Bella In Your Business: Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Podcast

Are you feeling uncertain about franchising your pet business? Wondering if the promised rewards are truly worth the risks and responsibilities?

Imagine – seriously think about this – you’re at the brink of expanding your business, but looming questions about franchising are holding you back.

In this week’s episode of the Bella In Your Business podcast, we’re going where most wouldn’t dare – straight into the heart of the franchise debate.

We’re diving headfirst into the world of franchising with a special guest – Liz Ilig. With nine grooming shops and years of hard-earned entrepreneurial wisdom, Liz has been through the trenches. The big brands have courted her, trying to lure her into franchising her business. Yet… she remains unfazed, standing by her decision NOT to go that route. Why? Because success in franchising isn’t as clear-cut as it seems.

Learn why brand recognition doesn’t always translate across state lines and how the responsibility of someone else's success can be more overwhelming than anticipated. Think...could giving away your ‘secret sauce’ actually dilute your brand’s integrity and success?

If you’re contemplating diving into the dog franchise world or considering other avenues for scaling, this episode is your manual. Tune in to hear why going bigger doesn’t always mean better and how keeping control could be your secret to sustained success.

Ready to make the right move?

Timestamps:

[04:35] Franchise opportunities for successful business expansion.

[09:20] Factors impacting success beyond sharing business model.

[11:46] Franchising involves responsibility, mentoring, and financial commitment.

[14:57] Entrepreneur values independence and controls brand recognition.

[18:17] Understand and standardize to grow your business.

[23:26] Consider building business with future sale in mind.

[24:39] Consider margins, investment, and legacy in business.

Notable Quotes:

"A lot of my success in the business has been because of the people that I’ve hired, plus me being able to activate decisions right away, changing. And here’s the thing—I have to be accountable for myself."

"You can build a successful business without signing on to somebody else’s success."

"In the simplicity of it, a franchise model is, 'Hey, do A plus B and you will get C,' but there is so much interpretation and ways to mess up or severely hurt that investment."

"Our margins as business owners are already tight on a monthly basis. Think about how much you could use that money for advertising or a coach to build your empire instead of giving it back as franchise fees."

"No matter how you build your business, do it as if you’re selling it one day to an investor, someone that can walk in and pick up exactly where you left off."

Resources:

Instagram: Legendary Ideas Group

Email: [email protected]

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today, in our 399th episode, I've actually got a brand new topic for you. Yes, that's right, a brand new topic. I've been heavily involved with the franchises of our industry lately, the past couple of months, and, you know, it's really sparked a question for me. And that is about a couple of years ago. I know a lot of you were approached by two major companies, national companies, trying to convince you to franchise your business. They promised you could make so much money, and it would be easy. They knew nothing about your business, your profits, but they wanted to charge you to do it. Now, some of you did it and had horrible experiences. Some of you did it and didn't really sell many of them but still paid them. Today, I wanted to bring on my good friend who's been on the podcast before, Liz Ilig. She has been instrumental in so many things in the pet industry. She has nine grooming shops in the Phoenix area, where people have told her multiple times, "You should franchise." And so I wanted to bring her on to broach the topic about how franchising isn't as easy as everyone makes it sound. Whether you're thinking about buying a franchise or franchising your own business, I want you to hear from someone who already has nine locations and concepts on why she would or wouldn't do it. So, Liz, welcome to the show.

Thanks for having me. It was a fun conversation with you, and we're like, "Let's do this."

Yeah. And, you know, I love how organic this is, too, because we have these wonderful conversations, and we're like, "Oh, we should have this on the podcast." And this is how this happens. So, Liz, why don't you fill in the blanks a little bit? If this is someone's first time hearing you or seeing you on the podcast, give a little bit of a quick bio of who you are and what you've done.

