All tagged pets

499: Be the Novelty with Cathy Duvall

499: Be the Novelty with Cathy Duvall

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What challenges come with running a pet care business in a rural area? In this episode, Cathy Duvall, owner of Goin' to the Dogs Pet Sitting, shares her journey of relocating from metro Atlanta to the North Georgia mountains and the unique adaptations required for rural pet sitting. Cathy emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries for personal health and business sustainability, and how learning to say no transformed her approach. She discusses the stark differences between urban and rural pet sitting, including slower growth and varied client expectations. Cathy highlights the importance of professional credentials and how educating clients about being bonded and insured builds trust and peace of mind.

482: Dirty Clients, Clean Answers

482: Dirty Clients, Clean Answers

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How do you manage when a client's home is more than just messy? We dive into the challenging world of hoarding and its impact on our business as pet sitters and dog walkers. We explore what hoarding really entails and how it creates unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. From navigating privacy issues to ensuring the safety of the pets and maintaining professional boundaries, we cover the essential strategies for approaching these sensitive situations with gentleness and genuine concern. Join us as we provide practical advice to help you handle even the most difficult environments effectively.

368: Conferences and Professional Pet Sitters Week

368: Conferences and Professional Pet Sitters Week

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March started with a bang! Spring conference season just wrapped up and Professional Pet Sitters week concluded as well. We share our experiences attending the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters conference. We talk through what to consider when determining if you should go to a conference or not. We also give an overview of Professional Pet Sitters week, and why customer service is central to what we do.

271: Equipping Your Clients with Tami Guy

271: Equipping Your Clients with Tami Guy

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Tami Guy, owner of Creatures Pet Care in Kalamazoo, uses her background in zookeeping, and educating, to teach her clients all things pet care. Tami shares how she continues to learn from her staff when it comes to running her business. From equipping them with knowledge to providing membership opportunities, she dives into what it means to help pet parents live their best life with their pets.

269: Being a Flight Nanny with JP Anunciacion

269: Being a Flight Nanny with JP Anunciacion

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What does it take to be a flight nanny and how does someone get started? JP Anunciacion, owner of Dog Days & Cat Naps, who was previously on Episode 180, joins us to shed light on this growing niche service in pet care. JP outlines how to find clients and what to take into account when pricing your services. He also walks through how he prepares for the flight and what kind of gear he likes to have with him.

263: Start the Journey with Claire Aither

263: Start the Journey with Claire Aither

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How do you stay on mission in your business? Claire Aither had to make a choice, go into a career she wasn't comfortable with, or find something else. A cheerleading grandma and passion for pets led her to start Pet Sitting MKE. Claire talks about how her support group helped her deal with insecurities when she first started her business. We also discuss why she decided to stop accepting new clients and no longer take overnight care. Making hard decisions is made easier by knowing what you actually want/need from your business, and whether they are aligned with your purpose.

256: Fear Free Pet Sitting with Mikkel Becker

256: Fear Free Pet Sitting with Mikkel Becker

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Mikkel Becker, from Fear Free and Fear Free Happy Homes, discusses how following the Fear Free philosophy impacts our ability to build trust with the pets in our care. It not only makes our job easier, but also sets up the pet and owner for success. Mikkel shares how fear manifests itself in dogs and cats, and what we can do to help them in those moments.

252: Being in the Moment with Gricel Arroyo

252: Being in the Moment with Gricel Arroyo

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After only providing nail trims to meet the needs of her community, Gricel Arroyo has experienced rapid growth and is about to make the leap to full-time. As such, she’s caught between knowing she wants to grow and expand, but also trying to run the business she has. Gricel balances the growth and social media by keeping it in perspective and working towards her goals. She shares with us what her growth has been like, and how she stays transparent with her clients about her business.

232: Valuing Yourself with Carla Tittle

232: Valuing Yourself with Carla Tittle

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How do you value yourself? Carla Tittle, owner of Texas Ruff House, stepped way from a career in elementary education on a sabbatical and found herself running a pet care business. Carla shares how she uses the skills of a teacher to read between the lines of client expectations. She also discusses her process in finding her ideal client, how she markets to them, and what it was like hiring for the first time. Carla’s pet care community suffered a tragic loss that reached the national news; she talks about the mark it’s left and how they all have come together. All through her time in pet care, she continues to reflect back on what she values and whether it’s reflected in her work, and she encourages us to do the same.

227: Practice Makes Progress

227: Practice Makes Progress

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Have you ever said the phrase, “practice makes perfect”? We should absolutely strive for perfection and use it as a motivating force through tough times or while we build a skill. The problem comes in when we only seek perfection and accept nothing else. Or when we believe we (or those around us) must be perfect at all times. A much more freeing and liberating mindset is, “practice makes progress”. In our business and personal lives, the reframe from perfection to progress allows us to be more creative, try new things, and build better relationships.

155: Friendship in Business with Lalka and Amanda

155: Friendship in Business with Lalka and Amanda

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Going into business with a friend may be something you’ve thought about. Lalka and Amanda have been living it for 9 years. SoHo Hound was founded from their passion for pets and is run on teamwork and trust. They share what it was like leaving their corporate jobs and starting a pet sitting business in Tampa. Lalka and Amanda discuss what it means to trust someone else in business and the importance of having the correct definition of success.

052- Kitchen Confessions

052- Kitchen Confessions

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On today’s Kitchen Confession, we discuss a recent meet and greet with a new client, how recent CDC guidelines are throwing a wrench in reopening plans, and how no matter what you have chosen to do with your time and your business, there is no judgement.

036 - Kitchen Confessions

036 - Kitchen Confessions

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On this episode, we talk a lot about preparing for what happens next after Covid-19, seeking out local tax and CPA experts to guide you through the confusing world of pandemic relief funds, and how to keep your social media relevant and engaging while you’re sheltering in place. Plus, we give some of our recommendations on what we’re listening to and doing these days.

028 - Streamlining Your Business

028 - Streamlining Your Business

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We discuss some business basics everyone should have in place as a pet care professional. We then dive into some of the major areas to focus on when streamlining and making your processes more efficient. From intaking new clients, to paying your bills, there always seems like there are things to improve on. However, at the end of the day, focusing too much on wringing out every last drop of efficiency can actually make you less efficient! So remember that you know the work that has to get done and trust those around you.

024- Pet Photography with Jenna Regan-Lyles

024- Pet Photography with Jenna Regan-Lyles

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Who knew photography would play such a huge role in pet care? If you're like us, you have thousands of photos, of other people’s pets in your photo library. Jenna Regan-Lyles joins us this week to help us up our photo game. Whether you have a DSLR or the camera on your phone, we can all learn to take better photos!

021- First booking! Now what?

021- First booking! Now what?

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You’ve started, marketed, and booked your first client. Now what do you do? On this weeks episode we share some experiences in preparing for your first client, and then discuss what qualities make an amazing pet sitter.

009- Interview with the House Sit Diva!

009- Interview with the House Sit Diva!

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On this episode we interview the House Sit Diva! Kelly Hayes-Raitt has been traveling to house and pet sit for 10 years and she has some things to share! From how the industry has changed over the last decade, to some of her best memories, you do not want to miss this one!

005- Drop-ins

005- Drop-ins

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We talk about all the things you should think about when doing drop-ins. We end the episode discussing communication, setting boundaries, and dealing emotionally as a pet sitter.

002- Getting Started

002- Getting Started

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Why start pet sitting? Is it even right for you? Having the right motives is key to a lasting business. We'll talk about why we started and what keeps us going. As well as pose some questions that hopefully get you thinking about your 'why'.