497: Certification to Self-Care with PSI's President Beth Stultz-Hairston
Time to Pet
Visit: https://timetopet.com/confessional for 50% off first 3 months
Pet Perennials
Visit: https://petperennials.com/pages/register-for-a-business-account
How has the pet sitting industry evolved over the past 30 years? In this episode, Beth Stultz-Hairston, President of Pet Sitters International (PSI), discusses the organization's remarkable journey and its impact on professional pet care. She highlights PSI's commitment to supporting pet sitters through education, certification, and professional standards. Beth addresses the challenges faced by pet sitters, including time management, hiring, and self-care, and emphasizes the importance of adapting to industry trends. Beth underscores PSI's dedication to enhancing the professionalism and success of pet sitters worldwide.
Main topics:
History and Evolution of PSI
Pet Sitting Industry Challenges
Certification and Professional Standards
Trends in Pet Care Services
Future Opportunities and Celebrations
Main takeaway: As your business grows, the business side is often not the most fun side for anyone. It becomes a juggling act, and if you're not prepared for it, it can become extremely difficult really quickly.
About our guest:
Beth Stultz-Hairston has worked in the pet industry for nearly two decades and began her career with Pet Sitters International (PSI), the world’s largest educational association for professional pet-sitting and dog-walking businesses, in 2004. She has served as the PSI President since 2020. Beth is also the editor of Pet Sitter’s World magazine and author of The Professional Pet Sitter’s Startup Guide. She has also written for multiple pet-related blogs and publications. She regularly writes for The PSI Blog and was awarded the Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers Association and selected as a 2017 Muse Medallion winner. Beth received her B.A., English, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She pursued her studies in compassion fatigue through Divine Mercy University and Regent University. She is a member of Green Cross Academy of Traumatology and has obtained certification as both a Compassion Fatigue Educator and Compassion Fatigue Therapist.
Links:
ProTrainings: For 10% off any of their courses, use CPR-petsitterconfessional
Give us a call! (636) 364-8260
Follow us on: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, & TuneIn
Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
pet sitters, industry, psi, pet, members, business, certification, people, years, challenges, talk, patti, survey, questions, celebrating, information, care, business owners, gift, legislation
SPEAKERS
Collin, Beth Stultz-Hairston
Collin 00:01
Welcome to pet sitter confessional. Today, we're brought to you by time to pet and pet perennials. 30 years is a long time for anything to be around. But for a professional organization, it's an especially important milestone to date. We're really excited to have Beth Stoltz Hairston, the president of pet sitters international on the show, to reflect on the previous 30 years of the organization. She also talks about the state of the industry and current challenges that people are facing, and also what she's really excited about moving forward. Let's get started. Well,
Beth Stultz-Hairston 00:33
first, thank you for having me, it was so nice to meet you. And Megan, in person, I'm glad to be able to talk to you again on here. But as you said, I'm with pet sitters International. I'm president at pet sitters International, but I've been with the organization since 2004. So we're CSR celebrating 30 years this year, and I'll be celebrating 20 years there this September. So I've been really privileged to work in all aspects of psi for member services, marketing, education. And then I've been in my current role since 2020.
Collin 01:06
What brought you into the organization and got you involved.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 01:09
So I start I did start with BSN in 2004. And honestly, I always say it's serendipity, I had just graduated college. And I say I'm very fortunate and that all of the places in the world that pet sitters international could have been founded, it was in the county that I live in. And so I had graduated from college, moved home, I was looking for my next steps graduate school or, you know, a job. And this was, of course, 20 years ago. So there was an ad in our local newspaper, about a job opening. And it said for a membership organization. And so I was really interested in the idea of working with small businesses, women focused and immune petsitting is very women focused. And so those were passions of mine. And so I went, I sent in my resume and went for an interview. And the rest is history. And I've been very fortunate.
Collin 02:04
20 years is long, is is a long time to be with any organization with any business. For you personally, Beth, what what keeps you showing up every day?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 02:13
You know, when I first started at pet sitters International, I remember from the first interview when I found out what pet sitters International was, I went to my local library, and I checked out pet city for profit, which is Patty Moran's a book and I read it that weekend. But from the moment I interviewed at psi, I was so impressed with how Patti Moran and the entire team really cared about their members. And so that appealed to me right away. But I think what's kept me coming back is I really believe in the mission of psi and what we do. But I also like to stay busy. And there's never a dull day at psi, you know, our industry is always changing. So we're always doing something new. And so I feel like there's always a new challenge. We have a really supportive team. And we just have the best members. And so I've been there 20 years, but I'm not alone in that we have a small staff, but to others have also been there. Well, one other start at the same time I did 20 years, we have someone else who's been there 25 years. And so we have a really all of our staff has a lot of longevity. And it's just because we all come together and really believe in what we do. Well,
Collin 03:23
and so 30 years ago, when psi was was formed, what were those early days, like I think really can what, what what what problem was trying to be solved or kind of what was the why behind the psi then.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 03:38
So our founder, Patti Moran, who is still our CEO, she founded psi in 94. She had started a pet sitting business in North Carolina in the 80s, after she had been laid off from the airline industry. And so at that time she, after the layoff, she had taken time to really try to figure out what she wanted her next step to be. And so she was just having a conversation with a friend who was visiting her from Georgia, I believe, who mentioned that she had to find someone to watch her dogs when she came to visit. And so that sparked an idea and Patty of that's something I need to I'm sure other people do. So Can that be a business idea. And so she founded her business in the 80s in North Carolina, her her pet sitting business. But once she did that, of course, you know, she started getting calls from local pet parents, which was great. But then she realized she also very quickly, I started getting calls from people around the country who said, I had a friend who has a friend to use your service. I'd like to know how did you start? How did you start pitching business? What do you do? How did you get started? And so she was fielding calls from across the country and internationally. And so she started a products company first to steal her business forms and the things she was using. And then ultimately she put her sort of know how on paper to write petsitting for profit, and then all of that To the eventually and 90 for her, she wanted to have an international organization that really unified pet sitters around the globe to focus on education and professionalism. And so that's what prompted her to found psi. Hmm.