Yeah. So I started my first brick-and-mortar pet grooming business in 2013, and I currently have nine locations. And it didn't happen overnight. People look at me and go, "Oh, I want to do exactly what you've done." And it takes time, dedication, finances. It takes a lot of things to get to where I am. And so, you know, I've always said I'm my own narrative of my story, and I've been able to create this sense of, I would say, you know, like, I have to first say that this was never my intention to grow a large business. I literally thought when I bought the first one, I would be at that first shop for the first ten years and try to get it up and running. And now I'm sitting at eleven years with nine locations. So, you know, going into this, I didn't think I was going to grow and expand the one business. But it just happened organically and also because of my brain and how my brain works and how I'm able to build things. I'm very operational savvy, and so I understand operations from head to toe, how to document it, how to excel in that, how to teach people to do the things that I don't want to do anymore or find people that can do it better than me because that is a real thing to acknowledge. And so I have built this strong company. In the meantime, I was working with people and seeing people at networking events, and people were like, "I want to work with you." And I'm like, "You can bring your dog into my grooming shops." And they're like, "No, I want to know how you were able to be successful." So I took that and was like, "I will help you build operations for your business, basically standard operating procedures, and really teach you how to put your secret sauce into how you do business." And so that's been going on for six or seven years now. I'm sitting at a place where I'm really like the investor. I'm kind of the person that oversees the vision of the company. So I'm just sitting at a different spot than I thought I was going to be, and it's super rewarding.

That's awesome. So when people come up and ask you, you know, when you start a franchise, an ethical franchise, right, you're essentially saying, "Hey, give me X amount of dollars, I'm going to give you my secret sauce, my proven method of making money, and you just pay me some royalties, weekly, monthly, whatever it might be, and you can do it, too." And I'll still kind of be that visionary for you. So if you have proven that it works nine times, which is amazing, I applaud you and respect you so much for that, why are you so against turning into a franchise and going even bigger and doing what you love to do, which is scaling and the operations of it? Shed some light on that.

I've always said, my whole business is "the buck stops here." Since I'm the visionary, I want to continue to evolve and be able to make decisions overnight. I don't want anybody overseeing myself. I want to really have the freedom to make decisions and not have to go through different chains of command. And also, having a franchise is a whole other responsibility. If I had a franchise, I would have to tailor down and tell them why we're doing this and how we’re going to do it. And to be honest, I know my market.

Market is a big thing.

Yeah. Because of that, it’s important that you understand, like, I don’t know if I could be successful in Texas, I don’t know the market. I always have employees saying, "Hey, I’m going to move to Colorado and start a grooming shop," and I'm like, "I don’t know anything about that demographic." I will say I know a lot about Phoenix. And so, I don’t know each city in particular, but it's also within my reach or a drive away. If I was in a whole other state, just getting somewhere would be more difficult. The buck stops here. I like to be the decision-maker. I don't want to have to go through a board of directors. I don’t want to have other people. I have been successful because I can act within a 24-hour period or even 1 minute, and make calls for my business. That’s why I don't want to put myself on the line per se to have them fail when I don’t know anything about them. Like, I can have standard operating procedures for my business and they all run really well inside of my orbit, but I’m saying, here’s a silver platter, here’s my business, go and run it somewhere else. That doesn’t necessarily, you know, they can look at me and be like, "Oh, she’s been really successful, I’m going to do it." But I’ve also been successful because I have drive, determination, I'm a self-starter, I can do things quickly and activate. I don’t want to be held responsible for somebody else’s way of life or how they interpret what they want for business. I just want to stay in my own lane and be able to have a successful business because I can make the decisions. Yes, if I was the owner of the franchise, I could still make decisions, but it trickles down differently, and there are levels of command in that. I’m here to say that you can build a successful business without signing on to somebody else’

Is Your Business Stuck in a Rut?

Do you feel like your business is running YOU instead of the other way around? Like you’re giving your all to your business, but the results just aren’t matching the effort? Like you're pushing hard, but somehow… you're just not getting to that next level?

Am I close?!

You’re not alone, and today’s episode of the Bella in Your Business podcast could be exactly what you need.

Today’s episode drops on my birthday, and I've got something special for you.

We’re diving deep into the incredible success stories from my coaching intensives and mastermind program. Imagine laser-focused one-on-one sessions addressing YOUR unique challenges, or being part of a mastermind that turns doubts into success stories—like Stephanie Surjan, who reignited her passion and carved out a fresh path, or Becky Lea, whose social media game made her the small business of the month.

Think turning doubts into triumphs, stuck routines into streamlined operations, and feeling isolated into being energized by a supportive community.

Are you ready to get unstuck in your pet business?

Push play, get inspired, and take action.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro

[06:01] Success Story: Stephanie Surjan

[09:01] Success Story: Becky Lea

[12:01] Importance of Community and Support

[15:01] Member Testimonials and Real-Life Examples

[18:01] Role of Coaching in Business Transformation

Notable Quotes:

"Overcoming pet business stagnation isn’t just a dream—it's possible! It’s about turning doubts into triumphs and stagnant routines into streamlined operations."

