Behind the Pages-PETS+

Host Keith Miller talks to Giselle Ugarte of Bridge Media about how to use LinkedIn to promote your pet business.

The 2020 presidential election has divided this country. Is it a good idea, then, to carry poop bags featuring the faces of candidate and President Donald Trump and candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden? MetroPaws founders Jonathan and Megan Bolton think so!

"The idea is to encourage people to vote, to get people involved, to get people to get engaged," Jonathan Bolton tells host Keith Miller in this episode of "Behind the Pages."

Bolton and Miller offer stores advice on how to carry the Smear Campaign's Democrap and Repooplican Poolitical bags without offending voters for either candidate. Bolton also shares how these bags came about and whether their sales are a predictor of who will win.

Fans of "Dumb and Dumber" will especially appreciate this episode of Behind the Pages, in which host Keith Miller talks to Andy Wiltz of Woof's Play & Stay in Kansas and Missouri. Wiltz has recreated the Mutt Cutts van from the film and now uses it to promote his grooming, day care and boarding facilities.

Keith Miller talks to Pattie Zeller of Animal Connection in Charlottesville, VA about the decision to move and expand during the COVID-19 pandemic. She shares that competing with Amazon and Chewy has never been more important, and that she plans to offer products and services that will help her do exactly that. Zeller also offers advice to those opening a pet business for the first time right now, when one of the major trade shows of the year has been canceled.

Host Keith Miller talks to David Pearsall of Business Insurers of the Carolinas. He joined the family business in 1995, which at the time insured about 300 pet sitters nationwide. Pearsall helped grow that segment of the agency to more than 8,000 to 9,000 pet businesses insured each year. He stresses the importance of using an insurer that specializes in pet businesses, so that you have as much coverage as possible for the many challenges facing you this year and beyond. He also talks about whether there will be pandemic insurance in the future and answers questions from the PETS+ Facebook Community.

An episode that's chock full of actionable advice! Host Keith Miller talks SEO with Matt Aldrich of Pet Engine Marketing. Not only does Aldrich share simple changes you can make to boost your website's search standings, he also outlines how you should be using Google My Business posts to do the same. Aldrich also warns you off several website features that can actually work against you in search engines.

Host Keith Miller and Nancy Guinn of Dog Krazy stores in Virginia talk about the ways they are supporting small businesses of all types in their communities, including buying gift cards from local restaurants to reward customers who buy pet food for a local rescue. This episode of Behind the Pages also features call-ins from Angela Pantalone of Wag Central in Stratford, CT, and Pattie Zeller of Animal Connection in Charlottesville, VA.

What are interchange fees? Payment gateway fees? How do you get the best credit card processing deal for your business? In this new episode of Behind the Pages, host Keith Miller answers these questions and many more with help from guest Randa Kriss, staff writer for Fundera. The online resource offers advice and comparison tools that help small-business owners make smarter financial decisions.

Keith Miller talks with Beth Gordon, whose Whippet, Kuiper, is known to his 150,000 Instagram followers as @spacewhippet. The pair criss-cross the country visiting musuems and historical sites, teaching science, history and civics to folks who just want to look at dog pictures. Gordon shares the key ways to approach and interact with online influencers, as well as what got her and her pup into the field of Insta-celebrity.