545: Building a Feline-Focused Business with Michelle McLean
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Ever wondered how focusing on a niche can transform your pet care business? Michelle McLean, owner of Michelle’s Caring Cat Services, shares her journey of building a thriving, cat-exclusive pet care brand in Ottawa, Ontario. Michelle dives into her transition from marketing to cat sitting, her efforts to re-establish her business after a major move, and how specializing in feline care has set her apart in a competitive market. We discuss her strategies for connecting with clients on a personal level, building trust through certifications, and creating community around cats through events and education. Michelle also highlights the importance of going beyond traditional pet care to become a resource and advocate for cat owners. This conversation is an inspiring look at how passion, expertise, and connection can drive business success.
Main topics:
Building trust with cat owners
Specializing in feline-exclusive care
Leveraging certifications for client confidence
Connecting through community cat events
Educating clients on cat wellness
Main takeaway: Connecting with people on a personal level about their cats builds trust and makes the relationship stronger.
As pet sitters, we know that caring for someone’s beloved furry family member isn’t just a job—it’s a relationship built on trust.
💡 When we take the time to listen to pet parents’ stories, understand their routines, and even chat about the quirks that make their cats unique, we’re doing more than preparing to care for their pets. We’re creating a bond that reassures them their feline friend is in the best hands.
🎯 Whether it’s asking thoughtful questions during a meet-and-greet, following up with updates about their cat’s day, or simply showing genuine enthusiasm for their pet, every little interaction matters.
💬 Tell us: How do you build trust and connect with your clients?
About our guest:
Michelle McLean is the founder and owner of Michelle's Caring Cat Services, a cat-exclusive pet care business based in Ottawa, Ontario. With over six years of experience in professional cat sitting, Michelle has built a reputation as a trusted and passionate caregiver in the local cat community. Her journey began in the Niagara region, where her lifelong love for cats inspired her to transition from a career in marketing and graphic design to pet care. Michelle holds multiple certifications, including Fear Free certification, Pet First Aid, and she is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter, underscoring her commitment to providing stress-free, high-quality care for feline companions.
Michelle is deeply involved in the Ottawa cat community, frequently volunteering with organizations such as the Ottawa Stray Cat Rescue and participating in local cat-focused events. She is dedicated to connecting cat lovers and sharing her extensive knowledge through community events, educational resources, and her growing online presence. Michelle’s mission is to support cat owners by offering personalized, expert care that prioritizes the physical and emotional well-being of their pets.
In addition to running her business, Michelle actively seeks to elevate the profile of professional cat care, offering advice on cat behavior, products, and health to her clients and the broader community. When she’s not caring for cats or hosting events, Michelle can be found designing creative resources to support cat parents or engaging in cat-related volunteer work.
Links:
instagram.com/caringcatsitting
Cat Behavior Solutions: https://www.catbehaviorsolutions.org/podcast
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Michelle's cat services, Ottawa expansion, cat community, pet care journey, marketing background, cat sitting, business challenges, client base, social media, cat-related businesses, cat events, cat certifications, cat resources, cat community events, cat rescue
SPEAKERS
Michelle M., Collin
Collin 00:00
Today, we are really excited to have Michelle McLean, owner and founder of Michelle's caring cat services based out of Ottawa, and we're excited, excited to talk about her journey in pet care, how she handled a move in her business, what it's been like expanding and growing her services and setting herself apart in that area. Michelle, I'm really excited that you reached out to us and super excited to have you on the show today. For those who aren't already following along with what you're doing on social media, can you please tell us a little bit more about who you are and all that you
Michelle M. 00:29
do? Yes, thank you, Collin, for having me in the show. I'm super excited to get you here. It kind of feels surreal to be honest. You know, after listening to to your podcast for so long and hearing experiences from from other pet sitters, it's fantastic to finally be in the spot be able to share my experience, and hopefully I can help other pet sitters, just as the others have done for me. So to introduce myself, as you mentioned, I'm Michelle McLean, so I am the owner, founder of Michelle's carrying cat sitting services, and I've been cat sitting for six years now, established in 2018 so I originally started my business in the Niagara region, Niagara, Ontario, Canada. So that's where I spent the first 30 years of my life. And then couple years ago, life made some changes and moved to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, and yeah, so I've been re establishing my business and becoming acquainted with the fantastic cat community here. I didn't realize that Ottawa is such an amazing cat community. So many people that are, you know, they're obsessed with with their cast at the same level I am, which is fantastic. So I don't feel, you know, I don't, I don't feel like too crazy of a cat lady, just a regular level crazy cat lady, just like everybody else, right? Exactly, exactly, yeah. So it's been a yes. So, yeah, that's my little summary. So,
Collin 02:08
so six years ago, you're, you're living in the Niagara region of Ontario, been there for 30 years. What? What was it that got you actually started in pet care,
Michelle M. 02:18
yeah? So, so a bit of a about my background to add some context. So I've had cats my entire life. I was probably about eight years old when my sister and I got our first cats, and ever since then, you know, just became really invested in cats and their care and learning more about cats. And then, so, yeah. So six years ago, I was actually working for a marketing company. I went to school for graphic design, many years ago, and received my diploma in graphic design, and I was working in working in publishing and marketing for about six, just over six years, and I thought that was going to be my forever career. And then the company I was working for wasn't doing so well towards the end, so they decided to, you know, reduce the size of their team, just, you know, back down to the to the to owners. And so I had to find other employment. So I made quite a drastic shift. So I went from marketing to I became a receptionist at a vet clinic. And so I did that for about six months, and it really helped me become educated in pet health and just learning about, you know what? What else do I need to know about pets in general. And so as I was leading my marketing job, I was working less hours towards the end. And so I thought, I need to find something to fill my time. So I started cap setting part time. And so So I started to build on my client base. So from 2018 to the beginning of 2020 I was doing quite well. And, you know, finding many clients. And then about a month before the pandemic started, I decided to make everything official. Yeah, so you know, I launched, I created my my websites, I I became insured, bonded, I registered my business name with the province of Ontario. I did all those things to make myself legitimate. And then, well, I don't think I have to say the rest, but yeah, pandemic happened, and then that all went away for a little bit. So for about a year and a half, I was working in retail, and then 2021 came around and and then I got, you know, back into cat sitting. And ever since then, it's been going very well. But you know, for most of the time I've been cat sitting, i. Been, you know, working a part time job, usually in the pet field and cat sitting as well. But now I'm very excited to be cat sitting full time and and focusing on my business, which is amazing. Well, that's
Collin 05:16
also really scary thing to do, right? Because if you have other jobs, other forms of income, like, even though I've got these hours, I know where this coming from, I've got this I'm not having to go out and market and do all these things. And then all of a sudden it's all on us. And then we go, Oh, now I've got to it's nice because we have all of the time and energy to focus but it is also overwhelming now, because it is on our shoulders,
05:42
exactly, and that was definitely a concern of mine and, and that's, yeah, one of the reasons why I kind of stayed at my part time pet related job for as long as I did, because I I was always worried about, you know, what if My business doesn't, you know, pick up as much as I need to, especially after, you know, moving and re establishing my business and new location. But within the past couple months, so quite recently, I realized I was starting to get quite busy receiving a lot of requests, you know, more phone calls, more emails coming in, and just more people in general, you know, wanting to learn about my services for the future. And I didn't want to have to, you know, figure, okay, what am I going to do about my part time job and having that extra stress of, I'm not sure when I'm working there and trying to, you know, figure when I'm going to, you know, provide my services around that other job. So I just decided, just going to take that leap of faith, and hopefully it works. So it has been yes
Collin 06:54
for your so you've got this background in graphic design and marketing. How has that influenced your business.