"What’s the point of motivation if it doesn’t inspire action? Real transformation happens when you dig deep, address your unique challenges, and take bold steps forward."

"You are who you surround yourself with. Being part of a supportive community can energize you, providing the momentum to break free from what’s holding you back."

"If you have been trying to achieve something for more than the past three months and you've stalled out or hit a wall, it is time to give yourself the gift to get over that and onto the next problem."

Resources:

63% Off One-on-One Coaching Sessions

50% Mastermind Community (use code 'bday2024' at checkout)

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome to another episode of Bella in your business. Today's episode is dropping on July 18, which is my birthday. And if you've been following me online, you know that on Sunday, we dropped a heck of a deal. Every year around my birthday, I always drop a birthday sale. And I think it's something that you guys have started asking me for because, you know, to anticipate it. So, as you have anticipated, that's what this episode is going to be about. I'll get right to it and just cut to the chase. We are offering you guys 63% off of one-on-one coaching instead of six sessions that you can use within six months. So it's whenever you need them. You can do them once every month, once a week, once every two weeks, or sporadically, whatever you want. That's what we can do. And that is on sale. It's normally $3,991 on sale, down to $1,499, which is 63% off.

The other offer is the mastermind, and that is, you join the mastermind for your first month for 50% off. These two are created to kind of appeal to everyone. The mastermind is a month-to-month subscription, but honestly, people are usually in there for at least two years because once you get going, you kind of don't want to stop. And I'm going to go more into that. The one-on-one, of course, is a little bit more of an investment. But that's you and me, one-on-one. That is not only just the how-to specifically for your business and your secret sauce, but it's also, I think, one of the most important things, working through all of the challenges that you have in your head, all of the, “Yeah, but what if…” Orlando. “Oh, my gosh, I'm scared about this,” or “How do I do that?” or “Where do I go to get that?” A lot of that comes down there. So, I want to give you a couple of stories, a couple of testimonials here that we've experienced, and that I just want to let you know. Because anyone that you gave your hard-earned money to really should have proof in the pudding.

For those of you who don't know me, I started my own pet sitting company from 2002 to 2016 here in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was mostly pet sitting, although we did do dog walking as well. When I was 25, I was awarded nationally and locally. It was Naps, the pet sitter business of the year in 2007, as well as the Arizona Phoenix, sorry, Arizona Republic, 35 under 35 entrepreneurs. And 2007 is also when I started coaching. I went full-time with coaching in 2018, and that was, you know, once I started coaching, I realized that's what I love to do. I love being your cheerleader, your butt kicker, and I love being able to motivate people to a place of action. I cry with my clients. I cheer with my clients. I really do take it personally, that your success is my success, as a matter of fact.

For example, Stephanie reached a critical moment after a decade in the pet sitting world. She felt really lost after the pandemic, and she was on the verge of literally shutting down her business. She was like, “I can't do this anymore.” And I think a lot of us kind of went through that. But then she joined my mastermind, and with our no-bull approach, she committed to a year because you can also get a discount if you sign up for a year. She reignited her passion and carved out this fresh path. She had so many wins that she was able to spend time with her child and her husband, and move and flow in her company in a way that she always desired. It was beautiful and inspiring to watch her work hard and that is contagious energy because when you're in the mastermind, there's other people doing that too, like Becky from Paws around Motown, who took our mastermind reels training to heart. She ramped up her marketing, and as a result, she was named Small Business of the Month. She also had her whole entire staff start to take on reels in social media. She's cross-trained people. You may have heard her on this podcast before. She's talked about her whole hiring process.

I actually did an intensive with her where I was in Chicago, and she flew from Michigan, I think she's in, and came over, and we spent a whole day together. I remember I actually still have the pictures from when I was teaching her how to post a reel. And now they're dominating. They're absolutely dominating. She's amazing. She shows up to all of the hot seats that we have in the mastermind. Just today, we had, at the time of this recording, we had Liz Illig talking about what to do in your business if something happens to you or someone you love. And we were talking about SOPs and who is your number two and your number three? What's your contingency plan? And Becky was there for that. We were laughing, believe it or not. We were cracking up. She just had some really good stuff to add to it, and it's just always really cool to see her there.

