that took place. And so I continued to work and that was part of the reason of our procrastinate my procrastination, we needed to still fit the bills. So what I learned that was really driving my passion more was the health benefits and the benefits of having a pet in our lives was so important. It became it was just amazing because through the struggles of rehabilitation for my partner, and you know, depression comes along with with injury and trying to get back to where you were before your injury. It costs a lot emotionally and our pets played a big role and helping keeping us on the level. So I realized, you know what, I feel like our community and other people deserve the same opportunities to be able to have that benefit. And so my desire grew And suddenly, in 2016, there was a big announcement in our plant that it was shutting down. And with that, there, I still remember the the room and how everybody was, you know, there was a lot of emotions at play. And I remember looking at going, okay, I get it, I get the cue, it's time for me to move on. So I knew that day exactly what I needed to do. And it was to get into the pet industry, and do exactly what's been sitting on the back of my mind, our goal is to alleviate pet parent guilt, for other pet parents that may be struggling to, you know, provide and do their daily tasks, you know, pets, professional families that are also trying to build their business or go to work every day, and, and also how, you know, take care of their pet care commitments. It's hard to do at all. So that's what we're focused on.
Collin 05:58
It is it's hard to focus on doing everything. And I think too often that we forget that when we're caring for this pet, we're are caring and servicing and loving the owner, as well through the service that we're providing them, that that owner reached out to us for a very particular need or desire or fear that they need help calming. And that while we are sitting there, scooping the litter or picking up poop, or cleaning up vomit, it is that is helping somebody else have peace of mind. And I love how you have that phrase alleviate pet parent guilt, because people don't like leaving their pets, they feel bad, whenever they're not around, it's painful to not have your furry family member nearby. So for you and for everybody at potty wagon, what does that mean to alleviate that guilt? And and how do you go about doing that as a company.
Tannis M. 06:57
So we do that we by doing check in home visits, we do dog walking, and we provide the updates, visual updates so that when people are busy tending to the other tasks, or you know, somebody may have to sometimes turn down that overtime shift or, and not be able to do that they are able to do that now, because they have somebody like us to come and help them with their other commitments such as their pet care. So they can still make the money that they're needing to do to to, you know, make ends meet, but also still have their pet care needs tended to without feeling guilty. And those visual updates. I've especially recently I've really been reminded how important those are and how it takes such a weight off our clients shoulders, they appreciate it so much. And they can get on with their day without feeling so terrible. worried that their pet or is is needing to go to the bathroom and being left alone, especially for puppies. And for senior dogs. It gets harder for them to do that. Right.
Collin 08:06
Yeah, it does. What was it about you that reminded that the the importance of those visual updates,
Tannis M. 08:11
when I lately when I've been sending my picture updates and giving us a short brief, you know, of our adventure, whether it's a walk, or just a check in the thank yous that I've been getting, has has been there quite wonderful. Like they tell me how much it makes them feel so relieved, and that it gives them the peace of mind, and they appreciate it so much. And also, I made the big mistake of forgetting actually one day. Oh, and my client, we've been longtime clients. And I, I mean, she said, I was going to ask a couple days ago, but I just assumed and I thought oh no, did I forget to send an update. And sure enough, I looked back. And luckily I journal we journal all our visits so that we all where we've been how things were, you know, we can monitor you know, a lot of things and go back to that. And I find that very useful, even for something like this. So I was able to give her the update and show her the pictures from then and let her know, you know that I was very sorry. But thank you so much for reinforcing just how detrimental and how important those updates really are.
Collin 09:30
Oh, yeah, that's interesting, as I too have gotten through a very recent experience of a reminder of why they're so important. We are caring for a pet, who is She's a 15 year old golden doodle. And she just went through a really massive major surgery, and the owner almost canceled all of her plans to go on this celebratory 60th birthday celebration for her husband so that she could stay and be home with her dog and she He was willing to miss out on a week long vacation with all family coming from all over the country to be with her dog and us sending the photos that we do, gives her peace of mind to be there to enjoy that moment with her family, and to enjoy that time with her husband, with her kids with extended family that she hasn't seen for years and years. And that's what I'm picking up on what you're talking about here at Tanis. You mentioned several times of you know, pets give so much to the owners, they give them that emotional support. But people feel guilty about leaving them, you know, parents feel guilty about having to go work and leaving them home alone. Parents feel guilty about going on these vacations, and leaving their sick pets at home. And that's where we stand, we get to give them that peace of mind and that absolution of guilt in that they are hiring us. And they know everything is going to be okay. When you think about the goals that you have for your company. You've been talking a little bit about the purpose of alleviating these guilt. How do you how do you go about doing that with you and your staff?