07:02
Yes, it's been wonderful, absolutely fantastic having that background. It's really been helping with not having to hire someone else to do all my marketing, because that can be very expensive. So I'm very grateful that, you know, I have that background, you know, just my personal background, even before college, having the interest in arts and design, and then going to school, so three years of diploma, and then being in the marketing field after that. So it really, it really helps. So, you know, anything that I have to do regarding my website or, you know, social media posts or any form of communication. I just think about it, and then I do it
07:47
right. I
07:49
don't have to wait for someone else to become available, and then, you know, worry about how much are they going to charge me and it, are they going to execute it the way that I see it, right? So my vision of what I want to put up there to represent my business. I can just put it up there, right? And, yeah, so that's been absolutely fantastic for my for my business.
Collin 08:13
Well, I'm sure that helps it be a little bit more authentic to you as well, because you're not the one that's just coming up with the idea or the concept, you're also putting all of the pieces together to get that message out there. You're not having to kind of translate it to somebody else, to have them, then go and design it, and then come back to you and go, Is this what you want? Like? I'm sure that would probably be very frustrating for you to have to go through that process.
08:38
Yes. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. So when it comes to, you know, promoting, you know, a pet sitting business, if I had to, you know, rely on someone else to put my messaging out there, or to make the the website updates, or whatever it may be, I I would be concerned that that person, you know, like they can't read my mind. So, you know, I could, I could communicate with them as much as possible, but having that straight path from my vision my thoughts, to having it out there to the public for everyone to see. So there's no, you know, it's almost, it makes me think of, you know, playing telephone. I think that's what's called, yeah, one person says something, and then they say to someone else, but then they get confused. They don't know what what it is, and then they say some, you know, something that's completely irrelevant to the to the last person. So it ends up being this, you know, I started out great, but then at the end, you go, Oh, well, okay, yeah, so with with my, with my expertise and marketing and communication, I'm able to just think, Okay, this is what I want, and then just work on it, and it's done. Yeah.
Collin 10:00
So for the graphic design stuff, so you're, you're making all of your own graphics and posts and stuff. Are you using things like Canva? Are you doing Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, that kind of stuff?
Michelle M. 10:12
Canva is wonderful. Canva is amazing. Yes, I use Canva. So when I was working for for for the marketing firm back in the day, they were using, you know, all the Adobe products, which is what we were trained to use in school, because that's the industry standard. But then once you no longer work for a company that is paying for the Adobe products, you realize how expensive they are. So then you think, Okay, so what's an alternative? Yes, I forget, honestly, forget how I found Canva, but I found it one day. And first I was using the free account, which was pretty good, but then I discovered the paid version. And, you know, you get all the access to all the stock photos, which, that alone is amazing, and and yet some other features, yeah, so I think I've been a subscriber with them for at least a couple years now, and it's been, yeah, I always recommend Canva. And even for people that don't have experience with design, it's really easy to just pick a template, you plug in your image and your text. You download, voila.
Collin 11:26
Well, I'm glad to hear it. A graphic designer has is approved of Canva. That makes me feel better.
11:33
Yeah, I don't, don't tell my college professors, but
Collin 11:39
it is, it is nice because as business owners, we are going, I don't have expertise in a lot of stuff, and many times it may be taxes or it may be the CPA or business filings and accounting, but sometimes it is in branding and marketing and graphic design, and so finding tools is really important, and that's part of what we get to do. Is, okay, well, I have this problem. Let me do some research to figure out how I can get and you know how I can solve this, because you're right. Adobe products, it's like, I can't afford $300 a month right to for my Instagram posts. Okay, let's go find something more reasonable that fits my budget or fits exactly what I need. And then that way, we kind of pull together these tools and resources that are kind of, you know, I'm going to say exactly what we need, because we we're not having to just use whatever's out there. We get to pick and choose
12:33
exactly and it, you know, there are so many tools out there, just do a quick search online, and you can find a tool for pretty much everything. And most you know, most resources are free or they have a free version. So you know, anyone that's looking for any tool for anything related to their business, especially if it's something that would not really cost a lot of money for a program or not. For example, just search. Just search the internet. You'll find it for free.
Collin 13:02
Were you always cat only from the very beginning?