Collin 05:13
What I love about that story and Patty stories is that, you know, that that that simple question of hate talking with a friend who had a problem and how still 30 years on, that's still how many people have that spark that idea to go, oh, that's I can help with that. That's something I can do. And to see how psi has continued to encourage people and foster people from, from those simple, from those those little interactions to full grown businesses and beyond, it's really neat to see how as much as the industry has changed, like, in some instances, it really it really hasn't come down to those kinds of things. It's
Beth Stultz-Hairston 05:51
one of my favorite parts, because really it does, it always boils down to a solving a problem that people have. And so I love when we talk to people when they have you know, Patti had an aha moment so many years ago, but I love talking to people who call us or email us, and they have that aha moment, their sales of Wait, I see this problem in my local area, too. And I have the skills and the passion to sort of dive in and solve that issue.
Collin 06:13
Yeah, yeah. And you know, and psi, being that that educational organization, that community there, you know, you can work really hard to help people through not just those early stages, but those those long state, you know, not long stages, but you know, we help them be around for 30 years in business and stuff as well.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 06:30
Absolutely. And that's always our goal is to make sure we just can walk alongside our members at whatever stage they're in, to continue to build and grow their businesses.
Collin 06:40
So in those early days, I know you came in continues into the organization, but you've got a lot of people in there with long institutional memory for the organization, what were those early days? Like? How was it putting things together orchestrating getting information out and getting connected with people?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 06:57
Unfortunately, I was not there. In the very beginning, I say that I was, I may have been in middle school at that time, I was I was I wasn't quite ready for the workforce yet. But I know, in talking to Patti, it was a really exciting time, because she and the founding members of psi really were, I feel like navigating, you know, uncharted waters as they came together to have an association for professional petsitting. Because it was also a time when people still didn't even realize what petsitting was. Yeah. And so at that point, when Patti founded psi, she, um, she had operated her petsitting business crazy about critters and listened Salem in North Carolina, she had operated that for about a decade before she sold it in 93, right before starting psi. So she had a lot of experience in starting and growing, and then ultimately selling a business when the industry was relatively unknown, but I think the the interesting part in the early years is that everybody still was very new, new to the industry new to the business. And so they were really, you know, Patti had a lot of tools in her toolkit that she has, she works to get the first insurance specifically for pet sitters, she had worked with attorneys and professionals to create business forms. And she was able to share that, but still, everything was so new. And people were having to learn as an association, we had to learn not only how are individuals to operate their businesses, but what was the best way to bring everyone together and get those resources out to them so that they didn't have to reinvent the wheel, or maybe make some of the same mistakes or have some of the same challenges that Patti had when she first started, because there was no one to help her specifically for pet sitting at that time. Yeah. And
Collin 08:38
those those challenges are things that, you know, we honestly, like we really take for granted, these days of the kinds of conversations we're able to have today are so different than those early days of, you know, just the simple insurance stuff of like, oh, yeah, no, you just go out and get petsitting insurance, which which insurance do you pick? Right? We have so many, and it's like, no, 30 years ago, there was nothing.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 09:02
Now the question is you what's the best insurance? What coverage do I need, but it Paddy's time insurance companies? Were looking to her like, you want us to cover? What? And so definitely. But that's one of the things I love about you're seeing us now 30 years later, is that people don't have the struggles. You there's been a professional groundwork laid, I think we all benefit from that.
