333: Finding the Voice of Your Business with Katie Kenton
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How do you provide personalized care? Katie Kenton, owner of Katie’s Kennel, shares her experience of business growth. Katie is committed to focusing on her community and making connections with her clients. As a new mom, Katie has found a new way to balance her personal life and work, and works hard to stay in tune with what her brand is and the voice of her business.
Main topics:
Slow Growth
Large number of employees
At home boarding
Hosting events
Defining a ‘brand’
Main takeaway: You can’t grow unless you learn!
About our guest:
Katie has a long history of trying to figure out what made her happy in life. Well, her dog Ghost was on the top of that list. Katie was working a 9-5 and seemed to enjoy her lunch breaks at home with her dog more than being in an office. One day she decided to take a leap of faith, quit her job and started Katie’s Kennel. With no direction on where to even began she made business cards, started an Instagram page and went to work. Over the years Katie has created a community of pet lovers in the Kansas City area, grown a large team of pet professionals and has even been voted Best Boarding in KC.
I’m a local Kansas City girl who loves animals. My whole life I grew up with dogs, cats, fish and lizards. It wasn’t until my 20’s when I adopted a cute Husky-German Shepard mix that my life was completely changed. When I brought Ghost home I soon learned that my life didn’t revolve around me, it was his world and I was the one who was responsible for his care. Ghost has inspired me in so many ways with his love and support he’s given me.
Katie’s Kennel is my passion, my creative outlet and has brought me and my family so much joy over the last 3.5 years. The world is forever changing, and we’ve taken challenges thrown at us and learned to grow with them. I am so incredibly proud of our team and all we have done with the pet community locally and on social media. Thank you for being apart of our growth <3 KK
Links
Email: sitstaywalk@katieskckennel.com
https://www.katieskckennel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Katieskennel/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katies.kennel
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dog, people, clients, katie, pet, events, fun, home, business, kennel, hire, kansas city, company, team members, figure, brand, important, balance, team, fenced
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin, Katie K., Doug
Meghan 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 the National Association of Professional pet sitters.
Collin 00:23
How do you provide personalized care? Katie Kenton, owner of Katie's kennels, joins the show today to talk about her experience with business growth. But how she maintained her commitment to focusing on community and making connections with clients and potential clients. As a new mom, Katie has found new ways to balance her personal life and work. And she works hard to stay in tune with what her brand is, and the voice of her business. Let's get started.
Katie K. 00:49
Yes, thank you so much for having me. Again, my name is Katie and I own Katie's kennel. We are We consider ourselves pet professionals and we service the Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri side. And we also just expanded into the Scottsdale Arizona area as well. We offer bowtique pet care majority is in home. So In Home Pet Sitting, we offer in home boarding where dogs stay at their pet professionals homes, dog walking, and home grooming. And we have a mobile doggy daycare concept called Camp k k, where we pick up dogs taking a play at the park. And then do a fun craft and take them home.
Collin 01:38
That's a lot going on.
Katie K. 01:41
Going on. Yes,
Collin 01:44
absolutely. I definitely want to touch on your expansion to Scottsdale because I think that's that's really fascinating. And sounds like a lot of work. You did use a word there boutique pet care, what does boutique mean to you?
Katie K. 01:58
I think is boutique pet care is something that is personalized on an individual basis. Um, you know, it's not no, we always say, you know, no dog is the same no clients the same, and it's our job to cater to their needs. So whatever service we provide, we try to tweak that. So it makes sense to the pet, it makes sense to their lifestyle, and accommodates what the clients looking for versus you know, kind of a catch all concept of you know, your kenneling, your dog dropped them off, you don't hear from them for the next three days while you're on vacation. You know, our job is to try and bring more of a personalized touch to it to kind of connect dog and owner while they're away from each other.
Collin 02:44
Well, in that kind of of work, it's not necessarily a cookie cutter style of service, then you're constantly adapting and changing to these individual needs. How do you balance that versus still needing to kind of make things somewhat predictable for you and your team members?
Katie K. 03:00
Sure, I think that has definitely evolved over the last four and a half years as well. Creating policies and setting those boundaries. So we have a baseline but still having enough flexibility to keep it personalized.
Collin 03:19
Yeah, that is a balance of going okay, we still need to have some standards, we need to be able to, to know kind of what we're walking into. But also being able to go okay, I can flex this a little bit or oh, I can take that on because that's a little bit of a unique case or, well, that's interesting how you give medications or however and still having that personalized individual again, focusing on the individual I think is where that power comes in of going well I want this service to be curtailed just to the meet the needs of this person so that they really feel seen and heard and cared for. Absolutely. Now back in 2008 it was 18 Right when you decided to kick this off what
Katie K. 03:56
like 2018 I remember
Collin 04:00
what happened after July 4, what?