Michelle M. 13:07
Yes, yeah. So, as I mentioned before, I've had cats my entire life. I never had a dog. I mean, dogs are amazing. I love dogs. I love animals. I would say my favorite side, no, my favorite read of dog is golden retriever. Yeah, they're just, they're amazing, yeah. But I never had a dog, sadly, growing up, and so when it came to, you know, launching my pet sitting business, I thought, you know, it's, it's probably best if I, you know, leave the dog sitting, dog walking to the other professionals who know everything about a dog. I did consider quite a few times, after being asked by many people, dealt with dog walks. And so I thought about, I just thought it's dogs are amazing, but I wouldn't feel comfortable being responsible for a dog, especially if something were to happen, I wouldn't be as well prepared, you know, to handle any kind of situation with the dog. When it comes to cats, I know pretty much everything about cats, and yeah, so I just decided to be cat only. And one of the benefits of that, that I found ever since I started, is a lot of people that contact me, they have, they only have cats, and a lot of their cats have never seen a dog. They've never smelled dog. They don't know what dog is, and so they appreciate the fact that I'm not out walking a dog before coming into their home for a cat visit, right? Because if I, if I come into their home swimming like dog, it might, you know, cause stress with their with their cats, which is not what I want, whatsoever. Um. Um, yeah. And plus, you know, when it, when it comes to people that only have cats, you know, just like myself, only having cats my entire life, just being able to focus on cats and that that's the only, you know, topic of conversation, and we can just, you know, focus on, okay, so, you know, well, being of the cat, if this, if this situation happens with the cat, and it just, it seems to make it easier to focus on what is best for their cat, when I'm also like, when I don't have to also think about, okay, I have to switch my brain from dog mode to Cat mode, if that makes sense, yeah,
Collin 15:43
yeah. It's two ways you're able to speak cat to a cat and also cat to the owner, right? Because they have particular things and worries and concerns, and there's a lot more. And I think what this is a big part of Michelle, is there's a lot more shared experiences that you can immediately connect with somebody on when they start talking about a scenario and you're over there nodding your head like that gives people comfort, right? The owner is able to go, oh, this person gets this. This person isn't going to think, I'm weird when I ask them to do this one little thing, or to make sure that the laundry door is shut. And it's like, yeah, because, you know, they might get behind it, might get inside, they might get, you know, an air vent or something. It's yeah. Those are particular concerns that dog owners don't have a lot of labs or golden retrievers. People aren't really worried about them getting stuck in air vents. Are they right? So it's something that you can have in common with somebody that allows them to start trusting you a whole lot quicker.
Michelle M. 16:42
That's very true. Yeah, it's I can't count how many times I've gone to a meet and greet. And you know, typically, I try to be there for no more than a half hour, but especially when I don't have anything else on my on my agenda for the day. And next thing you know, two hours later, oh goodness. Well, I guess I should go now, right? But when you, when you start talking about cats, and you know, you're both on the same level when it comes to your obsession and love for cats, and you just the conversation, you know, starts with, okay, where's the food, water, litter, okay, we covered those. Any medications, you know, anything else I need to know about your cats and the house? And then we just start having the most random, awesome conversations about, oh, you know, my cat was doing this the other day. Oh, my cat, my friend's cat, was doing this. And then they just start asking me, how do you, you know, how do you come in contact with the situation? Or, like, what do you suggest for the situation? And yeah, it's just, it's great to be able to connect on such a deep level. And, you know, for for some of my clients, but I leave from the meeting, great. It feels like we're, we're best friends. Like, yeah, give me hug.
Collin 17:57
Which, which is what we want. We want clients. Like, yeah, I think, you know, we have to make sure that we have boundaries, obviously, and go, Yeah, at the end of the day, this is a business and this is whatever, but at the same time, if our clients can't trust us at that level or or believe in us at that level, it's hard to work with them. And I think too often, we get really short sighted in as a business going well, I just need to get this done well. But if I'm going to be if I want to serve this person, this cat, for I don't know, 19 years, we better start off on a good foot. And I've got to work on building a long term relationship here, and so that when I need to have hard conversations, they trust me enough that I'm coming at them with a genuine purpose and interest for their their well being, or their cats well being, or when we need to have tough conversations around certain things, when something doesn't go right, like we have to begin cultivating relationships for not if those happen, but when those happen, especially with cats. Whenever you're having this life expectancy of 23 year old cats, 25 year old cats, you we would love to be able to care for them that long, wouldn't we, but we've got to start building that relationship from day one.
19:08
Yes, yes, that's That's very true. Yeah, it's wonderful building those deep connections with my clients, and you know, some of them I talk to on a regular basis, and not even when they're going in the way. And we just have, you know, random conversations and and, you know, I also invite my clients to the the events that I volunteer at with the cat rescue, alright? And so outside of the actual visits, I will contact, you know, my clients and say, Hey, this is going on. I'm attending the other great to see you. And just in general, when I give up my business cards to, you know, any cat person out there, and they say, Well, you know, I don't plan on travel anytime soon. They say, that's no problem. You're still feel free to reach out to me and we'll just talk about cat. Cats. I just love talking about cats. So, you know, people knowing that I'm, I'm not just, you know, giving them my card because I want their business. Obviously, that's part of it. But, you know, I also just, I just really want to meet their cats. I want to, you know, connect with them. And I really just, I want to help, you know, build and strengthen the cat community here. And, you know, so just connecting with people, any, anytime I hear anyone mention cat, I just go, here's my card, here's my card, here's my card, right? And then we just start, start a, start a random conversation with cast and and they might, you know, talk for 1015, minutes about a situation that they dealing with with their cats. And ask me, you know, what would you do and have you deal with this before? And, yeah, just having awesome cat conversations.
Collin 20:57
Well, and also, you know, the specialized knowledge extends to more of as you're as you're speaking here. I'm also thinking of like, the difference between a litter robot three versus a little robot four, right in the different kind of water fountains and the different like on the different kind of litters even like, that's a whole other world unto itself that I'm sure, pretty sure, people could do a whole dissertation on just understanding the differences between those and when you are specialized in that, when you aren't talking cats, it's a lot easier to do that, and you can have such a depth of knowledge so that when a client goes, Hey, I'm thinking about switching to XYZ litter, it's much easier for you to go, Oh, I've encountered that all the time. Here are the things you need to be worried about. Or if you haven't encountered it, you know what to look for and where to get that information. So all of a sudden, you become a lot more valuable to that client, outside of just the care that we're giving in that in that visit.
21:53
Yes, and I've actually had quite a few people recently asking me about, you know, what type of products do I recommend for water fountains or litter boxes, especially the newer automatic litter box that the dome, one that spins and it's connected to your smartphone and it tells you how many times your cat has used the facilities. Yeah, so if people have been reaching out to me, you know about product recommendations and and, yeah, so I am. I'm trying to put as much information together as possible. Because right now, it's, it's all, it's all my brain so like, I can tell people about things that I know about certain, you know, litter products or litter boxes or water fountains, for example. But something that I'm planning on doing is adding a resources page to my website so different categories of products or services, you know, pet related services in Ottawa, and that way, if someone does come up to me say, hey, what do you recommend for this? If I don't remember it in that moment, I can say, Okay, I know that. I know of a product for that, but I can't remember right now. But if you just go to my websites, I have a list right there, right so I think that'll be an extra, you know, side service that's just available for people to visit, even if they don't eat my services for a while, they can, they will, you know, just realize, oh, this cat sitter is just giving us some of these resources right here. You know,
Collin 23:34
no, that kind of thing is fantastic, especially people who are new to the area. If you have a you know, welcome to Ottawa page. And here's all the cool cat places, and the vets and the trainers and the behaviorists and the things to do with cats, and the this, this, this, and the cat cafes like, man, that's so much fun for a lot of people to get connected to. Because if they're looking for that community, if they're looking to go, I want to do stuff, it is hard to get that information sometimes. So we can do that. You can do that for just the community writ large, not necessarily your specific clients.
