Are you struggling to find the time and resources to train your employees effectively in your pet-sitting business? Don't let the stress of planning a training session hold you back from ensuring your staff is well-equipped to succeed. Video training is the solution you've been looking for - whether you have new hires or are just looking for a refresher for current staff. Don't waste any more time and effort on overwhelming and time-consuming training methods, give your employees the support they need through video training!

Biggest Takeaways

Video improves learning results [3:32]

The importance of having a staff training foundation [4:45]

Video training tips [6:18]

Online training when your employees alert [7:24]

Video training is more likely to be consumed [8:58]

It doesn't have to be boring! [10:26]

Incorporating video into your onboarding process [11:10]

Links

Free video training download!

How Your Pet Business Systems Save Your Profit

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 183 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta. Today we are actually going to continue on the same theme that we came off of last week with Danielle Glickman. This week we're actually going to talk a lot about video again, except why you should do video training in your pet sitting company. However, before we start, I want to encourage you all—if you have not yet—to subscribe to this podcast. This podcast is exploding right now, and I just get so excited every Sunday when I get the stats. Do you know that we're over 83,000 downloads on this podcast? I am blown away and so grateful for your support. So if you have not already subscribed, that would be wonderful. You can do it on just about any device that you listen to podcasts on. And if you really like it, go ahead and share it with your friends or into any other groups.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to a review that we got on January 13th. I love them. I read them all the time. It was from Make Millions. They said, “I love listening to Bella's podcast and learn new things each episode, even after having a pet care company for over 21 years. Thanks for all the great information, tips, and guests, Bella. Keep jumping.” You guys, I love that so much.

All right, so let's get started today. We are going to talk about how you can do video training in your pet company. Now I know that we have been talking about video for years because video is very effective. In fact, it's not just effective in marketing and stopping the scroll on Instagram or Facebook or wherever you might be, but YouTube is absolutely exploding right now.

Using Video To Increase Sales In Your Pet Business

The use of video is becoming exceedingly necessary in order to get your pet business known. To teach how to use video to increase sales in your pet business, I brought on my good friend Daniel Glickman.

Daniel Glickman is an internationally recognized marketing leader, speaker, and author. As chief marketing officer of Wave.video, an innovative video solution for creators and small businesses, he leads and manages digital marketing, advertising, and PR activities. His blog, newsletter, and international Meetups—all under the title CMOConfessions—offer a frank, creative, and humorous take on the underbelly and undercurrents of today’s most pressing, exciting, and confounding marketing issues.

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

Making videos doesn't have to be scary.

There are three different types of videos you can utilize to increase sales in your pet business. You can do a right here, right now video. These videos require the least amount of production and are perfect for showing your followers what you're doing at that moment. The second video, promotional videos, will be more produced than the first and have content that it is on brand and message. Finally, there's the most produced video in which you produce a series of shows that repeat weekly and stay on a topic each week.

In order to excel, pick the type of video you're best at and start filming!

Show Highlights

Why are small businesses using video? [3:27]

Resizing video, the importance and what it means [4:46]

Why video seems scary [7:51]

When do people stop watching a video? [12:03]

As a dog walker/ pet sitter, what could be an interesting video? [13:26]

How do we know when it gets boring? [15:13]

Viral videos [18:52]

Wave.Video community [22:47]

Links

Get started with Wave.Video

Get 50% off any Wave.Video annual plan with coupon code: WXA_BV50

Join the Wave.Video Community Facebook group

Join Video Funnels by Wave.Video Facebook group

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 182 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta and today I've got one of my friends with me. You guys, that's kind of what happens when you're out networking and going to conferences—you just get to know people. And I know that Daniel Glickman is my friend because he gave me this cute little bobblehead in Lima, Ohio, because he said it reminded him of me, which was really cute. Daniel is a super awesome person to know—very, very talented. You're going to hear an accent that he’s going to tell us where it’s from because he’s kind of from everywhere. He works for Wave.

Remote Managing Your Pet Business

I know there's plenty of you wanting to have the luxury of traveling or maybe even relocating away from your pet business but you're afraid of trying to manage your pet business remotely.

That's why I brought on one of my personal friends and client, Tiffany Lewis, who manages her business remotely from across the country.

Tiffany Lewis founded Pet and Home Care in Potomac, Maryland in 1999 as a one-person pet sitting business. She has since expanded PHC to offer a full team of dog walkers, pet sitters, pet care experts, and home care service employees.