Katie K. 04:03
Well, okay, so um, you know, I was in my early 20s And I was just trying to figure out really what I wanted to do in life. I am I will always admit I've worn a bunch of different hats I've worked in a bunch of different careers and I just never found what I felt like I was passionate about something I could you know sustain long term. At that point in time I was actually a dental assistant and I didn't mind the job it you know, it was an easy nine to five clock in clock out. Um, but I enjoyed my lunch breaks much more I will say that I I lived on my own and I left my boyfriend and we had two dogs we have a black lab and then he was not with us anymore, but we have a shepherd Husky named ghost who is still around today. And you know I just I love spending my lunch breaks with them sitting outside getting fresh air, you know, we go on walks to go to the park. And kind of over time, you know, we live in a townhome, we had a fenced in yard, so I kind of was always the friend to be like, hey, you know, we're going on vacation, do you want to watch our dog. And, you know, it just brought me us so much joy, it gave my pets a friend to play with and kept them busy and wore them out. And which is always wonderful attire dogs, a good dog. Um, but more. So, you know, we had fun doing local things. Like if a doggie boutique was opening, we take our friend's dog by snap a cute picture, or we go to the park or go get a pup cup. And you know, my friends would be like, Katie, this is awesome. Like, this is the best part of vacation or sending us all these like super adorable pictures of our dog having the time of their life. Like, you know, why aren't you doing this? And, you know, it just kind of got to a point where I was still like, you know what, like, going down the dental path is really not for me, this is just a nine to five job. It's not a passion. And, um, you know, we myself and not my fiance. We're getting married October 14, so very soon, oh. We, you know, we sat down and it was just a conversation of like, hey, you know, if this is what you want to do, you are a self starter, you're a go getter. There are ways to do it. You just got to figure out how. And so I woke up on July 5, and I told myself, you know what, I'm gonna quit my job today. I ordered I think 50 business cards off of Vistaprint. And I made a Facebook page. And I said, Okay, this is how I'm going to start and I'm going to figure it out from here. So Wow.
Collin 07:04
Listen to that. You just said it's this is a nine to five, but it's not a passion. And I think that's the balance that we have to find. And many of us find ourselves staring into going, Well, I'm doing this one thing, like I'm doing this thing currently. And it's, it's fine, right? It's okay, it's pays the bills, and it does something for me, and I somewhat enjoy it. But there's this other thing that I keep looking over and outgoing, but what if but what if the read there comes a time where we stop asking what if? And we go, okay, let's do right. And we dive into that?
Katie K. 07:34
That's and that's like, I mean, you know, just communicating with other people who want to kind of tap into this industry or friends who started their business. It's like, like, how do you know it's time? You don't you never know. But you know, what if you don't risk it, and you don't try to at least like tap into something you feel like you're passionate about and like you want to make your career, you'll never know. And so, you know, I will say, Oh, gosh, someone asked me the other day, they were like, Could you ever imagine like how this is, you know, grown? I'm like, no, because I literally just said, Okay, I'm gonna quit my job and go for it. And I had no idea what my next step was. So but you know, I'm definitely a doer and figure it out later. But you know, isn't always the best. But, um, yeah, just, you know, if you're passionate about something, and it brings you joy, and you find yourself thinking about it, and you know, wanting to take it to the next level, you know, really sit and think, you know, is this something that I want to make my lifelong career?
Collin 08:38
So you did that July 5 2018? How quickly was the growth for you? What was the next kind of six months to a year, like,
Katie K. 08:46
you know, I live in Kansas City my whole life. And so, again, I've held many of jobs. So I feel like, you know, within my inner circle, I've made a handful of connections to initially, you know, start me out. And, you know, thinking back, oh, gosh, just even compared to now. It was a slow start. I mean, you know, I was, if you think about the Kansas City area, I was walking dogs out south in the suburbs, and then picking up whatever I could. So I'd walk a 30 minute walk out south and I drive 45 minutes up to North Kansas City to walk a dog back down to the county. And you know, it was just really like, doing whatever I could to get in front of whoever I could just show them what I could do. So, you know, a slower start and, um, you know, just over time, definitely built up and I think it was Christmas of 2018 I was working like it was like 5am until midnight, just driving all day doing check ins walking. And I was like, okay, Hey, Katie, either you need to think about hiring, or you should figure out how to like not over commit yourself. And I still struggle with that today. So I was like, Okay, let's hire. You know, I got me to a place where I could hire my first employee after Christmas of 2018, so that 2018, beginning of the year, and we've just, you know, have slowly increased growth from there. Yeah,
Collin 10:32
I think that's important to remember, especially people who are coming into the industry, I see these questions a lot on Facebook groups, how long did it take you to do this for x number of hours? How long did it take you to get your first client, how long? It's different for everybody. But we need to be prepared for the slow growth, we also need to be ready to react when things kind of get crazy, because you just you just never know. And, you know, there are people who go, I'm going to plan this out to the nth degree. And then there are the rest of us who go, we're gonna fill this out as we go. And, and we do kind of have those wake up moments where we go, I don't want this anymore. I know, for me, it was actually a Christmas of last year where I was sick, I was I was just ill, but I had a full day of visits. And that really woke me up. I mean, even after nine years going, Okay, I cannot physically do this at this level, and still be there for everything else in my life that I want to have around and have that balance. So it's really time to start bringing other people into
Katie K. 11:32
this. Yep, absolutely. It is. It is so hard when you're, you know, start. It's your own company. And you're like, you know, where does my where's my cap? Where are my limits? When do I stop? Because, you know, your whole goal is, you know, we work in a customer service industry, and we care for people. And so it's hard to say no, and it's hard to create those boundaries. Yeah, absolutely.
Collin 11:58
I've had, it's been interesting to describe that to new people who brought in hired of just what this industry can do. Of I know, it feels maybe slow right now, because I'm giving you a little bit, but it's going to very quickly become a 5am to midnight, kind of day for you if we're not careful, and we don't manage this.
Katie K. 12:16
I you know, anytime we bring on someone new, we try to kind of we ease him into it, that's always say, I always say, you know, oh, we're not gonna throw you to the wolves. Haha. And then, you know, the week after they're like, Oh, my God, my feet hurt my heart commuting all day, like, you know, my leggings have holes in them? And I'm like, yeah, it's, it picks up quick, that's for sure. And, you know, we have, we have a handful of amazing team members who are just go getters and self starters. And you know, then that's a conversation of, hey, let's like check ourselves a bit, you know, we work in an environment where you can work as much as you want, or as little as you want, but we got to find the balance, because I want you around long term. So
Collin 13:06
we do have to come in and kind of protect them, right. And I kind of I've been describing a lot of like this, I have enough work to bury you in your days if we're not careful. So we need to you need to be checking in with us and letting us know, hey, how, when, you know, is this enough? Is this too much? Is this too little so that we don't look up? And they're like, I gotta cut out because I just taken over my life. It's like, okay, that we don't want that. Right. So you hired in the first or 2019 Now you've got a pretty amazing team surrounding you, could you tell us about them?
