Bella In Your Business: Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Podcast

In this episode of “Bella In Your Business”, Bella discusses whether or not you should offer a discount daily dog walks. She covers points on both sides of the issue.

Bella starts by stressing that before even considering a discount for daily dog walks, you really should know just how much profit you make off of a dog walk or pet visit. She points out that many company owners aren’t fully cognizant of that number or even understand how the costs and profits are divided. Bella points out that some of the money goes to the employee who walked the dog (usually a fixed amount) and some of that money should go to your business to cover expenses and business profit.  Finally, some money needs to go directly to you the owner, so that you are paying your salary.

Can You Even Afford it?

When offering a discount on a daily dog walk you have to decide out of which of these pots that discount will be taken.  You can’t really pay your employee less, so it will need to come out of either your pot or the business’.  If your business has stabilized costs, you may be able to find some money in the business pot to support the discount.  But if you are in a period of steadily increasing expenses, then you may not have it there.  Bella advises you to be careful about taking discounts out of your own pot as many business owners hurt themselves by not paying themselves enough to sustain themselves, and the business.

Discounting Can Be Good!

On the pro-discount side, Bella talks about how even “rich people” like discounts and

you should not be offended if someone asks you to discount daily dog walks.  

She even suggests that you set a higher “standard” rate and that the “discount” you offer be actually in the range of what you need to keep the business growing.  This could also be couched as a “Friends and Family” discount, or be given through package plans that encourage clients to use your services more often.

When You Should Never Discount

On the anti-discount side, Bella suggests that discounts on daily dog walks are not likely appropriate if your rates are currently low, especially if they barely cover costs.  In those cases, it is best to gradually increase your rates to a level where you can offer discounts.

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In this episode of "Bella In Your Business", Bella discusses whether or not you should offer a discount daily dog walks. She covers points on both sides of the issue.

 

Bella starts by stressing that before even considering a discount for daily dog walks, you really should know just how much profit you make off of a dog walk or pet visit. She points out that many company owners aren’t fully cognizant of that number or even understand how the costs and profits are divided. Bella points out that some of the money goes to the employee who walked the dog (usually a fixed amount) and some of that money should go to your business to cover expenses and business profit.  Finally, some money needs to go directly to you the owner, so that you are paying your salary.

In this episode of “Bella In Your Business”, Bella discusses whether you should agree to pet sit for an out of control dog.  The discussion is based on a post from the discussion pages of her private Facebook group found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jumpersnetwork/.

The writer of the post said that she had a “Meet and Greet” the previous night with an “out of control dog.” She said the dog was jumping on her and very unruly. It was putting its paws on her shoulders and its parents just seemed to dismiss the behavior.

Bella says that you as a pet sitter need to recognize that this situation could be a potential liability. First, for you individually, because this dog could cause you to injure yourself (like twisting your ankle) and that could result in your inability to serve your other clients. Doing so could even cost you your business.

This situation could also be a danger to your employees. If one of them gets injured not only is it a loss of a dependable member of your team, but it could open you up to liability.

Bella reminds you that as a pet sitter, it is not your job to train the dog and break bad habits.  In that type of situation, it may often be best to politely decline working with that dog. If you have a trainer you have a relationship with, use the opportunity to give a referral.

Bella also suggests that you ideally decline the job via email. This gives the parents a chance to absorb and digest your reasonings.  Those reasonings should include honesty about your concerns and how you feel you are not the best fit to serve that dog’s particular needs.

You can find more great information from Bella, additional podcast episodes, and  Bella’s blog at http://jumpconsulting.net/.

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In this episode of "Bella In Your Business", Bella discusses whether you should agree to pet sit for an out of control dog.  The discussion is based on a post from the discussion pages of her private Facebook group found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jumpersnetwork/.

The writer of the post said that she had a “Meet and Greet” the previous night with an “out of control dog." She said the dog was jumping on her and very unruly. It was putting its paws on her shoulders and its parents just seemed to dismiss the behavior.