24:08
Yes, yeah. So what I'm, what I'm trying to do in the new near future is, yeah, pretty much create a database of, you know, all sorts of different cat resources, things that I've come across, you know, maybe I'll do a bit more research to see what else I can find. And, yeah, just create this page of everything cap related, you know, either here in Ottawa or just you know resources I know about, for example, your your podcast, put it like on there of your podcast. And there are different, you know, resources I know about. There's a podcast called cat behavior solutions. Yeah, there are so many resources out there online. And you know, when I do have conversations with new cat people, even during meet and greets, I'll tell them, Hey, have you heard about this pod? Cast. Have you heard about this? This trick based off of your cat's behavior that I'm seeing during this meeting Greece. So I'm always trying to throw in random tidbits of information. And then once I do have this page, so I can say, by the way, if you want more information I'm not remembering right now, just go to my website.
Collin 25:20
It is so nice to have an off board brain where you can just go, I don't know, it's over here, right? I did it one time. I did it so it wouldn't have to remember exactly each time,
25:29
yes, exactly, yeah. So it'd be fantastic, you know, to get to get this page set up, because the main, my main goal, is, I want to be, I want to be, you know, the main cat person, you know in Ottawa, where people just know, okay, I have something cat related, cat question, anything cat related, they just know to go to Caring. Cat sitting, calm. That's the place to go, yeah.
Collin 26:02
Well, so you you are in Ottawa, and you made that move. What was that move like for your business and getting it started back up?
Michelle M. 26:13
Yeah, so I didn't know what to expect, so I did do some research before the optional move to see how many pet sitters were in Ottawa. And I was surprised at how many, how many there are. I mean, it's a much larger city than where I'm from, in the Niagara region. And so I I was surprised, but at the same time, I had to remind myself, well, the population is much larger, right? So I have it should be expected that there are more, you know, pest sitting companies. But I did notice that I was seeing mostly pet sitting companies for, you know, cats and dogs and small animals, but I wasn't seeing really anything cat specific. And so I thought, Okay, this, this could work. And yeah, so I did some research initially, and then once the move was done and settled, then I started to really, you know, try to connect with as many people as possible. And, you know, editing my website to replace nigra with Ottawa, Ottawa, Ottawa, Ottawa, everywhere. Get those keywords in, yeah, and, and yes. I was just out, you know, pretty much every day, just talking to people going to businesses. I had my business cards reprinted, saying, Ottawa, Ontario, and, and then, yeah, I just started to slowly build on my client base. I think I was, I was here for maybe a month and a half, or even less than that, and I already had my first client. So I thought, Oh, wow, that's an amazing sign. And yeah, I was in the first few months. I already started to gain a lot of traction. But yeah, I was doing a lot of you know, going out, meeting with local pet related businesses, giving them my new cards. And I was probably doing a lot of you know, online posting as well, and trying to gain traction that way. So, you know, finding the Ottawa cat groups, which there are quite a few of those, and, and, yeah. So, you know, posting on my Facebook, my Instagram, using the all the Ottawa hashtags, and just trying to gain some traction, I possibly ran maybe a few ads on Facebook and Instagram just to get some extra traction. But I didn't have to do much because it just naturally happened. And I realized pretty quickly that, yeah, this is this is going to be pretty good. This is going to work.
Collin 29:00
Well, you say you didn't have to do much, but if you're going out there door knocking and talking to other businesses, you know, posting in groups, finding out those cat communities, possibly doing ads like that, I that's a lot of work, isn't it like that? That actually is, when you were going into talking to businesses, how are you introducing yourselves? Because this is something that I know a lot of people really do struggle with of going like, what do I even start with? How do I do, what do I do in this conversation? Or do I can I just, Michelle, can I just run in and throw cards and run them out of the doors?
29:34
I would not suggest throwing cards at the receptionist. She might not like you. So what I, what I have been doing is I, I try to focus on pet businesses that are fairly close to me. So let's say within, you know, 1015, minutes driving distance, and I'll just go in there and usually speak with the receptionist, and I'll just. Say hi. My name is Michelle. I'm a professional cat sitter. I just relocated to Ottawa. I've been cat sitting Since 2018 so I'm reestablishing my business, and I'm located and just just around the corner, just on the street from here. And if it's okay with you, I would love to leave a few of my cards with you, just in case one of your clients ask about, if you know of a cat sitter in the area? And most times they say, Oh, wow, it's amazing. Yeah, for sure. And then I just give them a stock of my cards and, and then, you know, I just thank them for their time and, and that's, that's pretty much it. So I know that they can be quite busy, especially in the vet clinics. So I try not to, I try not to waste the time too much. So yeah, I just introduce myself and say, Hey, do you want to swim my cards and and then, and then you have a good day,
Collin 30:55
having that clearly defined ask. Yeah, I love how you say, is it, if it's okay with you, I'd like to leave these cards giving them permission to go. Yeah, not, not right now, or now's a good time, because you're right, especially in receptionists and vet clinics, like they're jumping between phone calls. They've got patients in the waiting room. They kind of look at you like, what do you want, right? I get that feeling when I walk in sometimes like, Oh, I am. I am greatly disturbing this person's day. I am so sorry. Real quick, right? And just keeping it real short, we're not needing to make an immediate friendship connection and be buddy buddies at that time. We're just trying to get out that information that quick ask, and then we can be on our way over time. We can keep coming back and touching base and bringing gifts or whatever, in flowers or donuts or whatever we want to do, or or just saying hi, right? That's another thing. Or giving them referrals, when people ask us, but going, Okay, I just, I gotta get in, I gotta get out, and not making a big, too big deal of it.