Katie K. 13:41
Um, so we kind of hover around anywhere between 50 to 60. Team members and all three states? Wow. We, you know, I think it's kind of a 5050 split between just the dog walking side, and then like the dog walking, you know, mobile doggy daycare side and then pet sitting. And, I mean, our team is everything. I think that I mean, you know, without them, I we wouldn't be where we are today.
Collin 14:16
Your team members really do contribute so much to the company. And I think too often many people may focus on the quote unquote, expenses that come with having a team and having people around you, but really recognizing i and more importantly, my company cannot meet the needs and demands and the mission that I have without these people around me.
Katie K. 14:38
Yes, absolutely. Um, I think when we, you know, it's been definitely a learning experience over the last four years, especially post pandemic and, you know, just kind of growing with the times but, you know, increasing rates to be able to offer people a more livable wage or you know, being able to figure out how to condense their like radius locations. So they're, you know, not spending as much time driving in their car, you know, it's been a constant, you know, figuring out how we can make it work best for our team, but also the company to, obviously, we want to be profitable. And I feel like finding that balance between you know, okay, like, I that was a hard thing for me yet versus, you know, like, I want to grow, what can I afford to lose? And what am I, you know, what can I afford to gain from it, too?
Collin 15:30
Yeah, those are, those are the cost benefit analysis that we that everybody, every single one of us has to take and judge and go, is this something I'm willing to take on? And yeah, you said you have kind of a 5050 split kind of across your services? Are you you're still offering in home boarding in your sitters homes? How do you make that work?
Katie K. 15:51
Um, you know, what, when we are interviewing, we have the discussion of, you know, if you're interested in pet sitting, we say, you know, we have two options, we have team members who, you know, opt one or the other, or they do both, and it really just depends on your personal lifestyle, and what works for you and your home and your family. You know, and home boarding. How it works on our end is we our clients, dogs stay in our homes, we always do a vetting process, we do a meeting prior to ensure the dog is comfortable, the owners comfortable and the team members comfortable. You know, anytime you get a dog out of their own environment, it could be you know, completely chill, or it could be pure chaos. So, you know, and rightly so, you know, like, they don't know our house, they're not used to it, they don't understand how to, like, hit the bell to go out back when they don't know where it's at. And so, you know, just that, that thing to see, you know, is this something that works with your lifestyle, gee work from home, would you rather be you know, watching the dog in the comfort of your own home. And if so, you know, that meeting prior to make sure it's a good fit is extremely important. I will kind of go off here and say, with all pet setting, we require a meeting beforehand, if it's a new client, and not a repeating client, and sometimes, even if it is a repeating client, and it's a new team member, watching the dog will do a meeting again. And these are important, and I always tell our team, it's not you know, it's for the client, yes, but it's for you to make sure that you are comfortable, make sure that you're okay with taking this on, okay with their, you know, realistic needs when you meet with them in person. And, you know, we value our team and we trust them and we want to make sure that they're comfortable and okay with it. So they are the ones who give us this sign off if you know, they want to continue with the overnight set or in home boarding.
Collin 17:54
Now for you do you have policies for how they keep their home or maintain their home? Or how do you direct them for keeping that environment safe and kind of consistent between sitters houses?
Katie K. 18:04
Sure, we you know, just a baseline of rules and a lot of I mean majority of our team members who have dogs over their dog parents themselves and so you know, they understand the dangers that you could put a dog in whether it be you know, toxic products or foods, things like that. But you know, overall just making sure our team members have a clean home and accessible home if they have a backyard it must be fenced in if not dogs have to go outside on a leash at all times we have a leash policy or a fenced in policy. Because you know again, this is a big Liability Company and so we got to make sure that the dogs are safe and enclosed are either on a leash and then you know as far as like the safety of kenneling things like that, I will say we you know do have this conversation with our team and the clients you know, some clients do can all their dogs some free roam and you know if a dog is in your home you can kind of test and see that first initial 24 hours how they're going to do out or if they you know need to actually be kind of fenced in an area or kennel
Collin 19:17
Yeah, and it is really again going with that personalized feel of going what's going to work best for the situation and more importantly in this reaching out to the sitter themselves and making sure it's going to work for them as well and that each time that match is made. It's a very specific process.
Katie K. 19:33
Or and we as you know management. Claire is our she's been with us for the last three and a half years. She is our you know, overall company manager but she kind of runs the whole set and stay side of the company. Okay, and you know, she's great. I think the biggest thing too is just having that clear communication with your team members of like, you know, we have a check in process. So for example, if the dog is staying over or we are staying at it Clients house for every two nights, they have to send us a update. And that's an email, it's a questionnaire, they send photos, they have to report and show photos of tax exchanges with the client. So communication with the client so we can, you know, know what's going on there. So, you know, we get that it's just, you know, it's it's a report basically to make sure that everything's going smooth. Our team's doing their job. The clients are, you know, doing everything as they had promised. But the same time just having that open communication to to make sure that your team knows like, hey, we have your best interests in mind. And like, you know, we want to make sure that you're taking care of and Okay, and if something's going wrong, let us step in so we can help you.
