331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando
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Have you decided to stay solo? It’s a decision everyone faces in their business, and one that most struggle with from time to time. Alicia Obando, owner of Pitter Patter Parenting, joins the show to share why she has stayed unapologetically solo. She walks us through how she markets herself effectively and how she’s set her policies to support being a solo sitter. Living in a society that says we need to always go bigger and “better”, Alicia pushes back by changing her mindset about the kind of services she offers.
Main topics
Being more targeted
Taking vacations
Appearing legitimate
Shaping policies and procedures
Main takeaway: Be proud you are running your own business the way you want to run it
About our guest
As a previous child and family therapist and former animal welfare and veterinary administrator, Alicia Obando started Pitter Patter Parenting in 2015 to bring together her love of helping families and pets. She provides pet care, education and support to help families manage their pets in a way that encourages safe and healthy relationships for everyone. She works hard to educate people of all ages about pet care and safety through individual consultations and group classes for adults and kids. She provides pet care services such as dog walking and vacation pet care, so that her families know their pets are in good hands when they can't be there for them. And lastly, she is certified as a pet loss bereavement specialist, to help clients through the grieving process when that time comes. From bringing home their new pet, to helping their pet cross the rainbow bridge, Alicia is there to help her families manage and celebrate the wonderful world of pet parenting.
Links:
https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/078-keeping-dogs-and-kids-safe-with-alicia-obando
https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/126
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
clients, people, business, pet, services, solo, run, day, dog, person, important, marketing, years, goals, busy, week, parents, feel, walking, hire
SPEAKERS
Collin, Alicia
Alicia 00:00
I feel like we live live in a society that's all about bigger, better more, you know, if you're not growing if you're not making more money, there's something wrong with you. What do you mean? You don't want to make more money? What do you mean you don't want to make have the biggest business you can have. And for me, it's just kind of changing that for yourself for your you notice changing what the what the goals in life are. And for me, it's not about doing all those things. If I want it to be making a lot of money and feeling powerful, I would have stayed in the previous positions that I've had, you know, but for me, especially later in life, it's about being well rounded. It's about loving what I do, and having time off, to do the things I love. And, you know, not worrying about just growing, growing, growing always, you know, getting bigger and making more money to those people who do all those things are not happy.
Meghan 00:59
Hello, I'm Megan. I'm Colin. And this is Pet Sitter confessional an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials.
Collin 01:11
It's a question we ask all the time, what are the goals for your business. And one of the big ones that we've run across is whether you should hire in your business or not. Today, we're super excited to have Alicia Ovando, owner of pitter patter parenting back on the show to discuss her decision to remain solo all these years, she walks through the struggles and strengths of solo petsitting and why we need to make sure our goals match our skills and expertise. Let's get started.
Alicia 01:37
Sure, well, I'm thrilled to be back on and this is a subject that is near and dear to me, remaining solo. So thank you for, you know, bringing this subject to light for folks. And so pitter patter parenting is my business that I started seven years ago. And I offer pet care education and support to families, especially those with young children. So I do general pet care, dog walking, pet sitting, and I bought small dogs in my home. I do pet education, I teach classes online or in person to children and expectant parents and new pet parents. And then I also offer pet loss support as a certified pet loss bereavement counselor, I can do that as well as online and in person. So those are kind of the three pillars of my business.
Collin Funkhouser 02:31
It's a lot to keep you busy there. How, how has this year been for you so far?
Alicia 02:36
It's been great. I have had a part time job the whole time along with the business until December when I quit after five and a half years doing it. Because last year was the best year I ever had. And I was crazy busy. So I made a nice budget for myself ran the numbers and realized I can do this. So I quit the part time job. And of course that's a little daunting. It's like well, what if 2022 doesn't end up quite so good. And I regret that decision. But luckily, it has been great. Very busy. And right now I'm having a little like two weeks of calm, which is fabulous. So yeah, I actually surpassed my budget goals each month. So I'm doing just fine.
Collin Funkhouser 03:31
Oh, that's amazing. That's congratulations on that and making that next step and, and even embracing kind of the slower period because I know a lot of people whenever the industry because it has it has its ebbs and flows can have regional variation in there. A lot of people when it starts to slow down panic about that, Have you have you ever struggled with that of panicking when things start to slow down and worry that this this is the one that's gonna take it all down?
Alicia 03:55
Oh, of course. I mean, every time it's really busy, I look at the calendar ahead to see what to look forward to like in three weeks, I'm gonna have a calm weekend, you know, and I look forward to it. And I can't wait for it to slow down. And then when it arrives, I'm like, Oh my God, why is it so slow? This is scary. Like I can't I'm not happy either way. But no, I really do appreciate the slow times, especially when I see a busy schedule after that. And for me, it's slow in general, January and February, and then like September and October. So those are generally my slow periods. And I welcome them because I need some downtime. I just took my first real vacation last week or four days. And that was great. That was great.
Collin 04:46
Yeah, I think just like you said at least having some idea of where those fall so you can keep track of them. So you can look ahead and go okay, it's slow right now, but I know here in a couple weeks, it's going to be an absolute Madhouse and then very important. Only having that corresponding budget that you put together for the year, I'm sure that really helps smooth out some of those anxieties, because you knew, Okay, we're going to kind of take an average here. So the big months, you know, we're going to save a little more so that on the slim months, we kind of have that extra cushion to keep us going through. And it takes planning, and sometimes just some understanding about what your local market is going to be like.