Collin 09:23
Yeah, we can't help but benefit from all of that work that's been done, although it really is a labor of love of people, of individuals and businesses in your organization and others going, we want to make this better, like how do we get these resources out there? And that's another thing too, as far as, you know, not just, you know, getting connected with people, but also the I know, you have a certification course as well. And I was curious, when did that get thrown into the mix of everything, so
Beth Stultz-Hairston 09:52
that our certification has a long history also. So psi launched our first educational program That was tailored specifically for professional pet sitters in 95. So just a year after psi was founded, okay, educating members was one of Patti's, you know, top priorities with psi. So that program was developed very early on in our history. At that time, it was actually called accreditation, not certification. So it started there, but we have revamped it, and enhanced it over the years to be in line with best business practices, and also pet care knowledge. But I would say that one of the, in thinking about the history of our program, one of the biggest changes to certification PSR, are really in the industry, the pits in the industry, in general, took place in 2017. So I always like to highlight that when I talk to people, that's when we announced we'd had the accreditation program and had the name had changed a certification. But in 2017, we announced the Certified Professional petsitter of the CPPs exam. And so that was the first ever knowledge assessed exam specifically for the pet sitting industry. And something, I'm sort of a nerd about this, but something I don't hear talked about a lot and in our industry is the difference between the certificate and the certification. Okay. And I think for some people, they think, oh, that's just sort of a matter of semantics. But it actually goes deeper than that. And so at psi, it was really important for us to completely reformat the way that members could obtain the certification designation. So the process met the criteria for being an actual certification, versus just a certificate. And so a certificate is you take a coursework, and you take an exam, whereas a certification, there's a body of knowledge based on your experience in the industry. And so the exam indicates that you've demonstrated mastery of that knowledge. And so it was really important for us to transition the program in that way to elevate the professional petsitting industry. It's
Collin 11:53
really it's really judging against a standard, isn't it? Is that simplification of going? No, there's a there's a bar here that we that it's going to that we're going to assess you at and to and see where you fall. And it is very different. Because study and prepare for that versus a oh, you know, I'll just, you know, see how I do with this random set of questions. And I, I can't even imagine, you know, I have put together a fair number of tests and quizzes and stuff for you know, human anatomy and physiology when I taught that. I don't even want to know what the process is like to develop questions for the for that. It was
Beth Stultz-Hairston 12:25
grueling. I'll be I'll be honest, but it was exciting because we realized that by having the knowledge assist exam in place, it was putting the Pittston industry certification in line with other industries that had that that professional certification option. And so it did it did take it was a long process, which is why that didn't take place until 2017. So it was a long process, but it's one that we're really proud of, and that we thought was really necessary. Yeah,
Collin 12:52
because it is that standard to look to. And that is something that I know people have a lot of questions on as to whether you know, is this? Is it necessary? Is it a personal fulfillment? Is it a marketing tool? Is it both? So how do you view that better? Do you keep kind of a more, you know, 30,000 foot view of what that what that certification means?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 13:12
Um, you know, one of the I think the most common questions I hear from probably longtime PSM members, they'll say, I've been doing this for years, I don't think I need to become certified. Because I think there's still the thought of this is a class for me to take. And I already know that. But what's important about the certification is that no, we know there are longtime members or experienced pet sitters have that knowledge. So this is a testament to the knowledge you have. It's a way to demonstrate to the public that there's a standard in this industry. And I've demonstrated that I've I've met that. Yeah. And so that's the way that I look at it. And of course we have we have training programs for those just entering the industry also which are courses. But I think that the certification is going to continue to be more and more important. as the industry grows, as pet parents are becoming more knowledgeable of what to look for. And even in the last few years, I'm hearing from more and more pet parents who contact us and say, I know there's a certification and I think I need a certified professional pet sitter. Can you point me in that direction? So they may not understand the program itself? But they know that's a that's a mark that means something and I want to make sure I look for that.
Collin 14:19
Yeah, you know, I have so many thoughts going through my head. I had once had dreams of getting into falconry. And so I had to go and take a certification to become an apprentice Falconer. And it is it wasn't knowledge base. It was a standard judge to and you try and study and you get prepared for it. And then you see I think what's really important is that when you take it, it's a really good reflection is a self assessment of where am I deficient? Where what did I think I know or what did i i had no idea I needed to even know that right like, and so for the falconry. I did not pass it was a very, very bad score. And I realized that that wasn't the course of what I needed to get into But it, it doesn't reflect on like, Okay, I need a self assessment in some way to externalize to my beliefs of where I think I am, because we have our own experiences, but to know, okay, now I'm going to be put up against a standard that I can see, okay, where do I need to improve that, because that only makes us better, which makes our businesses better, which makes the care for our clients and their pets even better. Yeah, I
Beth Stultz-Hairston 15:21
think it provides a benchmark in that way, which I think is really important, but then also until our pet sitters, because I mean, we understand to there are amazing pet sitters out there, very experienced and very qualified, that are not certified, they just have not chosen to do that. That doesn't diminish their qualities at all. But I see the certification mark as validation for those pet sitters. When you take this exam, you really validates all this knowledge and expertise that you have. And this gives you a quick way to demonstrate that to the public. Yeah, especially
Collin 15:50
you know, because you can be a people can list their services as a plumber, or as an electrician. But there are accreditation, there are certifications, I'll use that word there are certification that they can go through to be a certified plumber, certified electrician, and the customer then gets to decide how they want to judge them what they are looking for. And and I think as you mentioned earlier, that is these kinds of programs become even more important as the body of pet parents become more educated become more evolved, become more discerning on what they're looking for. Because again, we've kind of moved past that stage of what the heck is even pet sitting to now they have the luxury of picking niche pet sitters for their specific need to whatever they can want and making that decision for themselves. Exactly
Beth Stultz-Hairston 16:32
as pet parents have more more options, they're able to become more and more discriminate. And so that's the trend that we're seeing. Have
Collin 16:39
you heard of time to pet dog from bad to the bone pet care has this to say, time
Doug 16:44
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 are able to monitor our team and ensure nothing ever falls through the cracks.
