559: The Art of Trust with Catherine Oury
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How do you build lasting trust with your clients while staying true to yourself? In this episode, Catherine Oury, owner of Ladybug Pet Care, shares how authenticity has been the cornerstone of her success as a solo pet sitter. From managing client expectations for overnight stays to setting boundaries for a better work-life balance, Catherine opens up about the lessons she’s learned in over five years of business. She highlights the importance of fostering genuine, long-term relationships with clients and tailoring services to align with personal and professional values. Whether you’re a solo sitter or managing a team, Catherine’s story offers powerful insights on balancing passion with sustainable growth.
Main topics:
Building trust through authenticity
Overnights and client expectations
Setting boundaries for balance
Long-term client relationships
Solo pet sitter challenges
Main takeaway: “Trust and connection with clients start with being authentic.”
Trust is the foundation of meaningful relationships, and authenticity is the key to building it. By being genuine and true to yourself, you create a connection with clients that goes beyond the basics of pet care. This personal touch fosters loyalty, trust, and a sense of partnership that can last for years. Staying authentic isn’t just good for your clients—it’s good for you, too, making your work more enjoyable and fulfilling.
This week, Catherine Oury shares how being herself has helped her build strong, lasting relationships with clients and create a business she truly loves. Her story is a powerful reminder that trust and connection start with authenticity.
🌟 What’s one way you show your authentic self to your clients? Let us know in the comments!
About our guest:
Catherine Oury is the owner of Ladybug Pet Care, a solo pet sitting business that thrives on trust, authenticity, and genuine client relationships. With over five years of experience in the pet care industry, Catherine has built her business by prioritizing personal connections and tailoring her services to meet her clients’ unique needs. A former nanny, Catherine brings her caregiving background into her pet care philosophy, treating every pet like family and every client interaction with care and integrity. Based in Ohio, she specializes in overnight stays and daily pet care, balancing her passion for animals with a commitment to setting healthy boundaries for sustainable business growth.
Links:
Catherine’s Instagram: @LadybugPetCare
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
pet sitter confessional, Ladybug pet care, nanny transition, client trust, work-life balance, overnight stays, client referrals, personal touch, client interaction, solo sitter, client communication, pet care industry, client relationships, business growth, professional authenticity
SPEAKERS
Collin, Catherine O.
Collin 00:00
Music, welcome to pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Today, we're brought to you by our friends at tying to pet and the peaceful pet music, calm music, or pets YouTube channel today, we are super excited to have Catherine, owner of Ladybug pet care, on the show to talk about her journey into pet care, how she takes care of her clients from beginning and all the way through the process of being a client with her and then some of her biggest lessons over the years of being in business. Catherine, I'm really excited to have you on the show and get to talk to you about all this. For those who aren't following you on social media or familiar with your work, could you please tell us a little bit more about who you are and all that you do,
Catherine O. 00:40
absolutely first of all, how dare you not follow me. Just kidding. So my journey, honestly, it kind of fell into my lap, to be completely honest, I was a nanny at the time, and the girl who cuts my hair, she cuts hair at her home, and she has dogs. So of course, every time I went there, I got to studdle dogs and play with them and everything. And one time she just reached out and was like, hey, you know, if we ever decide to go out of town, would you want to come stay with our pups? And I was like, Sure, you know. And I didn't really think a whole lot of it, you know, sure I'd come over and hang out with your pups, um, and then about a week later, she sent me a text and said, Hey, I've got a client that I'm doing here for, and they're going out of town, and they usually bore their dogs, but they didn't have a good experience last time. Would that be something you'd be interested in? I was like, Sure, you know why not. And to this day, I still have my very first client is still my client, which is pretty cool. And then it honestly just snowballed from there I had, honestly, I had no idea there was a need for this type of thing, whether dog walking or, you know, overnight stays. And it snowballed in about, I'd say, three months in, I was like, I think I can do this full time. And so went from being a nanny to watching dogs, which I actually, I mean, not to compare children and dogs, but I have found there's a lot of similarities that I do because I was in childcare for like, over 20 years, so there's a similarity to how I go about my dog sitting business Compared to when I was in the childcare field. And obviously, I've learned a lot about the pet care industry along the way, but it surprised me how similar the childcare field in the dog sitting pet world is. So it was a cool transition. But very glad, very glad I made that transition.
Collin 03:06
Or it sounds like your friend made that transition for you,
Catherine O. 03:10
kind of like I said, it really just fell into my lap. There was no, like I said, I was a nanny at the time, so I knew at some point the boys would be going to school and my job would be done, but the pet care industry was never on my radar at all until she started suggesting this,
Collin 03:33
when you mentioned the similarities there and then, I think that that's a very Interesting part, because you were, in some instances, kind of already doing, it sounds like kind of a lot of these things. So what did you What did you bring from your time as a nanny into your business?
Catherine O. 03:49
I think the biggest point for me was, when I go to meet a new client, I'm myself. I tend to be a little more laid back. I want them to feel comfortable, because obviously I'm going to be in their home, probably when they're not there, as well as taking care of their pets, which we all know are family members. And that's kind of how I viewed when I was a nanny, I wanted, obviously, if I'm watching your children, that's a that's important, and I want people to trust me and to know that, you know, I can keep your kids safe, but at the same time, I want you to know me personally, because, again, if I'm watching your kids, you're probably not home, so I'm in your home by my, you know, with your kids. So I found that when I go on meet and greets now for pet care, I'm the same way. I want people to know who I am, know my personality, feel comfortable with me coming in and out of their homes. And I was like we were talking about earlier, garage codes and key codes. People. Trusting me with those so I really, I don't know I'm I'm not. I'm not a very professional person. I tend to be very like what you see is what you get. I'm more. I can be kind of goofy and silly, but I want people to know that about me as our relationship with their pets and with me grows.