Bella says that you as a pet sitter need to recognize that this situation could be a potential liability. First, for you individually, because this dog could cause you to injure yourself (like twisting your ankle) and that could result in your inability to serve your other clients. Doing so could even cost you your business.

This situation could also be a danger to your employees. If one of them gets injured not only is it a loss of a dependable member of your team, but it could open you up to liability.

Picture this: you're cruising down the road, your pet by your side when suddenly, disaster strikes. A careless driver swerves into your path putting your client's pet in harm's way. Are you prepared for the unexpected? Are you equipped with the ultimate shield to protect yourself and your clients? Have you considered Insurance liability?

 

As a pet business owner you know the business requires a high level of responsibility and trust. Have you considered the importance of having the right insurance coverage? Or considered Insurance liability?

 

In this episode of "Bella in Your Business: Pet Industry Business Podcast," we are thrilled to welcome back  David Pearsall, Vice President at Business Insurers of the Carolinas. In this episode, he is talking about liability insurance options for pet-sitting businesses. 

 

We dive into some important topics like non-owned auto insurance, umbrella policies, and business owner policies. It's crucial to understand the coverage provided by each policy and determine if additional coverage is needed based on your specific business circumstances.

In this episode of “Bella In Your Business”, we are joined once again by David Pearsall, Vice President at Business Insurers of the Carolinas, which specializes in commercial insurance, including businesses providing pet services. David joins Bella for the second of many episodes dealing with insurance for those in the pet sitting industry. This episode focuses on Non-owned Car Insurance Coverage.

To start with, Bella asks what happens if she has an employee driving his/her own vehicle while doing pet sits and they get into an accident. David starts off by defining Non-Owned Auto Liability insurance. He says it’s usually a specialty endorsement to either a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) or a Commercial Auto Insurance Policy. Non-Owned Auto Liability policies cover any vehicle not owned by the business owner, but rather owned by the owner’s employees or other individuals who are using it in the course of business.

In Bella’s hypothetical situation, David points out that if the employee is sued as a result of the accident, the employee’s liability insurance will be the one initially used to provide for the plaintiff if the employee is found liable. But, if it is discovered that the employee was on business at the time of the accident, the plaintiff can also sue the business. This is where Non-Owned Auto Liability insurance can help.

David points out that these policies generally only cover employees and not independent contractors. He stresses that this is “excess” insurance and that in almost all cases the employee’s liability is considered “primary”. So this policy will not keep employees from being found liable or their insurance responsible. These would pay in excess of the employee’s insurance, which often has fairly low limits (often around $100,000).

Bella asks if there are different options and generally what are the limits they pay. David says there a couple of options but generally the limit is around $1 million.

According to David there are two ways to purchase Non-Owned Auto Liability insurance. The first, and preferred way, is to buy it through a Commercial Auto Policy. He points out that if you as a business owner have a vehicle in which you have stickers or logos or the name of your business on it, and your business is your primary source of income, you really should have a commercial auto policy anyway as personal auto policies aren’t really designed for that. And, you cannot add a Non-Owned Auto Liability endorsement to your personal liability insurance.

So Bella asks if a pet sitter has a magnet on their car have they just opened up their business to liability. David says that they have even without the magnet or sticker. If they are using the auto routinely for business, they really should have a commercial auto policy.

The second way to get a Non-Owned Auto Liability endorsement is through a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP). It is often available through one of the many options offered when you purchase a BOP.

Bella asks if this is similar to an umbrella policy. David says this is different. An umbrella policy goes over all of your other policies and gives excess coverage. Umbrellas are really for large claims and again, in addition to other existing policies. They then spend some time discussing the confusion around umbrella policies including how they don’t really cover special events either.

Bella then hits David with listener questions.The first question is from a listener who asks that if she wants Non-Owned Auto Liability insurance from David’s company, why does she have to change her personal liability insurance to his company as well.

David’s response is that they offer Association liability policies. But, that they also offer Business Owner’s Policies. So,

In this episode of “Bella In Your Business”, Bella is joined by Jason Waggoner, Vice President of Acutraq Background Screening. They discuss background checks and how important it is to get the right kind of background check when hiring an employee.