Alicia 05:23
Right? Yeah, finally, after seven years, although it's hard to count the COVID ones for, you know, trying to see what the norm is. But after seven years, I do have kind of a sense of how some things are working, and what's not working, and where to make tweaks. And so yeah, I feel good about that. And I spent several months at the end of the year, really planning for this coming year, financially, you know, what exactly do I need to do, you know, use some of the windfall from last year to pay off all my credit card debt, which was awesome. So that I, you know, didn't have that hanging over me. So yeah, it does take some planning, and some sitting down and running the numbers and trying to stick to things to budgets. But yeah, I'm feeling good. Good.
Collin Funkhouser 06:13
That's awesome. And, you know, mentioned, you know, coming into seven years here, you've been solo that whole time. And so I want to know, if that was a conscious decision, or something that you have kind of stuck to for for other reasons.
Alicia 06:27
No, it is definitely a conscious decision. And one that others often don't understand, except for other solos, who I feel commiserate with me. But, you know, different people do things differently. And for different reasons. That's one of the things you know, we often talk about in this industry is it's your business. So you run it the way that works for you. And for me, I'm 58 years old, I plan for this to be my final career, one that I can slowly retire into. And I've had very stressful jobs in the past ones where I've had to manage people. And I really wanted to do something that I was passionate about, that I felt in control of that I didn't have any, you know, bosses or employees that were driving me crazy. So just the just knowing that it's just me that I am accountable to and that I can shape the business, the way that works for me that way that feels good for me, it just feels great, it feels great to have this be my own little baby. And yes, I know that I'm not going to make as much money if you know, as somebody who maybe is trying to grow a bigger business. But that's, that's okay with me, I made more money in the past, and I wasn't happy. And I'm very, very happy doing what I'm doing now. So I really, I like being solo. And the other thing is that I wanted to move away from a job where I sat at a computer all day. And if I hired all the staff, they're the ones doing all the fun stuff. And I'm the one sitting doing customer service and scheduling and all that kind of stuff, which I still do now. But that's only half of my job, you know, or depending on when maybe only a third of my job. So I love interacting with people, I love seeing my clients on a regular basis, because most of my dog walking clients are still at home at least some of the time. So I love interacting with them. I love hanging out with the pets. And it's a nice balance between being in the field and being home taking care of admin stuff. So it was a very conscious decision. And I'm sticking to it.
Collin 08:51
Well, you you kind of in the beginning there, you set a very key phrase there if you want to do something you are passionate about. And I think what's really important is you understood exactly what it is about this business, this industry that you enjoy, and that you did weren't swayed or convincing yourself to do something that you didn't ultimately want to be doing. Because what you actually were interested in was the pet care, the interaction with the clients the day to day stuff, as opposed to managing operations, putting on the manager hat, all that stuff. And that's a that's a that is a very personal decision and takes a lot of figuring out exactly what we want. You know, if if somebody's listening to you and they're, they're on that fence of should I shouldn't I hire or go bigger? How would you help kind of walk them through that process of making that decision for themselves?
Alicia 09:47
Um, well I think like with anything you want to balance what would be necessary to do the job. Whether you're solo or you have staff what skills or duties are necessarily are different. And then what your own strengths and skills are and what you want to be doing and do those match up? So are you somebody who really enjoys managing people and being kind of the, the administrator running the show? And letting other people do the direct service? You know? Or are you the kind of person who loves to interact with the people and the pets and want to be out there doing things yourself? I think it depends. You know, what you're interested in and what your skills are, and how well that matches either one of those options. And the other thing is that I really market myself and my business to my clients, as you know, one that has a very direct interaction with them, that they get, you know, really high quality services. For me, it is not entry level, college kids, or whatever it is me who they deal with every time. And so I really kind of sell that. And I think when you're solo, and you're doing the services, you can really, you know, push that market that to your clients, that you're the one who is trained, you're the one who has 15 years experience, you're the one who all in you're the one they're getting. So I think that that's also just a really good marketing point. And something that my clients have actually really responded to.
Collin Funkhouser 11:30
Yeah, absolutely. It's something you can lean into, especially if you're trying to find a niche or a specialty or find a particular aspect of the market that you want to go after. That's harder to do when you have more general employees and ensure you can train them to do certain skills or training them on certain things, but they won't be you. And I know that that is a struggle that people have of okay, well, I don't want to hand my clients over to my staff, and how do I make that transition? And I think backing way up and going is that even something I want is that something I want to take on and asking ourselves, that's it sounds like that starts with ourselves a lot.
12:08
What that gets out to,
Alicia 12:10
I mean, if you're gonna go through all the heartache of starting a business, and managing it, which is very hard and time consuming, then it should be what you enjoy, you know? So I would start there, what do you want to be doing every day, and let what you really want to do what your passions desires, and skills are be the guide as to how your business is formed?
Collin Funkhouser 12:33
Cuz that's not to say that that passion, desire and skills, you know, we can't do something else with them. You know, it's a it's not, it's not, we can't It's not saying that we can't hire a CPA or a tax accountant or a bookkeeper or, you know, a manager and some other aspects of these things. We can do these or VA, if you want to do that. But,
Alicia 12:54
and I thought about all of those. But we as consultants, yes, yeah. But we can, yeah, yeah, we get
Collin 13:03
to decide what we want on our plate. And I think that that that's a very, that should be a very freeing decision for us of, if I like the kind of work that I'm currently doing. And I enjoy it, and it fills me and it is not with my passion. That's something that I'd like to continue to do. And if and in addition, like you said, if it lines up with your marketing, and with the goals of your business, a lot of these things start to stack together to build towards Okay, well, I need to I need to stay solo so I can do these things that I want to do. You mentioned a little bit about, you know, how when you made this decision, you kind of had to face the that you wouldn't be making as much money where you know, it's supposed to grow. So how has that been for you? And kind of what other struggles have you had to go through in this process of remaining remaining solo?
