All tagged dog walker
Is your business memorable? With a more crowded market than ever, we discuss strategies for making your business stand out and why it's crucial for success. We share the importance of defining the terms you use and the importance of offering unique services. Your clients are looking for feelings and emotions, so you should be connecting at that level with them, not in technical jargon. Learn how to differentiate your business and leave a positive, memorable impact on your clients.
Ever wondered how to effectively network and forge meaningful connections within the industry? We share the importance of setting clear goals and aligning expectations in your networking endeavors. We consider the four main reasons for connecting with industry peers. When connecting, it's crucial to freely share information while respecting boundaries, and also understand the nuances between formal and informal referral networks. Ultimately, we offer practical advice for cultivating meaningful connections and robust support networks to navigate the challenges of the industry.
Do you see yourself as playing a vital role in the health of the pet care industry? To ensure a robust future, we can all be ambassadors for professional dog walking and pet sitting. Jamie Migdal, founder of Fetchfind!, joins the show to share her vision for the future of pet care. From collaborative approaches to pushing the limits of our own education, Jamie believes we can all make our mark on the legacy of pet sitting. She also discusses how in order to decrease competition, there needs to be an increase in the consumer base. By being advocates for pet owners, we help bring more people, pets, and profits to our businesses.
What does the life of a pet sitter mean to you? We’re celebrating 400 episodes by reflecting on 5 major lessons we’ve learned about the life of a pet sitter. Pulling from over 200 interviews, we share what it means to be a pet sitter, and the best advice we’ve learned. We’re so thankful for you listening and are so excited for another 400!
What does it mean to alleviate pet parent guilt? Tannis Martin, owner of Pawty Waggin, saw firsthand the power and impact pet care services had on pet owners, and knew she had found her calling. Tannis shares how she focuses on serving her human clients by helping to make her community more pet friendly and advocating for pet owners. Tannis grew her business extensively without a website and gives some insight into how she did that, but how ultimately she knew a website would benefit her company. She also breaks down her pet taxi service and how it became known not just to pet owners but to the local vet clinics and hospital as well.
How are you advertising your business? While you may be tempted to pay for advertising, you don’t have to! Advertising and marketing your business doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, or any! We break down our five favorite ways to advertise your business, without breaking the bank. In the end, it’s about being shareworthy and building relationships. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I make my business more attractive to potential clients?”
Why do you need a budget? With everything going on in the world, it’s more important than ever to know exactly where your money is going and wrestle back some control of our finances. The principles of budgeting apply to both your personal life, as well as your business. We break down 5 reasons why having a budget will help you and then dive into how to apply the principles of budgeting. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I see the long term view for my business?”
More and more people are entering the pet care space. At a time when many uncertainties plague the industry, we’re facing questions and challenges. To overcome these, and help the industry stay around for a long time, we need to be reaching out and building everyone up. There is no reason to tear others down simply because they do things differently. We should be inviting, mentoring, and educating. We share our thoughts on the importance of organizing and self-regulating, and why building community is crucial. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do you deal with all the phone calls?”
What does the future of pet care look like? 2020 taught us a lot of lessons, changed our behavior, our client’s behavior, and opened up many new opportunities. We have a roundtable discussion with Daniel Reitman, owner of Dan's Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, Natasha O’Banion, owner of Start. Scale. Sail. and Renzo and Ruby, and Doug Keeling, owner of Bad to the Bone Pet Care. We cover how the industry will change in the next 10 to 20 years and how pet care providers will need to grow and adapt. From the changing expectations of clients, growing commoditization of technology, and even the increasing importance of social causes, we talk about how we can start gearing up for those changes.
Have you ever felt like you weren’t good enough? Do you ever think you don’t belong or that you’ll be found out as a fake and a fraud? Imposter syndrome in the pet care industry is the result of many factors, both internal and external. We break down what those reasons are and some practical ways to start overcoming imposter syndrome. Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I combat the fear of losing it all?”
In 2015, Madeline and her husband, Gabriel, couldn't find a trustworthy dog walker for their beloved dog Lola. Seeing an opening, they ditched their backgrounds in computer science and business management to start Happy Bark and Tails. Passionate about customer service, Madeline shares what it means to be trustworthy and how they have adapted to changing needs in services. She discusses her methodology behind communicating their mission with their website and how they make sure they're the right fit for clients. Madeline and Gabriel also use their social media following for more than just promoting their business, and she tells us the impact it can have.
2020 has been a year of change for many of us. For Isabel Alvarez Arata, it meant closing down after 12 years in business and 100,000+ visits. Isabel shares how she grew her business and the big transition for The Wag Pack in 2020. From communicating to clients, to how it’s impacted her emotionally, she encourages us to embrace change and the challenges.
An article was written recently about a survey of 100 pet owners who used Rover. The result? The owners thought the Rover sitter had all the same qualifications as an independent pet care provider. On the podcast, we discuss the implications of this and what we can do. Natasha O’Banion is BACK to answer the question, “What do I do if someone wants to sell me their business?
On episode 101, Elise Proctor, owner of Canine Company, shares how her experiences with her own reactive dogs shaped her pet care business. Elise started her own training groups to be more inclusive and welcoming to owners of reactive dogs, and works hard to meet and set proper expectations with her clients. She also wrote a book about her best stories of being a dog walker to help shine the light on the life a pet sitter.
Miguel Rodriguez, owner of City Dog Pack, comes on the show to give an indepth look at his dog walking business in New York, why he offered free services in the beginning, and some basic dog training skills all pet care providers should know.
On this weeks episode we talk with Heather Scott, owner of Heather’s Pet Care LLC about taking her business from a side hustle to a full time business. She also talks about some lessons she’s learned along the way with employees and how she keeps her clients coming back year after year.
Cathy joins us to tell us about her story getting into pet sitting and what she’s learned over 20 years in the business! From some of the biggest changes and opportunities she’s seen, to a great discussion about how to avoid burnout and deal with those not so great days, Cathy’s a wonderful resource and such an encouragement to talk to. Love pets AND people!