Collin 05:29
You know, that is we do have to decide what kind of tone we're going to have as a business and that, you know, you said, you know, I'm not a professional person, but that can mean so many different things, like, certainly, there is the, you know, someone who riot arrives with a clipboard and is very crisp and, you know, has an Iron Shirt. And, you know, if they who owns it anymore, right?
Catherine O. 05:48
Like, I mean, I'm not gonna show up in sweatpants, but I am not the, like, suit, you know, clipboard very rigid. Like, let's go off the, you know, the checklist type person. I tend to just, you know, for me and greet I show up and just see where the conversation goes. Obviously we have to, like, go over certain things, but I tend to be, I tend to be a very laid back person,
Collin 06:17
well, and that, that is a decision that we have to consciously make of what, because that is going to attract and it's also going to put off potential clients, right? And so we have to know going into this, going we talk about being ourselves like that is included. How do we present ourselves to our clients? How do we talk where do we show concern? How do we budget our time? All that's going to be picked up on by the client, and it's going to take going to tell them whether we're a good fit for them or not, right? And that's that's so important to know that we may feel, and sometimes we kind of feel like, Oh, I can't be myself. I've got to do this, you know, a certain way. And blah, blah, blah, blah, but then, you know, we'll be dissatisfied with the kind of people that we're working with, and we'll be well, not we're not being true to who we are, yes, and
Catherine O. 07:04
you don't want to be uncomfortable in a situation, you know, with a client, like, there's certain clients that I know that I can send a picture or video of their dog and put a really silly, goofy comment within, they're going to think it's hilarious. And then other times, with clients, I'll just send a picture and a video. I'm like, Oh, we're enjoying our walk today, or, Oh, we got dinner today. You know, that kind of thing. So there's, there's certain clients that you kind of figure out along the way of like, who I can be, like, like, I said, take a picture and send a silly comment with it. Or one where you just send a picture and you're like, we ate lunch today.
Collin 07:39
Yeah, because, you know, we don't want to present in one way, market one way, and then them think we're something. And then during then our updates are all, you know, Goofy, off the wall, funny, silly stuff with emojis on everything. And they're like, Who is this? Yeah,
07:56
why is she
07:59
at my house right now,
Collin 08:03
because then, like you said, then we can be more relaxed in what we do too. We're not having to sit there and go, right, what's the language that I have to use, and how did I do this? Blah, blah, I'm more it's it becomes much more enjoyable at that time. And you're right. There are those clients. We have them too, where I'll be doing a visit, and it's like, well, my humor says to do X, Y, Z, but I knowing what I know about this person. I don't think I know.
Catherine O. 08:27
I need to word it differently or scale it back a little bit something like that.
Collin 08:33
Yeah, we had someone who was very literal in their their thinking, and we had genuinely we were walking, and we had found something looked like somebody had dumped, dumped a bucket of fish heads on the side of the road. And so we said we had came across a pile of fish heads and something. And she called me, and she was like, is that slang for something? And I was like, oh, no, it was no. It's
Catherine O. 08:55
a literal, literal
Collin 08:57
pile of heads of fish. Oh, okay, cool. I just
Catherine O. 09:04
and then you're sitting there like,
Collin 09:08
well, then I had to go, is that slang for something like, yeah. Then
Catherine O. 09:11
you're like, well, maybe I, what are these kids saying nowadays, right?
Collin 09:20
But all that is is really tied up into when we talk about, like, customer service, it's, it's serving sure our clients how we want to be, how we how they need to be served. But also we have to stay true to ourselves in how we're serving them too, yes,
Catherine O. 09:35
and I think that makes a big difference too, when you can, obviously, again, you're providing a service. You're a business, but when you can also be yourself, I think that makes your job a little more enjoyable, because I know like for me again, I not. I'm not someone who can go into like an office and sit at a computer and do that kind of. Thing. Bravo to those people who can I appreciate those people. So the fact that I get to be out and about and walking around and being active and staying busy, that makes me love my job even more. So, you know, people are always like, oh, man, you work seven days a week. I'm like, Yeah, but I like it. I enjoy it. It's fun. And not that it doesn't get to be tiresome sometimes, but when you I know that there's an old saying when you do what you love, you're not really working. And that's how I feel.
Collin 10:36
And it can sound so cliche, but you know those, those are set for a reason sometimes and and genuinely in this when we are when we get to first, we get to run our own business, which means we get to decide a lot of the parameters and a lot of the boundaries and a lot of the hows and don'ts. It means that we really do get to be more authentic to ourselves and and get to, get to show up and go, You know what? Not only am I doing something that I love, but I'm doing it the way I love doing it. And it's those processes that, too often we can kind of do a big grab bag of, what's everybody else doing? What's the you know, let me, let me just post on Facebook and get the the latest SOPs. And that's what I'll do, instead of, instead of really internalizing that and thinking, but for me, like, what, what would, what would be my version of this?
Catherine O. 11:26
Yep, exactly, yes.
Collin 11:30
And that makes it, that makes it that takes time, right? It does have to be, we have to be honest with ourselves about how we operate, too. Yep.