Tannis M. 11:09
Well, our goal is to help people be able to function as professionals and working people and also have an end to kind of have the best of both worlds. So they can do that. But also have the benefits. I feel like my we have been advocates for a while we are advocates for pet because it can't speak for themselves. But I feel passionate about being advocates for people as well. And I don't know what it's like everywhere. But I know what it's like here in my area that it has been very difficult for people to find homes and steady homes, consistent homes, whether it's renting or owning. But especially for renters, it's really hard for people to find a place and allow pets, that has been a big big struggle. And I feel that people everybody deserves the opportunity to have those benefits of having a pet. So to have that you have to be able to find a home and feel confident that you know you're you're stable there. And a lot of people get turned away because of the fact that they have a pet a lot of landlords don't want to have to deal with with having pets potentially wrecking their homes, which is understandable. But our community our municipality of Abbotsford has been developing. A lot of there's tons of development happening here. It's rapid. Every corner. And you know, some places say oh, we're family friendly. It's supposed to be multi home families. Developments for for to house more homes for families specifically. But some of the areas that I provide service and they're strata and has limits. You know, you're trying to do responsible things, per se, like make sure you're always cleaning up not leaving a mess so that everybody can live happily together. Pet owners and non non pet owners alike sharing the same spaces. So they they've been in trouble because it can't show or they can't have certain things showing, you know, like doggy doo bags, you know, where they collect them. We have local companies that come and collect that, you know, once or twice a week. So it's not accumulating and but it's hard for people that are paying for that service to actually have that. So in when they say their family, pet friendly places, they they are a little bit but not really. So we I'm really passionate about being the advocate and talking to stratas and different areas to really talk about those things like you know, when they're they're doing yard maintenance in Estrada area, I am the person that will stop and ask what they're using.
Collin 14:19
Oh, yes,
Tannis M. 14:21
I so I'm advocating for both the people and for the pets because a lot of the people that are renting or owning in these areas. They're not even thinking about those things because they're just running their day to day. I know I didn't always think about that. So when I mentioned it how I noticed your yard work was being done. I'm not sure if they were treating it with you know for weeds or you might want to look into that or in the they'll thank me oh thank you so much. I never thought about that. I'll have to enquire with my strata like things like that. And when they say that they're family friendly family and pet friendly. I asked how pet friendly Are you? Some places are Pet Friendly, but they only allow cats, they don't love dogs, you know. So it's stuff like that. And those are topics that I like to think outside of the box and bring that conversation up to play.
Collin 15:10
It is a conversation that we get to have, when I think of typically of how we position ourselves as Pet Pet Pet Care providers in the life of a pet owner, it's giving them information that they need to be a better pet parent. But what you're talking about here is we can position ourselves to to help our pet parents live a better life, not just care for their pets better, but live a better holistic life around their pet, whether that's the the, the the treatment on the grass, or the friendliness of the neighborhood towards pets, or whether that's the convenience of poop bag stations, or whatever that is like we, we they live and exist in a world that we can help make better through having conversations with the people around us. And opening people's eyes to those opportunities. Because the people are our clients, they have a life to live, they have pets, and they're trying to make those two things match. And anything that we can do to make that a little bit better and a little bit easier, is going to help them live a better life for that pet for much longer than if they have all these painful pain points and becomes too difficult. I mean, I'm sure you see these all the time I see them have, I'm moving and my new place won't take pets. So I'm surrendering my pet who would take my pet from me, and those just got me and trying to help people go, what are your options? What where else can you live? Can we talk to places to get you into those, like helping people live better lives with pets means making the world that they exist in a little bit nicer to
Tannis M. 16:44
right, right and helping pet parents pet families stay connected to the resources around them, including other pet care providers or you know, dog walkers or groomers. I get asked all the time about you know, veterinarians or people that have recently moved into the area, they don't have a vet yet. And especially when we're doing our meet and greet and we're going through our you know, the process of questions. I think that's where a lot of those questions come if I'm assessing a dog that that is quite young, they're thinking about training or, or you know, I suggest later on that maybe there's certain things that they can work on with their dog that would benefit from keeping all those resources in one neat and tidy place to be able to refer out even if I can't help them if I'm full, I like to be able to not leave somebody empty handed but be able to help them and say hey, there's another dog walker or company over here and, and just make sure they're not empty handed and help them out in whatever way I can.