Another member in the mastermind, Sue, shattered her revenue goals, hitting over $17,000 in a single month and reclaimed her weekends, which was one of the goals that she was working on. And you bet your bottom dollar we all celebrated. When was the last time you had a bunch of people around you that was celebrating or that also knew what you were working on and kept reminding you of it? Right? Where do you get that inspiration? Or is it just like another day, Groundhog Day? Another one came in, and she ditched all of her outdated practices that were actually creating a lot of extra work. Right. You might have heard me say before, don't spend ten hours doing something when, if you can streamline it and get a really good workflow, make it to two hours. And that was another mastermind member’s success. I mean, there's so many.

We also had someone else that just became like the top of their market, where top talent was contacting her through the different methods that we discussed in our hiring an employee month. And we really got her to become a magnet for that. And it was to the point that people were literally waiting to work for her, or they were working at a dog rescue and sending her updates so that they could be like, “Hey, I'm still interested, and I'm sharpening my skills.” This is real life for my jumpers. Okay? My jumpers. I say my jumpers do it differently because some of our ways of doing things might be a little bit untraditional, they might be a little outlandish. But these are kind of like what Apple has posted before. And I just love this. They say, here's to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square hole, the ones who see things differently. They found they're not fond of the rules. They have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify them, or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see them as genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. And I've always loved this saying. In fact, I think I need to get that for my office.

But that just reminds me of jumpers, all kinds of jumpers out there. The ones that I work with, the people that are actually making things happen, they're just incredible, and they're inspiring. And when you're around that, you are who you surround yourself with. It is such a good place to be. Another one, you know, we had this gal who had a lot of self-doubt, and I know none of you guys battle with that, right? She had a ton of self-doubt, and she was able to turn that into innovative solutions and regained this confidence to thrive

Are you feeling the midsummer madness and the pressures of running a pet care business? Is burnout inside your pet business dragging you down just when you should be enjoying the sunny season?

Welcome back to another episode of Bella In Your Business! This week, Bella dives into the chaos of summer schedules with 12 powerhouse tips for combating burnout inside your pet business and reclaiming your peace. Whether you’re struggling with chaotic client demands, feeling the pinch of inflation, or lying awake at night worrying about your business, this episode is your strategic rescue.

Tune in as Bella shares practical, quick, and dirty tactics to:

Reevaluate Your Goals

Outsource Smartly

Automate Processes

Boost Workflow Efficiency

Invest in Your Team with Pet Care Team Training

Plus, Bella shares personal insights and success stories from business owners like you who have transformed their approach and seen remarkable results in dealing with burnout inside their pet sitting businesses.

Listen now!

Timestamps:

[00:00] Coping with financial stress and burnout.

[05:21] Outsource non-core tasks to reduce burnout.

[07:37] Are you using scheduling software effectively?

[12:07] Monthly pet care team training and support.

[16:09] Invest in employees, flexible work, feedback, assess.

[18:35] Team building, technology leverage, and preventing burnout.

Notable Quotes:

"You should not be in the weeds doing things that are below your pay grade. You are the business owner, the entrepreneur, the visionary, and stop doing the little things that are not revenue generating."

"Identify tasks like data entry or invoice processing or customer inquiries and use your systems... Use methods and processes and figure out where your bottleneck is and how to remove that dam from the water so the water can flow."

"Sometimes it's just a matter of verbally processing it and getting it out of your head and getting that energy through your mouth and just talking about it. I know that's one of the things that helps me tremendously."

"There's no sense in listening to podcasts or getting motivated if it does not inspire action. And so that is my action call to you today."

Resources:

Follow us on social media (a special birthday announcement and unbeatable deals coming soon!)

Mastermind

Pet Care Team Training

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Woo. Welcome back to another episode of Bella in your business. Um, it is the summer, and, uh, we have some really cool things planned for you guys. But, um, I know that if you guys are anything like me, and I know that, you know, there's lots of moms and dads out there, and there's lots of single moms and dads out there and non single moms and dads out there. Everyone's just, like, running around amok for the summer, right? And we, you know, a lot of our schedules change. A lot of our clients schedules change. If you're doing pet sitting, it's like, really busy. Because everyone's traveling for the summer.

