All tagged build

520: Finding Opportunities in a Changing Economy

Have you ever attended an economic outlook presentation? In this episode, we share insights from a recent local presentation that highlighted key economic trends affecting pet care businesses. We discuss how inflation is increasing price sensitivity among clients, making efficiency and added value services crucial. We also emphasize the importance of focusing on stable sectors like healthcare and education to maintain a consistent client base. Understanding and adapting to the local economy is essential for thriving, even in uncertain times.

448: When Word-of-Mouth Isn’t Enough: 20 Ideas to Market Your Business

How is word of mouth marketing working for you? If you’re like many people right now, you’re finding that word of mouth is not quite enough to keep your business growing or maintaining the level you need. Today, we break down 20 marketing ideas to try if you’ve never had to market before. If it’s all a little intimidating, we also discuss 5 things to focus on to get started.

420: Balancing Data and Intuition when Making Decisions

How should you use data when making decisions in your business? Data and quantitative information provides invaluable surety when we look to solve problems in our business. However, there are limitations to the accuracy and applicability to the data we collect. Ultimately, we are at the interplay of facts and figures and emotions with our customers. We break down how this impacts making good decisions and practical applications to use today!

418: Putting in Hard Work

How does continually taking shortcuts in your business hurt you in the long run? While it may seem like a good idea to go after “tips and tricks” or “hacks” to overcome obstacles, you end up cheating yourself out of learning opportunities and confidence building. We break down several elements as to why tackling hard things is good for you, and how to know the difference between a hard task and a hardship in your life. 

415: Fostering Relationships Through Your Software with Mike Grenier

What drives close relationships in your business? We should view everything we do as an opportunity to foster relationships with our clients, including our software. Mike Grenier, co-founder of Time to Pet, joins the show to share how they prioritize problem-solving. Mike emphasizes the importance of adhering to guiding principles while not being afraid to pivot in response to market changes. He describes the process of building a niche business and how his early days running a pet sitting business with his wife influenced their approach to software.

307: Workflows and Productivity with Doug Keeling

What does it mean to be productive? How do we get work done, other than the pet care? Doug Keeling, owner of Bad to the Bone Pet Care, joins the show to share his workflows in his business. Whether you decide to use technology or pen and paper, the first step is writing your ideas and projects down so you have a place to reference it later. From communications to implementing new ideas, Doug shares how important it is to have a review system. When you know how you work, you’re better able to get feedback and stay on track to make sure you’re accomplishing your goals and objectives.

244: Roundtable: Pricing Your Services

How should you set your prices? 💰Because pricing is such a huge topic in the pet care industry, we asked Natasha O'Banion, Doug Keeling, & Dan Reitman to each share their mindset around pricing. With us going into a New Year, right now is the perfect time to step back and assess not only your prices, but also your mindset around charging for your services, and viewing yourself as a business owner. It's so much more than "know your worth". It's about understanding the opportunities available when you price right, and the opportunity costs when they're not set correctly.

190: Un-Marketing Your Business

Where should we invest our time as business owners? Traditional thinking would say to make sure to carve out plenty of time for marketing your services. What if we focused on other things and put relationships first? What would that look like in our business? We break down what the idea of Un-Marketing is and ways to start changing our mindsets towards placing more importance on relationships than ads. From the technology we use, to how we post on social media, there are ways to respect our clients and build their trust without ever running a single ad. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I handle a negative review?”

184: What Makes a Good Website, with Erika Godwin

Is your website working for you? When did you last update it? Erika Godwin, owner of Barketing Solutions, shares what it means to have a modern website and why it’s critical to running a business. From mobile friendly, to the latest PHP, Erika breaks down the elements a website needs in order to be optimized for SEO. From building trust, to communicating your culture, there is so much that a website can provide you, beyond just giving clients the ability to book.

098- Self-Care

On today's episode, we discuss our self-care routines and feelings toward the idea of self-care. This episode is just as much for us as anyone because we don't have this figured out either! We talk through some tools and self-care methods. On our Ask a Pet Biz Coach segment, Natasha answers the question, “Should I even bother starting a pet care business in 2020?”