Catherine O. 11:38
I mean, I'm about five and a half years in, and I'm still figuring out certain things, especially that I know every pet sitter says this The work life balance. I tell myself, I'll get there eventually, but it takes time. I can't, you know, I can't say I came january 1 this is going to happen, because you never know what your schedule is going to end up looking like. There might be things that originally you said, Oh, I'm never going to do that. And then you're like, Well, maybe I'll do that. And it's also, I think it's a learning experience. You do certain things, you're like, I don't like doing that. You know, some people don't do overnights, or some people don't do weekends, and that's fine. That works for them. So I think it's this is a really cool industry to figure that out along the way and learn what you like, what you don't like, and what works for you and your business. So what
Collin 12:35
is that process like for you? You know, five and a half years in finding those boundaries, but then sticking to them, what's you know? Do you have? Do you have the magic pixie dust that to help us all make that work? Catherine,
Catherine O. 12:48
you know? I so in I started part time in 2019 and then, obviously, shortly after that, COVID happened in Ohio, opened up, I believe, in like, June of 2020 in things, and I'm sure a lot of pet sitters have said this exploded, because everyone wanted to go or wanted to do things. And in 2021 I only took seven days off for the entire year, and I didn't realize it until the end of the year when I felt I'll say I was burnt out. And so I told myself that that can't happen again. I can't work 350 something days a year that doesn't nobody can do that. So that's been the biggest, I guess, lesson, and coming up with a way to figure that out, and every year I take a little bit more time off, because really, most people work Monday through Friday, so you get Saturday and Sunday off. That's 96 days a year that people get off just on weekends. I take about 30 days off a year, so I'm still not anywhere near where I probably should be. But after, you know, working weekends, working nights, working holidays, I'm slowly starting to figure out, like next year, I'm taking Christmas Eve day and the day after off, and that's going to be an annual thing for me. So it's learning things like that, where you're like, Oh no, I can work weekends, I can work holidays, and then after a while, you're like, you know what? I can't or not every year, I can't keep doing that every year, because you're missing out on things. And I I'm trying to think of where I saw this, but it was a fellow pet sitter, and she said, I want to run the business. I don't want the business to run me. And I was like, That is dead on how it should be. And for me, I think, and maybe some people, it's fine, I think it's harder than people think to say, no. Yeah, um, especially when you're running the business, when you're the face of everything you don't want to, you know, oh, if I say no to this client, are they going to, like, never use me again? Are they going to get mad? Are they going to, like, tell their neighbors, oh, don't use her. Um. But I think at some point you do learn, like you said, you have to have those boundaries. You have to have those you have to do what's best for you, because then you can you're not gonna be able to show up for your clients if you're working 365 days a year
Collin 15:33
well, and that starts with valuing ourselves, doesn't it? Like you brought up that stat of yeah, if you had a normal Monday through Friday job, you'd get 96 days off a year, yeah, at the minimum, right? And so going, Oh, well, am I worth that? Like, if that's, if that's what people get, like, how do I? Can I make that work for me? Am I? Am I worth that amount of time off? What would that look like in my business? And then we do have to back solve, right? And go, Okay, well, if that's true, maybe I need to adjust my prices so that I, you know, buy $1 or two so I don't need those extra visits. Or maybe I just do my start and stop times different. Yeah. So what we've found is, even when you go, Oh, I didn't work that much today, maybe only have like, two or three visits, because it's a really light day, well, that still interrupts your time. It still keeps you from doing things that you still work, still working. Your mind is still engaged. You're not able to relax and focus on other stuff. It's still keeping your focus and attention, and that is, that's the biggest thing that we've that I've really felt of where is my attention today? Not really, necessarily, what am I doing?
Catherine O. 16:38
I totally agree. I mean, today I only had three appointments, but all of a sudden I looked at the clock and it's like, evening, yeah. And I'm like, What did I do today? But it's and it's not just like the appointments. You drive to the appointments and then you drive to the next appointment, and there's traffic where there's an accident and things get backed up, and you're like, Oh, well, since it's in my easy day, I'll run to the grocery while I'm out, or I'll go pick up this and that. And then for, you know, it's the end of the day, and you've, you might have only, you know, quote, unquote, worked three appointments, but your entire day is done. Yeah, then you gotta do it all over again.
Collin 17:15
Yeah. It's amazing how much that just eats into everything and pulls you away from that stuff. And so having those lessons of going like, you know, like you looking back, going seven days off, and I feel terrible, right? Yeah, and it's it, we reach that point where we go. I don't want more of that, and I don't want another decade, or two decades of only seven days off each year. So what do
Catherine O. 17:37
I have to do? No, you can't. And you, I mean, if you feel like you can, God bless you, but I don't think anybody should be working. You have to take that time off, whether it's just one day, or you're like, I'm taking a whole week off, whatever you need. You have to, because you got to reset yourself, and you need time to just plop on the couch, or, you know, go to the gym, or whatever it is that you do to unwind and not think about work, or not have to build clients or work on your schedule or anything like that. You gotta have that separation, which I think can be another lesson that you learn when you get into this industry, because again, it's so easy to get caught up in the seven days a week, because people need pet care seven days a week, and it can get away from you, Lisa. I mean, for me, it did for a while, and I, like I said, I'm still, I don't think 30 days is enough off, so I'm still working on that, but it can sneak up when you're really fast.