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

The biggest factor in remote managing your pet business is having a support team that you can trust and wrapping your mindset to support your goals. From there, the rest is in the technology, systems and processes and your ability to stay engaged with your business. With the right set of tools, you'll be able to remotely manage your pet business in no time!

Show Highlights

When did you start remote managing? [3:14]

How did you make the transition? [5:00]

What was it about changing technology that helped you? [7:05]

How do you handle hiring and firing? [8:47]

How do you stay active in the community? [12:22]

Do you spend more or less time in your business? [15:56]

Links

Check out Tiffany's website

Learn more about business systems and processes!

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 181 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I've got Tiffany Lewis, who founded Pet and Home Care in Potomac, Maryland in 1999 as a one-person pet sitting business. Today, she’s expanded her business to offer a whole team of dog walkers, pet sitters, pet care experts, and home care services with over 30 employees. Tiffany started her business as a teenager to make some extra money. She picked up more and more customers, and soon she was staying really busy pet sitting. Having always loved animals, she originally wanted to be a vet but realized she couldn’t handle putting pets down. Pet care was more fun—the dogs were happy to see her—and the business kept growing. She began hiring friends and family, and it just exploded.

It wasn’t always easy, though. Tiffany faced staffing problems and financial struggles before getting organized and using better software. She reached burnout, walking up to 25 dogs a day, but she kept her head up and kept improving. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, she had a lot of advice and support and knew this was her passion. There was nothing else she’d rather do, so she pushed through and made it work.

Eventually,

How the 90/10 Rule Can Get Your Dog Walking Business Back On Track

Do you feel like content marketing is taking over your business? Like you have to consistently be posting on every social media platform possible and creating all the content you can in order to properly market and grow your business?

Don't stress!

Today, I brought on Andrew and Pete to tell you how the 90/10 rule can get your dog walking business back on track!

Andrew and Pete, international keynote speakers, authors and YouTubers, are the multi award winning fun business duo who help small business owners scale their business so they can stop swapping time for money.

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

If you try to post on all aspects of content marketing then you are doing none of them remarkably well. Instead, pick one aspect of marketing and do that one thing remarkably well. In doing so, you will be known for that aspect and will no longer be wasting your time on the other platforms that aren't performing well for you. Follow your data, find out what works best for you and your business and spend 90% of your time there and 10% experimenting elsewhere.

In following the 90/10 rule, you are guaranteed to get your dog walking business back on track.

Show Highlights

About Atomic [4:23]

What is the 90/10 rule? [7:20]

How do you figure out the one thing for you business? [10:40]

Conclusion [18:22]

Links

For a limited time, join a trial of ATOMIC for only $9.19!

Check out more business tips from Andrew and Pete 

Follow Andrew and Pete on Youtube

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 180 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. Today, I've got two guests with me, Andrew and Pete, who are already dancing around if you're watching the video. Andrew and Pete are based in the UK, and I’m grateful they’re wrapping up their long workday to chat with me—it’s 8 a.m. here but already late afternoon over there. If you don’t know Andrew and Pete yet, you’ll want to check them out. They’re not only international keynote speakers, authors, and YouTubers who keep things funny and engaging, but also a multi-award-winning business duo helping small business owners scale so they can stop swapping time for money.

I first heard Andrew and Pete in person when they keynoted at Social Media Marketing World, and it was one of the most entertaining and insightful sessions I attended. Their energy, humor, and simple yet powerful delivery stood out, and I can’t wait for you to hear them today.

Andrew and Pete shared that they met at university, where they were randomly placed in the same halls of residence and became friends.

As a coach in the Pet Industry, I have the opportunity to work with pet businesses from all over the world at all different stages of their business. Due to this, I'm able to see trends that spread from the starter businesses to the six-figure businesses and identify what trends are being used to help their business growth and what's simply not working. Thus, every year I write my yearly predictions leading me to the 2020 predictions in your pet business.

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

In order to excel in your business, you need to know the 2020 predictions for your pet business. With businesses such as Rover and Wag not going anywhere, the sooner you're able to adapt, the better. Adapting can mean making educated business investments, getting smarter with technology, utilizing dark social or simply fixing your mindset.