Michelle M. 31:53
Yeah, that's very true. They, you know, they have very busy schedules, especially in the vet clinics, or even I go into the the grooming, the pet grooming salon sometimes, and I can just tell by, you know, their facial expressions, that they're in the middle of so many things going, Oh, hi, yes. Who are you like? Hi, yes. Shell, professional cat sitter recently relocated to Ottawa, if it's okay hearing some of the cards. Try to, I try to make it as quick as possible. But of course, you know, giving them a moment to absorb what I'm saying. And, yeah, so asking, because if you just walk in there, say, Hi, I'm a cat sitter, take my cards. Just take them that they're not going to be as receptive, because they're going to feel like they're being forced to take something, right? So, of course, most of them are very nice, and it will take them even if they don't fully understand what you're talking about because phones ringing or whatever's going on. But as long as you say, Oh, if it's okay, if you don't mind, I would love to have some of my cards here, and I usually mention, you know, if any of my clients are looking for new vet clinic or grooming salon, I will definitely mention you, right? So it's not just about me, it's I have. I have lots of clients, and a lot of times they ask me about what services I recommend, right? So most of my clients are in this area, I'll be happy to recommend you feel free to take so my cards, yeah,
Collin 33:24
right, yeah. Well, and you mentioned the groomers, you sometimes have to come in with a little bit louder voice than you might expect, because there's a blow dryer going off in the background, or a drying machine, and there's, you know, there's, there's a lot of activity. And so I think just we, yeah, we have to come in and realize, like, this person was in the middle of something, and I'm coming in, it's allowed. I may have to speak up a little bit and then just know, okay, thank you for your time. I'll be on my way. And then, yeah, saying, and if anybody has any looking for help, I know where to send them. And I appreciate your time, right? It's it is a mutual that's how we start building these relationships, because it's a mutual thing. They're not going to be the perfect referral for everybody, but we've gained a little bit of knowledge of who they might be good for,
Michelle M. 34:08
yes, and it's funny, you mentioned about the blow drugs. I've actually gone into grooming salon really recently just to give them my cards and introduce myself. And I had to get really close to her because it was so loud in there, like just behind the wall where she was sitting was actually so long. So, you know, there are blow dryers and possibly vacuum, I don't know, all the sounds, right? So all the sounds were happening, and I realized, okay, she's not gonna be able to hear me very well. So I just kind of had to get a bit closer than usual. I said, Hi, cat sitter. I'm close by. Here are my cards if you want them. And you know, I recommend you tell the people, okay, yes, thanks. Have a great day. Yeah, definitely, yeah. Been there, done that, yeah. So establishing connections with as many pet related businesses as possible, and sometimes not even a pet related business. Business. You know, any any business I go into, I prefer to give my cards to small local businesses. You know, I spend quite a bit of time at local food businesses because, you know, as you know, when you're on the road for sometimes hours at a time, and if you forgot to pack a lunch, or you just didn't have enough food. I don't want to pack a lunch. So you're when you're driving around and you're visiting these local food businesses, you know, I go in there and I grab something to eat, and I say, Oh, by the way, I'm a cat sitter. I'm in the area. I've been telling lots of people about your food. It's amazing, if you're interested, here are some of my cards, right? So finding, pretty much any possible local business that's in the same areas you are and say, Hey, I've been telling people that you're awesome. Your food's great. Would you like my cards and and it makes those connections, because you never know where someone is going to be when they have the epiphany and realize, Oh yeah, I'm going away in a few months. I need to find a cat sitter. And they could, they could be at any, any store, any establishment, and they might, they might say, Hey, would you happen to know of any cat citizen area?
Collin 36:17
Yeah, or if they have a community board of local businesses, or flyers or stuff. That's great thing to ask for as well. Of, hey, do you have a place that businesses can post about their businesses? And, oh, yeah, it's right over there. Great. Say, I'll go put some cards over there. I find myself you said, you know local food businesses. I my my mobile office tends to be in local coffee shops, right? Because they they've got free Wi Fi, and I can sit for a little a longer time without really being disturbed or feel like I'm in the way or taking up a table. So that since where I found, where I tend to leave cards, where I start developing relationships with the employees there, or some of the other patrons who are there kind of the same time that I am, so that again, just looking for those little opportunities to go, Oh, I'm already here. Like, kind of like, what can I do while I'm here? What? What are the possibilities? And that's at every stage of business. We have to go look around us, whether we're in a coffee shop or local eatery, or whether we're at a conference, going, this is where I am. What are the opportunities that I can take advantage of?
Michelle M. 37:21
Oh, yes, I'm I'm doing that wherever I go. I just remember, what about sound blanking things? Yeah, I can't remember right now, but it's any, any local business that I go to. I I kind of look around store, the shop. And I think, okay, do they have a board? We can put up business cards or or even grocery stores. For example, you mentioned a bulletin board. So I've gone to local grocery stores, and I've put up my postcard, which is a bigger version of my business card, has more information on it. So, oh yes, that's what it was. I went to a local travel agency recently because all I do is talk to people that are traveling. So yeah, so they're actually in the same Plaza as one of my favorite food spots. And so I finished my lunch the one day I said, Yeah, I'm gonna go to this travel agency. Just walk in and say hi. I introduced myself, and that's what I did. And so I said, Hey, I'm Michelle, professional cat sitter. I'm nearby. You know, would you be interested in having some of my cards? And then, of course, I asked for their card as well. Always make sure that they asked for their card and make an exchange. Yeah. And so the lady was super nice. She said, Oh yeah, for sure, I'll take a few. And she said, I'll pass them around to people here in the office. I said, Oh, thank you so much. That's amazing. So, you know, finding or thinking of different types of businesses, you know, travel agency is amazing. Local Food spots, you know, like local, small bakeries, pretty much anywhere, grocery stores, bulletin board, community centers. I've gone to a few community centers in my area here and found their bulletin board. And of course, ask for permission. I always ask for permission, because they always get flooded with with flyers and such, yeah. So just find anywhere possible, because you never know where someone will be, and they think, oh, yeah, I need a cancer. Oh, that's the sign.
Collin 39:27
Literally, it's over there.
39:30
Yeah, yeah. So I, I've actually had a few people say, Yeah, I saw your, your your your business card or your flyer somewhere. I go, Oh, well, a lot of work.
Collin 39:43
And from a business owner perspective, when we're putting that stuff out there, it can be really frustrating, because it does feel like all we're doing is just putting out putting out putting out putting out putting out and not really knowing where, how we're going to catch people so but like you're saying, people don't need you. Until they need you, and then they need to find you immediately. And that's, it's, it's, it's just how it is. Sometimes you get those clients who are planning, I love those clients who are who are calling and they're just looking to get established. They don't have any really travel plans on, you know, in order, they just know they need a pet sitter. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, dude, can I how can I find 20 more of you? Thank you so much, right? And then you get the people who go, Well, yeah, I'm traveling tomorrow, right? And say, Okay, well, can I take those people on? Should I take those people on? That's a discussion, but we being accessible and findable is what this is about. It's going, how do I surface my information to the people who need it when they need it. And it's multiple approaches, right? It's not just, you know, all in person. It's also talking to people. It's also the online stuff. It's having the website. It's being in the cat groups. It's it's being in trying to find every little corner where our clients may be.