Collin 17:47
Oh, it makes such a huge impact to them. I was something we've started to do recently as well of, especially for people when we find out they are new to the area, having just a digital packet that you can send to them or a physical one that you can hand to them during the meet and greet and go Hi, here's some resources that we love to give pet parents so that they can get started in our community. We're so happy to have you here. Here's how we can help and help you in this process. Let me know if you have any questions. And if that's all you say, you have made that person's life better and that is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their time with their pet of going that person for no reason gave me all this great stuff and helps me have you heard of time to pet Dan from NYC pooch has this to say I'm
18:33
Tibet has been a total game changer for us is helped us streamline many aspects of our operation from scheduling and communication to billing and customer management. We actually tested other pet sitting software's in the past, but these other solutions were clunky and riddled with problems. Everything in time to pet has been so well thought out. It's intuitive feature rich, and it's always improving.
Collin 18:53
If you're looking for new pet sitting software, give time to pet a try. Listeners of our show can save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confessions your purpose here your goal for your for your business, alleviating family guilt and pet parent guilt and the goal of advocating them to live a better life. Those really grounds you, it seems like in what you do people who don't really have a well defined purpose or goal for their business. How would you encourage them and why do you think it's so important to have those kinds of well defined goals and purposes?
Tannis M. 19:29
Well, I think having goals like that, having a purpose for your business helps keep for me anyway, it keeps me centered because being the owner and operator of a business can be really overwhelming. I have so many ideas that I can get flooded in that and in my mind that it would be so easy to get off track. We're wearing so many hats where bookkeeping where where you know, office assistant where all these different things that you normally wouldn't be taken care of. It's having that purpose takes me and reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing to begin with, and stay focused on that. For myself, I've had to hire out for some of that stuff to help alleviate that. But still, it's I'm still running a business, I'm still looking for people to join the team. And I could easily get lost in my ideas and what I want to move forward with, but remembering my purpose and why I started, this is my purpose, it was about the patent human connection, and helping other people be able to have that and maintain that. And that helps slow me down a little bit to to remind myself, what do I need to do next?
Collin 20:53
I feel as though when many people think about what's my goal, what's my purpose, they feel as though that has to be the external message that they push about their company to attract people. And what I love about what you just talked about, there was it's nothing, it's nothing external here for you. It's all internal. It's what helps keep me focused me on track me moving forward. Because we need that you're absolutely right. We have so many things to do in our day, both in the business, and we have personal lives outside of the business as well, that we can get off track that's only natural, there's no harm in that. If we have nothing to help us. recenter and refocus and rebound from those areas that were kind of swirling around trying to take care of, we will run an unfocused business, and we will start making decisions that don't meet those goals that we have. And we'll look up five years later and go, Well wait, what happened? So far from the far from just having a marketing message of here's our company purpose and splashing that oh, all over social media and what and your website or whatever. But really focusing on that and redirecting that back internally and going What is this for me? And what how is this going to help me make good decisions for my company so that I can continue to help people the best I can
Tannis M. 22:04
write my message for potty wagon has been loud and clear here. I feel in in our area. We are not shortage on that. We have a waiting list. So Oh, yeah, so this, this happens. And so that can set anxiety for myself because I you know, oh, no, this gets overwhelming, and I want to help everybody. But I have to, I have to do that recenter myself, and make sure that I I'm at my best in order to help other people. So our purpose is to alleviate pet parent guilt. Number one, so people aren't stressed and worried about their pet while they're off trying to do their own thing. But also I have to stay centered for myself. And like I was saying, I'm a paper pen kind of gal. Yeah, we are in the midst of transitioning. Luckily, I have a small team with me that we can slowly work and get used to software, we're looking to transition. We have newsletters so that we can keep our clients and anybody that subscribes to the newsletter updated on what our intentions are, what we're planning along with, you know, certain observances and stuff like that. We give thank yous and anniversaries out there to you know, if we have a year or two years with a pet we have, we'd like to acknowledge our clients and like our clients, pets. So birthday acknowledgments, anniversaries, that sort of thing. We like to reinforce that. People love to see their pets, don't they? newsletters, social media, that sort of thing. So so for me trying to keep all of that stuff going, I need the help. I can't do it by myself anymore. With the way we're growing. Recently, we just celebrated Canada Day on the first of July. We were in the local parade. And I thought about that afterwards. I thought we already have a waiting list. What are we doing?
Collin 24:12
No, no, no jumping off the float, I guess.
