How do you value yourself and handle tough times? 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.

Topics on this episode:

• Reading between the lines
• Client expectations
• Her team
• Suffering loss as a community
• Tough times

Main take away:There are different kinds of 'hard' in life, so there are different things needed to get through each of them.

About our guest:

In 2015 Carla traded her lesson plans for leashes. What started as a sabbatical from an elementary classroom, has transformed into a 5-star, highly revered pet sitting business. Carla began by getting her mom started as a pet sitter: she had the idea. Then she was solo, doing it in her spare time. She saw the potential and demand and made the decision to grown into a full business. Carla couldn't do it without her amazing team of pet sitters, and the support of her "tribe": her close friends and community. She found her niche and partnered with other local business owners and learn from them.

Carla took all the knowledge she gained from corporate business and the education industry, and modeled her pet care business in the same way. It turns out that training puppies and scheduling pet care isn't that different than teaching 6-year olds. It all boils down to consistency and repetition.

Links: Her website: www.texasruffhouse.com Boarding Fire: www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/21/dog-fire-pet-hotel-georgetown-texas/

Full show notes and transcript

Sponsored By:

• Pet Perennials Promo Code: Use 'PSC' when registering for a $2 off coupon on any purchases in the 1st 90 days
• Time to Pet Promo Code: 50% off first 3 months

Support Pet Sitter Confessional