40:55
Oh, for sure, you have to be everywhere. Especially, you know, nowadays, I hate using that phrase, but it's true nowadays. You know, so many people are online, and I've had so many people find me through Facebook, Instagram. I even had someone find me through next door. My Website seems to be ranking very well on Google, so I get a lot of leads to my website, and yeah, so a lot of people have been finding online. And I also have a print ad as well, because I I, you know, knowing that most people are lying, but some people aren't right. Some people are not on Facebook or Instagram or the other online platforms. And so I thought, Okay, what is the way to for them to find me if they're not online? So I did this as well before I moved to Ottawa, when I was in the Niagara region, there was a small community newspaper, and I had just a business card sized ad. So when I moved to Ottawa, right away, started that sale research. K, what is a local community newspaper? And I found the equivalent here. And so right away, I signed up for a year of advertising, and I've had almost a handful of people calling me or contacting me by seeing that ad. So it's figuring out, okay, if people aren't online, how else do I find them? So you know, print ads or putting up flyers or postcards on bulletin boards or going to the community centers, just anywhere that people are. And hopefully they see, hopefully they see your information and contact you. And yeah, you have to cover, you have to cover every avenue, because if you focus all your attention just on one method, then you're probably missing out on, you know, a large portion of the population that aren't spending time in this one or in one specific place. Social
Collin 42:54
media is fantastic. We are on social media a lot. We post there. We're very active there, but at the end of the day, not everybody's on there. I don't know if you're like us. Where, if you get a new client inquiry, I'll go Facebook search them. I'll go Google search. I'm gonna go look, where is this person? Where did they how do they find me? Who are they connected with? Are they related to any other clients that they may have? And the number of clients that we get who just don't have a Facebook page, they are not online in that, in that aspect. And I'll never forget, it was about a year and a half ago. I remember I was, I was finished with a morning visit, and I had a gap in my schedule, and I was driving around, and I was just in the area going like, Where would I like to there to be more clients, right? We have to be very geographic and, like, I went down the street, and I remember being like, I have nobody on this street. How? Where are these people? And in every driveway of those houses was the newspaper, right? And I was like, right, right, right? The people who aren't online, they still want the information they have to get somewhere else, right? So it was like, okay, the local newspaper, local magazine, events, I, how do I, you know, find this. And that's just takes us going, Okay, I may have a my client avatar is people who love their pets, right? Well, that's fine. It's not really specific enough, right? I need to figure out they're in different corners. And like you said, it's covering just a little bit everywhere will help us also understand where we need to be further investing our money for next time around, so that we know, okay, well, I did that. That didn't pay off, but I know now I'll go do something else, or I'll go or may I'll double down my investment for
44:29
next year, because it works so well, yeah, you have to constantly think about, Okay, where am I getting my leads? Where are my inquiries coming from for my business, a lot of them are online through my websites. I also do sometimes get messages through Facebook and Instagram, um or or people just calling me by finding my Google listing, which is also fantastic and but you do have to kind of reassess every so while. Often and think, okay, you know, did these, these places I'm spending a lot of time on, are they still, you know, worth my time investment there? And this is why I, I do focus on Facebook and Instagram and my website, because they have worked so well for me. But I know that there are other platforms, you know, social platforms, for example, Tiktok, I'm not bashing Tiktok, but I've never been on Tiktok. I don't know how it works. I have heard of quite a few pet sitters or pet professionals in general, who, you know, they post videos on Tiktok, and then they become viral. I can really keep up with Facebook and Instagram, so we're gonna keep it at that.
Collin 45:46
I also know that you you do in person events too. You know, I saw you, know, you posted on Instagram and Facebook about attending a recent local event for you. So talk to me about the role that that's been playing in establishing your business and your brand in in Ottawa.
46:02
Yeah, the events have been absolutely fantastic. So my first event after moving here was the Ottawa Pet Expo as last October, that was my first real big and it was, it was, it was epic. But the Ottawa Pet Expo, it's more geared towards dog people, which is great. But, you know, I felt like I was having this the stragglers of the of the cat people coming to my table. I did give out a lot of business cards, but I didn't get as much traction as I was hoping for. And so then more, more recently, I was at the Ottawa cat show, and that was amazing. It was just, just for cat people. They had, you know, cats actually participating in the show. And, you know, all the vendors. And when I, when I was setting up for the show the evening before it started, I found out that my table was right by the entrance of the hall. And so I went, oh yes. So the moment, the moment they walk it in, they just look slightly to the right and they see this giant banner that has my, my business name, you know, giant photo of a regular cat, which everybody has been complimenting. And they see, and they see my very bright pink table. Um, yeah. So it was, it was incredible talking to so many different cat people. And you know, some people were just coming up to me and asking for advice about their cats. They weren't even talking about, oh, I need you to come to my house and actually take care of my cats. You know, maybe in the future, but for right now, this is, this is the situation with my cats. What do you suggest? And it took me a second to realize, Oh yes, I I'm a legitimate cat person. Yes. I know the answer. I know things like, Oh yes, I have, I have this information my brain. Okay, so then you just start spewing out the information. Yeah. So fantastic Cat, cat related conversations, and, you know, handing out so many business cards and just talking to people about how my services work, because I would have a lot of people looking at my banners, looking at my cards, and they say, so do you stay at the house? I go, No, I do drop in visits. And a lot of people still aren't aware of, you know how, how the system works with going for drop in visits, and, you know, not staying at the house overnight, but just explaining, well, you know, this way your cat gets to stay in their home, you don't have to bring them to a boarding facility and and, you know, I come for a half hour or an hour visits, and the only thing that changes is you leave temporarily, and I replace you, and they'll realize that I'm awesome. And so having those having those conversations, and then the weekend after the cat show was a smaller event, but closer to my location. Here, it was a pet event at a local greenhouse. And so it's actually their second annual event, and so they have a small amount of pet related businesses so that their vendor tables, and so I did it last year as well. The weather last year wasn't great. It was, you know, rainy and overcast, really, really cool. So the turnout was a fantastic but this year it was really, you know, really sunny and also, also very windy. So my my business cards and postcards were just flying in the wind. People practically catching them, yeah? But other than that, it was, it was amazing. We had a great turnout. And I had at least one or two people come over to my table say, hey, yeah, following you for the past year. And he just wanted to talk about, you know, you. Mean to see my cast eventually, yeah, yes, please, right. And so when you when you do the the events, when you attend the events as a vendor, it creates such an amazing opportunity for people to see you in person. Um, and you know, yes, they can see, you know, my photo online. They can see what it looked like online. But having that extra level of connection, right? So, oh, you're a real person, you know. So this is the person that will call me my cats. And, you know, come for the visits, and, and then you start to have conversations with the cats and, and it, yeah, it just as an extra layer of of them knowing you as a real person. And so after the conversation and and, you know, they go on their way and just think, wow, you know, I wouldn't be able to have these types of conversations with these awesome cat people if I wasn't attending these events, yeah, because if you focus all of your conversations online, then you know they're just seeing images and a caption. But when they get to see real world, you know, this is the person and you know, people seeing that I'm putting all this effort into, participating in local community events, and, you know, creating this opportunity for people to just come and just talk to me about my business, or, you know, my services. And I think having the in person conversations, it just, it really forces the fact that I am so devoted to what I do, and they think, okay, yeah, this is a just really cool. You know, we've been following you for a while, but, yeah, this has been fantastic. Thank you for being at this event and going, Yeah, you're welcome.