Tannis M. 24:16
But we had a lot of fun with it. It was just reinforcing our message and who we are. It's just kind of you know, some it takes people those so many times to start feeling cozy and comfy and oh, I know who they are, you know. So? Yeah, that's how I looked at it. And also it gave me an opportunity to introduce our team, the people behind the scenes and our newest dog walker. So
Collin 24:42
we got so you've mentioned the waiting list and you're mentioned the growth that you have here. Tell me about the your experience hiring and what that's been like for you.
Tannis M. 24:54
Okay, you know how I said I was a master at procrastination.
Collin 24:58
Yeah. So far, right?
Tannis M. 25:03
Honestly, I was already looking at trying to seek help. Before the pandemic started, when the pandemic came down, I got comfortable with just settling for the idea, I'll just keep with the way things are and who I have currently, and just do what I'm doing. I'll wait till later for growth. But this was not possible because everybody and their dog got another pet. So the industry was, you know, everybody was spending time at home that they realized they were going to be at home that could be home for their pet. But it wasn't always working out that way. They were still trying to work from home, they realized the vets were closing down, they'd have to sit outside. So our pet taxi aspect is is one of our services. And, and I didn't have to educate the public anymore about that. They realized quickly that they could hire us, we would take their pet to the vet, we'd do the sitting outside, while they got the consultation from the vet over the phone, and they would pay over the phone, and then we would return. So there was no need to pack up their children went that they were homeschooling. And everything just got crazy, busier than I anticipated. So I had to really, really discipline myself to get in the mindset of hiring. And you and Megan, thank you so much. By the way, I, I needed that information, I listened to your podcast. And it was because of the two of you and your episodes that you had. That really helped me through that. So I believe it was your hiring series. And specifically, I think it was episode 249 How to Write a job ad was so beneficial for me, all of it was beneficial, becoming an employer, I think that was 253. Reflecting on hiring, all that kind of stuff, helped me move forward. And then I was able to actually hire my first hire. And with that, I did everything in my power to to make sure I could learn what my job was as an employer rules, regulations. I also had to before all this figured out. And you and Megan talked about deciding between ICs and employee, I had to make that decision. And I realized, no, it needs to be employee because I need to be able to have more control on our thing works. And then once I got to the point where I was able to bring this person on and offer her the job, we went through our training process. And that was all trial and error for me really, it was actually quite positive, I was so happy the way things worked out. After about three weeks, I was able to give her the reins, and now the clients are familiar with her. We introduced her and her dog in our newsletter. So it wasn't a surprise, it wasn't a shock. We did this kind of ahead of time so that, you know they could warm up the clients could warm up a little bit not be shocked. Because we had to do this to move forward. And we're in the midst of looking for somebody else to join our team as well.
Collin 28:34
It's it's an amazing experience to go through because there are so many facets that you have to all of a sudden learn about and take on and responsibilities. And just listening to your story realize it reminds me and I hear this of going, I had this thing that I wanted to do. And now I had to learn all this stuff to make it happen. And then once I learned all this stuff, I've got to go do all the stuff. And then once I've done all the stuff, sometimes it's a rinse repeat kind of thing as well. And that in our business, we're never really static in motion and we do things to meet those goals. And we have tasks and objectives that we get to take on to make something be what we want it to be whether that's hiring or adding a service or building a website or whatever that is, as the business owner. That's our that's our responsibility to take on and learn and sometimes the actual tasks we we delegate those out and we have people build the websites or people write job ads or do other things for us. But all those decisions sent around us making that so for you, what was that like all of a sudden encountering all of these decisions that you had to make all of a sudden?
Tannis M. 29:47
Oh my goodness, it was quite overwhelming initially because you go from being a solopreneur to all of a sudden you're your boss and you really have to wrap your head around that. But I think first of all, you have to build confidence. It's hard sometimes to ask for help with people that are closer around you. Because in in, we're connected in the industry, but at the same time, you're so busy, you're really connecting with the people that are in your day to day, sitting in your living room, or, you know, you're passing by on your day to day to have these conversations, I actually was finding it hard to find time to be able to stop when there was attempts to try and get together with, with our other dogs, you know, other pet care industry colleagues, but we just couldn't find the time to do it. So listening on the time that I could, and that it was the right time for me, was just so helpful to get me through that and build my confidence. And once I, I replayed I believe your episode over and over and over and took notes like I was in school. And I definitely loved one of the questions in there was how to make a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Really helpful for me to wrap my head around certain things. And then when I I found my dog walker, oh, Kelly, she's just been fantastic. I am so blessed to have found her. And I thought, you know, you put it out there. You it'll, it'll happen, it'll come. But it also means that I have to take on the onus that if it works out, I have to also credit them and myself for the process. I must have did it right, unless
Collin 31:48
it'll help. What I love about that question is there are so many facets to it. And you we were able to immediately judge how serious people were about the position based off of how they answered it. We got many people who responded with things like this is for dog walking and pet sitting, what does this have to do with it? Or would just throw out a really quick response? And when you're going through the hiring process, really thinking about like, what what am I looking for in this response? Am I looking for an exact response of like, exactly, to make this sandwich perfectly? Am I looking for a creative response? Am I looking for personality, and we're looking for, you know, proper grammar and spelling and sentence structure, there are so many things that we get to put into that and go, What am I looking for, given the position that I'm hiring, and what kind of person do I want working for me and some of the best responses that we got, they weren't perfect. And like this wouldn't exactly make a peanut butter jelly sandwich, but they were funny. Or they you could tell this person had a personality in there. And it really gave us an insight into that. And so I'm glad you enjoyed that question because that was one of our favorite ones to say and kind of get a gauge of what kind of person was was applying to that position?