Collin 18:41
Have you heard of time to pet? Susan, the pet gal, has this to say, time to
18:46
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Collin 19:03
If you're looking for new pet sitting software, give time to pet a try. Listeners of our show will save 50% off your first three months by visiting time to pet.com/confession Yeah. I was just, we use employees. We have employees that work for us. And I was just speaking to one doing a review about their time over Thanksgiving, right? And they had said, you know, I didn't even realize how busy we were until after I had looked up kind of the week after, and I looked back at my schedule, that was insane. Yeah, that's, that's exactly. And when he said that, I was like, You're right, like, we get so head down, so focused, and that's a good thing, right? We're like, Okay, I'm working now. I'm ready, like I'm engaged, but then it never stops. This is a 365, day, year machine that just chews through our time, attention, our physical ability and our mental bandwidth. And then finally, when we can, you know, wrench our eyes up. We go, Oh, my God. This is a. What did I just do?
Catherine O. 20:02
Just happened? Yeah, and I found a lot of times too, because I'm, I'm old school, I'm I don't use, like, an app or software anything. I have a physical calendar that I write my schedule in. And sometimes, when I've, I've noticed this too, I'll be writing my schedule out, and it doesn't look like a lot on paper. And then when you get into the day, you're like, holy What did i Why did I do this? Like, how did this, you know, you're like, you look on it on the paper, and you're like, well, this isn't going to be too bad. And then all of a sudden, it's like, a 1215, hour day. And you're like,
Collin 20:38
that was bad, yeah, that's, that's, oh my gosh, yeah, we, we still, we use a software, but we'll still use a pen and paper to outline stuff. It just helps me to see things physically, but you're even then. And it's even worse when it is just a flippant little digital thing on your phone. You're like, scrolling. You're like, oh, that doesn't look bad. These little bars are meaningless to me. I have no idea. And then you're right, you got there, and I've done it time again, where I go Wait, when am I eating lunch?
Catherine O. 21:08
Do I need a bathroom break at all?
Collin 21:14
And so it is part of that, that trial and error. And you know, you've said a couple times Catherine, like, yeah, if that's you, like, go for it, if that's what you're able to do, and that's what what we get to do is learn what am I capable of, but not just what's my max, but like, where am I comfortable? What's going to keep me doing this from
Catherine O. 21:29
day to day? Yes, because I think a lot of people, you're used to the nine to five, Monday through Friday, so you kind of like, take the weekends for granted. You get the holidays off. You get vacation, all that. So when you start in this business, you're like, well, that's just what I'm going to do. Like, that's how, that's how it's going to be. And then you quickly realize that no people need dog, cat, hamster care, Monday through Monday. Yeah. So you know, if you don't again, at least for me, if I don't stay on top of it as much as I can, I definitely overdo it. So that's something I've been working on too. When somebody is like, Oh, can you watch my dog? You know, July 1 through the fifth, I don't. I take my time with saying yes or no. I look at my schedule. I look at, do I have anything personally that I want to do that time? And if it's not, and if I have even the slightest little like, Ooh, I could fit them in, but it'd be a lot, then it's a no. It's a no. And I've learned that the hard way of like, oh yeah, I can squeeze you in. Then you're like, I shouldn't have squeezed you in.
Collin 22:38
Yeah, doing that. What did I do? What am I doing the week before, and what do I need to do the week after? Right? Like, oh, that's so good, because you're going did I am I just coming off like a really intense, crazy period and I'm eating into my only break, or am I about to go into a really insane period? So I'm pushing this up even further, yeah, really, having a full, like a holistic view of not just these specific dates or this specific time, but what is the context around that?
Catherine O. 23:09
Yes, not just like you said, not just looking at that little like, oh, they need care on Wednesday, but what is your Monday and Tuesday look like? What is your Thursday and Friday look like? Because I know, for me, like there's certain months out of the year that are just insanity. So in all and I tell myself, I'll go, I'll go, go go on those in those months, but then the month after, I'm not going to go, go go. I'm going to back off. I'm going to enjoy some like downtime, so I can mentally and physically prepare for the next Go, go, go. One
Collin 23:43
thing that I've been much more in tune with the past couple years was even just like seasonally going, Okay, I just booked five evening visits in June. Well, for some reason I'm really energized, and by the end of that, I'm ready to go five evening visits in the middle of January, is this like the most brutal thing, and it's because it's been dark for seven hours by Yes, and mentally, I'm tired and I'm really down. So even being aware of seasonal differences of how our bodies are going to be feeling will help this so we know when to take lighter loads or to take more on, so that we are in tune with what's going on.
Catherine O. 24:22
I agree, because I feel like most of the time again, I'm I'm a creature of habit. I like routines and schedules. So my brain about around around, like two o'clock starts to kind of unwind for the day, and then by like, dinner time, I'm like, so So I know that for me scheduling those late visits unless it's like, you know, gotta do it. I I'm more inclined to say no or hey, I can come at this time, but not fast, you know, whatever time, because I can't function after that. Yeah.