Collin 20:46
Have you heard of time to pet dog from bad to them on pet care has this to say,
Doug 20:51
time to pet has made managing my team and clients so much easier. Our clients love the easy to use app and scheduling features. And our sitters love being able to have all of their information organized and easily accessible. My favorite feature is the instant messaging by keeping conversations on time to pet, we're able to monitor our team and ensure nothing ever falls through the cracks.
Collin 21:10
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/confessional. I think you you start training pretty pretty early. I mean, one of your newest team members, Ricky seems like she's off to a really good start with your training program
Katie K. 21:32
is actually walking now. So we're ready to just give her a leash and like set or set her free.
Collin 21:39
What's What's What's that process been like of raising Ricky raising a daughter and now running and still running the company?
Katie K. 21:47
Oh my gosh, you know what? I've figured it out. I can't do it all and being a mom has humbled me I you know, I and the best way possible. I think having Reki has actually helped me kind of take a step back and figure out okay, Katie, we need to reel it in here. We need to figure out how you know, other ways to grow and expand versus maybe me doing everything like events or managing, you know, day to day, you know, communication with clients, whatever it may be. And so yeah, I think, you know, Ricky's been a blessing in disguise in that aspect. But also to I mean, being a mom has been, I always say it's the best job I've ever had that I didn't know I needed. And she has been, she's just so fun. You know, her third word was puppy. If you ask her what a puppy says she goes, woof, woof. She's got three brothers at home, who she just adores. And when we have, you know, I have a handful of regular clients that come over. And, you know, obviously trusting dogs around my child who is mobile and all over the place is so important. So, you know, that whole process of making sure a pet is okay with a child is you know, vital as well, with like that initial meeting, but you know, we're lucky that we have very consistent clients who stay over with us still all the time. It is honestly rare a rarity, if we just have our three dogs at our house still. Typically we're you know, averaging anywhere from like four to five. But Ricki, she just loves them. It's really, really sweet. And like just warms my heart when, you know, she wakes up in the morning, she gives him a hug. Ah.
Collin 23:53
I love hearing that, that Katie and I know that this is kind of a struggle for a lot of people who have a kid or have a child now they're going, how do I make this work? Because this job is this industry is so demanding on us and our time. And now all of a sudden we look up and we go, I I have I have all these things to do now. So what what kind of advice would you give somebody listening who has a young child or is pregnant in about to be in that same position?
Katie K. 24:20
I think first and foremost, you don't have to give up on your dream, like, keep pushing forward, you just have to figure out how to navigate that. And I think the biggest thing is setting boundaries for yourself. Figuring out like what makes sense for you and your family. You know, when Ricky was young, she would go on walks with us and we carry her and her Little Baby Bjorn. And you know, it was fun. It was great. And then she got heavy and it was you know, fun and great but hard and now she can walk and it's like this is just not possible. So you know, we've had to figure out my fiance as well. He is now full time at Katie's kennel and so we have both just have to think You're out with our schedule, you know, what makes sense is that working a half day and then being able to office during her nap time is it you know, maybe not having as much of a hands on workload a few days a week. So we can, you know, take her to a setter, or, you know, take her out to do something, and then get work done, while we're on the go from our phones, but just finding that balance, and you know, giving yourself grace to, I think I was extremely hard on myself feeling like, oh, my gosh, like, people are gonna think I'm just sitting at home eating bonbons all day, you know, I'm just trying to navigate this. And it's so it's hard. And as a new mom, like, you know, and as a, you know, a mom in general, you just, there's so, so many society standards that are placed on us. And, you know, I think that taking a step back, giving yourself some grace and setting boundaries. And again, just realistically thinking, what works for my lifestyle, so I one can be present with my kid to be present with my company. And three, be okay with myself. So, it definitely
Collin 26:13
is finding that entire balance, right and going, okay, how can I how can I still make my dreams work and realizing that the business can can change and that what we thought we were going and working towards, is going to be probably a little bit different. And that we can change our obligations and change our priorities in life and still be able to continue to work forward for those things and make it work for us. I think that's we can't lose sight of that as we can make the business work for us when we have these other things that come along.
Katie K. 26:42
And that's hard to do. You know, it's that's definitely easier said than done, especially you know, when your whole every day is catering to everyone else's needs. But yeah, again, just being able to like, take a breath and be like, Okay, what do I need?
Collin 27:02
Well, you mentioned kind of the everybody aspect of this, I think that's a major role and thing that Katie's kennels does a lot of you even describe your business as a as a community. What, what does that mean? And why is that?
Katie K. 27:15
Um, you know, what I think community comes from our clients who, you know, we often come together, whether it be at events, whether it be on social media, whether it be through an email chain, you know, I truly it's it's been incredible to see, we've had many of clients meet each other and become lifelong friends. And it's all because they have the same, you know, thing in common, they love their dog, you know, and might start with like, oh, yeah, my dog gets walked by, so and so from Katie's kennel to or like, oh, I have a Frenchie, and they're obsessed. And you know, it might we could be, you know, that, like, you know, common connection. But it truly has just brought so many people together. Within like, especially the Kansas City area, and you know, something we're definitely trying to establish in the Scottsdale area as well.
Collin 28:16
Do you do that through intentionally of giving people's information? Or is that through hosting of events? Or how does how do those connections come about?
Katie K. 28:25
Yeah, definitely through hosting of events, you know, when we hosting events, and then social media, social media is a big one for us. It's definitely where we've built our brand from. And it's also you know, when we post dogs in our story, we always ask clients, hey, can we, you know, can you put your Instagram handle here, if not totally fine. Like, we don't have to tag you. But, you know, let's say, So and so has a corgi, if someone's following us through, like, oh my god, I can't believe that we have a corgi too, you know, they instantly follow each other. And then you know, start to attend maybe meetups even outside of Katie's kennel. And so I think social media has been huge for us to kind of, you know, build that amazing tech community that's already been built here in Kansas City, but just bring people that much closer together.