Tannis M. 33:01
Absolutely. There's a lot to read from that. The services that you
Collin 33:05
provide. I know you mentioned a lot of them so far, I mentioned the pet taxi but you really do specialize in solo walks. And I was curious why you focus on those so much.
Tannis M. 33:16
When I was going through training with my own dog. There's a lot of things as a pet parent that i i noticed and and then getting into the industry, my heart was really for the dogs that weren't able to get out. And I felt like they had just as much right. They had as just as much right to be able to learn and they're not going to learn unless they're out there safely. And and monitored. And you know, they need the exercise they need the brain stimulation. So that's I don't know my heart just focused on that and that's what I started off with. And that's what I do so I don't actually give those assignments to to my walkers. Not yet i That's my thing. So the solo one on one, I feel helps give less stressful outings. It's there's no competition if another dog is dog reactive, then I will find a place in our area we have we are unlimited trails and parks. So if I take them out I use the appropriate you know gentle leads or muscles if needed. I am not against muzzles. I feel that they are a great tool to keep everybody safe and and make sure that as well that wildlife is safe. cuz we have to think about that as well. Being conscientious. Being a dog walker, we're always scanning, we're always looking around ahead. beside us behind us, we're always very highly alert, especially where we are, we're kind of in, you know, we get a lot of wildlife because we're a little city in the country. So with me doing one on one, I realized quickly how beneficial it was not just for the pet parent, but also for that dog, and how they were kind of coming around developing another relationship and how meaningful and death thought was becoming. So to see the benefits, and see a dog improving a little bit, I am not a dog trainer at all, I have great references for my clients for that. But they, those people that have those dogs that might be full of anxiety, maybe just nervous of, you know, maybe a little dog doesn't do well in a pack atmosphere. And a lot of pet owners are sometimes just nervous about having their dog around other dogs because they haven't been in that situation. So it just gives them peace of mind knowing their dog is solo one on one, and that, you know, my attention is completely on their one dog not having to look after, you know, four or five, or however many some pack walks do a lot of our dog walking. When I started potty wagon. We started in 2017, the final quarter on time to start a business but I did. I noticed even as a pet owner myself beforehand, up there, I couldn't I didn't know of a lot of dog walking that was solo, I would see stuff that was maybe pack off leash adventures. So I felt that there was a gap in that industry. And I wanted to be somebody to help fill in that void a little bit. I had later on Learn to but another one, another lady that was doing that she had as well has a licensed, operating business insured all the kids same kind of stuff. And so that was really a blessing to find her. And then we started networking together, we would refer. And so it was it was nice that I wasn't the only one. Because you can't help everybody. But the one on one, honestly. That's just where my heart was. And I felt like that void needed to be filled, that I, you know, I felt was there, there needed to be more options, more opportunity. People didn't know it was out there. So with that, I also wanted to connect them to other things that maybe they also weren't aware of, you know, like I mentioned before the other trainers or other parts of the industry that they didn't know have to help them stay connected within their communities. Yeah,
Collin 38:05
it's what sounds like one of those great examples of when all of the stars align around something in business where you're passionate about it, there's a need for it, there are genuine benefits that clients will get from it, you can move forward in that and be confident in what you're doing, and that it will help him be beneficial and you're going to enjoy doing it and not too many times do we have that sometimes or the Judge Jury in business of Well, I have to do this because well I just have to and other times it's well I get to do this or maybe this is something that I can have the opportunity to do. So it's really neat to hear that kind of everything aligned for you in offering those one on one seller walks
Tannis M. 38:44
there. Yeah, one on one was where my heart was at. When I started the business. It wasn't until in the during the pandemic when when the adoptions became quite apparent. And percentage wise, that we started looking at doing small pack walks. And that's where I added Kelly into the team and then we're able she'll she takes her her dog with her she gets to spend all her time with her dog as well. Meeting new dogs and having having small pack walks, which was has helped him her dog to to, you know, socialize as well and learn new things. And yeah, it's just been, it's been fabulous for her all around. It's been fabulous for us. And so a lot of our clients to that, that we've been working with through the pandemic. And through to now it's interesting because they I didn't realize at first that they'd actually really want to start getting into pack locks. They loved it. So the odd time if I you know, you kind of analyze and you know which dogs you compare up. It's interesting. We would do that and when giving the updates To the pet owner, they were so excited. And so I started realizing, oh my goodness, maybe this is something we need to kind of look at adding in the small pack walks, and it's helped our puppies really develop. So you start thinking, okay, these are like little small puppy socials, that's just slowly introducing them in and so that's, that's what we started doing and it's been fantastic. As for me, when Kelly is out there doing our pack walks, I am out there doing my solo, one on one with, you know my dogs that needs special attention.