Collin 25:01
Well, so during this process, Catherine, did you ever consider hiring or bringing somebody on for your business? And what's that thought process been? Like
Catherine O. 25:09
I did, especially again, after everything opened up, after COVID, and there was this explosion, and I really went back and forth with the hiring, the not hiring, because I was like, I don't want to do all this. And I went back and forth hymns, and Han made pros and cons, and ultimately, I'm still a solo sitter, and that's because one again, I I don't have a website, I don't use technology. I don't have apps. It's basically like, you have to find me in order. It's really mostly my clients are usually the ones that are like, hey, my neighbor, or, you know, my aunts or whoever. And if my clients recommending you, I'm gonna assume that you're good. Um, so I just, I, I think hiring for me would just put more stress on myself, because I know when I go to a client's house, I know what's going on, and I know how I'm doing it, and I know things are taken care of, and it's done this way, and all that. I think I would, I'd have probably a little trouble relinquishing some control, um, because I would assume and hope that if I hire you, you're going to go do the job, you're going to do it the right way, um, but I also don't have a camera on you to know that, um, and to if somebody, you know, I hired somebody, and they're like, oh, call me, you know, just, oh, I'm sick. I can't come in. And if I'm working, and they were supposed to work, well, then what? So I just started playing, like, all these, like, you know, God forbid, you know, things that could happen. And ultimately, I was like, You know what? I'm I'll just stay solo, and I'll continue to work on getting that schedule to, like I said, that work life balance where I need to. And if that takes a couple more years, then that's okay. I just for me, and I God bless those people who hire and can dish out and keep track of everyone. I just, I could barely keep track of myself. So the idea of, like, keeping track of a couple of people, and did you do that? And how did that go? And did you go there? I just was, it was too exhausting. So ultimately, I decided Solo was for me. And if that means, like I said, but that means I have to continue, over the years, to narrow down my schedule and work life balance to where, you know, eventually I'm like, yeah, that's, that's the stuff. Then, then I'm okay
Collin 27:55
with that, yeah, it's about building what you want, you know? And I, I think there is a misconception that if you stay solo, you'll never get a break and you'll never get a vacation again, right? And I know many, many who are actively taking cruises all of the time and are actively and it's their full time pet saying is their full time thing? And it's because, it's because they've priced accordingly, and they've said yes to the right type of yes, yeah, the kind of clients who, when you say, No, I can't do that because I have a break, they go, oh, good for you. Great. Do you need anything? Every
Catherine O. 28:32
single one of my clients, they're like, good for you. You earned it. You deserve it. I'm like, Yeah, you're right. I do.
Collin 28:40
You're right and and, you know, those clients sound like unicorns, right? They do, but when you are able to have a personal, genuine connection with them, and that starts with us being authentic and starting off on that right foot, like we talked about Catherine, people will see, okay, this is somebody who I am working with. I'm not just hiring to be a body doing this, that this person has value and expertise that I need in my life, and I need them well, right? It's, it's really that simple, where somebody goes, Okay, yep, I understand. And it and too often, we can look at our client list and our client roster, and we do this from time to time, and you know, you'll scroll and you'll be like, do any of these people even, like, do they care, right? Or are they, am I just here to serve them? Yeah, and that doesn't happen by accident. Or I will say it does, right? We just unintentionally say yes to everybody, instead of really screening for those kind of people. I think
Catherine O. 29:32
that's a big one too. And I get like, when you first start out, obviously you have to build clientele. Um, so you you need to say yes and get yourself out there and everything. But what I've noticed, too, like I said, I still have my very first client ever that I had. I just did an overnight for them back in October. So I've had the majority of my clients have been with me since day one. So I, you know, I've seen their kids. Grow up. I've seen them have kids. One of my clients just gave birth over the weekend. I've seen their their dogs and cats grow up. So it's kind of again, it would be nice to hire or to have someone a backup, but I I enjoy and that's part of why I don't like use software, apps or anything, because I enjoy that interaction. Because some of my clients, I'm in their house every day, but I haven't seen them in years, you know? So, you know, I'll come in, I'm like, Ooh, look at that. They got a new couch, but, like, I haven't seen them in three, four or five years. Yeah, so, but I enjoy that, even if it's just a quick text where I send them a picture and be like, Oh, look, we went on a walk today, I enjoy that interaction with them, because it's still I might not see them all the time. So that little interaction when I'm over for a walk or a potty break or something, that still keeps us engaged, and that still keeps our relationship, I guess, afloat.
Collin 31:08
Yeah, I was just speaking with somebody the other day where they have been taking care of the same, literally, the same client, for over 20 years. And I was like, goal, like, like, business goals, right? Like you and like that. How amazing is that relationship? How wonderful what have they been through? How much trust is there that's like,
Catherine O. 31:31
inviting you to, like, Thanksgiving dinner
Collin 31:35
relationship, well, and then you said, you know, and we don't see them ever. And I'm like, wait, yeah, like, 20 years, and you've never, like, you've probably, you know, seen them in person, like, three times, I don't know, like, right? They see it'll happen where we live in kind of a smaller community, and so we send selfies of us with the dogs, the cats, with everybody, and somebody will say, Oh, you know, they'll recognize us from the selfies, we say. And I'm like, I have no idea who you are, but it's glad, yes, you're welcome, right? That is
Catherine O. 31:59
the same thing with me. I'll be out on a walk, whatever, and I've like, I'll see other people in the neighborhood walking their dogs around the same time. So I start like, I'm like, oh, that's Bob. Like, Hey, Bob, how's the wife? And I don't even really, I don't even know Bob, but because I walk so and so's dog at the same time he walks his dog, we end up, like, chit chatting or whatever, and that too. I mean, I will admit I'm an introvert, but I think everyone, even if you are an introvert, you need a little something. You need a little interaction. And I do enjoy the fact that I can go all day and just snuggle dogs and all that and not have to deal with people, but those little interactions that you know you see Bob out with his dog, you'd be like, Hey, Bob, I find I like that. I think that's a cool part of this job.
Collin 32:49
Well, that personal touch, too, that you mentioned, of keeping that relationship genuine and going I am. I am thinking long term, right? And as we should be anticipating. How will I serve this person for decades that really changes how we approach things and even what we choose to invest in, as far as our training or our relationships or our time, when we start thinking in decadal time blocks and going, I want to serve not just this dog, but this owner's next dog, and then their next dog and then, or maybe, yeah, like that feed. It'd be so this is gonna be so amazing to have those people. And imagine the them cheering you on, and them seeing you progress and seeing you succeed.