Collin 17:03
If you're looking for new pet setting software, give time to penetration listeners of our show can save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confessional. And as part of that, that course in that in that certification program, I know a lot of questions start to swirl as far as standards in the industry, which then starts talking about, you know, legislation and laws and rules and that kind of thing. What role, if any, does that program play into that kind of aspect for the industry? Or what are your views on that?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 17:38
I mean, right now, there have been on a smaller scale some legislation involving involving pet care businesses. But we've talked a lot about because we don't see widespread legislation of pet care businesses, we also see certification as a type of self regulation. And so they're not those outside bodies that have done that for us. But by establishing the body of knowledge and the professional standards that we use, and then having the knowledge assist certification exam, and we also federally trademarked the CPPs designation. We feel like we're being proactive, and so it's sort of getting a step ahead. So should legislation come in the future, we already have that framework for here the quality standards that have been established for our industry, and so that can be used as an example or a benchmark. And so I can't see the certification playing that role in the future as well. If we do see more specific legislation impacting the standards for the pet care industry,
Collin 18:31
right, I spent a very brief time at kind of a state level in the in government and I My eyes are open to how things actually operate, right problem comes up, people in charge of that problem, go find somebody else to solve it, and then implemented. And so they they to look for is anybody has anybody else solved this, like that is is a step. And I think that's really important to go. If something does come up, if these legislative actions start to approach or questions start to arise, there is something to kind of hand off and say, Look, this is the self regulation because we as an industry, that that's actually what we want to be able to say, here's the standards we agreed to, as opposed to having somebody outside industry who doesn't understand how we operate or anything like that. Try and make that determine that determination for
Beth Stultz-Hairston 19:17
us. Absolutely. I think, you know, there's nothing more frustrating than having people not familiar with what you do try to set rules and standards. And so I think that we're fortunate that petsitting has a, you know, multiple decades history now, but 1000s of professional Petcare businesses who have grown over the years and really have set the standard. And so I think that's going to serve us well in the future. Should we see more legislative action?
Collin 19:41
It sounds like psi kind of keeps their their hands in their thumbs on the pulse of those legislation, but there's not an active like, lobby arm or anything like that going to legislators is there. We
Beth Stultz-Hairston 19:55
don't PSR was created as an educational organization. So we don't have a specific You know, legislative or lobbying arm. And that would require us to have in your really a completely different structure and also require a lot of funds. And we try to keep our membership fees as low as possible. But you know, with that said, there are various legislative actions that affect pet sitters and just small businesses in general, you know, even on smaller scales, and so we try to keep our make sure our members are in the know about what's going on. And also make sure they feel empowered to advocate for their businesses. And so there have been different situations. I think, a somewhat, you know, recent example that comes to my mind was at the onset of the COVID COVID pandemic, when there were the shelter in place orders, and there were the big questions about what's what businesses considered essential. And so at that time, psi issued an open letter to federal, state and local governments that outlined why pet sitting and dog walking businesses should be considered essential and be able to still operate during those orders. And then we made that available with as a template for our members to share as well. And so we do try to come alongside them, you know, with those issues. And then for, in looking at our conference in September, we're going to have an session that I'm really excited about. But Mike Barber of the advocacy network, he'll be presenting a session on how pet care professionals can engage with their local elected officials, which I think will be really important, because we do want, again, help our members make sure they have the tools to advocate for themselves and their businesses. Yeah,
Collin 21:27
at the end of the day, it's our business, right? Like, that's, that's what we have to acknowledge of, if there are changes, if we see problems, legislation conversations going on, we have an active role in that. And we have to take ownership of that too, of getting equipped with good knowledge, attending conferences, like like the ones you guys have coming up in September, hearing these good resources like that, that's where we can go, Okay, now, now, it's my responsibility to go and talk with this and put this forth. And, and really, you know, again, it's it's the industry is fantastic in that of everybody can play a role in how things play out.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 22:02
Absolutely. And and I think that even when we're looking at legislation, or dealing with elected, elected officials, your story as a business owner is so important. And that's what's going to be most impactful when you understand what's going on. And you can sort of testify to exactly how it impacts your business. And I think that's really powerful to know your story and know how to communicate it. Yeah,
Collin 22:24
no, that's, that's, that is really important. And, and everybody comes from such a different background, they have their own needs, they have their own ways of operating their businesses. So even then we all have those different takes on what our needs are from that, from that at that level. Absolutely. Yeah. 30 years is a long time to be again, I keep saying that, but it's just it's, it's wonderful to see how in, you know, to hear some of the changes. One thing that I was interested to know is is kind of makeup of membership. How has the body of pet sitters international changed over those those three decades? And
Beth Stultz-Hairston 22:58
looking at the makeup of our membership over the last three decades? I mean, I guess this is the obvious answer. But of course, in psis, early years, you know, overwhelmingly, the vast majority of our members were very new to the petsitting industry. And they were very early in their careers because the petsitting industry was just beginning. But now you have three decades later, our membership is made up of pet sitting and dog walking business owners at every stage of their careers. So we have members who have owned and operated businesses for 30 years. And then we have members who have just joined who hadn't even haven't even opened their businesses yet. And then we have everyone in between. And so because of that psi has really had to evolve to make sure that we can serve our members at every stage of business. But then I also think it really strengthens us because it's increased the value of our networking, because members are able to learn from other members who are further in their careers. So wherever you are in your business, there are members that are further along, it can really, you know, let you learn from what from what they've experienced? Well,
Collin 24:01
I'm sure variety of pet care to have people caring for pets today that probably weren't even on the books, you know, or recognize recognize that as well. Absolutely,
Beth Stultz-Hairston 24:11
because, you know, the business is just as the industry is involved, you know, individual businesses have evolved to meet the needs of the pet parents and their, you know, their local service area. And so definitely the diversity of the industry has really strengthened it. And we're able to learn so much from you know, PSs sharing knowledge, but also we're learning from our members every day, about their experiences and how they're changing their businesses.