There's a lot of stuff going on, right? And there's a lot of demands on our personal life, things we want to do, like this past weekend, July 4, and we're all in different places of our business. Some are still working holidays and not getting in on just relaxing, or maybe even having a drink at a barbecue because they know that they have to go out and check on some pets, or they're just running around because they're short staffed. Or maybe you're not busy. Maybe you're laying awake at night thinking, shoot, everyone else is busy. Why aren't I? I'm a failure. This isn't working. Whatever it is. There are times in our business where we feel like everything is working really well.

And there's times where we feel like the whole world is crumbling down, the walls are closing in on us. You're laying awake at night wondering if one person quits. What am I gonna do? You're looking at your bank account and you're like, wow, I. I really wished that I was automatically paying myself x amount of dollars and not having to do draws based off of how much is in my bank account. I wish that I had money to pay for all this extra stuff, or these extra trips, or do whatever it might be. You might be looking at inflation or going to the grocery store thinking, wow, like, things are getting so expensive and, and, and people aren't wanting to pay my prices, or whatever it might be. Burnout is real. And we've talked a lot about burnout, what you can do personally and psychologically within yourself.

But today I want to talk about twelve different things that you can do inside your actual business to help with burnout. And so we're gonna just get straight to it, and it's gonna be quick and dirty. For those like Becky and her team of paws around Motown, you might end up taking this transcript and throwing it into AI and, you know, getting actionable items from it so you don't have to take notes. I loved it when she told me that in one of our mastermind meetings. It was really cool. But I want to give you some food for thought. I want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Okay.

So I'm going to get straight into it. Down and dirty. Have no idea how long this episode is going to be, but here we go. So when you're feeling overwhelmed and you're like, I don't know what I should focus on. I think the very first thing that you need to do is reevaluate your goals and objectives. What are you doing? Are you reacting? Um. Or are you being proactive or reactive in your business? She did think that, like, burnout really usually means that you have a disconnect between your goals and your actual outcomes. Right? You feel like you're spinning your wheels.

You're not getting anywhere. You burned out. So I want you to consider to host strategic planning sessions with people that matter. Maybe they're your business besties, or maybe they're advisors that you really care about. Maybe it's a coach like myself. Maybe it's your fellow mastermind members. If you're in the mastermind, get with people to try to help. Get out of outside of your head.

That's really important. And revisit what your company's mission, values, goals are. Evaluate whether what you're doing with your time actually aligns with those long term objectives you want to use. Smart goals. Smart, smart. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound to realign your efforts. Communication is also key. And ensure that everyone understands in your organization, whether that's you or maybe they're, you know, you have employees, whatever it might be that, like, hey, this is what we're focused on right now.

Maybe that goal is to get more daily dog walks. And so maybe you're. You're working really hard on the next month of flipping the people that are only doing twice a, twice a week walks to three, four, or five times a week walks instead of trying to obtain new people. Right? Have you guys ever done that? That's like, one example. The other thing I want you to think about. The second thing is outsource tasks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know.

I know you know all about this. You've heard about it. Maybe you've done it and you've been burnt by it. Okay? I could tell you I've been burnt more times than I could count. But here's the thing, you never burn me the same way, or I learn things from it and it gets better and better and better. Not everyone that you hire or you delegate to is going to knock it out of the park. They're not always going to be the right person for the job. They're not going to have the right skill set or talent.

It is a, it's a trial and error for you. But outsourcing non core tasks can significantly reduce burnout. I want you to think about where are you spending your time? Are you doing the same thing every single week? Why are you, let's say, doing payroll manually? Why? What if you were taken out of that? Who's going to do it? Right? If you're. You need to identify the time consuming, non essential activities that you're doing and then outsize them to specialized people or firms or contractors. Maybe it's your website. I know a lot of you guys are doing your website. I know a lot of you have friends, family members that are doing the websites. And I'll tell you respectfully, those never get done in a timely manner or in a professional manner.

Almost never. And you, it could be so much better when you just have like a slack channel with your developer on there or someone that you're like, hey, website issues. This one, this one, fix this. Boom, done. Instead of asking someone that, you know, hey, when you get a minute, could you do this for me? Um, that's just one example, but outsourcing tasks is pretty big. You should not be in the weeds doing things that are below your pay grade. You are the business owner, the entrepreneur, the visionary, and stop doing the little things that are not revenue generating. And that is a mindset that you can't just flip a switch one day and do it.