Collin 29:18
It really is important to have people get that connections because it does a lot of things. I think more importantly, it helps people be feel part of something a lot larger than themselves. Like not just from a client but also staff and of the company as well having this bigger, larger, grander vision of Yeah, we don't just walk dogs and take care of them. We connect people right we build being part of this building community really does give a lot of, of power behind what you do and it does kind of guide your actions as you you interact with people. Now you mentioned you mentioned events there. I did want to talk about the role of events in your company and kind of when and the why the why you started hosting them in the first place.
Katie K. 29:58
Oh gosh, okay. I think my like history from events comes from working previous jobs where, you know, our goal was it was maybe sales driven. So we would, you know, pop up at a, oh gosh, a coffee shop with a table with information just to talk about the company. And you know, when I was first starting Katie's kennel, I was like, Hey, I know how to do this, like this, help this company grow. Maybe it'll help my company grow. But you know, I am definitely not like a, you know, sit behind the table, hand out a business card kind of gal. I think it's, you know, Pete, what draws people in is creating something fun and being over the top and being extra. And so, you know, when we would do these, we'd be like, yeah, we'll bring a photo booth or like, oh, yeah, we'll bring some like, you know, fun toys are photo opportunities. And it just kind of snowballed into us hosting, you know, read specific events, holidays, specific events. And even like, we partner with Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City, it's called pups on a patio, we do it once a month, and it's a taco Tuesday, a guy's dive Mexican restaurant. It's guys guys dive taco bar. And, you know, it's just, it's a great way for us to get in front of people and, you know, show what we really do. I think sometimes we were like, Oh, these are the events girls were like, but we're so much more. But you know, it's a fun way for you know, us to get involved with the community. You know, meet new dogs meet new, you know, potential clients. And also like, you know, do something fun and give back in a way that you know, people you know, they come to this restaurant, they don't expect we're going to have a full blown, you know, Kansas City Chiefs theme photoshoot for their dog. And so they get to take that little trinket home with them. And yeah, events, I mean, we, we like to do it big. I do, you know, over the last year, we've definitely have kind of scaled back a bit since I've had Ricky. But kind of, you know, heading into the fall and winter, we have some really fun stuff planned. And then, you know, again, just to touch on staffing, I have a gal on staff who kind of helps me headway all of that as well, which was so helpful and so important. And luckily, enough, her background is in events. So wow, shout out to Erica.
Collin 32:41
That's awesome. That's really cool to have that, that internal expertise as well. Because that, you know, I know that kind of, I'm sure that helps Erica field even more ingrained, and contribute to the company and using more of her skill sets, then then, you know, then the pet care, I'm just, you know, I'm sure that's fulfilling as well, but to also be able to turn and go. And I love events, I can still contribute to this. And this way, it helps build a lot of that relationship and community that way as well, internally. Really? Absolutely. Yes. Well, and I know, when people think of events, you know, you say you're you go bid you have photoshoots, you've got all these props, how do you balance out the fact that you know, these events? Sure, they, you know, they're fun to put on, but they also costs, right, they don't, they're not free? So how do you balance that outgoing? I'm sure you wish they were of going? How do I balance spending the money to this event? Knowing that I'm not going to get an immediate or one for one return on that? Or how do you how do you balance that in your in your mind?
Katie K. 33:41
You know, that's definitely something we've learned the hard way over the last few years, we, you know, have had to definitely scale back a bit because, you know, some things didn't make sense financially. And while it hurt, maybe more of my feelings, because I was like, I want to do this, I want to put this on, you know, when you have to pay for staffing when you have to pay for props or marketing materials, you know, that stuff adds up. And, you know, really figuring out like for events, you know, we set a goal of doing maybe like, one, maybe two Max, sometimes three months, but, you know, when we set you know, figure out okay, what do we want to do? Does this make sense? Are we going into it with the you know, this is a great way for us to build business or is this more of like a charitable opportunity for us. And then, you know, just really trying to as far as like, you know, these photo booths or things like that go like being able to recycle and reuse. I'm currently looking at the right side of my office that is my storage compartment. I have four shelves with four huge tubs per shelf labeled by season. So being able to just, you know, reuse things and then but also to, you know, over the last year, it's been okay, we have people reaching out to us for these opportunities, they want us to come and put on these events, how can we get them involved to help us cover costs to, you know, if there's a need, they want us to come out, they're like, Oh, those Katie kill people, they have a great time, like, they put on a big old party with a cute little photo booth, like, you know, and if they, if someone's knocking on your door, it's a great opportunity to sit back and be like, Okay, is there something I could either profit off of this? Or could they help me with the cost. And while I will say, you know, an end goal for me would definitely be to, at some point, you know, make a profit itself off the event, we have had a lot of companies, you know, apartment complexes, where we've done events for the residents, you know, corporate partnerships, they are willing to help cover the costs for it for at least like, you know, our time and props. And so that's been cool as well, because you evolve. Yeah, and,
Collin 36:07
and not being afraid to ask for that kind of thing, too, especially if you have multiple parties involved going, okay. Look, we may be spearheading this. But what does everyone else contributing, right and knowing because that, that does a couple things, it helps make sure that defers the cost, and it takes the burden off of you. It also gets other people's skin in the game, because it's easy for people to say, Oh, sure, yeah, I'll be there on the phone or email. But for them to have actually paid for something or are required to bring a prop or something like that. It brings again, it's that community aspect of going, everybody's coming together to make this a thing. So that it can I'm sure, one of the other goals is, as you said, two, maybe three events a month, we want to be able to do this for for perpetuity, and always be able to this and that takes a group that takes a community to be able to do that.