Catherine O. 33:39
I mean, if you're if you have a client for 20 years, like you're doing something right yeah, you're doing something right there, yeah? For that family, because obviously it's not the same pet. I mean, I would love it if our dogs could last 20 years, but for them to repeatedly come at, come to you say, hey, you know, we need your services for 20 years. That is just, that's goals,
Collin 34:02
yeah, no, it is really hard. You know, we, we've had, we've had a small handful of clients who had a dog that passed away, and then there was a little interim, and then we get a little message that says, hey, we'd like for you to come over and meet so and so. And, man, those are, those are some of the sweetest things. Oh, it is you'll do when you're like, Oh my gosh. Like, yeah, here, let's go like, I'm so excited for you. And you, you know, I you're reaching out to me for your new your new journey. And that means so much.
Catherine O. 34:33
It is because I, especially this year, I've had about six or seven clients lose a pet this year, and it's so, I mean, I it is so hard, and I'm trying to be like, you know, supportive for them when they're going through this, but on the inside, I'm like, hysterically falling apart right there with them. Yeah, because you've, you've watched the. Dog or this cat, or, I don't care if it's a hamster or a fish. You watch this pet over however many years, and we all know what that feels like to lose a pet, so to watch somebody else go through it. Oh, it's just, it's hard. But then, like you said, when they reach out after that, you know, whatever that time frame is for them, and to be like, hey, you know, we just brought spot home. Would you be interested in starting up again? Oh, it's just so it's so exciting, um, for them and for you, it's kind of like starting a new relationship, yeah, because the pets knew. But at the same time, you're familiar with the home and the client name, you know what they like and what they don't like. It's just, it's just a really it's a really cool industry to be in. It's really cool. It is because
Collin 35:58
not only do we get to make it our own, but we do get to be with people through all stages of their life, right? And that is a promise that we get to make to them. Of I'm here through thick and thin, right? I'm not just going to disappear when the summer's over or whenever winter breaks on, or I'm not just going to disappear whenever it's inconvenient for me, right? I'm taking you on. It's a commitment, like we are going to be this together, and that is a journey that we go on with with them. For clients who reach out to you, or you get a client referral who says, you know, hey, why don't you go check out Ladybug, they've been helping me out a lot. What is that like bringing in a new client, and how do you make sure that they know kind of, you know the expectations and what that's going to
Catherine O. 36:39
be like? I will say I, because I'm a solo sitter, I have, I've had to put the brakes on new clients for a while, um, but typically, again, like I said, I don't people have to find me to get my services. So typically, it is a client referral, you know, someone's parents or someone's neighbor, which is pretty cool, because then I I have a couple of clients who, literally, I have probably about five clients that live in the same neighborhood, and it's kind of been like a domino effect, like I started out with one person, they were like, Oh, hey, our neighbor now has a dog. Can you? I'm like, Okay. And it trickles around like that. It's just a really cool experience to know that your client trusts you enough to put your name out there to somebody else, because obviously, if, if you sucked, they probably wouldn't go about telling you know, the neighbor, like, hey, yeah, he's this lady. She's terrible, yeah, so to know that they have enough trust in you to give your name out to somebody else. Um, that's and this isn't like, brackets or anything, but that makes you feel good, that makes you feel like, okay, I must be doing something right in order for me to be gaining more clients like that.
Collin 38:10
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Catherine O. 39:59
I. Um, this was probably back in 2022, I think, um, I, I got an email, and again, me being a solo sitter. I don't really like, I've said before, I don't really like advertise myself, um, but I got this email, and my very first thought was, like, Haha. Like, what a joke. But one of I'm guessing it was probably one of my clients. I don't know. They don't tell you, but I was nominated for Business of the Year in my town. And again, I read the emails like, Haha, like, is this like spam or something? And no, it was real. And, I mean, I didn't win. I went up against these huge businesses in our town. But just the fact that somebody, again, I'm assuming it's one of my clients, thought so much of me to write into our chamber to nominate me. I it's a I'm humbled at the fact that they think that much of me, when I'm in my head, I'm like, Oh, I'm just walking their dog, or I'm just feeding their cats. But obviously that means more to them than to just, oh, you're just walking my dog, you're just feeding my cat. That's there's more to it, because obviously, if you have a pet that's a family member, so it's more than just feeding the cat or taking the dog out to pie, and I took again that nomination as like a little pat on the back.
Collin 41:35
It does mean so much to our clients, and we often don't get insight into that. Of you know, we say, oh, what pain points Am I solving? Or how am I making your life better? But people use us for whatever reasons that they need, and we are valuable to them, that they continue to use us. And we should not take that lightly, right? We should never get to the point where it's just an expectation. Okay, well, whatever, because people's lives change and they don't have to use us. They can exactly something else, and yet, here they are. There's
Catherine O. 42:12
a cheaper pets that are out there, you know, there's the neighborhood kid, there's the college kid home for summer. There's, you know, you can go on WAG, you can go on rover and probably find the $10 dog walker, um, but they're continue, like you said. They're continuing to come back to you, even though maybe your prices are higher than the neighborhood kid or something like that. But it's because you're worth it to them. They know that you're doing what you should. I've heard some horror stories about, you know, teenagers and the neighborhood kids and the college students like, you know, quote, unquote, taking care of the neighborhood's pet. And that's not really what's going on. So it's that's unfortunate, but when a family can find a legitimate Pet Sitter who does it for a living and is going to show up and do exactly what that pet needs, what you expect. That's that's a pretty cool thing,
Collin 43:13
yeah, and we do often forget about those kind of experiences that people may have and why they come to us. I know I did a Meet Greet one time, and everything was going well. And we get to the feeding part, and the person started to get kind of tense and nervous, and then they turned to me and they said, so to be completely honest, the last person we hired do this literally, would just come in. They cut open the bag of cat food and dumped it on the floor, and they left, and I and and they just stared at me. And, you know, I'm sitting it's just like, I'm mortified, mortified that somebody would think that that was okay, and it scarred this person, like, genuinely left them horrified, because then the person just never showed up for the rest of the four days. And you're, it's like, too often we can think of like, well, obviously, I would never do that. That's, that's just complete out
Catherine O. 44:02
of the, yeah, I can't help Adam,
Collin 44:05
that happening. And then this person standing there looking at me basically going, Are you going to do that? Yeah, are you going to do that to the and people we, I can become kind of cold to that side of things, because they go, Well, we would never do that, right? Yeah, and people do get hurt, and we have to be able to say that's, that's below our standards, right? That's, that's completely unacceptable. And but it's not just the words, it's then the follow through, because I guarantee you that that person, that person hired, didn't promise them. I'm just going to cut the back. I
Catherine O. 44:41
think I'll just come over once and I'll rip the bag open. Is that good, right? Right?
