349: Pride and Passion with Savanna Westwood

349: Pride and Passion with Savanna Westwood

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Your commitment is a promise to others to render service or provide them something. When the return value on your commitment starts to decrease, it’s time to rethink those decisions. As a business owner, it takes knowing your limits and having strength to say, ‘No’. Savanna Westwood, owner of The Savvy Sitter, shares how she thinks through what to commit to and how to know when you’re overcommitted. She also discusses what it means to have pride in your business and why it’s important to view yourself as a founder.

348: Staffing Struggles

348: Staffing Struggles

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Have you had issues with staffing? 2022 may very well be defined by the labor market flipping to empowering employees. This has meant hiring and retaining staff has been difficult, especially as a small business. From competing on wages, to connecting with mission, job applicants are able to be very picky. We break down how we’ve changed our processes and have been investing in existing staff. Having staff will continue to be a major issue into the new year, and we have to prepare for it. 

347: Managing a Crisis with Cheyenne Williams

347: Managing a Crisis with Cheyenne Williams

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Have you had to handle a crisis in your business? From personal issues to extreme weather, we’re tasked with handling whatever comes our way. We often don’t recognize the toll it takes on us mentally, physically, and emotionally. Cheyenne Williams, owner of Shiney Day Specialized Pet Care, shares how she tackles the mental toll of natural disasters, why paying attention to your mental health is crucial, and resources available for those struggling.

346: What’s in Store for 2023?

346: What’s in Store for 2023?

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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. 

345: Staying Kind to Yourself with Colleen Pelar

345: Staying Kind to Yourself with Colleen Pelar

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Summary:

Is it ever ok to judge yourself? When we become aware of our weaknesses, we’re better able to understand where we need help, and strengthen ourselves over time. As pet care providers, we often find ourselves questioning if we’re on the right path in life. Colleen Pelar shares why it’s important to judge yourself while staying kind to yourself. She also walks us through how to properly grieve the loss of a dream or vision we had for our life, so we can embrace what we do have.

344: 2022 in Review

344: 2022 in Review

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How has your 2022 been? For many, it’s been the biggest year they’ve had in a long time. For others, it’s been a trying time as they work to rebuild and restructure their business. We reflect on how 2022 has gone and why listening to client feedback is one of the best ways to improve your business. We also give some of our biggest lessons we’re taking into 2023. Share your biggest win with us!

343: Learning to Step Back with Justina Allen-Yancey

343: Learning to Step Back with Justina Allen-Yancey

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What’s the hardest part of being a pet sitter? The challenges certainly change as we grow and evolve as a business. Our role as the business owner and entrepreneur is to overcome them. Justina Allen-Yancey, owner of Justina’s Pet Sitting, joins the show to share how she approaches challenges. Justina works on her training and services to market guilt free pet parent lifestyles to her clients and focuses on being reliable. She also talks about the gear she loves for winter and how she specialized in rabbits and guinea pigs.

342: How to Foster Community Connections

342: How to Foster Community Connections

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How do you build relationships with other businesses in your community? As a service industry, we rely heavily on social media and partnerships with other businesses to stay top of mind with potential clients. Today, we break down how we’ve been approaching other businesses in our service area to start fostering long lasting relationships. We also give some easy ways to start a conversation, so you don’t feel awkward about asking for their help.

341: Making Wolfie's Wish with Erica Messer

341: Making Wolfie's Wish with Erica Messer

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What inspires you to try new things? The loss of pet is an earth shattering moment in the life of a pet owner. Erica Messer, owner of Wolfie’s Wish, took the tragedy and turned it into her inspiration to help others. Erica started a product line to help pet parents grieve the loss of their pet. Erica breaks down how she dove into product development, found a manufacturer, and works on her marketing. She also shares how she makes the most out of trade shows and is focused on building a community of resources for everyone.

340: Tech Hacks for Your Business

340: Tech Hacks for Your Business

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What kind of technology do you use in your business? The world of tech is almost endless, with new things being developed all of the time. Today, we break down some of the most underutilized technology business owners should be taking advantage of. In pursuit of saving time, money, and providing better quality services, technology can provide a lot, but we have to make sure we know why we’re adding it.

338: The Damage of Undercharging

338: The Damage of Undercharging

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How can undercharging damage your business? While there are clear benefits of raising your prices, we tend to ignore the damage of undercharging. Undercharging impacts everything from your quality of life, to the perception potential clients have of your business. We break down 5 ways not charging enough can impact you and your business, and give some ways to start changing our mindset around what we charge.

337: Staying Unexpectedly Different with Brandi Hendrix

337: Staying Unexpectedly Different with Brandi Hendrix

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What does it mean to be premium? How do you let that influence everything you do and provide to your clients? Brandi Hendrix, owner of Bayou City Pet Sitting, shares how she works hard to delight her clients in unexpected ways. From seeking out the latest information, to thinking through the problems her client’s face, Brandi wants the best for her clients. She shares how she implements GPS collars in her services and the impact that has on her business.

336: Effective Use of an Email List

336: Effective Use of an Email List

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Once you have contact information from your lead magnet, what do you do with it? Use email to have a conversation with your customers. Email is a great marketing tool, but it can help your business in other ways, too. More than just a marketing ploy, email is a great way to build trust with your clients. We break down what kind of content to include, how to shape an email marketing campaign, and how often to use your list.

335: Valuable Skills with Ashley Carr

335: Valuable Skills with Ashley Carr

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Do you recognize the value of the skills you have? Most people get into a pet care because they find it ‘easy’ and are predisposed to excel. Ashley Carr, owner of Ashley’s Pawsome Pets, shares how she turned a natural skill into a business that has served clients with excellence sine 2014. Ashley gives her perspective on taking on challenges from regulations, and how she uses her community to adapt and strengthen her business. From hiring to training, Ashley walks through how she grows her team.

334: The Power of a Lead Magnet

334: The Power of a Lead Magnet

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What is a lead magnet and why should we be using them? Lead magnets are a way of getting information from your client, or potential client, in exchange for something valuable to them. There are best practices to be mindful of when implementing one, and things to avoid doing. We walk through the different types of lead magnets, how to promote them, and how to assess if they’re working for you or not. We also break down 5 easy to implement ideas for a lead magnet you can start using today!

333: Finding the Voice of Your Business with Katie Kenton

333: Finding the Voice of Your Business with Katie Kenton

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How do you provide personalized care? Katie Kenton, owner of Katie’s Kennel, shares her experience of business growth. Katie is committed to focusing on her community and making connections with her clients. As a new mom, Katie has found a new way to balance her personal life and work, and works hard to stay in tune with what her brand is and the voice of her business.

332: Marketing Messages That Attract and Repel

332: Marketing Messages That Attract and Repel

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What does your marketing say about you? Not only does our messaging need to attract clients, it also needs to repel some as well. By being up-front and honest about who you are and what you do, you’ll have potential clients realize you’re not a good fit before they even contact you. The power of your messaging means you have to be very intentional about what you’re putting out.

331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando

331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando

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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.

330: You Need A Not-To-Do List

330: You Need A Not-To-Do List

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What is a not-to-do list, and why do you need one? As small business owners, we have a lot on our plate and things that demand our attention. Being pulled in too many directions means we lose focus on the important things. Building a not-to-do list, we remove obligations from our days and are better able to refine what our actual duties are, while also breaking bad habits that waste time and money.

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