Katie K. 36:53
Yep, absolutely. And you are 100% Correct. It definitely gets, you know, the other parties involved and it makes it, it makes them want to promote it more, it makes them want to tell their residents or their you know, clients or patrons, you know, hey, come out to this, we have this big thing going on. Like, it gets them excited, it gets their staff excited. I will say, you know, in the past, we've shown up for events, and people are like, who are you? Why are you here? And so when you're able to, you know, get the whole, you know, both parties involved, your events are better for both people, you know, more profitable for everyone down the line. Yeah,
Collin 37:34
it's better for everybody at the end of the day to help that, you know, if somebody's listening to this going, Oh, my goodness, photo booths, a big partnership, what how do I? What advice would you give people who are just thinking about hosting their first
Katie K. 37:48
event, you know, I think, start with the basics. You don't have to do anything big and bougie it can just be setting up a table to get your word out there, putting a twist on you know, your if you have let's say a business card, you know, put it in like a cute little cellophane bag with like, a dog biscuit in there. You know, there's just different you know, there's many ways that are cost effective to elevate any experience and so it's just you know, figuring out what is your budget? What, what what is my thing you know, it's not sometimes this this stuff, it's not for everyone, that's fine. You know, this is some people probably look at what we do. And they're like, Oh, my God, this is over the top, like, what on earth who has the time to think of this and you know, and that's fine. It's just it's figuring out your niche and you know, what makes sense of your brand.
Collin 38:42
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Katie K. 39:31
Oh, you know, it's fun. It's inviting. I feel like you know, just, gosh, when I when I first when I made my first business card, we'll start there. It was brown and it had to lettering and you know, I went with just like a very, I mean, I use like a best of print design and it was cute and I loved it. And the more I kind of have, you know, gotten into posting on social media, like our stories and like utilizing gifts and just kind of like seeing what was out there and figuring out like, my own identity and kind of where I wanted it to go, I was like, Okay, I want this to be, you know, fun and Poppy, and, you know, bright and colorful. Not as serious, I guess, you know, and that's, you know, silly to say, because this is such a serious, you know, industry to be in. I mean, it's, it's important, it's a huge liability, but just to make it fun and welcoming. As far as choosing the colors, I actually, I had a really great opportunity with a friend to do a photo shoot for my brand. And I, you know, she was like, Well, what do you want the backdrops to be? And I was like, oh, gosh, I don't even know like, pink, yellow, blue, like, that's fine. And it just has evolved from there.
Collin 40:57
The pink, yellow and blue are still in there. So that apparently we're
Katie K. 41:01
seeing a little coral every so often. Yeah. You know, my, I always think of this is so silly, but I always think of cages kennel is kind of like, my alter ego. I'm a very, you know, dark, neutral person, I'm pretty quiet. Myself. But when I get in front of, when I speak about my brand, or when I'm representing my brand, I'm you know, it just, again, it just feels like an alter ego. And so it's just, it's kind of fun to like, tap into that role. And, you know, that voice behind our social media too, is always been mine from the start of like, you know, keeping it fun keeping it real, you know, being silly being sarcastic. Um, you know, it just I feel like Katie's can always voices, Glenn that again, you know, it's mine, but it's just you know, it's a spunky, your side, I guess.
Collin 42:03
That is such a fascinating way of thinking about that, Katie of going, what's the voice of my business, and knowing that it doesn't have to be directly mine. And I know, that's something I struggle with. I think at times my personality comes out. My not too heavily. But But I know, it's not exactly what we put out on social media either. It's this weird balance. And I think you can definitely go both ways. Because you have to go, I need this to represent who I am, in some capacity. I also need to make sure it's connecting with clients and connecting with the people who I want to be working with and representing me and my business well, and really refining that I love that phrase was my business. His voice was the voice of my company and what we're trying to put out there, where does that come from? And that helps with with you, as you're, it's, you know, you're consistent with the language and you're consistent with the, the, the Not, not the attitude, but you know, the snarkiness or things or whatever, like, that does come out extremely consistently. And when we can you said tap into that. It's like okay, I'm in brand mode I'm in I'm in my voice mode right now, how am I going to put this together? i That's just a fascinating thing to, to put it in that perspective. Now you've you do a lot more than just just kennels. Did you ever think about changing the name of the business?
Katie K. 43:19
Um, I don't know, we're kind of in too deep now. But I will say that's honestly, every time you know, we get a one off, like an email from new client or a phone call. It's like, where are you located? And I'm like, Well, I live in the heart city, but we're everywhere you know. So it is definitely it's a deceiving name. I know it but you know, I also will say, I'm part of my brand identity. My name is Katie Kenton. So k k are my initials and so it was fun to kind of tie that into the brand as well. As of right now No, no change we're just gonna roll with it. And you know, let people know like hey yeah, we do offer like kindling opportunities, but it's completely different. So it's a great conversation starter. And a great way to kind of get people to think you know, outside of the normal you know, ordering your dog at the vet or a daycare or whatever it may be.
Collin 44:23
I think that's so important is getting that conversation started because many times people reach out and they don't know what they don't know and they don't know what they actually need or want and they just know are basic based on past experiences right going How do I know many people struggle with how do I take somebody interested in boarding and convert them into a dog walking or pet sitting client and and unless you have a great conversation starter it's really hard it's really hard to take them in so you know, you have that such opportunity of like, I know the name says, kennel let me tell you about how we do things right. Like we do little things. We do things a little different around here and be able to to have that a through conversation in educational moment with them, I'm sure it's is really powerful.