Show Highlights

More Educated Business Investments [2:05]

Using Rover to Your Advantage [3:20]

Get Smarter Using Technology [5:43]

Dark Social [7:48]

Mindset [9:43]

Links

Learn more about the Pet Industry Coalition 

Get started with AgoraPulse 

Join my FREE E-Myth Mastery Book Club

Check out the Jump Consulting Mastermind

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 179 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I’m going to give you some of my 2020 predictions for your pet business. My nose has been to the ground and my tail’s been up because I’ve been paying close attention to trends. I get a unique look into our industry as I work with business owners all over the world at every stage. I hear what keeps you awake at night, see where people are moving forward fast, and where others get stuck. Each year, I release an epic post on what’s changing in the pet industry and how to plan for the year ahead.

Last year, I wrote The State of the Pet Industry in 2019 and shared key trends like the shift from baby boomer to millennial consumers, the rise in pet sitting and dog walking businesses for sale, Rover and Wag’s growing presence, increasing regulations, rapid industry growth, and the ongoing dominance of software tools. If you revisit those predictions, you’ll see they’re still relevant. Those who embraced them have grown significantly—some skyrocketing from zero to six figures in months—while others are still struggling after years. It’s all about the person driving the ship.

Let’s talk about more educated business investments. I recently advised a couple against buying a $500,000 pet business because all workers were non-compliant independent contractors. After explaining the risks, they agreed.

We talk a lot about social media presence and making your business known on the media. However, we don't often get the chance to talk about how to get your pet business in the media such as newspapers, magazines or even on TV.

To teach us how to get in the media I've brought on Rachel Spencer, a journalist, and blogger for the Pet Industry who helps pet businesses create content and promote their work in the media. 

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

When pet businesses are everywhere and companies like Rover and Wag are soaring with popularity, getting your business out there and validated as credible, has never been more important. If someone is searching for a dog walker or pet sitter, you want to be the business that comes up on google. A good way to guarantee you show up first is by having media coverage. Thus, providing you with credibility and building trust in your business.

Show Highlights

How can media coverage help a pet business? [4:29]

What kind of stories do journalists like to get from pet businesses? [6:10]

What story I should be telling about my business? [8:35]

How do I figure out what publications to approach? [11:21]

How do I prepare to talk to a journalist? [14:28]

Is all of this advice applicable for visual media too? Such as TV [17:35]

How do I make the most of the media coverage? [20:07]

Links

Follow Rachel's blog: The Paw Post

Get Rachel's Free Template!

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 178 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I went over the pond to get an expert for you guys. You're in for a delight because this is something that we talked about maybe once, two years ago, but never again since then and never again with someone in the industry. How amazing would it be to actually have your local news or your newspapers or bloggers talking about your business for free? Like, you didn't hire them to do it—they just start reaching out to you because you're so interesting. Well, today's guest, Rachel Spencer, is here to teach you how to do that. She's a journalist and a blogger who writes about the pet industry and helps pet businesses create content and promote their work in the media.

Rachel shared that she’s been a freelance journalist for over 20 years, working for national newspapers and women’s magazines in England. About ten years ago, she got her dog Daisy, which changed everything. She used to cover general topics and news, but Daisy led her to start writing more about the pet industry. Over time, 90% of her work became pet-related. She launched her blog, The Paw Post (thepawpost.co.uk),

Today I want to share with you the best-kept resource in staying compliant with staff in your pet business. The Pet Industry Coalition is an organization dedicated to educating and advocating for the regulation and compliance of the Pet Industry. To tell you all about it, I've brought on two of the four co-founders, Lauren Cora and Katie Pape.

Lauren is the owner of Dogs Deserve It, a dog walking company based out of Chicago, IL. Dogs Deserve It recently celebrated 10 years of service and has over 55 employees.

Similarly, Katie's business Windy City Paws, is located in Chicago and has been in business for 10 years now. Katie has over 75 employees.

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

With the pet industry being a rather unregulated business, staying compliant with staff in your pet business can be difficult. Thus, the Pet Industry Coalition was developed. Through the coalition they work to ensure businesses are aware of the differences between independent contractors and employees, as well as, the consequences of misclassifying staff.

Show Highlights

The start of the Pet Industry Coalition [5:02]

Mission of the coalition and who it's for [8:18]

The difference between an employee and an independent contractor [9:20]

What to expect as a member of the Pet Industry Coalition [17:02]

The consequences of misclassifying staff [25:40]

Links

Join the Coalition

Audit Case Study 

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Are You New Here?

Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below.

Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here.

Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here.

Transcript:

This is episode 177 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta with Jump Consulting, and today I've got the most dynamic team that you probably have never heard of. I didn’t, and I had to have them on the show because they do something that is near and dear to my heart. They co-founded the Pet Industry Coalition—Katie Pape and Lauren Coppa—who are here today to explain to us what the Pet Industry Coalition actually is and how it can help you. If you have staff, listen up because this is going to be an episode for you.

Katie introduced herself as the owner of Windy City Paws, a local dog walking and pet sitting company in Chicago, Illinois. They’ve been in business for 10 years and have about 75 staff members—all employees. Lauren followed, sharing that she owns Dogs Deserve It, also in Chicago, celebrating their 10-year anniversary with 55 dog walkers employed throughout the Chicagoland area. Combined, their teams represent over 100 employees, making their shared experience powerful and relevant.

The two met at a seminar Lauren hosted, aimed at educating other dog walking companies about the difference between having 1099 contractors versus employees.

I know with being six days away from Christmas that planning for your dog walking business in 2020 is probably the last thing on your mind. However, I strategically posted this before Christmas so that you have time to get your thoughts flowing.

I want to help you come up with a plan to grow and exceed your expectations for business planning in 2020.

Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss

There's a major difference between planning for your dog walking business and goal setting. Where making plans can include a to do list that never stops growing, setting goals are concrete, quantifiable and specific. When you set a goal you need to give yourself an end date and start breaking down the processes necessary to get there.

Most importantly, you need to hold yourself accountable or get an accountability partner that can.

Show Highlights

90 Day Goals [4:20]

30 Day Goals [5:50]

Accountability [8:00]

What's so different about 2020? [9:10]

Where to begin [10:38]

Can you hire out? [13:35]

Links

Sign up for a 20 minute complimentary call with me

Join the Jump Mastermind

Get started with JazzHR 

Check out my Employee Handbook and Training Manual

Email me at: [email protected]

Let's Connect!

Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!

Click this link – Bella In Your Business

Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork

Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section

Click on ‘Write a Review’'

Transcript:

This is episode 176 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. I know that with six days away from the actual Christmas holiday, business planning for your dog walking or pet sitting company in 2020 is probably the last thing on your mind. But I have strategically placed this episode right before Christmas because I know the next round of marketing that’s going to be hitting your eyeballs is all about New Year’s resolutions and planning for 2020.

So what do you say that I get your thoughts flowing on a couple of topics here and let you know how I do things, how I suggest you could do things, and some other different ways that you might not have heard about. There are so many different things that you have to think about with your business and planning because, let’s face it, if you don’t actually plan for your business, what happens is you start becoming very reactionary. You just start reacting to things that happen—crises, interruptions, and questions from your team—and you end up responding to everything instead of intentionally leading.

We have marketing and sales, staff and clients, advertising, growing lists, keeping staff and clients happy, learning about social media changes, networking locally, managing invoices, cancellations, schedules, balancing your books, and tracking your business’s financial health. There are so many things we have to juggle. And at the end of the day, most of us want to grow. I haven’t met a single pet sitter or dog walker who’s said they want to downsize. But how do we grow, and what does that really mean?

It makes me sad to see so many business owners whose companies are running them over. They’re flattened by the workload and barely keeping up. With 2020 coming, we have a clean slate—a chance to reset. But if you’re bringing the same mindset you had in 2019 and haven’t achieved your goals, this episode is for you. Let’s talk about different ways to plan and the difference between planning and goal setting.

When you plan, you’re focused on to-do lists—tasks to check off today, this week,

I want you to think of all of your pet business systems. Now, think about a time where maybe you told your staff to do something and gave them all of the direction needed to do it but for some reason, they didn't do what you wanted them to do. Do you know what caused the problem?

Today I brought on a very special guest, Liz Illg, to share the importance of systems and processes for your pet business.

Liz is the Owner of Puff & Fluff Grooming and Pet Sitting with five locations in Phoenix area. Not only has Liz turned her passion for animals into a thriving business, she is an expert when it comes to creating an environment of growth for your business as well. In fact, as an Operational Strategist, Liz specializes in working with small business owners and entrepreneurs. She can assist with everything from streamlining systems to creating manageable training and operational manuals. Liz received her Bachelor’s in Business from Arizona State University and her Master’s in Education from Northern Arizona University.