But it's something that will help you get tasks off your daily life, which leads to burnout. The third one is process automation. So you need to automate the repetitive stuff. So we just talked about outsourcing tasks. So what of those outsourcing tasks and you actually automate? And I know automation often has a negative tone, but it doesn't have to be. It will save you time and improve accuracy. And it's not always like losing that personal touch by doing it. Identify tasks like data entry or invoice processing or customer inquiries and use your systems.

I know almost all of us have a scheduling software, but my question to you is, are you using it to the fullest of your capability? Do you have things like primary and secondaries that are included in every single client profile. Do you have things like your scheduling software has all of you

What would you do if life suddenly pulled you away from your business?

Ever thought about what might happen if an urgent personal crisis hit you out of nowhere? Could your business survive—let alone thrive—without you?

In this week's episode of Bella In Your Business, Bella Vasta shares her personal, heart-wrenching story of being abruptly pulled from her thriving pet sitting business due to a medical emergency. She dives deep into the essential strategies every business owner needs to ensure their enterprise can run seamlessly in their absence.

Learn actionable steps to automate payroll, conduct effective scheduling, manage marketing, and ensure smooth hiring processes. Whether you're going through a personal crisis or simply planning for the unplanned, this episode equips you with the knowledge to secure your business's future.

Tune in now to discover how demonstrating that your business can operate independently not only ensures its survival but also significantly increases its value.

Your future self will thank you for listening.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro and Personal Story

[00:40] The Unexpected Hospitalization

[01:59] Running a Business During Crisis

[03:51] Preparing for the Unexpected

[06:57] Key Business Operations to Consider

[14:46] The Importance of Business Continuity

[19:39] Final Thoughts and Reflections

Notable Quotes:

"Imagine you just received an urgent call and your immediate presence is required somewhere else. Is your business going to thrive, just survive, or end up dead?"

"I’m a firm believer that something in your life, if you're in business long enough, is going to require your full attention—your business needs to be ready for that moment."

"If you can prove that this business can work without you in it, you have just increased the value of your business."

Resources:

FREE 20-min consult with Bella

Mastermind

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome to another episode of Bella in your business. My name is Bella Vasta. Today, we're going to talk about something that literally happened in my life about 10 years ago now. And it's something that I've spoken from stage about multiple times, but I'm not sure it's something that we've talked about on this podcast that I can remember in the past, almost 400 episodes.

But it is something that I need to plant seeds in your head to make sure that if and when this happens to you, you are prepared. So let's go. Alright, so about a little over 10 years ago, I was sitting in a parking lot and I was pregnant, and I thought that I was going to be a yoga yogi when I was pregnant.

So I was just getting out of prenatal yoga and I got a call from my doctor and she was like, you need to get to the hospital. And I'm like, what? Nah, I'd never been hospitalized. Thankfully, I've never broken a bone. You know, I've never been in the hospital. That was a big, scary place. I was like, I don't have to go to the hospital.

She's like, yeah, your blood pressure levels are not healthy and you'd be hurting your baby. And so I went to the hospital and very long story short, it was right over Memorial Day weekend. And I was there for five days. And when I was done with that, I was ordered to be on bed rest at home.

And you guys know me. Bed rest? What? I was in bed for so long that when I would get up to take a shower, just putting my arms over my head to wash my hair was like lifting weights. Because my muscles were deteriorated. It was gross. I mean, not gross, but it was very disheartening.

I tell you this to say that I was running a six-figure pet sitting company. We were mostly pet sitting with a little bit of dog walking. I had about 10 employees and I did have an office manager. It was very fluid. It wasn't as maybe solid as what some of you guys do today. I was very lax because I'm organized chaos by nature.

I would pay her like $20 a day to have the phone and then commissions on whatever she sold. And that's kind of how we worked it. And when I said we have the phone, it was the phone and email and scheduling. But I did have everything streamlined. I had my software really working for me, but I had to give my business to her because I couldn't do anything more.

My doctor did not want me working, did not want any extra stress in my life. So I unexpectedly had to be yanked out of my business and I couldn't work it. If it was just me in that business, first of all, I probably wouldn't have a business to come back to. Because once I did have my daughter in July, after being on bed rest, we were in the hospital with her for 182 days, for 6 months.