Collin 24:34
Well, so what is that process like Beth, when you start? When you say, Okay, we need to stay up to date with the industry, we need to see what people's needs are. What is that process like for developing new training tools and resources for your members.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 24:50
It's very, it's very multifaceted process is the best way to describe it. So first of all, we always want to keep our finger on the pulse of the industry. And so we're in constant communication even with our members and those outside of our membership, through surveys talking to pet sitting business owners directly, or talking to others who work in the industry, whether it's software companies or the insurance providers, we are keeping an eye on legislation that may appear it may impact it, trends in the pet industry, the pet ownership, the pet care industry. And so we really have our eyes everywhere to see what's coming next. So we can stay ahead of it. But then along with that, when we look at keeping our members educated, we're having to look at what's the best way to share this information. And so that's where I feel like we've really tried to make the most strides to make sure that whatever resources we need to get out to our members, is as efficient done as efficiently as possible. And the different formats, so our magazine courses, free webinars, the blog or monthly toolkits, we're putting the information out there in a lot of ways, and making it as accessible as possible. Because we can keep our finger on the pulse, we can develop these resources that we think are really helpful. But if we're not getting it to our members in the right way, it's not effective. Yeah. And then
Collin 26:06
it's kind of a wasted effort, right of going, you know, so I'm sure that can be a little daunting to know, how does this go in the magazine? Is this a course? Is this a webinar? Or is this go to the conference is good like that, like, there's all those kind of little judgment calls that you have to make to go for this piece of information? What's the best format, and it may be multiple formats, too, I'm sure. Yeah,
Beth Stultz-Hairston 26:26
and a lot of times we do, we do try to make everything or not everything, but a lot of things available through multiple formats, because we want to be mindful of what works best for the individual member, what time they have to consume that information. And so there's something that we're able to maybe dive deep into at an in person conference session, but then we'll follow up with articles or blog posts, because we know not everyone can attend a conference, or maybe there's follow up information that they want to be able to refer back to. And so we make it available in a different format. But there are a lot of moving parts. But we we enjoy the challenge because we know how important it is that
Collin 27:01
well. And you even correct me if I'm wrong, you reach out to to members for help putting those courses together and putting getting that information from that as well to absolutely
Beth Stultz-Hairston 27:10
nothing that we create is done in a vacuum. And so anytime and we have as you know, businesses, do we have annual strategic strategic planning meetings, but we're meeting regularly. And so we'll look at what have been the member questions we've gotten there. And what are some concerns that been brought to us? Is there a resource that we can make available, and if there's something that we don't have, and we know that maybe a new course, or a new webinar, or even an article needs to be offered, then we'll reach out to members who a maybe have that concern to make sure we understand the challenges they're having. But then we'll also reach out to members who've been successful in that area. So we want to give real life examples of how members are overcoming certain challenges, or addressing specific issues. So even when we develop courses, for example, we may have, you know, veterinary professionals of veterinarians, vet techs, are also pulling in members. So we can see how that the application looks in a real pet sitting business. And
Collin 28:03
again, it's another great way for people to the active in the industry, too. And I think that's just so important that people recognize like, voice at every level, and that your expertise, your experience, your passion, can be placed towards something right when when there's a need. And there's a there's motivation behind it too.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 28:21
Yeah, that's what I always tell our members never to never discount what they can contribute to the industry. Because, you know, even we have a lot of times you brand new members or those new in the industry think, oh, I need to learn from the veteran pet sitters, which certainly they should. But new pet sitter is just coming in bring a fresh perspective. And so they have such value to bring also. So I love how just the diversity of thought, you know, we're all in the same industry, but people approach their businesses so differently. And I think hearing that can spark new ideas, maybe make us relook at our own business practices. And so I love to see those discussions take place.
Collin 28:54
You mentioned the word survey earlier. And I know psi sends out a big survey and kind of reports on the state of the industry. When did that start happening? And kind of what's that process look like? I'm
Beth Stultz-Hairston 29:08
trying to think of the first year that took place that was before my time. But they started that survey very early, very early on in the industry. And we have the data that goes back, we did just recently wrap up our 2024 state of the industry survey. So that's been conducted. And I'm currently our team is currently in the process of compiling and analyzing that survey data now. So we're excited to release that in a couple of months. But that's really important for us to and we see that as a service we provide to the industry, because it is really the the largest scale survey specifically for petsitting businesses where we're able to look at, you know, average average revenue services and fees, best practices trends we see in the industry. So we conduct that survey every two years. And it's information that we're always excited to get out and see how our industry has grown over time. But then also Because pet sitters, you know, often sort of work in isolation. And in many times, it's so good for them to sort of see just some data out there. Oh, how do I compare what you know, I use that as a benchmark. And so I always think that's interesting and important to pet sitters. It
Collin 30:14
really is, when you talk about, you know, revenue and pricing, like, that's always a big question of what do how do I compare this because, you know, I may go to as a business owner, I may go to Chamber of Commerce, and I may hear, you know, revenue discussion from, from a car mechanic and from a salesman and you know, from whoever, but for me, like, how do I What kind of is there something that I can compare to, and not that we should be focused on the on comparative to numbers or whatever, right? We run our own individual businesses and, and make choices for us. But it is nice to know going what what is what is going on in the industry to suit so see some of those numbers, it's really, it's always encouraging, especially when you start seeing those over time, I'm sure going, you know, average revenue seems to be going up for everybody. And there's a lot of factors that play into that. But that's, you know, a sign of a healthy industry,
Beth Stultz-Hairston 30:59
it gives us it gives us a starting point for conversation. So we know that we're just we're analyzing the survey now. But we know that once again, the gross revenue has gone up. And so we're excited about that. But then we're able to dive deeper to the survey. So we're going to be able to look at how does that compare in different regions? We look these people that are the top earners, are there certain business practices, we're seeing more prevalent in those companies that maybe others can look at as a model? And so I really don't think that the value of that data can be underestimated, even if it's just as a starting point, to get conversations going and guess looking about looking at our individual businesses.