Collin 40:36
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Tannis M. 42:08
Oh, isn't it amazing? Yeah. So I didn't have a website for a long time. I think back to that, and I think was I looking even professional without one I don't know. It was we word of mouth. But I I did a lot of social media. I got a lot of a lot of inquiries through social media. And yeah, I had it through Facebook, but I was quite shocked to realize a lot of it was actually coming through Instagram. Really? Yeah, that was really interesting. So but that was after a lot of footwork, as well like doing a lot of canvassing. I do have direct sales in my background, as well, when I was doing production, I was also dabbling in direct sales, I had great mentors, I have gone through programs to you know, learn these things. And, and I'm just a people person. So when I'm out there canvassing, I was going door to door, I had my friends involved, my partner involved, we'd be doing this stuff and putting door hangers, and you know, in certain areas and just talking to people, and then we started doing setting up a little, you know, Puppy hydration station at local events, things like that. So the word got out. And it wasn't until maybe a couple years ago, I decided to get a website. And let me tell you, that website has really done wonders to its role. And I think that has a lot to do with our waiting list. Hmm.
Collin 43:49
Yeah. Amazing how that works. I was curious, you mentioned the wait list a couple times. And I do want to pick your brain on how you've how the exactly the website has been beneficial to you for your waiting list. How do you manage that? Is it something where you put people on an email list? And then just kind of keep them there? Or do you constantly or do you periodically send them out information to to stay top of mind?
Tannis M. 44:17
So I don't have them on an email list. The email list has really been in the last maybe this year. But the waiting list is I usually I like tangible and phone calls. So that personal contact, you know they hear my voice. So I will take a person's information, phone number and then if we have space availability, or even before I even have the availability completely, I'm planning my next quarter. I usually will make contact ask them how they're doing. Let them know even if it's just a message and answering machine. voicemail, I'm just letting them know I'm still thinking of I'm, I'm wondering where they're at how they've done, because I've usually also given them other options to go to. So I'd like to do a follow up, keep that connection, keep that contact, building that relationship really. And then if they're still in need, then I can fit them in. So
Collin 45:20
I liked that blend of, of high touch personal service, doing those one on one phone calls, also having an email list for existing clients also having mailing things to give people and the boots on the ground, and really giving a really robust approach to having all of these touch points with people in your community. And I'm sure that works best for the way you operate. And also means that you are through all these different methods going to interact with a wide variety of people. And so that they do start having that, Oh, those are the door people. That's who that is, oh, I've seen them before. And they might not remember where they saw saw you last, or how they know about you, but they do know about you. And that's just through being so involved in all these different areas.
Tannis M. 46:09
Right. And being involved where we're, we're also featured in a local magazine, we're the pet expert in it. So every now and again, like they'll they'll see every month, they see us in there. But every once in a while they'll be pet tips, or you know, a topic that I'm you know, more putting out there tips 10 things to do, you know, during the heat or, you know, just little expert advice that I like to throw up there and make sure people have it on hand. And it's reaffirming that we're a real business out there. Right. Yeah, it is about
Collin 46:52
not just that I'm real, but I'm real. And I know what I'm talking about. And I'm still operational. And I'd love to talk with you, right? There's all these kinds of just basic pieces of information that when people go looking for you, they want to know, who are these people? Are they still around? Can I trust them? Right, you know, so you do have to be accessible to people in a wide variety of places. The like know, and trust factor, right? Yeah, yeah, it is. So what finally pushed you over into deciding, oh, now I need this website? Well,
Tannis M. 47:25
I think that was just to affirm. So if we're giving out our information, people usually want to go and google you. Yeah, we have a Google My Business. And I was so excited that you you actually had an episode not that long ago, about that you had a guest on there. And I wanted to reaffirm and make sure I was doing everything right. I went through everything that was fantastic. And having that website is just affirming to a potential client that this isn't just, it's, it's not somebody next door. It's not just somebody looking to make extra cash, we are, you know, insured, where I like to make sure they know we have the training, we're dog walking certified, that sort of thing. And I know I google businesses before I hire them. So although we were doing well, without it, I just wanted to add to the professionalism, and that they had some, you know, tangible lay their eyes on and see that we were there.
