All tagged busy

486: Living Up to Your Own Standards

486: Living Up to Your Own Standards

Collin

Can you meet the promises you make to your clients? Our goal should be to truly embody values like professionalism, dependability, and transparency. Whatever you promise your clients, these should not merely be marketing terms but actual practices, supported by robust systems. There can be significant repercussions if we fail to meet the standards we set for ourselves, and we should be prepared to defend our practices when clients hold us accountable. Ultimately, we should strive to align our practices with our core values and maintain consistency in all interactions to build and sustain trust with clients.

444: Stress Testing Your Business, How to Learn From the Busy Times

444: Stress Testing Your Business, How to Learn From the Busy Times

Collin

How did your business hold up during the recent busy period? If you found yourself pulling your hair out, with multiple things falling through the cracks and your systems breaking, you’re not alone! Stress testing your business comes in the form of tackling more visits than you typically do. It allows us to see where our existing systems and policies fall down so we improve for next time! We break down 4 areas that commonly buckle under heavy business, questions to ask yourself to assess how you did, and ways to improve before the next busy time!

438: Don’t Stop Believing…in Marketing

438: Don’t Stop Believing…in Marketing

Collin

What should you do with your marketing during a busy period? While it may be tempting to take your foot off the gas, we think it’s the perfect time to keep going! Running your messaging year round will help develop brand awareness and even out the ups and downs that come with running a dog walking and pet sitting business. We break down the reason stopping marketing during busy periods can hurt your business, and the kinds of messaging to focus on to get the right clients once the slowdown comes.

331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando

331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando

Collin

Alicia Obando, owner of Pitter Patter Parenting, joins the show to share why she has stayed unapologetically solo. She walks us through how she markets herself effectively and how she’s set her policies to support being a solo sitter. Living in a society that says we need to always go bigger and “better”, Alicia pushes back by changing her mindset about the kind of services she offers.

247: Why We Hired

247: Why We Hired

Collin

Have you thought about hiring? We have. A LOT. We recently hired for the first time and will be doing a series of episodes on what the process was like for us. Hiring isn’t always the answer to our struggles in business, so we break down some of our reasons for deciding it was time to hire. We also give you some questions to think through if you’re on the fence. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I get over my fear and make big changes?”

233: Eating Well as a Busy Pet Sitter

233: Eating Well as a Busy Pet Sitter

Collin

How do you plan your meals throughout the week? What makes a good snack for a busy dog walker and pet sitter? It’s not easy and is unique for everyone. We sent out a survey to other pet sitters to get a better idea of what others have experienced. Our businesses run on our bodies. So, we should seriously consider what we’re putting into it. For preparing the night before, to staying hydrated, there are simple things to get on a better track. We share some of the biggest struggles to planning meals, how to overcome them, and hacks to being more consistent. Then, Natasha shares her best piece of business advice.

225: The Holiday Season

225: The Holiday Season

Collin

The Holiday Season is upon us! But don't worry, it's NOT too late to get prepared and make sure you set your mental and emotional health as a priority. The holidays are busy, but they don't have to be crushing. Setting up your schedule right now, and communicating your availability are just the first steps to start taking more control for a more enjoyable season. From saying, "NO" to why you may consider taking deposits this year, boundaries are more important than ever. Natasha O'Banion answers the question, "What books are you reading right now?"

186: Pressing Pause

186: Pressing Pause

Collin

Stressed? Feeling overwhelmed? We are. The rapid increase in new clients has caught many of us off-guard and scrambling to meet the new demands. We want to give you permission to press pause for a few seconds and just breathe. We know there are so many things on your plate to get done today and this week. Which of them are mission critical to your business? We encourage you to seriously take 30 seconds to rest and focus on the emotions, fears, and stresses that bubble up Natasha O’Banion answers the best way to scale to meet the new demand.

164: Burnout Recovery with Kristin Morrison

164: Burnout Recovery with Kristin Morrison

Collin

Burnout and compassion fatigue are such a huge topic in the pet care industry, because we all struggle with it. Kristin Morrison joins the show to share her own struggles with burnout and what a road to recovery looks like. We discuss why it’s important to redefine what success looks like for you and why understanding our time commitments helps us set aside time for ourselves. We also discuss why it’s so hard to ‘rest’ as a business owner, and what it takes to replace negative mindsets with positive ones.

121: Preparing for the Holidays

121: Preparing for the Holidays

Collin

This year’s holiday season is likely going to look very different! On this episode we discuss how to market to that difference, gifts, and safety concerns around holiday food and decorations. Natasha O’Banion answers what to do if you’ve made a mistake!

098- Self-Care

098- Self-Care

Collin

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?”