All tagged animal

477: Turning Over A New Leaf with Kirsten Kruska

What does it mean to reinvent yourself? Kirsten Kruska, co-owner of Pet and Plant Pal, explores the journey of career reinvention after a pivotal health challenge forced her out of dog grooming. Kirsten shares how she transformed her expertise in pet care and horticulture into a flourishing business. Emphasizing health & wellness, Kirsten shares how her commitment to physical fitness and overcoming injury shaped her approach to business and life. She also discusses ethical entrepreneurship, highlighting her dedication to ethical practices rooted in Buddhist principles, and how these values distinguish her services. Lastly, Kirsten discusses the importance of knowledge sharing, from grooming advice to plant care tips, illustrating her belief in education as a cornerstone of her business model.

367: Getting the Most out of Your Insurance with Colleen Giles-Harris

You pay for insurance, but is it protecting you? Running a business means we have to understand the risk we take on with the services we offer. As your business changes, so too do your insurance needs. Colleen Giles-Harris, Underwriter with Pet Sitters Associates, joins the show to walk us through the questions we need to ask about our businesses to make sure we are covered. She explains where the homeowners insurance comes into play during a claims process and why it matters the kind of pets you’re caring for. Colleen also shares how to properly document for a claims process and how to approach minimum-level of care concerns.

361: Parenting and Pet Care Roundtable

What’s it like being a parent in pet care? As a business owner, it can be overwhelming to consider adding a child and growing your family while also keeping your business running. There is so much to account for and many different business models you can try. On a very special roundtable Marissa LeJune, owner of Tail Swaggers, Amber Van Denzen Suarez, owner of Atta Boy! Animal Care, and Stephanie Brown, owner of Happy Trail’s Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services, join the show to share their experience of raising their kids while running their business. If you’re just starting out in your business journey, or are a soon to be new parent this is for you!

303: Facing Fear with Hope with Nicole Packin

Nicole Packin, owner of Miami Pet Concierge & The Packin Method, joins the show to share how she worked through her fears and self doubt in starting her business. Nicole ran her business for 15 years, then decided to set up in a brand new location, several states away. She gives us some insight into what it's like operating across state lines and why it's critical to stay fresh and up-to-date as a business. Nicole also shares how HOPE is the key to running a successful pet care business.

277: Pet Sitting in South Africa with Alexiane Arcens

Pet sitting is a global community, with different flavors and markets across countries. Alexiane Arcens joins us to share what being a pet sitter is like in South Africa. She shares what challenges she and other sitters face in Johannesburg. Alexiane encourages others to price according to their skills and why client education is a big hurdle. She has endeavored to raise the bar in South Africa and has put together the very first pet sitters conference for Johannesburg.

222: Fostering Mindful Pet Parents with Alexa Rabini

What does it mean to help our clients be more mindful? We start by helping them pay attention to changes in their pet and by empowering them to be advocates for the pets health. Alexa Rabini, the Pug Mom, shares how she helps her clients be more mindful in their care. She also breaks down some common misconceptions around CBD usage in pets. Alexa gives some great tips on managing online communities for pet parents and pet professionals, to help everyone be engaged and growing together.

218: Know Your Customer with Brian Taylor

How are you building multiple ways to service your clients? Sticky services keep clients coming back because you keep solving their problems in new ways. From package pricing to customer service and retention, Brian Taylor, owner of Harlem Doggie Day Spa, joins the show to share how he's become known as the 'Dog Father of Harlem'. His passion for being neighborhood centric and servicing community drive him to connect his business to his community. Brian pursues servicing his top client's needs and making every interaction special. He shares why he continues to give back and where he hopes the grooming industry goes in the future.

201: Risk Management and Insurance with Colleen Giles-Harris

We know we should have insurance. It’s a critical component of protecting you and your business from potentially costly claims. Sometimes though, it can be overwhelming to wade into all of the terms and conditions. Colleen Giles-Harris, Underwriter and Manager of the insurance program for Pet Sitters Associates, joins us again to clarify common misunderstandings of insurance coverage. She breaks down the do’s and don’ts of the claim process, so nothing gets held up. Insurance policies will also have exclusions, which you need to be aware of. Colleen explains what the most common ones are and how that plays into risk management as a business.

110- Pet Loss and Grieving with Coleen Ellis

Processing the loss of any pet is difficult. Processing the loss of a clients pet can add complications and uncertainty of how to handle it on both a professional and personal level. Coleen Ellis, Founder of Two Heart Pet Loss Center, joins us to help break down our role as pet care providers, how to care for ourselves while grieving, and help everyone in the mourning work.

094- Holistic Pet Care with Gillian Edwards

On today’s episode, Gillian Edwards, owner of Four Paws Holistic Therapy, joins us to talk all about holistic pet care. Gillian shares how pet sitters are a part of the pets care team, and how we can learn more about massage, animal communication, and the role reiki plays in their long term care.

082- Cat Care for Pet Sitters with Dr. Kathryn Primm

Dr. Kathryn Primm, owner of Applebrook Animal Hospital and host of multiple podcasts and radio shows, joins us for a show packed with amazing advice for those of us who don’t have a lot of experience caring for cats. She shares the importance of fear free in animal care and how to bond with those really shy cat clients.

048- Dog Training Skills with Khara Schuetzner

What are some dog training skills pet sitters can be working on right now? Khara Schuetzner, Chair of APDT, joins us to discuss some basic skills we can all be working on. She also encourages us on the importance of these skills, even if we don't plan on offering training as a service.