Collin 48:28
Yeah, I think that many times in business we can get stuck in what do I do? How do I do it? What does this mean? And we can we can go and seek out additional resources. But I think one of the best resources is just to reflect on, well, how do I operate these situations? What would I do and I know that's not the best way to canvass everything, because everyone is unique or different. We need to be casting a broader net other than just servicing our needs and our requirements. But it's a good place to start and figure out what I even be interested in my own business, if I searched for a dog walker or pet sitter and start there. And then you can broaden out in different ways.
Tannis M. 49:03
Mm hmm. I think it gives a little more information to, for people to go over if they're looking for in depth information. And social media, you don't always get down so they can see exactly what the services are, you know, the durations, maybe the pricing, if you have that up on your website, and also the service areas. Yeah, that
Collin 49:23
is a good reminder of where we can have a social media presence. But it's a temporary presence because no post even though you can pin one, maybe two in certain areas, they're not going to be lasting, it's going to be a fleeting thing. So having a permanent place where you can direct people and they can find you. Really, this helps solidify that information so people can always refer back to it. Right.
Tannis M. 49:44
So doing a website was not something I wanted to mess around and do myself. I didn't want to wear that hat. So I did end up with a web developer. I absolutely loved them. Colin I have to say because I just talked to them and tell them what I'm you know nice Add to add, my blogs are attached to that our form on there, if somebody is interested in joining the team is up there. It's all up there. But I wouldn't have the time or the the technology to even wrap my head around doing that myself. So I did contract that out. And they've been fantastic. So,
Collin 50:17
yeah, and a great reminder in that we don't have to be everything to for our business, and that sometimes it's probably best if we're not going, Oh, here are my limitations. So am I able to in what capacity can I either contribute to this or pay for this, to get this up and running for my business? And you can like you've experienced you have, you can use things and they get you so far. And then you can start looking around and going What else can I do? Okay, well, here are my options of either adding a website or doing advertising or whatever that is to the business to okay, this is the next step that I want to take. Because I'm interested in doing more, I'm able to now I have interest in that. And I that means I need to bring people on hiring people or hiring contractors to come in and develop the website or whatever that looks like. And to continue to expand and grow the business growing the business doesn't just mean getting busier, it means adding things to the processes and the way the business actually operates.
Tannis M. 51:19
Exactly. And and being more and more valuable to your clients and potential clients.
Collin 51:25
That's exactly what it is you have more control, you have more access to give out information. And when you recenter it just as you said tennis of I'm I want to be more valuable, I want to be as valuable as possible, I really want to be that resource. And thinking, what does that look like? How do I serve my clients best? Yes, it's the pet care, it's also in the information. It's also in the ease of booking, it's also in how they contact me and their perceptions of me. All of that's wrapped up into what we in how we serve people. When you reflect about your, your clientele, who would you say that your service is
Tannis M. 52:04
for? Ah, well, other than pet parents, obviously. No, I actually find that it's quite. For other busy professionals. It's, it's really interesting. So we are a premium service and and we find that a good like our our portion of clientele are busy professionals that absolutely love their pets like, like their children. It's amazing. It's just beautiful to see and are so our client tell like we have some people that are staying home that are still staying home, but work from home, they have great goals for themselves for their for their intrapreneurship being we know as business people how busy it can be. Sometimes I feel like I need to hire somebody for my own. With my my partner traveling. In the last year, it's been a little more difficult for me, because we have two senior dogs as well. And of course just like our clients, we baby girl. So I find that our clientele is a lot. We have a lot a lot, like in common. It's amazing. We have a lot of the same. Like just outlook, the love for our pets, we have everybody's so I don't know how to explain it, but it's just beautiful. Such a nice, beautiful, warm community. You know, I dropped off a pet client at one of their homes the other day. And they're just so they just got home themselves. And they have this cold ice water in their freezer. They just brought it out a bottle and gave it to me with some flowers. And just so you know, little things that make you smile and go, Oh, I remember why I'm doing this. Thank you. It's really fantastic. But yeah, they definitely are very busy people absolutely love their pets. There's not a lot of competitiveness. It's it's really abrasive. Like I talked a bit before about how we, we network will refer out you know, I