Alicia 13:57
Well, I think I've definitely grown revenue wise, slower. Because I have had to the first two years, I think I had two part time jobs. So I had my business, I had my regular part time job, where I was working at my church. And then I also drove Uber on the weekends. And I was hosting Airbnb guests in my home during the summer. So I was crazy for the first two years, because I was just trying to figure out how to run a business, how to get clients, and so the revenue coming in was difficult at first. So that's definitely a challenge when you're doing everything yourself. And you know, the whole learning on the job. And after about the first two years, I was able to stop driving Uber thank goodness, although it was kind of fun. And then I was just down to two jobs for a couple of years. So I do think that one of the struggles was is, you know, just ramping up and making enough money to survive, and, you know, having that gap. And obviously, if you came from a position where you had a large savings, maybe you can prepare ahead of time, don't quit that high paying job until you got a good cushion. So that you can, you know, use your, your savings for a year or something, I didn't have that luxury, or, you know, some people have a spouse that can carry the load for a year, I also don't have that luxury. So financially, being financially soluble that for the first couple of years was challenging. And I'm so glad to finally be there. The other thing is, and this is something I just kind of tried to solve for myself, is, you know, you're working by yourself, there is nobody to bounce ideas off of, you know, no kind of networking within your business. I mean, I did join a women's networking group and the chamber, but you know, those are not pet specific. So I did start a networking group in Chicago, about three years ago, and we meet once a month. And so that's with other pet care business owners. So that's been really helpful in just, you know, discussing our mutual struggles and sending referrals to each other, and not feeling like you're just flying out there all by yourself. So that was helpful to you. It's important to find mentors, and just people that you can talk to about what you do.
Collin Funkhouser 16:28
Well, to this, there's two things there of going, Okay, I'm going to maybe except a little bit of slower growth off the bat and make sure that I have all my numbers lined out. And did you ever talk about your Did you ever struggle with wanting to say yes to people? And kind of thinking, Oh, if I maybe if I had somebody as a staff member, I could say yes to this person, or did you ever come across that situation?
Alicia 16:56
No, not at the beginning, because I was trying to get clients. So I wasn't I haven't turned clients away until this year. And actually, just today, one of my clients sent me this photo of a couple and they're tiny dogs, and that they met in their neighborhood. And they said, These people are looking for a dog walker, do you think you you might be interested, and oh, my God, that dog was so cute. And I know you're a dachshund lover. And I had to email back and say, I'm full. I can't take any more dog walking clients right now. But to me, that's not a struggle between I wish I had hired somebody else, because I want to walk that Doxon I don't want to give it to somebody. So so it doesn't lead me to want to hire somebody, it leads me to want to have more hours in my day. I am turning down. But what's nice is it's allowing me to be more targeted, where as you know, when you're early on, you take clients that maybe aren't the best fit because you just need clients. So I'm starting to be able to whittle things down to close my service area down just a tad bit to turn clients away that maybe aren't the best clients for whatever reason. So it's actually helpful to really target your clients more when you are feeling you know, more successful.
Collin 18:21
Yeah, well, and you have more strictures and constraints on your life. Now, as you do become busier, as you have these things going on, each additional thing that you add to your plate kind of has to outweigh an exponentially larger proportion of your time going, Okay, if I add one more thing, it's going to be really, really beneficial, or This better be a really excellent, amazing client. Because I my time is so restraint. And so that's interesting that you've kind of seen this, you're able to start fine tuning and dialing in to exactly the kind of clients the type of clients that networking that you want to do, as you've been forced to say no and to more and more people.
Alicia 19:03
Right, this actually has come up recently I had, I have a boarding client, who I love the dog is amazing. The people are amazing. And the mom was going back to work and wanted to start dog walking services as well, three days a week, well, I was kind of full. But I had one dog walking client that was twice a week, who was canceling all the time. And so I had to basically tell the person who I already had for twice a week that I was going to have to remove her from the dog walking schedule to make room for another client but I'd be happy to help her on an as needed basis, but I couldn't reserve her spots anymore. Of course, she's not happy with me. But you know, I can't reserve slots for somebody who's canceling all the time when I have other people who want to fill those slots. So you know I am it's hard for me to set those kinds of boundaries sometimes But you know, it's a business and you have to make money and you have to make decisions that bring you revenue. So it was a difficult decision to make. And I made a client unhappy, but, you know, unfortunately, is what I had to do. Yeah,
Collin Funkhouser 20:17
we have revenue to bring in, we have a business to run. But we also want to be treated well, too, right? That's a big aspect of this, of now being able to go, you know, what I, I don't appreciate the way this person is treating my time or treating me in these ways. So I don't have to do that, again, like we we get to decide what services we do, how we market that, who's doing the services, and what that will, that looks like, it also means that we can be picky for whatever reason about that client and going, you know, what, you're not as predictable for me, I this isn't actually a good fit, I'm looking because all of a sudden, my, my, what I was looking for change. First, you know, I was looking for any and all clients, I think we all go through that process. And now we start going, I want really good predictable treat me well, kind of clients. So which one of these do I have, that I can hold on to?
