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513: Navigating Client Expectations with Heather Scott

513: Navigating Client Expectations with Heather Scott

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Heather Scott, owner of Heather’s Pet Care, delves into the challenges of managing unrealistic client demands and the impact Covid lockdowns continues to have on their expectations. She shares her journey of phasing out overnight services due to financial and legal constraints, highlighting the importance of setting boundaries and clear communication. Heather also discusses her refined hiring process and the significance of realistic job previews for new staff. Finally, she emphasizes the value of community engagement and local networking in building a loyal client base and adapting to industry changes.

457: The Art of Compassionate Leadership with Ruby Ballesteros

457: The Art of Compassionate Leadership with Ruby Ballesteros

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What does leadership mean to you? 💪 Ruby Ballesteros, owner of RubyReds Pet Care, discusses her transition from a corporate background to pet sitting. Ruby emphasizes professionalism and leadership, and stresses the importance of viewing and presenting yourself as a business owner first, rather than just being a pet lover. She highlights her military background as influential in shaping her values and practices. Ruby also speaks about the art of building strong, trust-based relationships with clients, going beyond mere services, to ensure their complete peace of mind.

453: No Matter What it Takes with Athena Karvellas

453: No Matter What it Takes with Athena Karvellas

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Where does your value come from? Athena Karvellas, owner of Pet Sitting by Athena, shares her journey from veterinary technician to pet sitter and business owner. She reflects on the emotional transition from dealing with pet trauma in a clinical setting to forming close, nurturing relationships in pet sitting. Athena's story is one of finding her true calling and the fulfillment that comes from directly impacting the lives of pets and their families. Athena walks through how she connects clients to her passion through her onboarding process and the partnerships she builds.

427: Finding Flexibility and Freedom with Shade Long

427: Finding Flexibility and Freedom with Shade Long

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How much is your time worth to you? As busy business owners, we often get caught up in the grind and hustle of our day-to-day operations. Ultimately, we have to step back and ask what truly matters in our lives. Shade Long, owner of Complete Pet Care, joins the show to share the learning curve she's experienced over the last two years. From managing massive business growth amidst overwhelm, to refining her onboarding process, she's finding ways to strike a better balance. Shade explains why it's not all about bursting at the seams and emphasizes that you can run the business you want while also having a life outside of it.

425: A Touch of ‘Know, Like, and Trust’ with Kelly Hester

425: A Touch of ‘Know, Like, and Trust’ with Kelly Hester

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How do you make an excellent client onboarding? A well executed client onboarding not only sets the tone and expectations for the client, but also set the relationship up to last for years. Kelly Hester, owner of Kelly’s Kritters Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, joins the show to walk through how she translated her decades of corporate work into running her business. From exceptional customer service to formally documenting everything, she provides several great best practices. Kelly also explains her process for onboarding clients so that both she and the client understand exactly what is going on.

417: Lost Pet Rescue and Prevention with Annalisa Berns

417: Lost Pet Rescue and Prevention with Annalisa Berns

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What will you do if an owner’s pet escapes? When seconds count, planning and preparation are your best friend. Annalisa Berns, The Pet Detective, walks us through common ways dogs and cats go missing and explains the simple steps we can take to prevent that from happening. She points out that the normal behaviors we expect are replaced with more unpredictable ones once the pet goes missing. Annalisa speaks on the methods to recover a missing pet, and reminds us to get helps as soon as possible.

401: How to Retain the Best Clients with Candace D’Agnolo

401: How to Retain the Best Clients with Candace D’Agnolo

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How do you keep clients coming back over and over? Candace D’Agnolo, from Pet Boss Nation, joins the show to discuss how to create raving fans of your business. Candace breaks down strategies for building long-lasting relationships with clients, and how to help them fall in love with your services. She also shows us ways to increase the perceived value of your business, while anticipating your client’s needs. Finally, Candace encourages us to implement follow-up services as a way to keep clients invested and engaged.

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

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What does it mean to live a balanced life? Finding balance as a dog walker and pet sitter is one of the most crucial aspects of running a thriving business, and maintaining personal well-being. Renée Stilson, former owner of Home Sweet Home Pet Care LLC and now The Balanced Sitter, draws on her 23 years of experience in the industry to share the lessons she learned. She discusses how she had to adapt her business multiple times, and how pet sitters and dog walkers are true ambassadors to their communities. Renée also reflects on how she knew it was time to retire, and how she's found a new way to live since hanging up her shoes and leash.