All tagged goals

582: Dealing with Setbacks and Frustrations—Without Losing Your Passion

582: Dealing with Setbacks and Frustrations—Without Losing Your Passion

Collin

Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try, your business just isn’t moving forward? We breakdown the setbacks that can derail even the most passionate pet business owners—from hiring struggles and burnout to personal life chaos and economic uncertainty. We share about our tough 2024, missing goals despite best efforts, and how we reframed the season as one of survival and growth. We emphasize the importance of redefining success, reconnecting with your “why,” and setting micro-goals to regain confidence. It’s a powerful reminder that progress isn’t always linear—and you’re not alone.

510: Leading and Managing: Balancing Roles in Your Pet Business

510: Leading and Managing: Balancing Roles in Your Pet Business

Collin

Are you balancing the roles of leader and manager in your pet business effectively? In this episode, we delve into the distinct yet overlapping responsibilities of leadership and management. Leaders set clear visions, inspire their teams, and embrace change, while managers ensure daily operations run smoothly by planning, organizing, and monitoring tasks. We discuss how solo pet care entrepreneurs must juggle both roles to succeed. Tune in to discover tips on empowering your team, developing emotional intelligence, and continuously improving your leadership skills.

500: Finding Inspiration and Motivation

500: Finding Inspiration and Motivation

Collin

What inspires and motivates you? To celebrate our 500th episode, we share some of our favorite quotes, reflect on their meaning and how they helped us. We share quotes on finding your priorities, setting boundaries, taking ownership of responsibility, as well as embracing a love of learning. Life of a dog walker and a pet sitter is full of ups and downs. While we look to our mission and our values to guide us and lead us through tough times, sometimes we need a little extra encouragement along the way. If you have a quote that encourages you to keep going, please share it with us!

465: Building a Team Structure with Anna Rickert

465: Building a Team Structure with Anna Rickert

Collin

How do you envision your business in the future? If building a team and having employees are on that list, you need to carefully consider your team's structure. Creating a team involves ensuring each person is in the right role, equipped with clear directions to accomplish their tasks. Anna Rickert, the owner of Pup Culture Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, joins us to share her strategies for developing a robust business structure. Aiming for her business to operate independently of her presence, Anna discusses the importance of having a balanced mix of services and a team that excels in delivering them.

380: The Pet Business Owner Toolbox

380: The Pet Business Owner Toolbox

Collin

What tools does it take to build a business? As the business owner, you need to be equipped with the right tools to grow and run a successful business. We break down 10 tools we think every pet business owner should have in their tool box, and why they help you run a better business. Everything from organization and policies, to mindsets and personal development are needed, but you get to decide how they’re implemented for you. The best tools are the ones you know how to use and fit how you work.

346: What’s in Store for 2023?

346: What’s in Store for 2023?

Collin

What’s 2023 looking like? The economic outlook is shaping up as a mixed bag. We walk through ways to stay nimble as a business, through planning and staying open to new opportunities. We also share how we’ve been approaching planning for 2023 and why it’s critical to take a wholistic approach that takes both your personal life and business into account. 

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.

300: Listener Questions

300: Listener Questions

Collin

We’ve hit 300 episodes! On this episode we talk about why we started the podcast and answer some listener questions! We discuss how to take days off, addressing clients that question your prices, how to meet your money goals, and what to do about a biting puppy. We’ve learned and grown so much for hosting the podcast, so we share our biggest lessons from the last 299 episodes!

296: 5 Best Practices for Surveying Your Clients

296: 5 Best Practices for Surveying Your Clients

Collin

Have you surveyed your client’s recently? With the economic turmoil we’re facing, it’s important to stay on top of how your business is doing. We don’t have to ever assume why a client continues to use us, we can ask! The power of client surveys is that they give you direct insight into the thinking of your clients. We give you five things you must do to get the most out of your surveys.

261: F.I.R.E. with Jen Tserng

261: F.I.R.E. with Jen Tserng

Collin

Jen Tserng joins the show again to discuss how to have an investing mindset and what it means to make saving money fun. From setting budgets to raising prices, taking a wholistic approach to our financial health is really what sets us up for success. Regardless of whether you want to retire in 10 years, or 30, it takes understanding your numbers and financial discipline to execute the plan.

257: Onboarding and Training Staff

257: Onboarding and Training Staff

Collin

It’s now time for you to bring your new hire into your company and help them feel like they belong. You need them to feel valued and part of your company, which takes time and intentionality on your part. Onboarding and training staff can feel daunting, but planning out the first six months to one year for them will help you make sure they’re on track and you don’t miss anything that will leave them hanging. Then, Natasha answers, “How do I become a better manager?”

249: How to Write a Job Ad

249: How to Write a Job Ad

Collin

Have you ever posted a hiring ad? In the current job market it’s more critical than ever to nail the ad posting so you get what you need out of your hire. With more people switching jobs and careers than ever before, your ad has to connect with what they’re looking for and help them see a future with your company. We break down the ads we’ve placed and what you should consider before you post yours. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I set good goals?”

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?”

237: How To Do a Year End business Review

237: How To Do a Year End business Review

Collin

Where did 2021 go? 💨The year is almost over so it’s time to sit down and reflect on what went right, and what could have gone better. We discuss how to conduct a year end business review. One of the biggest factors is your mindset going into it. We break down the 5 categories you should investigate for your business and how to grow from each of them. Then, pet business coach Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I get started with subscription boxes?”

214: Success One Step at a Time with Becky O'Neil

214: Success One Step at a Time with Becky O'Neil

Collin

Becky O’Neil, owner of Becky’s Pet Care, left the medical field to pursue a career in pet care so she could spend more time with her child. After 20+ years in the industry, she has over 150 employees and has had to adapt, and adopt, new technology and business planning to continue to thrive and meet the needs of her clients. Becky shares what her definition of success is, and why it's so important to be running the business you want. We also discuss the upcoming NAPPS 2021 conference and what to expect from the speakers.

198: Should you scale up or down?

198: Should you scale up or down?

Collin

As in life, businesses have ebbs and flows. The pandemic showed us what we liked and what we didn’t like about being in the pet care industry. To take advantage of those, we have to be introspective and ask ourselves if scaling up or down is right for us. Each of us will have our own reasons, and only you know which is right for you and your goals. We discuss the difference between scaling up or scaling down, when it’s right for you, and ways to implement it in your business. Then, Natasha O’Banion answers, “What is leadership?”

140: New Year, New You?

140: New Year, New You?

Collin

With all that happened in 2020, you are new! It’s time to take advantage of the new year and reaffirm, reapply, and reassess what we learned from last year so we can have a fruitful 2021. Also, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do I get out of my own way?”

106- Defining Success

106- Defining Success

Collin

Today is all about what success looks like in our business and personal life. We break down the definition of success and areas in our lives where it applies. We also talk about the danger of comparing ourselves to others and how that wrecks our ability to focus on our business. Natasha is back with a great answer to the question, “How do I start up a business in a new area?”

077- Reassessing 2020 Goals

077- Reassessing 2020 Goals

Collin

We open with Collin’s epic ankle story and move into taking another look at our goals for 2020. Things definitely haven’t gone the way we anticipated, and that's ok! By creating S.M.A.R.T. goals and objectives for you and your business, tracking and modifying goals is easy. Natasha O’Banion joins us for the “Ask a Pet Business Coach” segment, where she addresses the question, “Which is best for my business, ICs or employees"?”

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