Collin 51:57
It is easier to have those conversations, because it's not just text back and forth, whether it's in a DM or whether it's in a chat on our website or whatever, or text or even a phone call, can feel a little impersonal sometimes, and when we're trying to impact people, we're trying to showcase our knowledge that we have or certifications that we have, it's that comes across way easier in person, where you can read body language and see how they respond to certain things, and allows you to play into that a little bit more, if they're, you know, if they're excited about hearing those kind of credentials too.
52:29
Yes, yes. Yes. The goodness. So the conversations that I have, some of the conversations that I have during these events is educating, or, you know, helping to educate people about all the certifications that are possible for professional pesters, especially the the exam to become a certified professional pastor. A lot of people didn't even know that was a thing. So the great thing about my pull up banner that is really giant, tall, big.
Collin 53:08
I saw that in the photo,
53:12
yes. So what I what I wanted to focus on when I was designing the banner was I really wanted people to know that. Okay, here's my list of all my credentials, exam, fear free, pet first aid, member of psi. Oh, yeah, sure. And bonded. Sometimes Greg forget all the things I have. And so, you know, some people would come to my table. But before talking to me, they would be reading my my bullet banner, and then they would have this puzzled look. And then I come over, kind of, you know, towards me a bit more, and they so, they say, So, what is all? What does this mean? And so then I explained, well, I completed an exam to become a certified professional pet sitter, fear fear free certification. I've had quite a few people ask me, What does that even mean? What does fear free certified mean? So explain. Well, it's, it's just reaffirming the way that you approach pets in in my case, cats, when you approach cats, especially when it comes to giving them medication or just having to handle them for whichever reason, by doing it in a way that does not cause any fear, stress or anxiety. And so I even have it in my service agreement, it mentions that I'm fear free certified. I would, I would never do anything to cause any fear of stress or anxiety, because when it comes to getting cats medication, I make it very clear with my clients that, you know, when they're at home living their everyday life, their cats are usually used to the routine of getting their medication. From them, but when they're gone and I replace them, Kitty might not be so happy about it. And so I tell people, you know, I have listened to so many you know, pet experts when it comes to medications. And these experts say that, you know, of course, it is preferred for cat to not miss a dose of their medication. But if, if it comes to a pet sitting situation and the cat is overly stressed, especially the first visit or two, it's best to not stress the cat out to the point where their body is going to shock. Because even if you, you know, handle the cat in a way where you're causing more stress just to get the medication inside of them, their body is not going to process the medication properly, because they're just so, so stressed, and they're in shock. And so I explain to people if, if Katie is not in the mood for getting the medication, you know, let's say for one visit. Usually it doesn't get to two visits, but let's say for one visit, then I will let you know. But I do not want your cats to, you know, to, you know, be overly stressed, because it's also very dangerous for the cat and myself, right? Because I don't want kitty to become aggressive, you know, because they're not, they're having a, you know, a scary moment of a stranger trying to handle them. Yes, but going back to your actual question, yeah, so I, I enjoy educating people about all my certifications and and reinforcing the fact that I have spent, you know, the past six years since I started cat sitting, just learning about, what are the different certifications? What other credentials can I have? So I think I started with the pet first aid. Well, the very first thing that I had done was I was insured and bonded, so paying for that coverage, so assured and bonded, and then getting the pet first aid. And then after that was probably fear free. And then after that was the exam to become certified. And so, you know, I tell people, it took me, you know, a good amount of time to accomplish all these things, but now that I have them, now I have access to so many resources that I return to on a frequent basis, you know, pretty much all my free time I'm just doing you know online webinars or attending in person events that there is you know Something in my area, and people are, people are very impressed, right? First of all, that that's that's even a thing to complete an exam to become a certified pet sitter. And, you know, once I explained the reasoning behind all certifications, and you know why I got them, people realize, Oh, wow. Like, this is, yeah, this is what she does.
Collin 58:27
Yeah, it does take that in this notches it up several rats, doesn't it? Of like, okay, you came in expecting this, and that's, that's, that's a, it's a hard thing to overcome when people's expectations are friend, family, neighbor, acquaintance, you know, high school down the street, or just leaving their cats alone for three, four or five days, why not? What's the big deal? But trying to come in and going, there's something better, right? And that's what these conversations are. There's going, there's better out there. And let me tell you about it, because I'm not getting these letters after my name, just so that I can have longer business cards, like I'm chewing this to provide better care and and when we can have those conversations with people, kind of like what we started at the very beginning of your specialized you connect with people. When we have more knowledge, we can connect with people, because all of a sudden we're solving problems before we're even in the house. And that's some of the best stuff that we can give our clients. Of that initial phone call, if they're nervous or if they have concerns about medicating, you can go, oh, well, maybe we don't even give medications. Could we have it re compounded and put it in a food or liquid form so the cat can take and the owner's like, wow, what is going on?