Alicia 21:07
Right? I mean, and once you start getting those really good clients that you've not had for years, you see what a good client is like, and you're like, I want more of those, you know, the ones who really appreciate you. Those are the ones you want, not the ones who you know, are canceling at the last minute who don't seem to have any appreciation for your time or the trouble that they put you through. Yeah, and it's
Collin Funkhouser 21:28
hard. It is hard. I recognize that. And I know you do as well of going, there is always that tendency to go. Yeah, but they, they they say they need me, right. And I maybe maybe this time, it will be the time where they change. And maybe this time, it'll be different.
Alicia 21:45
And that's what I've done for the last three months. And then what finally allowed me to make the move is when this amazing client wanted to start dog walking, and I'm like, Yep, I'm taking you and I'm gonna do whatever I need to do to make it happen. So yeah, I mean, it's one of the wonderful things about running your your own business right is you do get to decide who you want to work with and who you don't.
Collin Funkhouser 22:05
Have you heard of time to pet. Dan, from NYC Foods has this to say time,
22:10
Tibet has been a total game changer for us. It's helped us streamline many aspects of our operation from scheduling and communication to billing and customer management. We actually tested other petsitting software's in the past with these other solutions were clunky and riddled with problems. Everything in tiny pet has been so well thought out. It's intuitive feature rich, and it's always improving.
Collin Funkhouser 22:30
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 pet.com/confessional. Now in addition to that, and I think you mentioned also you kind of restricted your service area, what other kinds of boundaries have you been setting in place that have allowed you to run this business by yourself.
Alicia 22:53
I've definitely been setting more boundaries this year, as I've become busy and felt more able to do that. So the service area, I used to make exceptions, you know, for people who are outside of the service area, and now it's like, I just can't, I can't do that. And also office hours, I used to time to pet as a software. Love it. And one of the features that they started this year is you can set office hours, so that when they send you a message and it's outside your office hours, they get a little pop up window that says you know it is outside office hours, and you can set that message to say whatever, you know, I'm looking forward to getting back to you tomorrow or whatever it says. And so I used to just respond at all hours. So now I'm really trying to follow my office hours. The other boundary I'm trying to take is just trying to have a life outside of work. And this vacation that I just took for four days was amazing. I had a great time. So trying to have a little bit more time to myself, I used to just consider all weekends was work seven days a week all day long. Now I try when it's not busy holiday season, to have half days off on Saturdays and Sundays just tried to have some time to see friends and have hobbies and clean my house and do the things that a normal person does. That I haven't done for seven years. So those kinds of boundaries, you know, having my own time taking care of my own needs, as well as the business. And I I've been using a group mentoring process I think you have on here once before. Colleen oh my gosh, I'm blanking on her name. Now, Pilar and she runs unleashed at work and home. She does private and group consultations for pet professionals. And I belong to her group programs for the last probably two or three years now and it's just It's a great program that helps you realize how to take care of yourself and helps you take care of yourself through a group process anyway, that has been really helpful in in making me realize that I need to take care of myself, and that it's not being selfish, it's not diminishing your business, that it actually makes your business better. So a lot of boundaries about about that about caring for myself.
Collin Funkhouser 25:29
Yeah. How did you make those four days work for you? Because I know many solo sitters at the mere thought of taking three hours away from their business, just kind of have a mental and emotional breakdown. So what was it like setting up and preparing, I guess, mentally for you? And then what did you do with your clients for that time?
Alicia 25:51
It actually wasn't difficult. I have taken two weekends off mostly two or three day weekends, each year for the last several years, one weekend is for my parents, and one weekend is to do something with friends. So that's kind of been the norm for my clients. This is just the longest, because it was like four and a half days that I've been gone. And, and so what I do is I let my clients know, months, months in advance that this is happening and put it in the newsletter. And now with time to pet, I put the banner at the top. So every time they open their account page, it reminds them that there's a vacation coming up. So I do a lot of reminders, and I start months in advance. And then I always ask people, you know, dog walking, folks, if they need a referral for anybody to help them out in my absence to let me know. But they all just take care of it themselves. Again, because it's been like two days that they have to deal with. And then vacation people, I just don't hear from them. And I'm assuming they're finding other needs. And a lot of people that you've had forever, they plan their vacations around your schedule. So they just don't take vacations when they know you're not available,
Collin 27:05
that's really important to know is that your clients are going to adapt to you. And I know we've had people reach out to us and go, you know, we are thinking about these days. But before I booked the flights, I wanted to know, can you do this? Exactly, yep. And going. Okay, first off, thank you Second off, that's amazing. Like, I can't even tell you how much that means whenever I get clients do that. But and if you do, I think importantly, if you have a fear of going well, I don't want to say no to anybody over that time, I think it's important to note that even if you have staff, you will say no to people at some point in time, because you are still still so full, because something isn't going to work out. And so recognizing I can do what I can, I can set these reminders, I can let people know and I can work with them around the times that they need. And then I have to leave it at that and recognizing that that that recognize that that time that I'm going to take away is more valuable to me personally, than staying and working through those four days and not allowing myself to believe the lie that that one client is worth more than my time alone to rejuvenate and to reflect and heal myself.
Alicia 28:15
And all my clients. I've never had anybody upset about it. And actually, I've had several people say that's so great. I'm glad you're taking time for yourself. You know, they're happy about it. And it also helps to have a network of folks that you can hire people to I've had, I've had another pet solo Pet Sitter that I know, hear really well. I've had her cover some of my clients in the past when necessary. And I've done it for her as well. So, you know, it also helps to just know that you have some people in case it's necessary.
Collin Funkhouser 28:48
And that's yet another reason Have you said why networking is so important. So that we can you know, it's not just referring to people, if it's not a good fit for us, it's going okay, I'm not available right now, here's the one person or two people that I recommend you go to, and not being afraid, because I know some people don't like referring out because they go, Oh, they're gonna steal the client, or they're gonna take the client away. Have you ever had that kind of struggle when you're referring out?