Jason starts off by explaining background checks and why using the quick, inexpensive background checks are ineffective. He emphasizes that these are good tools and a nice place to start but not reliable enough to base your decisions on, as affecting a person’s well being (by hiring or not hiring someone) based on inaccurate information can lead to costly lawsuits.

Jason explains how good professional background check companies like his follow up on hits from “multi-state” databases with checks in the local county for that given hit. This ensures that you have the most up-to-date record from the most accurate source.

Jason also covers the background check application you give to potential employees.  There are strict Federal guidelines (via the Federal Credit Reporting Act) on how that information is presented and what information must be included to ensure that applicants know exactly what they are agreeing to and how it will be used.  He cautions that failure to do so can be costly as some lawyers have been known to search websites, find non-compliant applications, and attempt to organize class-action suits against the company.

If you would like to contact Jason at ACUTRAQ, he can be reached at 281-727-0019 or at an email address which is mentioned in the podcast.

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In this episode of “Bella In Your Business”, we are joined by David Pearsall, Vice President at Business Insurers of the Carolinas, which specializes in commercial insurance, including businesses providing pet services.  David joins Bella for the first of what will be many episodes dealing with insurance for those in the pet sitting industry. This episode focuses on the the 15 most common pet sitting insurance claims.

Bella asks the age old question of how to know when you should or should not put in a pet sitting insurance claim?

David discusses the factors insurance companies look at when deciding on writing or renewing your policy and how you can use those factors to make that call.  Though, he emphasizes that you should also keep in mind that what may appear to be a small claim may eventually turn out to be a big one.

Yikes!

David kicks off the Top 15 by discussing the Top 5 most frequent pet sitting insurance claims (see below).  As part of it, he discusses the differences between Animal Care, Custody, and Control policies.

David also mentions that the contents of the client’s home are usually excluded from most general liability policies, but some policies, like the one offered by the association, may have endorsements covering that.

If you, your employee, or one of the animals in your care is attacked by a third-party animal, try to get the information about that animal’s owner.  More than likely, they will be liable for the incident. 

There sure are a lot of pet sitting insurance claims!

Then, David covers the

Top 5 most frequent third-party claims (also below).

He mentions how often people are injured when two dogs are fighting.  He stresses that you should NEVER try to get between two fighting dogs. It will more than likely end badly. He suggests using methods such as loud noises or water hoses to break it up.

Bites to children is big on the list as well. David recommends that you emphasize to your employees or independent contractors that it is their responsibility to keep other people, especially children, away from the dogs in their care as even the most well-tempered dog may bite if it is spooked or the child provokes it.

Another big claim on the list is property damage to clients’ homes.  David recommends sitters be cognizant of things like water faucets and running toilets.  He also suggests that sitters really know their cleaning supplies as there have been many claims related to sitters using a cleaner on a floor that ultimately ruins the finish.

David then talks about the Top 5 Workman’s Comp pet sitting insurance claims (also below).

He says the key thing is to get your employee taken care of and back to work as quickly as possible.   David says that if you or your employee has an accident or is injured, call the workman’s comp insurer as soon as possible!  The sooner they are involved the better your overall outcome is likely to be. He also suggests that you should have a relationship with a clinic where you send employees with non-life threatening emergencies as they are much less expensive and patients are often seen much more quickly there than in a hospital  emergency room.

Here the Top 5 lists:

Top 5 Pet Related Claims

Ingesting  something foreign. (Example: medicine, toys)

Dog bitten by another dog owned by third party

Dog bitten by another dog in the sitter’s care

Scratches and injuries (to animal) due to running into or stepping on things.

In this episode of "Bella In Your Business", we are joined by David Pearsall, Vice President at Business Insurers of the Carolinas, which specializes in commercial insurance, including businesses providing pet services.  David joins Bella for the first of what will be many episodes dealing with insurance for those in the pet sitting industry. This episode focuses on the the 15 most common pet sitting insurance claims.