Collin 44:44
We have to get in there and prove it's a show and tell and then tell again, and then show again, and then show again, and then when that trust is there, they'll that's what keeps them that's what keeps them there.
Catherine O. 44:56
Yes, I agree. And sometimes I'll even still. Again, five and a half years in, you know, if I'm taking care of a client's dog and they're out of town or something, and even if, like the slightest, like they're outside to go potty and ooh, their dog, it wasn't quite diarrhea, but it wasn't like, I'm going to tell you that, even if it probably doesn't mean anything, you know, or, Hey, your dog got sick. He seems fine. But I want to let you know in case you notice something when you get you know, and that's not something that the kid who's going to rip open the bag and leave is going to do if he sees throw up, he's going to pretend like he didn't see it. Yep,
Collin 45:35
you know, yep. Communicating bad, quote, unquote. Bad news is never, never good. But as I remind myself and as remind other people all the time, that's one of the reasons they hired us, was to communicate that stuff, to be in tune enough to be professional, enough to be educated enough to know when something is worth and should be communicated to the client. That's part of the peace of mind that they're getting, not just that we're going to feed them, it's when something goes wrong. Yes, that's part of what we do, too.
Catherine O. 46:03
And I'd rather these people are always like, Oh, do you want me to, like, leave notes. Do you want me to, like, tell you I was like, you leave me everything you think. I'd rather have too much information than sit there. Be like, what do you want me to do? And so that's kind of how I think of things, too. I'd rather send a picture. Be like, oh, you know what? Spots poop. It wasn't quite runny, but it wasn't solid. Let you know, because I don't want them to come home and be like, Oh my god, Spot had diary all over the couch. Like, did you notice anything? And then you're like, Well, I probably should have told you,
Collin 46:35
well actually, for the past two days, yeah. You mentioned some of the, you know, taking care of dogs and some cats and stuff too, Catherine, what? And for where you're where you're serving, what's kind of the market asking of you, and how are you finding the best way to serve your clients there, as far as the services that you do,
Catherine O. 46:59
I noticed pretty quickly. Overnights for me are the big the big item. Obviously, I think a lot of people, again, since COVID have had more flexibility in their jobs. A lot of people, I mean, I still have, I have clients who work from home that I still come over and walk their dog. Because obviously, just because you're working at home doesn't mean you're sitting on the couch with your dog. Yeah, so, but I have noticed the overnights have become that is the hot ticket over here. And I never again. I never knew that people wanted that when I was growing up, we always took our dog to like a boarding place, and with my dogs, thankfully, I always had friends or family nearby that I could be like, Hey, Mom, Dad, I'm not going to be home tonight. Can I drop my dogs off? You know? So it never dawned on me, like, what people do when they go out of town and obviously can't take their dogs. So the overnight and that's been a learning process for me, too, with the overnights, is not, is if I, if I said yes to all the overnights, I probably would never even stay at my home. I would probably just bounce from one client's house to another, which, I think people get the misconception about overnights that it's not, I'm not, like, hanging out at somebody's house, like, there is downtime. Obviously, I'm not gonna, like, go, go, go with the dog until he passes out at midnight, right? Um, but I'm not there to, like, hang out and, like, throw my things about and, you know, use the stove and leave a mess and all that I don't even, I get too even worked up thinking about using the stove that I don't use the stove. So I, for me, the overnights are when I leave, I wanted to look like I was never there. And, of course, and I always, always forget to check the fridge and I'll have a client. They're like, your coffee creamers in here. I was like, Oh, dang it. Forgot the coffee creamer, but i The overnights are not like a vacation for me. Um, obviously, yes. Again, there's snuggle moments on the couch when we're watching TV at the end of the day or something like that. But the overnight stays, I have found have been the biggest, at least, again, for me, my market, my area, that is what everyone's wanting.