Alicia 29:15
No, I never have that fear one, because I think that I run a pretty awesome business. And I can't imagine, you know that that that would be an issue. Otherwise, I would have a feeling from the client that things weren't well, but also because I'm referring them to people that I know and trust, because I have relationships with them through this networking group that we all belong to for the last three years. So we're all constantly referring to each other. And if somebody who's a better fit with another company, then that's fine. I don't want somebody with me that's not going to be a good fit. So no, I don't worry that people are going to leave me I think that if you worry about that At then you need to start asking yourself, Am I really running the best business I can be running? If I think people are going to be leaving me? Why would they be leaving me? So no, I don't worry about it.
Collin 30:10
It starts with a lot of internal questions that we have to ask ourselves of what what, what insecurities am I drawing upon right now that are leading me down that path of thinking people that are going to leave. And if we are running a solid business, if we are treating people well, if we have everything lined out, and we are running an amazing business, we should have no fear of referring out to other amazing businesses. Because Because we at the end, they still want that person to be helped. I say this, a lot of this is a 24/7 365 day a year business. But that doesn't mean that you have to be the one doing that. And as long as you are competent, and referring to somebody who you know, does good work, then you know that your clients gonna get taken care of you mentioned it a little bit earlier about how you market yourself as a solo pet sitter. So thank you to go into that just a little bit more of of what marketing looks like for you kind of language that you try and use and how you try and connect with the clients that are going to be a good fit for you.
Alicia 31:12
Um, well, yeah, as I as I alluded to earlier, I really market myself, as you know, providing very relationship centered services. So I get very, I get very close to a lot of my clients, especially the dog clients, because I see them and talk to them much more often than the occasional cat visit client. But there's some cat clients that I see a lot as well. But so I, I really marketed as kind of very as well rounded. So I am here to help you with your pet needs from the day, your new puppy comes home till the day she crosses the Rainbow Bridge. So I am here to help you get them, you know, acclimated to your home, provide services help you find a good veterinarian, a good trainer. So it's, it's more than just providing the pet care, but I am their concierge of pet care, I help them find services and also when an issue comes up. That's why I find it really important to keep myself educated. I know somebody has cat gets diagnosed with kidney disease, I send them the kidney disease information that I have, or you know, a new puppy, here's some articles about potty training. So I'm constantly providing resources and referrals to my clients. And so I really market that aspect, the full, full range of services that I offer them. And you know, that all comes with the dog services or the pet care services that they're getting. It's not like I'm charging them when they call me with a question about veterinary care or whatever. And so that's how I market myself. And I think that's what my clients really appreciate. And again, it's more than just being their dog walker, I have helped pick up a child from daycare, you know, gone been invited to their children's birthday parties, and I go wearing my doggy costume and, you know, the kids love. So it's it's a lot of relationship building. We know we talk about each other's vacations. You know, I give my clients birthday presents not just for their pets, but for them as well. They give me birthday presents. So it's just a wonderful for me, and what I'm looking for, it's a wonderful way to interact with my clients in a very personal, highly trusting and respectful way. So I market that. And then just the amount of marketing, that has decreased dramatically, because I get full, obviously, so much faster than the bigger companies that are still trying to ramp back up. Either because they lost clients during COVID Or because they can't get enough staff, which I know everybody's dealing with right now. But I have reached capacity very quickly. So I'm actually not doing any marketing right now. I would say most of my clients, or prospective clients are coming from relationships that I have current clients, neighbors, friends, things like that. Networking associates from the past, things like that. So and that's another kind of live and learn situation. I never got a single client from working a community event. I have really narrow those down. I try to do maybe once a year, and I don't do it to get clients. I do it as a give back to the community. So I have to just kind of look at it differently. I don't pay for any marketing. I don't put ads in any papers or things like that. Just those things in my area don't work. I know they work in other areas. So the way I'm marketing myself, the avenues of marketing that I'm looking for are different. And just the amount of marketing I'm doing is way less as I've become busier,
Collin 35:08
I think those are all three very big keys to marketing as so as is what your marketing, where your marketing in the amount, I love how you kind of sit there and focused on those three aspects because that's, that's exactly it, you don't need that a massive advertising and marketing budget, because the capacity is not there. Because you don't want to be completely overwhelmed with a massive deluge. You want to foster those relationships. So the relationships that you build are going to go and do the referrals that come back to you through their networking that they do. And recognizing that that is where the value is. So that's where we need to be investing our time, versus wasting our money and spending it in places that is not going to come back and return to us when the clients and I think you can also judge sometimes the quality of clients that you get of paying for Facebook ads and Google ads, okay, what quality of clients do you get from that, versus the client that you've had for five years tells their neighbor about you, that's a very different kind of connection that you have from that. And I'm not saying it's a perfect one for one kind of thing. But I do think that there is some relationship there.
Alicia 36:15
Well, and if a client you really like refers one of their friends, then I mean, again, it's not 100%, but there's a good chance that that friend is also going to be somebody you really like, because they're friends with the person you really like, you know, so you hope that they wouldn't be crazy or whatever. There's a little bit more trust that it's not just a random person, but that somebody you know, knows them.
Collin Funkhouser 36:42
Exactly kind of is there's already been some social proof and some checking, that's going on, from your current client, you know, who you have that relationship with. And I know that that one aspect of, of marketing and doing this as, as I know, a lot of solicitors kind of have this feeling like they need to pretend like they are bigger than they are. And so they use the word, you know, we us our in communication. You know, what's, what's your kind of response or reaction to that kind of thing?