59:39
Yeah. Yeah, pretty much, yeah, coming up with solutions for the cat parents when they did even know that, you know, other options existed, yeah, when it comes to medication, like I've had people, for example, asking me. So, you know, I began my cat medication this way. They're not a fan of it. They gave us a hard time. A single time, and my cat is always stressed. We have to wrap them in a towel and turns into a fighter time. And I'm explaining, well, you know, you could try this approach. You could try, you know, even if your veterinarian prescribes a medication to help just calm your cat a little bit so that your cat is not going to, you know, FREAK OUT mode every time the pill power comes out. Um, yeah. So sometimes pills work better for some cats sometimes. So the medications work better. When it comes to pill medications, there's a thing called the pill popper. I'm sure, you know, both that very long syringe looking thing, and you just, you put in the end, and then open the mouth as much as possible and just pop it down through. And, you know, some people aren't aware of these other options. And so when people are just having these conversations, you know, with me, with it, with any pets that are, and they were able to educate them say, Hey, have you tried this? Or, you know, try different approach, because the moment that your cat realizes that medication time is coming and they're running, they're hiding, and then you're grabbing them, pulling them out front of the couch or the chair, and yeah, so I try my best to just educate people about best practices based off of what I've learned from my continuing education and my personal experiences with getting cast medication and so people really appreciate you know, when you when you go out of your way to offer this advice, you know, because, yes, I'm a cat sitter, and usually I'm just doing the things during the visits. But if I run into a person I haven't met before and they have cats, and I might just say so, like, tell me about your cats and and then, and then the hour long conversation happens, oh yeah, this happened this. And I go, Okay, well, we tried this, and we tried that, and then they go, oh my goodness, thank you so much. And then, you know, always like, give them my card, just the basic feature, just
Collin 1:02:15
in case, exactly yes. So, so when you think to the future, then like, what are your plans for your business? Or, you know, the pet community, the cat community, specifically in Ottawa, moving forward.
Michelle M. 1:02:28
Yeah, so from my business, I really just want to connect with as many cat people as possible. And, yeah, just, you know, get more Yeah, attract more clients, and be able to have, like, a more consistent you know schedule, I guess, as you know, pesticide is very unpredictable, but just having a more reliable you know schedule every month, instead of it being, you know, slow sometimes and busy sometimes. But outside of my business, I'm I'm working on, I guess, a project right now. What's the at the very beginning of the project? So I have found a space through a training and a grooming facility that's quite close to where I am, and I told them recently that I'm looking for a space to host some sort of cat person social event. So when I describe this project, I say, you know when, when it comes to dog people, they're always out walking their dogs, and they naturally find other dog people outside walking their dogs, and they just have this natural outdoor environment where they, you know, mingle and, you know, talk about the dogs. And then there's also a dog park, and they just naturally find each other. But when it comes to Cat people, we don't have a physical space where we can come together and just talk about cats and share our, you know, cat experiences, and just, you know, come together to support the overall cat community here. And so my my plan is to you know, help host a once a month event where we just tell, Okay, everybody, this location, this date, this time. And I'm hoping to collaborate with with a cat rescue group so that we can have a cat, or a few cats that are brought in, that are available for adoption. And have, you know, a couple of volunteers as well through the cat rescue. And then with people coming, they're, you know, coming into a space where they can also, you know, see cats and and, you know, talk to the rescue them. Selves and more and more about their initiatives. And also maybe have, you know, some YouTube cat videos playing, you know, just having some entertainment for the people coming. So, yeah, so it's in the, really, for me, very early stages of planning, and to have to, you know, wait to hear back from some people. So I'm hoping that that can start in the next few months. And and the other, you know, cat related, not project, per se, but myself, I volunteer Ottawa stray cat rescue and so I found them a few months after moving to Ottawa. And so I participate in, you know, setting up the tables at store events and raising money for the cats. And we usually have a few cats that are available for adoption, and just raising, raising awareness of the organization and and Daniel, just hanging out with other cat people and just educating people about, you know, all things cats.
Collin 1:06:14
I I love that idea. It wasn't for cats specifically, but I am thinking about when Meg and I had our first kid, there was, like, a new pet. There was a new almost a new pet parents. Okay, a new parents group, because, because the very isolating time for new parents, because they can't really go anywhere, it's hard to get out. You're unsure, what are you gonna do, but pet owners as well, going, how do I meet? How do I go? I don't want to just talk to somebody online or say, cute cat on a photo, like, that's kind of, I don't know. I'm sure some people are comfortable with that, but I know a lot of people aren't. So I love this idea of providing a space for people to come. They're going to share resources and stories. You'll obviously be giving information. The Cat Rescue is there. It's also a great place to, you know, I think showcasing new cat products or new cat things, you know to go getting back to your resource, resource page that we talked about at the beginning of like, Hey, have you ever wondered about this kind of toy? Or, let's talk about these treats, so this stuff so that they're being more educated, they're being connected to a community of support as well. Because I know, like, we've even when we our dog was alive, going, does anybody else have this problem? Who do I have? I talked. I can talk to my vet, but like they're busy and I don't want to bother them. Can't I go talk to somebody else who also has the same thing or has dealt with these problems before, absolutely giving them that space and going, I want to be supportive of you through every stage right, and make sure that you have what you need, whether you're a client of mine or not, right? Like, it's just, let's make everybody just a little bit better.
1:07:48
Yeah, yeah. So I, I think that this would be a fantastic way to bring all the cat people together and have that, that space where they can come and, you know, hopefully hang out with or at least look at some cats that are available for adoption, yeah, and, you know, watch some cat videos, and, and, and hopefully have maybe, like, a larger cat, you know, product company or food company come in. They could have a table, and they sponsor the event. And there are other cat professionals I know, personally, so you know, have have them come as well, and just have a room full of cat people, and you just talk about cat stuff, or an hour and a half and and, of course, you know, during this time I would, you know, have like, a mini information session about my business, talk about my services, so, you know, talk about my business. Talk about the cat rescue, talk about the other cat professionals. And potentially, you know, if another business wants to come along. And, yeah, so this is just part of how I want to be known as the cat lady. You know, anything cat related? It's Michelle. I'm the cat lady. Bo,
Collin 1:09:14
I love that, Michelle. I'm so appreciative of you coming on and sharing that vision, sharing your desire to get people connected to resources, helping people, making sure that we are selling, encouraging us to make sure that we know what we're talking about, so that we can be helpful. And your journey of growing your business and moving and everything that you've worked through along those stages, there's a lot going on here. I know you're really active on social media and such, so people want to follow along, get connected with you and see what's going on in the cat world of Ottawa. How can they get connected with you? Yes,
Michelle M. 1:09:47
so my main point of contact is my website, which is caring cat sitting com, and then my Facebook and Instagram is the exact same. It's just carrying cat sitting. Um. Um, I'm also on LinkedIn just under my like personal name, um, yeah, and yeah, so yeah, my my website, my Facebook and Instagram are the best spots,
Collin 1:10:12
okay, well, I will have links to that in the show notes and on the website, so people can click right to that and start following along today and get connected with you, Michelle, this has been an immense pleasure, and I'm so thankful and appreciative of your time today. Thank you so much for coming on.
1:10:26
Thank you. Bye.