don't want to leave somebody empty handed. And I think that was really important getting into this industry is to make sure you don't get into it with a mindset of being competitive. Having newcomers coming into the area, a dog walking. You know, it can be sometimes daunting when you think, you know, but you have to actually put this helmet on and realize we need them. Yeah. Can you think about our population and how regrow mean, parents need help, we need help. This is why we need to hire people. But at the same time, we need to be able to that we have, that we have the connections to help our clients out. And that's the number one priority. It'd be nice to say, hey, I want to walk everybody's dog, but that's not possible. That's not possible. So, so I think the important thing is, is to make alliances, and, and bridges and, and just get along and be a great family. And I find that that is really worked out here in Abbotsford, it's been fantastic. So there's a lot of resource says there, we had a oh my goodness, Jamie, she has been fantastic. She's an owner of another dog walking company here in Abbotsford and mission, our neighboring municipality, and they do offleash adventures, and she created and you know, it's funny, because you think about this stuff, but you never quite think of how to do it. And she did a Facebook group, so that we could all connect, and we can all converse, and we can community locally here, you know, recourse in case of emergency was really huge. That was that was imperative. So she put that group together of all the all of us that know each other, we're licensed to operate insured. And if somebody new comes in, I love to introduce myself and meet them. Yeah, I just did that. The other day, there's a new grooming company that's coming to Abbotsford. And I saw their van, I was so excited to see it. Because I have clients that can really use that help with mobility. So this is a mobile business. And here's another referral, we can put that onto our resources once we get to know them and feel confident. And so I just I love that. There's a new dog walker in town. Great. Let's find out what you know, where their values are at and see if we can, you know, collaborate here. I think it's great. Open your arms, because you're gonna do a world of good that way. Yeah,
Collin 57:15
yeah, it just touching back on the fact that there are just so many pets out there. I know, in one of our service areas, there's 21,000 people in the town. And let's say, you know, half of those people live in houses. Because a lot of people it's a very, it's a heavy renters community. So immediately you're sitting at what is that 10 and a half 1000 people and then of those 70% of those have pets, and your there's it's a huge number of pets out there. And there's no way that we could even service them even even in our smallish town. And it's reminder of to embrace the people who are coming into the industry to help nurture them and guide them and raise them up so that they can continue to provide good service just like you are and view them as an asset as opposed to competition.
Tannis M. 58:06
Exactly. Yeah, there's no way I could walk everybody's dog out here. Not in the size that we are in the population we are it's crazy. There's no way I could do that.
Collin 58:16
Or tennis I have so enjoyed our conversation and I really appreciate you encouraging us and challenging us to be advocates not just for the pets, but for their people as well so they can be better educated pet parents and also live a better life with their pets and so that we can help alleviate that guilt. I know that you do an awful lot and there's a lot more than just what we talked about here. So how can people best get connected with you and start following along with everything that you have going on?
Tannis M. 58:45
Well they can follow us on social media we have Facebook potty wagon is spelled pa w as in a PA have a dog or cat t y and it's its wagon as like a wagon tail Wagg i n whereas Facebook and we're also on Instagram. I am playing around a little bit with tick tock but I'm not confident with it. I think I've locked myself. But we're getting there. And we also have I have a personal account on LinkedIn. But attached to that is also our business page potty wagon. So if you were to Google ask, you can even just hashtag party wagon pa wt YWAGGIN. Or you can look us up on Google pa w TYWAG g i n.ca
Collin 59:45
Tanis I really, really appreciate you coming on the show today and sharing everything it really has been a pleasure and I really thank you so much.
Tannis M. 59:53
Thank you so much, Colin. I feel honored that you had me I appreciate it.
Collin 59:57
How are you advocating for the pet parents that you serve, what causes are you championing so they can live a better life with their pet? Because at the end of the day if they are not able to exist and live and thrive in a world that is conducive to pet ownership will be without a job. Sure, that may sound a little selfish, but we're in the business of caring for pets. So can our clients live with pets? What things go on in your community that could be better? Who should you be in contact with and partnering with to make the lives of pet owners a little bit easier? We want to thank our sponsors time to pet and pet perennials for making today's show possible. And we really want to thank you so much for listening. We can't tell you how much we appreciate it. Hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and we'll be back again soon.