Alicia 37:12
Um, yes, I know somebody who does do that. And I thought she did have a lot of staff until I talked to her. And she's like, No, it's just me except for holidays. I'm like, Oh, okay. So yeah, I personally think that there is no right or wrong way to do this, there is just what works for you. So I don't feel bad that I'm not bigger, I don't feel the need to pretend that I am. Again, my strength in my, in my business is that is my level of relationships that I build with my clients that it is very personal and more intense than a beer company would be able to have. So I, I am proud of the way that I have built my business. And it works for me, and it works for the clients that I have. So I don't feel any need to be bigger or pretend I'm bigger. And I've had some clients say that they appreciate that it's not that they've moved away from the bigger company where they didn't know who was coming in and out of their house walking their dogs that they know, it's always me that they know who I am. And you know, my my experience in my in my education and all that kind of stuff. So they have a level of trust, knowing me that they didn't have with their previous larger company. Again, not to say that one is better than the other, they're just different. And they work. You know, you have to just build a company that works for you.
Collin 38:44
Yeah, and I think like we talked earlier of going what, why do I feel the need to say that or use those words or to appear is that if I'm am I trying to impress people? Am I trying to sell them on on me? Am I trying to cover for some feelings of inadequacy that I have or some concerns that I have about running a business where I don't have as many employees as the next person that I know of? I think it's really important to do a check about that anytime we use particular language over and over is going, why am I doing this? Is there a particular reason behind this? Because I think sometimes it can come across as if we're not careful. It can kind of be deceitful in a way if we're not you know, truly communicating exactly what we are and just being being understanding about why we're doing that.
Alicia 39:30
And just really trying to just run the best business you can run for yourself and not worrying about the next person and oh, how come they're doing it differently? Should I be doing that? You know, always comparing yourself to others. everybody's situation is different. It's apples to oranges. So it doesn't help anybody especially your your own peace of mind to be comparing yourself to others and thinking you're not good enough.
Collin 39:57
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Collin Funkhouser 40:34
The air fresheners make great client gifts, given air freshener to new clients or send something small for birthday gift or holiday as well. Order a whole case of your favorite designs for $1.95, a hanger or half that perennial, send it as a gift package to your client with that handwritten card and gift wrap for 1275, which does include shipping, check them out at Pet perennials.com. And be sure to register for that free business gift service account, unlock the all inclusive discounted package prices and to access the wholesale catalog. Remember, you only pay for what you ordered. What I know that is extremely common in this industry, it's extremely well done not just this industry, but in life in general is to see somebody else and go, Wow, look what they have, look what they're doing. Look how awesome they are i There's no way or I wish I was that or I feel, you know, not I don't feel legitimate as a business because it is just to me, what would you say to somebody who who does feel like they aren't as legitimate or they aren't as, as, as good of a company because they are so low?
Alicia 41:36
Well, I guess I would sit down and look at how you're feeling about what you're doing. You know, and and also, it might be helpful to ask your clients for feedback. Some people do a survey, I've been saying I'm going to do one forever, and I haven't. But um, you know, just the idea of thinking of just thinking of it differently, like, what am I doing right? What am I doing that's working? What kind of feedback positive feedback have I gotten from my client? You know, we're always looking for what isn't enough what we've done wrong, and concentrating on that. And you know, but flipping that, and really looking at what you're doing right? What you're doing well, and and feeling good about that legitimate business? For whom? Who is it like, Who are you trying to legitimize it for? If there are specific concerns from your clients, that's one thing and address those, I did have a client when they first signed on to me came from a larger company. And the client's number one concern was well, if it's only you, what happens when you when something happens to you. And in seven years knock on wood, I've never taken a sick day, I don't get sick, I haven't gotten COVID yet. Of course, now, I've jinx myself, but But you know, I, you know, I don't get sick, I take good care of myself. I don't take a lot of vacations. But when I do, I plan them out. And I make sure my clients are covered. So you know, if there are concerns from clients about not being legitimate enough, find out what those concerns are, and let them know how you're addressing them. And now, of course, those clients love me and have been with me for three years, and it's all going great. But you know, that can be a concern. As a solo person for a client who is not used to having a solo sitter,
Collin Funkhouser 43:34
and understanding like you said, who we are trying to legitimize the self and who's in whose eyes and whose eyes, right? I don't know which one's right there. But there's a reason behind that what those feelings are. And I absolutely agree that if you have concerns that are coming from clients, well, now it's our time to solve those and put together some real policies and procedures in place so that we can overcome those and recognize again, that this is all about running the business that we want to run and that it's not about having 40 staff that's not what makes a legitimate pet sitting business. It's it's what making a legitimate businesses doing the pet sitting and responsible, ethical, moral way to both the pets and the parents. That takes care of them. And at the end of the day, are we satisfied with that? Are we able to meet those needs? Are we able to meet our goals both financially and, you know, passion wise of getting to care for the pets that we want to and then being okay with that and recognizing that and being and being proud of that work too. I think that's really important to look at what you have made and are doing and be a truly and honestly proud of all that hard work.
Alicia 44:43
Right. Exactly.
Collin Funkhouser 44:46
Well, and so just I think in in general, maybe you could walk us through some of your, your favorite, maybe policies or procedures or services that you offer that you really They feel like have helped you maintain and continue to be the solo ad run the business that you want.