Transcript:

This is episode 175 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and I want you to recall a time where you wanted your staff to do something. You thought that you actually understood that you gave out all the instructions, but for the life of you, you can’t understand why they cannot just do what you want. Well, today I have a guest who is going to help solve this problem and a lot more that you might not have even realized you had.

If you’re in the mastermind, you may have heard of her. If you’ve been to Paradise, you may have met her, but she has been changing pet sitters’ lives left and right the past 60 days. So I had to bring her on the podcast and give her all to you. Without further ado, Liz, welcome to the show. Liz shared that she owns five pet grooming businesses—actual storefronts—in the Phoenix area and has expanded to five locations in the last six and a half years. When we first met, she had just started, with only one location, doing everything herself.

She talked about running 12- to 16-hour days and how exhausting that was. When asked how she managed to grow, Liz explained that she was originally the operator—doing it all—but realized that to grow, she needed to delegate. Before delegating, however, she had to document everything. Without documented processes, delegation was chaos.

She shared a story about her “nightmare” moment—driving between her first and second storefronts when both managers called her about the same issue at the same time. She was juggling two phone calls, two crises, and realized she had failed—not because her managers were incapable, but because she had no documented processes to guide them. That moment became her turning point.

Liz realized that as a CEO, she had to take full responsibility and own the problem instead of blaming her staff. As she grew, it became clear she couldn’t be the answer for everyone’s questions. It wasn’t fair to them or to her. Her team wanted clarity and empowerment, not constant dependency. She began building systems and processes so her business could run without her constant involvement.

She explained that as she grew, she wanted to empower people around her—to create a culture where staff felt ownership. Systems should function independently, not rely on constant human oversight. By developing structured training, clear expectations, and standardized systems, Liz saw everything change. Her employees felt empowered and connected, and the culture improved dramatically.

Do you think it's impossible to maintain self-care for pet sitters over the Holidays?

Tis' the season for a booming business, kids asking when Santa will come multiple times a day, family festivities and holiday cheer. Yet, you're stuck worrying about your business, keeping your head above the water and possibly planning for 2020.

Don't let being an entrepreneur ruin your holiday spirit, instead tune in as I hand out some advice on how to maintain self-care for pet sitters over the Holidays!

Biggest Takeaway You Don't Want To Miss

As pet sitters, self-care is something that needs to be taken more seriously. The Holiday's are full of hustle and bustle but it's imperial that you remember you are the most important person in your business.

Treat yourself as such.

The best thing you can do is allow yourself time to relax and properly schedule block in your calendar events/times that you want to focus on self-care.

Whether that's

Reading a book

Decorating the house

Spending time with friends/family

Getting a massage

Whatever it may be, make yourself a priority this holiday season.

Show Highlights

Time for Family [1:00]

Time for Yourself [5:15]

Plan Ahead on Gifts [9:20]

Decorate Your House [15:10]

Remember Why You're in Business [16:25]

Links

Client gift ideas 

Staff gift ideas 

Where to get beautifully handwritten cards 

Hiring Tips for Finding Staff During the Holidays

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Transcript:

This is episode 174 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.

So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. It's December, and my goodness, the business is popping. Your kids are excited and asking every single day, “Where is Santa Claus?” And you, my friend, are just fretting over keeping your business alive, figuring out what you should be doing for 2020—if you're even thinking that far—and just trying to keep your head above water so that you don't drown.

What's going on, everybody? This is Bella Vasta, and today I'm going to talk to you all about your self-care for the holidays. I really hope to plant a few seeds in your brain and give you permission that it is okay to care about yourself. After all, many of you listeners are caretakers at heart, which is why we are in the field we are, but oftentimes we forget about ourselves. So today we're going to talk about taking time for your family, taking time for yourself, thinking ahead about gifts for everyone, decorating your house, and remembering that the reason you're in business is so that you do have this freedom.

Let’s first talk about carving out time for your family. Maybe you want to carve out an hour for holiday activities once a week or look ahead on the calendar. Something I recently downloaded that I really love is called Facebook Local. It's a separate app that's basically the whole events section of Facebook. If you're like me, you always find out about events the day of, an hour before, or right after they happen. You see your friends posting about them and think, “My gosh, I am not that Pinterest mom or that crafty mom that plans ahead.” Whether or not you have kids, it's rare we actually look ahead for events and things that are coming up.

My best tip is to download Facebook Local and look around at events in your area,