Collin 49:35
You mentioned the kind of leaving the stay and Megan, I we currently don't offer overnights, but we used to, and, man, the morning that you're leaving was always super stressful for us, because that's like, you know, yeah, like, we'd spend the previous day doing, like, a pretty deep clean and all the vacuuming and some dusting, and then the morning of though, it's like, are the sheets done? Are they washed? Are they in the thing? Are they, you know, are the counters wiped down? When was the vacuum? Was the trash taken out? Like, my goodness,
Catherine O. 50:06
it was 24 hours of an overnight. It's like, I always tell people, I was like, That is like, go time, like you said, you want to get all your things together, and then you want to make sure, like you said. And again, the teenager who rips open the bag and leaves is not going to come in and Swiffer your floors, no, or straighten up the pillows or throw the sheets in the laundry. They're not going to do any of that. So I know what you're talking about with like that last year, like, okay, my client's coming home at like one, so I'll be here until like 11, so I need to get all this thing, all these things done before then, and you're just like, whipping around their house as the dog's staring at you,
Collin 50:46
like, right now, I have Febreze to spray. Hold
Catherine O. 50:49
on, exactly, but I Yeah, the the overnights are people, are a lot of people who don't do this for a living. They're like, Oh, that would be fun. Like hanging out at someone's house. It's like, it is fun. I mean, it's part of my job. Obviously, it's fun to hang out with a pup, um, but I'm also not like, I mean, I bring, I have a tote that I bring my own coffee maker and coffee things and food and like, blankets and pillows and toiletry like, I'm basically moving into this person's house. Yeah. So it's not like, I'm like, raiding their fridge or anything. Like, that's not what I do. And I've heard horror stories about that too, about people coming home and they're, you know, their milk is gone, or the whole bag of Cheetos is gone, and I'm like, That's not, that's not what I'm there for. Yeah, it would be to eat your Cheetos. I don't
Collin 51:50
put that on the flyer there. I will eat all your Cheetos. But it is, it is about then, yeah, setting those expectations with the clients too, of because I know we get some expectations of, well, you're going to stay here, 24/7 right? Like you're never going to leave, right? Do you ever get those kind of requests
Catherine O. 52:09
I did at the beginning, and that was the one thing that I was automatic, no, like I'm I, if I did a 24 hours, you know, 24/7 sit, that would also mean putting my personal life on the on hold, and with the amount of overnights I do, I wouldn't have a personal page if I did that. And also, I have regular clients that I see Monday through Friday for like walks or drop in visits. So if I did a 24 hour sit, I'd have to cancel on all those regulars, and those regulars, again, have been with me for years. So that was the I got a couple of requests for 24/7 care. And I was like, that's not something. I'm I'm not interested, and I can't do it. Yeah, yeah. It's not me.
Collin 52:56
I we had to come up with just like, a random price for that kind of care, because we got it enough where I was like, I should go ahead and just tell them a price, because eventually somebody, someone may say yes to it. No one make sure it's worth my time, right? But usually when you start saying, like, that'll be $800 a day, they're like,
Catherine O. 53:14
nevermind. Actually, I think four visits a day would be
Collin 53:17
five. And that's exactly what kind of the intent was Catherine, of of going no, what you're asking is genuinely worth way more than this. But this is an absurd amount of money, and it helps put into context the value of everything else that we do. And that was one of the, one of the reasons why we just did that. Most
Catherine O. 53:34
people aren't home anyways. You know, you go to your job, or you drop the kids off at soccer practice, or you go out for dinner. So your dog or your cat or whoever they're used to people not being home. So, and I get the like, when you go out of town, kind of that reservation like, Oh, they're going to miss us. And not that. Of course, pets miss their family, but you think you need to go over the top, or go overboard with them to compensate because you're going to be in Florida for a week, when really they're cool. They're your dogs are fine at home. They might be a little nervous at the beginning, yeah, but they don't. They don't need that 24/7 care some, some might, maybe if they're older or have certain medical issues or something. But that was, I will say that the 24/7 thing was the first thing that I was like, No,
Collin 54:27
right? Because we got, we got to know those, those pros and cons. We have to know the opportunity costs. Yeah, of that, of of Sure, I may be able to make 50 bucks or whatever. But what am I having to get up, give up for that, or what so at the end of the day, is it really worth it, and is that what I want? Is that what, what do I what do I want more of? And I think I've had to ask myself that question more this year than I have at any point. Is this what I want more of? Is this what I want more of? To try and find that direct. Action forward. I agree. Yep, Catherine, I want to thank you so much for coming on today and for sharing your story and encouraging others and us to find that personal connection with the clients and lean into those personal relationships, because at the end of the day, that's what it's all about. I know that I wait, I'm immediately thinking of at least two more episodes we need to have you back on. So for those, for those who want to follow along and follow you on social media and see all the
Catherine O. 55:32
as you should, as you should, they do that. Catherine, I'm sorry. I used to have Facebook, and I have kind of let that go. It's there. It's just Ladybug pet care, but I sadly, do not post very much on there, but I'm very active on Instagram, and that's also just Ladybug pet care. Yeah,
Collin 55:54
it's very easy to find, and always enjoy seeing everything that you've got going on over there. So I'll make sure that that that link is in the show notes so people can click right to that. Catherine, this has been and just an absolute, immense pleasure. I'm very thankful for your time today, and thank you for coming on the show. Thank you so much. I love when Katherine said the trust and connection with clients start with being authentic. And first and foremost, we have to be authentic to ourselves. Are you comfortable with who you are? Have you ever just looked at yourself in the mirror with nothing else going on and just stared at yourself for a little bit? It gets uncomfortable after a while. We have to be first comfortable and content and happy with who we are before we can start being authentic and true with other people. It takes being vulnerable, but it has to be honest. We have to be honest with ourselves before we can be honest with anybody else. It's a process, and it does take time start with the people closest to you who you can trust, and build from there. It just takes one step at a time, and it's something worthwhile in the new year, we want to thank today's sponsors tying to pet and the peaceful pet music call music for pets on youtube channel for making today's show possible. And we really want to thank you so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, and we'll be back again soon you.