Alicia 45:08
Um, well, one of the concerns that I've had this whole time is having too many services for one person. And that's something I've been working with my business mentor on, is, you know, my feeling of not being good enough, because I'm not doing all of them 100% Because I don't have 100 hours a day. So, you know, really kind of looking at what it is I can do, which may be different than all that I want to do. And how do I balance the amount of hours I want to put in my work versus my personal life, you know, my friends, my family, all that kind of stuff. So hard, that's something I've been working on with services, which services I'm providing. And when I say pet education, and I'm not getting like we had two years of not being able to do classes, because I was doing in person classes for kids at libraries, daycare centers, things like that, well, that all went away. During COVID, I was teaching the dog plus Baby Class to expectant parents, again, at facilities at doggy daycare, and boarding facilities, dog training facilities, things like that. All of that closed down and trying to get it going, again, has been difficult. I was doing them online during COVID and continue to offer that. But I was kind of getting down on myself about you know that, you know, I don't feel like I'm delivering as much education as I'd like. And so I've really kind of pivoted towards thinking, well, the education that I can provide, and continue to provide is the education I provide to each of my clients. And so doing, I do pet video, pet tip video of the week on Instagram, I just posted one yesterday about kidney support for cats. But also providing that information one on one in my monthly newsletter. So rethinking how I want to deliver certain services, so that they fit what I can do, and what the environment allows me to do. So I think that is kind of a shift that I've done with my services, offering them online during COVID. I thought it would just be for COVID. But I'm continuing it because that works better for some people. And for me, it can work better. As you know, you don't have to deal with the travel the transportation time. And when you visit people in their home for a consultation. There's a lot more chit chat that goes on. Would you like to drink? Can I get to this, let me go you know, get the dog. So they can last a little longer than if you're just doing it over zoom. So just finding ways to do all the things that I want to do in the time crunch that I have is one person that has made me make some shifts in my services.
Collin 48:00
Yeah, I love how you phrase that what can I do is different than what I want to do. And all this discussion, you know, is really focused on how can I make sure that I am able to do the run the business the way I run a run for the longest period of time, which means I'm trying to avoid or we're trying to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue from this business and recognizing and just being very honest with our limitations, and our both in time, scope and ability. I can't do everything. I can't be all things to all people. Now that sounds a little depressing out at first. But I think what it does and what I'd love to hear that you've done is you've gone. Yeah, but what can I do for people? Where is my focus and going okay, maybe I can't do the big groups anymore. But I've got all these clients that still need this kind of information, this education so I can redirect important to them. And what does that done that's increased the value that you bring to them on a daily basis, and really helped elevate you in that scenario. And I think we can look at our services and go, I need to I think all of us can, can take three or 410 passes through our services and refine them constantly to make sure that they are fitting our goals and objectives and what we are not just wanting to dip but well we are physically mentally and emotionally able to handle and do it a particular day.
Alicia 49:20
Right, right, exactly. I mean, another example is, you know, not having the children's classes start up again, really bummed me out because I really love to do those. And my business coach recommended that I do something like do a summer camp. So now I'm totally excited and I'm going to be putting it together and it's the pitter patter critter camp for one week. And I've already started planning some curriculum ideas and talking to some parents about logistics like what time of day what would work best for your kids and that sort of thing. So you know, putting all my efforts perhaps into that, which may be an easier marketing game. Yeah, I get to do a one week summer camp, then just, you know, it takes so much time to go out there and sell your classes to all these facilities and do all this outreach and, and I just don't have as much time to do that as I used to because I have clients, I didn't used to have this many clients. So, you know, I have so many pet care clients, that it's preventing me from going out there and trying to set up my classes. So it you know, again, it's just how do I, how do I pivot in a way that still allows me to do what I want to do, but meets the clients where they're at? You know, what are their needs, people like to send their kids away. You know, I had to get them out of their hair. So that is maybe an easier sell, than, you know, bringing your kid to a one hour class here or there or whatever. So, yeah, it's it's, it's being flexible and being willing to pivot to still get done what you want to get done in a different way.
Collin Funkhouser 51:03
Yeah, I can't wait to hear how that class goes that summer camp, at least that sounds like it's gonna be amazing.
51:09
I can't wait. Yeah. You You've touched
Collin Funkhouser 51:13
on a really good point about kind of this double edged sword of getting busy and getting a lot of clients is that when we want a lot of clients, then we get a lot of clients. One of the problem is, is that we have a lot of clients, which means all that time that we had to do other stuff and focus on other things and plan and do the admin and do all that stuff. All that kind of goes away, because now all of a sudden, we're going back to back to back to back to back to back to back, which is yet another reason why it's so important to recognize those limits that we have early on and make time and space for things so that we don't lose track of them. And they don't just get pushed aside and they never get tended to and that includes some other things that we're passionate about. Because this we have a life. It's not just dog walking and cat care that we are 100% passionate about. There are other things that feed us and help us grow that we need to be investing in.
Alicia 52:02
Right? Yeah. And it's always a balancing act. Because yes, when I wasn't as busy during COVID, I was redoing my website, I was sending out monthly newsletters, I was doing all kinds of stuff. And now all that admin stuff is like on the back burner, as I'm, you know, dealing with all my clients. So you just have to be more organized in and commit to yourself. I was always told to make appointments with yourself as you would with someone else, you know, let's say Tuesdays from three to five is marketing time. And I have an appointment with myself to do marketing on that day during that time. And you know, so that you do get stuff done, because it's so easy to just be on the treadmill and have those backburner things just never get addressed. So that's something actually I was recently talking to my mentoring coach, my business coach about is how do I prioritize, it was so much easier when we weren't busy.