Katie K. 45:04
Yeah, absolutely. It's really cool when you know, again, they're like, Oh, where are you located? And you're like, oh, you know, we service clients from this point to this point. And they're like, oh, wow, what do you do? And we tell them and they're like, Oh, I didn't even know my dog could stay over at someone's house. Or, you know, oh, I never even thought about my dog getting a midday break. I'm having to take off of work to go home for lunch. Like, you know, and so yeah, absolutely. Just generating that conversation and showing them who you are, what we can do, and like, you know, better, you know, plan for the pennant, you know?
Collin 45:42
Yeah, yeah, that that's all part of that, that brand, that name all that is coming and flowing from that that voice and what you want best for them. And part of that, Katie, I know is that you sell some merch, and listeners can't see the shirt you're wearing. But it is, I think one of your your shirts that you sell on your store. And so when did you start selling merch, and why was that important for you to do that?
Katie K. 46:06
I started selling merch when the pandemic hit, because I didn't have any business. I was just trying to figure out you know, okay, why, what's something I've got time on my hands, watch something fun, we can do, you know, a way to help us generate some revenue. And my best friend, she's a designer, she you know, I used to send some ideas her way, she came up with a few calm concepts. And we were like, okay, you know, like, well, it's pandemic, I don't have a ton of money to back this. Let's try some preorders. Let's see if anyone really wants this. You know, in my mind, I'm thinking I want this because it has my name on it like, well, you know, like, who wants to rock some this is Katie's kennel, well, we had an amazing turnout. And so, you know, over time, we've just been like slowly releasing stuff where our team can purchase and wear. So it keeps it fun and new and interesting for our team. As well as our clients, too, you know, we have a lot of diehard Katie's kennel fans out there who love to support us in every way that they can. And sometimes it's by wearing a fanny pack with our logo on it, so they can walk their dog, or sometimes it's a t shirt. And then also tapping into you know, like, we just we leave over the last, I think it's two years now. We have a crewneck t shirt that we launched, it says, you know, my dog only barks for the chiefs. And so, you know, doing something fun that's local, that gets, you know, people excited about, you know, if you're like, I love the Kansas City Chiefs, I love my dog. This is perfect. So while we don't necessarily you know, it's definitely not the first, I always say, you know, we're not a merch company, we're a pet service company, but it's just something additional to have for our clients and our team.
Collin 48:09
Now, are you storing products in somewhere? Or are you doing more drop shipping kind of things? Or how do you have that set up?
Katie K. 48:16
Previously? I was yes. My current office Closet Storage office was also i shipment center. But, you know, again, taking a step back and thinking okay, what makes sense, this is too much for me to handle myself, we went to a print on demand company, and it's been a game changer. So, you know, the small profits we make from each of it is, you know, just something additional that, you know, we wouldn't have had before and not something I could even you know, handle myself on you know, this scale currently. So,
Collin 48:57
well I think more importantly, you focus a lot on the stuff it does for the company and you just only very recently mentioned you know, profits and very very narrow margins because you know, merchandise doesn't make a whole lot profit margin wise. So it sounds like this really exists as something to do a lot and do things for your clients and do for your community above and beyond. You know, making that little extra money on top talked about at the very beginning. You started in Kansas City, and now you are servicing Scottsdale, so connect the dots there for us as
Katie K. 49:31
well. It wasn't ever an idea or an option until we have a really wonderful client who I have sat for walked for cultural relationship with the owner and the dog over the last three years. And she moved to Arizona and she needed her dog transported to Arizona and the cost and is the safety of flying a dog is risky, and it's expensive. And she was like, you know, like, would you think about like, driving her out here and I can, like, you know, put you up at a hotel and you can have a fun weekend in Scottsdale. And I was like, Yeah, Sign me up. And so I actually made it a fun weekend with one of my really close friends, we drove Dolly the doodle from Kansas City, stayed in Albuquerque for a night and then finish in Scottsdale. And I don't travel a lot. And I really have only been outside the Midwest a handful of times, my whole life. And so you know, going from Kansas City and November, when it's muggy, and cold and gross to a beautiful paradise in Scottsdale, you're like, Oh, my God, this is gorgeous, like the palm trees, it's beautiful. And so it just kind of got me thinking, you know, okay, expansion opportunities like that, would this even make sense? You know? And so I just kind of started doing some research while I was there. And when I came home, I started doing a little bit more research and was just like, is there anything like us out there? You know, um, and from what I found, you know, there are a handful of other pet sitting companies, but you know, I think we could, you know, add some skin in the game and figure out, you know, could we, you know, really expand this. And so, I, again, just was like, let's see, what we can do hiring wise, you know, I have a kid, I'm here in Kansas City. But so I obviously need a team out there. I put an ad on Instagram, again, thank you social media. It did its work. And the first we ended up hiring, I believe, four initial employees, and they were all from Kansas City. And so I was like, Okay, get like, this is a sign from God, like, you know, they feel I feel like I have a relationship with them. Because I know someone who knows them in Kansas City. So we, you know, just started with a team start to try through events, again, get our name out there. And we're coming up on year one and October and October. And so yeah, just slowly growing. It's been exciting.
Collin 52:32
Yeah. Now we're, you know, you were already operating in two different states, Missouri and Kansas at the time. So kind of adding a third one was much of a of a hurdle for you to kind of now be operating in the third state or kind of what was that process like, of adding all those new things of, you know, you're in our three states as opposed to two?