Collin 31:32
Right? Well, I know sometimes it reflects an ever diversifying business for the people involved, too, right? The petsitting industry is extremely diverse as far as the business owners and the people there. And that's encouraging to see as well as more people look at the industry as a viable way to earn a living and to express themselves and their business and how they want to run it. Exactly.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 31:55
And we could see those we can see we look at averages and common practices. But we're also able to see the diversity and industry, as you mentioned, and one of my favorite parts. And one of the things I think I'm starting to see now is and I think we'll see in this survey, I like to see how people first came into the industry. And so we're seeing now one change, we don't have the official data for that yet that I'm thinking is trending this way. Whereas, you know, maybe three decades ago, this was maybe petsitting was more more prevalent among many people saying, This is my post retirement career. And it certainly can be good for that. But now we're seeing more people maybe leave their current career earlier in that career to transition to pet sitting, or we're seeing more people say pet Singh is actually my very first career. You know, I came out of high school or college and this is the career that I pursued. And so having that data and seeing that is really exciting to me, because we can see the industry evolving in that way. Absolutely.
Collin 32:49
Seeing as it becomes more prevalent people will see it again as viable but these resources these people they can get connected to as as an actual career and job and just knowing that that that with it brings a lot of benefits to everybody knowing that that's again, this sign of this healthy thing of more people coming in and from different backgrounds as well. Absolutely. Our friends at Pet perennials make it easy to send a heartfelt condolence gift directly to someone with a broken heart. They have this awesome direct consumer gift model that takes the effort off of us and ensures a thoughtful, personalized empathy gift reaches our client for employee on our behalf. All packages include a handwritten card, colorful gift wrap and shipping fees across the US and Canada. They also offer an array of milestone gifts and greeting cards that can be sent to celebrate birthdays, extend get well wishes and welcome new and rescued pets. Additionally, there are gift choices in case you need to send a sympathy gift a memory of a special human client or celebrate a pregnancy engagement or wedding of a pet lover. If you're interested register for a free business gift perks account to unlock the all inclusive discounted package prices. Since the services used on an as needed basis, there are no monthly or annual obligations or minimum purchases. Learn more at Pet perennials.com Check out their business programs or register for that free gift for discount by using the link in the show notes. Well, you know at the level that you're operating in seeing how the industry is working and through your surveys and your connections to to your members as far as challenges looking ahead, you know maybe another 30 years Beth, if you have breakout your magic ball please what is what is what is psi or what are your members focused on right now?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 34:34
That is that's a great question as an entity my my magic ball or my magic eight ball. But I think that there are a few challenges I think that come to my mind right away that I think I'm hearing from members most now. I think the first thing that comes to mind is time or more specifically lack of time. You have the demand for pet sitting and dog walking has really just exploded net we've been able to sort of rebuild from that initial slump at the onset of the COVID pandemic. And so having a lot of business is a great problem to have. But I also talk to business owners who say, you know, I don't have time, I don't have time for paperwork, I don't have time for continuing education, I don't have time for strategic planning for my business. So many business owners I talk with just feel stretched too thin. And so I think that's common for business owners of all sizes. But then for the businesses that either have team members, or they're looking to grow their business with staff, the hiring process is a challenge in so many areas. So we've been talking to a lot of members about the specific challenges they're having, finding applicants to begin with. And then the challenges they have, knowing how to interview those applicants and choose the right team members, and then manage them effectively, so that they can become great members of the team. And then I think a third challenge, and it's one that I'm really passionate about. But I think in our industry, self care is a really big issue. It's one of the few issues that I'll get on a soapbox about. But with the growth of our industry and the demands of owning a small business, just combined with everything going on in the world, a lot of picker professionals, even those who seem to have really successful businesses are struggling personally. And so that's an issue that we're seeing and a challenge that we're seeing. But all three of those are ones that psi is really working to address. They're not brand new, we've been working on them already. But they're ones that see some of our top priorities as we go forward. Yeah,
Collin 36:40
especially as you see those kind of linking the back to the survey of as revenues are increasing, like businesses are starting to get a bit bigger, right, as the as the industry is maturing and people are being are, they're busier because their services are in more demand. So that's increasing revenue. And with that comes all these now constraints of running a business, right. And that's a side of things that, regardless of where we come in from our lives, like it feels like oh, now I've got to figure that out, right? Because I'm sure you've heard a lot of this people go, I didn't start this to be a business owner, right. I started this to walk dogs and take care of cats and help and give my clients peace of mind. But also I have a business to run. And that's a whole other side to this. This this life that we're leading that now all of a sudden, we've got to figure out and struggling with hiring lack of time, and that's a huge one is we could become busier as we become more stressed, become stretched more thin, then the self care becomes impacted. And now I'm put on the backburner. So I can put my business and my clients forward.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 37:37