Collin Funkhouser 53:06
It becomes it becomes a kind of a treadmill that we find ourselves running on of trying to keep pace and sometimes and that's where these those boundaries, you know, of double checking that service area double checking that time off double checking the services that we are offering aren't overloading ourselves, all that comes in so that we have time to slow that treadmill down. Because if we just continue to run and run and run on it, we will never be able to run fast enough to get everything done that we think we need to get done. And I think that's a real
Alicia 53:33
need to be okay with saying no. Which is hard. I have had a really hard time with that because clients will come to you prospective clients with you know, dire needs, you know, we're going away in two weeks, and we can't find a suitor anywhere, and can you please help us? It's so hard to say no. Because you want to help them. That's why we're here. We want to help people, we're in this business to help people with their pets. But if you say yes to everyone, every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. So you have to balance it out. And really, and that's where planning ahead and saying, Okay, I want to have this many clients per day on average, which is what I do. And I did figure that out financially, how many a day do I need to make my monthly goal for revenue and that kind of thing? So I have a goal in mind of how many clients I need a day. And and so if you have some kind of internal role sorry, in place, then it's easier to say yes or no, because you're just following your own policy
Collin Funkhouser 54:43
that I really think it was beautifully said that that when we know what we need, we can say no easier and setting those budgets setting those goals because a lot of times we say yes out of fear of missing out on things. We say yes to an additional client because we fear that we're not Gonna have enough money. But when we have that tally, and we have those goals for the month, and we go, oh, look, I've already met my revenue goals that fit to do what I need for myself, I don't have to take on this client. Awesome. It's much easier to say out of no out of good from confidence, because we know those kind of numbers.
Alicia 55:21
And also, I think another part is that we don't like people to be mad at us, we want to make everybody happy. So sometimes I have trouble saying no, because I want to please the client, or the prospective client. So yeah, it's, it's knowing what your boundaries are, and setting them in advance, so that you have something mentally to check with? Well, you know, I already said, I'm only going to take this many clients during Christmas, and this would put me over, so I need to stick to my rules for myself. So you have to set those boundaries in advance, and then just try to stick to them. Which is hard for all of us. I know easier said than done.
Collin Funkhouser 56:05
It is it is hard. But we recognize that it's good for us. And I think again, prioritizing when we value that time that we have when we say no to things, and we go, okay, look at the time I have for myself or my family or friends or whomever that I'm getting that time back with that all of a sudden is way more valuable than anybody could ever pay me to watch any dog or cat or whatever they have.
Alicia 56:28
And you know, it makes us better at our jobs. You know, people don't want a service delivery person, whether it's your dog walker, or your cleaning lady or whatever, to be crabby, to you know, come in and be in a bad mood and just walk the dog without paying any attention to it. And, you know, just, I gotta walk another dog, you know, nobody wants that kind of service provider. So we are better at doing our jobs, when we are feeling refreshed when we feel full. When we feel happy with what we're doing. So we need to be able to prioritize ourselves as well.
Collin Funkhouser 57:05
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Alesia, I thank you so much for coming on the show today and encouraging the solo sellers out there to set good boundaries, to focus on time for themselves, and to really look at those policies and procedures, and focusing on our motivations. And a lot of times for why we do things in our business, to make sure that we run that business that we want. I know this is there's a lot you have done a lot and you are currently doing a lot of things, or somebody somebody wants to reach out and get in touch with you about how to actually do some of these things and what it looks like for them and kind of just pick your brain and and follow along with all the educational things that you're doing and seeing. So how could they do that and get in touch with you?
Alicia 57:49
Well, first of all, I want to thank you for allowing me to come on and talk about this. And the one thing I want to just wrap up with is don't be embarrassed or feel less than or any of those things about being solo. You know, be proud that you are running your own business the way you want to run it. And just think about the things that make you stand out and, and make you you know, a better choice, perhaps for the certain clients, and really market that and just feel good about what you're doing. And if people want to get in touch with me, I am a big believer in giving back. As far as mentoring, I would be happy to talk to anybody who is interested in getting started or wants to do something different that I might be able to help with. And my website is pitter patter parenting.com. I am on Instagram and Facebook, pitter patter parenting much more active on Instagram. And then you can always just email me Alesia at pitter patter. parenting.com.
Collin Funkhouser 58:53
Awesome. And I will have all of those in the show notes so people can click right to those. Again, this has just been a wonderful conversation. I can't thank you enough for coming on and talking with us about this. Alicia, thank you so so much. Thank you, Colin, be proud you're running your own business the way you want to run it. Too often we get caught up in the comparison game of looking at our journey and seeing if it matches up with somebody else's, looking at our successes and seeing how others compare or how we shape up to others in our industry and whether we are as quote unquote, successful as they are. This leads us to some really bad places in our business where we start making decisions that don't line up with our goals, our visions, our desires, and we start trying to live the life of another person. The trap that a lot of people fall into is that they think that by hiring by expanding and growing bigger, they are inherently more successful. This couldn't be further from the truth. Define the success that you have for your business, first and foremost, and then build the structure from there. Stop looking and comparing to other people and saying, oh that person has are the employees 100 employees, they're super successful. I'm just me. This kind of thinking does inhibit our ability to grow our business and to remain successful and remain in the industry year after year. The comparison game really does drain ourselves and limits our ability to try new things. So what does success look like for you? Have you define that for yourself? Why have you decided to hire or Why have you decided to remain solo? We'd love to get your feedback on this so we can share your input with other cities around the world. We really want to thank our sponsors time to pet and pet perennials for making today's show possible. And thank you so so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and we'll be back again soon.