Katie K. 52:49
Sure. I mean, you know, the, the boring side, I always say the, you know, the tax side, you know, fully wants to, you know, it's just, that was something to you know, that was definitely a learning experience as well. But I think, you know, the biggest thing with Arizona is it's such a transplant town, anytime you ask, I mean, ask five people, I would say four out of five people, if not five out of five people are not originally from there. And so the biggest hurdle is, you know, here in Kansas City, all of our team, you know, if not half are born and raised here. So they know people, it's easy to get the word out. Whereas in Arizona, we really got to work for it. Like, you know, because no one's from there. So they don't have family they recommend to come use case can all it's been more of, you know, the struggle of finding these new clients through again, events and how can we get in front of people, you know, things like that.
Collin 53:54
Well, I know I joked earlier about how you you've got training really started early with Ricky but how do you make training work? So long distance like that with these brand new hires? Um,
Katie K. 54:05
I again, staffing is so important. I am lucky enough I one of my first hires printings Brittany, she has been nothing short of amazing she sees like the growth and potential in this company and she wants to see it succeed in the area. She's been you know, kind of my she's been my right hand person out there who has helped you know, me with these events has helped me navigate through hiring through interviews. And just, you know, really helping me navigate while I'm here in Kansas City, if I can't be in Arizona,
Collin 54:47
again, finding the right person for that first hire. It sounds like that. That's that was really key going, Okay, this first person, they can't need their handheld they can't need to be you know, I've got to hire a really independent extremely knowledgeable maybe You know, experienced person for this, and knowing it being strategic with how you hire there. Yeah.
Katie K. 55:05
Yeah, finding someone who is almost just as passionate about your company as you are is a rarity. I mean, you're not going to find someone who loves what you do more than you do, you know, but being able to, you know, kind of pick through and really find those amazing quality people. Yeah, hold on to them, do whatever you can. Because, you know, it's, it's always so helpful when someone else sees the potential and your growth and your company, like you do.
Collin 55:35
Yeah, it really, it really does help make that easier and kind of take some of the burden off of yourself. Because you know, can I can trust this person with a lot of weighty things. And maybe they can start being who I bounce ideas off of and get connected with, especially when it's that far removed. So you, you're in Missouri, Kansas, and now Arizona, you can start connecting the dots with states in between those are what kind of what's your future plans?
Katie K. 55:58
One thing at a time? You know, we, we have been lucky enough that we have clients who have flown us out of state if they live out of state half a year to watch their pets, okay. And a place we really do love to be in is like the Dallas, Texas area. I think that if we were to look at in the future, this is like, way out there. But tomorrow, it's okay. We're gonna put a post up tomorrow. I'm now hiring it up, though. But you know, if we were to expand to another state, I would love to look into Dallas, I think that would be an awesome opportunity. I've actually had people message me from the area and they have been like, hey, oh, do you have? You know, it's always do you have a team out here? And I'm like, No, I don't maybe one day, they're like, oh, like, what can we do to help? You know, are you looking for someone or and it's just like, whoa, okay. Maybe there's opportunity there. So yeah, maybe one day I think, you know, again, my life has been all about just finding, you know, I'm gonna You're one of being a mom, I guess, oh, my gosh, year to now. And so just finding that balance between running a business in three states having a kid. So, you know, one day, well, I never went to the roster, but
Collin 57:22
Okay, perfect. That sounds super, super exciting. I can't wait to see all that you have in store. Katie, thank you so much for coming on the show today and sharing with us about your passion, your community, the importance of the staff and those hires. But I know that there's just so much that you do and all of your experience and expertise that you have. So how can people follow along with Katie's Kindles journey, and get in touch with you and pick your brain? If they have additional questions?
Katie K. 57:51
Yeah, um, our Instagram is a great way at Katie's period, Kendall, you can follow us shoot us a DM, I am the one behind the screen. So if you get a DM back, it is for me. But no, I love to connect and you know, talk to other pet care companies and individuals as well. And, you know, you can't grow unless you learn. And so bouncing ideas off of each other is so important. And to you know, come together as a pet care community. So yeah, I'd love to hear from anyone and you know, any input that anyone has to I'm always open to hear.
Collin 58:31
Wonderful. And Katie, I'll have all those links in the show notes on our website, so people can click right to those. Again, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this. It's been a real pleasure.
Katie K. 58:40
Well, thank you. This has been my first podcast and I you know, going into it was a little nervous. But this has been so fun. And, you know, a great opportunity to talk about our brand. And you know, just have a conversation about what we both love. Yeah, absolutely.
Collin 58:55
Exactly. Yeah. Love to have you back on and catch up with you in the future as you've been doing more stuff. So this has been really good. Yeah, absolutely. I had two really big takeaways from my conversation with Katie. The first was from when she talked about knowing and understanding the voice of her business. This really helped me put into context a lot about how we think about the messaging our business puts out there. How do we want our business to sound and be perceived and be received by the people that we are talking to and messaging and interacting with? Putting it in that context does give our business somewhat of an alter ego or a personality of its own, which can be so helpful for many of us who have a hard time getting out of our away from how we would interact or how we would approach these kinds of things. I also appreciated how Katie pointed out that you can't grow unless you learn really hammering home just how important it is to learn something new no matter how big or small. We think it is in the here and now from reading a book, listening to up Podcast attending a conference or sitting down with a friend or other business partner to figure out new ways and hear new information that we can apply to our business. Again, nothing has to be major earth shattering or groundbreaking, but it can be new to us and it might not be something we can use right now. But every piece of information learned and stored is something that we can pull from down the line. We're gonna thank our sponsors time to pet and the National Association of Professional pet sitters for making today's show possible. Thank you so much for listening. We know we're going into a very busy time of year here in the United States with all of the holidays and time off and vacation clients. So we are here and we hope that you are taking time off and already scheduling that in so you don't burn out through the holidays. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend. We'll be back again soon.