And that's such a tricky situation. So it's one that we try to talk to our members about. As soon as they join psi, we have a creating your dream business course that is included, like right when you join. But that's one of the things we talk about sort of setting that foundation and setting setting boundaries right up front, because what I've seen happen so many times over my almost 20 years here is that you have people that become startup petsitting business because they want freedom, they love pets, they know that it can provide a needed service. But you're also your professional pet sitter or dog walker, but you're also a small business owner. And so as your business grows, that business side, which is often not the most fun side for anyone really grows also. And so it becomes a juggling act. And if you're not prepared for it, it can be extremely difficult really quickly. But the good news is for pet sitters is that there are best practices to follow. There are other pet sitters doing that very successfully. And there's so much knowledge and support out there to help anyone that's struggling with that. Yep,
Collin 38:39
and having an open open heart, open, open mind and open heart to receive that too. Because it can be challenging to hear like, yeah, I'm really not doing this. Well, because you're right, as I get more dog walks, I also get more phone calls for dog walks. And if I didn't like phone calls in the beginning of my business, I don't I'm not gonna want 100 more every day. But I've got to figure out how to balance that out.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 39:01
I don't see that's something that's really exciting to me about the industry right now, because I'm seeing it and I think I've seen it more since since COVID. And nothing everyone sort of went through a transition during that period. But I'm seeing our members and others in the industry be more open about the struggles they're facing. And being willing to say in the past, or maybe was a sense of I don't want to share the struggles because I don't want anyone to think my business is not doing well or I'm not providing quality service. But now they understand why and we're all struggling in some sense. And if I'm open to sharing my problem, there are so many who are willing to help listen to me and maybe share some possible solutions. Right, actually, yeah,
Collin 39:40
it is really nice to see that openness, as as the community and I like to you know, it's a community of pet sitters coming together helping one another in various forums and just going, being being honest with with those problems, those struggles that we all have and there are knowing that there's that support out there is is incredibly huge. And is wonderful to know. Yeah,
Beth Stultz-Hairston 40:03
I think there's that feeling of like Sibiu petsitting can be an isolating career, especially for solo pet sitters. And so I think having this sounding board, whether you're participating, you know, in a Facebook group or you're in a membership, such as psi, or being able to ask those questions or realize that other people are in that same boat, or have been in that same boat and work through it is so encouraging. Yeah,
Collin 40:23
it really is. And so when you when you talk about, you know, knowing that people are coming together, and we're looking towards the future, and that, and we talked about some challenges, but about opportunities for pet sitters, or new things that you all are excited about.
Beth Stultz-Hairston 40:37
Here, there, I think a lot of things on the horizon. And as we're, you know, I mentioned, we're working on the state of the industry survey now. And so we're seeing some positive changes that we're excited to share in the near future. But I think there are a lot of opportunities for pet sitters and a trend that I'm seeing that I'm actually really excited about. There are two trends that I think are. And I guess, in a sense, they're on the opposite ends of the spectrum. But as the industry has grown, and pet sitters have adapted to their service areas, and what their pet parents are requesting. I'm seeing a one hand a lot of pet sitting and dog walking business owners who are branching out and diversifying their services to offer services beyond just you know, your standard pet sitting or dog walking, I think of Morgan Webber, who has memory flame. And so she was in the pet industry. But now she has these candles that can be shared for pet lofts. There's Nicole pack and who I think I think you've met also wish she had like the canine mobile gym. And so things like that are so exciting, because we see them starting as having their base, pet, say her dog walking business, but then identifying other areas where they can meet their pet parent needs, which I love. But then on the opposite end of that spectrum, another trend that we see are people really sort of niching down and narrowing their focus. And so I'm talking to a lot of pet sitters who have decided maybe, for example, to transition to cats only, or they're starting their business from the beginning as cats only. And I think in both scenarios, business owners are able to diversify, but then also niche down successfully, because they're identifying a need in their market, and the market is there to support it. So So those are some of the things I think are really exciting as we see the business is changing.
Collin 42:18
Yeah, absolutely. You said about that, like the markets are there to support it. That's a great sign, we will think about industry and longevity. We're all business owners going, because you know, it is a concern as business owner to go, am I going to be around for 30 years? Am I going to be around next year? Like what's going to help me? So part of that is I have to run my business well, and we have to coach our clients? Well, secondly, there has to be a market for the services that I'm offering. And to know that not only is the industry healthy enough, but the clientele is so diverse and healthy enough that they can support in particular areas, right? Not every business model or niche works everywhere, geographically, like just just a fact going, Okay, well, I could niche down to all the way down to this thing and know that there's, there's support there, or I can start branching out into those, you know, ancillary services to now broaden out my perspective, my present my prospective client base like that, that is really exciting to know. Yeah, this is the sign of a very healthy
Beth Stultz-Hairston 43:16
industry. Absolutely. And I think it also goes back to making that time to really know your business. And so sometimes we can get so busy just doing what we're doing and doing the regular that we don't stop. But I think that for the pet sitters, who really can stop really know their clients know, their local area, they can identify what would work, you know, as you said, every service will not work in every service area. But if you really are you listen, and just like we try to keep an open line of communication with with our membership to understand their needs, we encourage our members to do the same with their clients. And so if they're listening to their clients, seeing what their clients are asking for really looking at their email and saying, you know, am I getting requests for things that I'm turning down? Because I don't offer that service? But if I'm getting tons of those requests, is that something I need to look at? And so I think it's just sort of knowing your area. But I think, you know, businesses will say, you know, if you're not if you're not changing, you're dying. And so I think that's that's hold true for the pet care industry as well. But I'm excited to see pet sitters evolving really successfully to meet those needs.
Collin 44:18
Well, so 30 is a big birthday. How is psi celebrating?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 44:23
You know, it is a big birthday. We're really excited about it. We have a we have a lot going on, you know, of course, we sort of celebrated our technically our 30th birthday was March 17. So we've celebrated this month with your giveaways and special offers. But we've been saying that, you know, we're celebrating three decades of petsitting excellence all year long, but we do have some use some good things planned PSAs mission has always been to to serve our members. And so we're just looking at as we our way of celebrating is really doing that even more. And so one of the things we have coming up this year, that ties into one of the challenges that We talked about earlier self care mental health, we'll be hosting a free petsitter mental health and wellness Summit in May. And that's free for anyone, you don't have to be a PSM member. And so I'm really excited about that, because I think it's a way to address a need in our industry. And we haven't seen a summit focused specifically on that. So if anyone does want information about that, it will be at Pitzer att.com/wellness. So that information is coming soon. Also, we have our Pitzer road educational conference in Niagara Falls in September. So we're looking for with that and coming together with members to celebrate in person. But really, with this being a milestone at 30 years, I think it just given us a chance to, to look back at how far the industry has come. And we feel really honored to have played a role in that. And we think we are really appreciative of our members who have played a role in that. So really are as we celebrate, we're just looking forward to the future, and looking for more and more ways to celebrate, to support our members and just the industry as a whole. And we want to make petsitter education even more accessible, because we think it's needed more than ever. So we're celebrating 30 years, what we're really looking forward to the next 30 years.
Collin 46:13
Right? Well, it because that is part of that reflecting saying how far you've come how far the industry has come. And to know that there's a lot of momentum there. Right moving forward?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 46:24
Absolutely. There's a lot of momentum. We have such a great that those in the industry now, the ones we talk to are so committed to professionalism and continuing education. So we really do think the sky's the limit. And so just building off of that momentum, and making sure we can get those messages about professionalism and education, and how to better serve pets and their people. Even more. That's that's really our focus for our birthday.
Collin 46:51
Well, for him for you. We have been 20 years in the industry and being involved at the with the organization, what's something that you're most proud of? That you've been able to see or have been involved in?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 47:00
Okay, that's, that's a good question. I think you're something that I've been and I do think like, milestones really make you reflect. And so for me, I do feel really honored, I believe. So as I mentioned earlier, I believe so strongly in Petey, Moran's vision and what psi does, and so I just feel very honored to be a part of it. I am really passionate about petsitter self care. I'm a compassion fatigue educator, which I pursued that because of my involvement in the pet sitting industry. So that is sort of led me on that path that I don't think I would have known about had it not been for this industry. But also I think the biggest thing for me is that I am so appreciative of the amazing people I've met, pet people are the best people. But I think pet sitters and dog walkers are even the best out of that segment. And so I have been able to meet so many amazing people, so many amazing business owners. And I would have never thought I would have you know, I didn't, I went to college to be a teacher. And so I didn't have that was my original plan. And so, so this path has been such a such a blessing for me. And so again, the unfortunate that I'm able to play any role in the pit city industry. But I'm really appreciative of the people that I've been able to meet along the way. And then I'll still get to meet as we as we continue.
Collin 48:21
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely basketball, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule today to talk to us about this reflect on those 30 years, look forward to another 30 plus years of of education and excellence and professionalism in the industry and encouraged us with some of those cool signs and stuff that you're seeing from your surveys as well. We talked about a lot of stuff that psi has 30 years worth of experience. And of course is instant knowledge to get connected to how can people learn more, get in touch and follow along?
Beth Stultz-Hairston 48:50
Well, first, thank you so much for the opportunity. I love to talk about PSN our members, but if anyone has any questions, you can find a ton of information on the pet sitters International website at Pet sit.com. You can learn more about PSM member benefits, upcoming events, we have a lot of free resources and downloads there. But then also we're on we post almost daily on Facebook and Instagram. So you can message us there. And we encourage anyone to reach out to us whether you're a member or not. If there are any questions we can answer about PSI or just pitching businesses. We're happy to help.
Collin 49:23
Wonderful. Well, Beth again, thank you so much. I'll have those links on our website in the show notes. So people connected to those amazing resources and start learning from their butt. absolutely immense pleasure to have you on the show. And I'm really appreciative of everything that you npsi You're doing so thank you.
49:39
Thank you.
Collin 49:40
My biggest takeaway from my conversation with Beth was just that after 30 years, the industry is more vibrant, alive and passionate than ever. With so much to look forward to of the growth and diversification of the people in pet care in the services that are offered. There's a place for everybody to be involved and continuing to pursue excellence at every stage. We want to thank today's sponsor is time to pet and pet perennials for making today's show possible. And thank you so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend. We'll be back again soon.