She was born at 12 ounces. And every day I was at NICU for eight to 10 hours. So I definitely couldn't do any work. I do remember pumping milk and being in the pump room that they had, maybe answering a couple emails or talking to my office manager occasionally. But generally speaking, you can't sit in baby ICU, NICU with a laptop or phone and like beyond that, it's a critical situation.

I was literally pulled from my business. But guys, as I have been coaching, I have talked to so many people over the years where they have had cancer, gone through chemo, and all that comes with it. Chemo brain and being lethargic, not feeling well, throwing up. You can't even think straight, let alone run a business.

I've had people with ailing family members, whether it's kids, parents, cousins, sisters, or brothers, that they've had to care for because they're their caretaker, taking them away from their business. I'm a firm believer that as gloom and doom as this is, something in your life, if you're in business long enough, is going to require your attention, your full attention, and not in a way that you can still run your business and do that.

God forbid it's something bad. It could also be something good, like all of a sudden you have an opportunity to go be in Europe for a month. There's so many different things that this beautiful life gives us. But I wanted to come to you today to just really ask you: What's your plan?

What's your plan if all of a sudden you can't get out of bed or you cannot get to work? Is your business going to thrive, just survive, or end up dead? And I know that's really, you know, but I'm, I'm being real here because every day is not going to be rainbows and sunshine and roses. I want you to really think about it. I really want you to think about it. It's really crucial.

Imagine you just received an urgent call and your immediate presence is required somewhere else. Maybe it's a family emergency, maybe it's time off for health reasons. Do you have systems and processes in place to ensure that your business continues to run seamlessly and grows? If your answer is no or not quite sure, then today's episode is definitely beneficial for you.

I'm gonna give you some things to think about to consider, not to add any more anxiety to your life, but rather the opposite to decrease that and make you feel so solid. Guys, I want to talk about the stuff that matters for you. I want to talk about the stuff that's going to move the dial or keep your business afloat. And today's episode is just that.

So, let's talk about some—I'll put like four general things that everyone has to do in their company, right? First one, payroll. How do you keep your staff being paid? Who knows what your payroll company is, how to access it, who your payroll processor person is or how you process it? Is there, you might have SOPs for like how to schedule a client or how to schedule a sitter or how to handle a complaint. Do you have an SOP on how to do payroll? Would anyone be able to just go into your stuff and know how to do it?

At the very high level, I'm even thinking right now, it's like, you know how our cell phones have an emergency contact number, right? So, God forbid you're in an accident. They can, you know, call your emergency contact. Does your business have an emergency contact, whether that's a person or maybe a one-page document that gets them into everything else, the keys to the kingdom, is there something that is written down or on video or something that can keep it going?

So, is your payroll system automated? Do you have someone that can do that payroll? What about scheduling? This probably is a little bit easier than most of it, but like, you know, depending on how big or small your team is, how does one know how to schedule? Not just how to actually schedule Suzy for Fido's visit, but how to critically think of why is it that Suzy gets to go to Fido's visit? Why not Molly or Jack or Joe? Right? So, the thought process behind how to make those decisions, in addition to specifically how to do it, is going to be important to have.

A lot of you guys are probably thinking, okay, my spouse or my partner can do this, right? But these are things that you want to make sure that there, you might even want to do a trial run day just to make sure that if something were to happen, someone easily could step in. Or maybe you have a business bestie that you say, "Hey girl, if anything ever happens to me, I'm gonna have my partner call you and I'm gonna need you to take over my business." Because I already know that you know what's going on, right? These are things that I want you guys to think about. I hope that you never have to use it, but I want you to think about it.

What about hiring? I mean, okay, so someone's running your business, but the wheels still need to go. How do they know when to hire? How do they know how to hire? How do they know what to hire for? What your hiring process is like? You might have your hiring process written out for you, maybe a training manager or something on like steps. This is what we do: step one, step two, step three....

Is your pet care business truly prepared for emergencies? Ever wondered how to ensure Pet Hurricane Preparedness and keep clients' pets safe during natural disasters?

In this episode of Bella In Your Business, Bella sits down with Jennifer Jasmin from Friendly Critter Sitters.

Jennifer shares her journey from Air Force weather forecaster to thriving pet care entrepreneur, illustrating how she combined her meteorological expertise and passion for pets to comprehensive pet hurricane preparedness course. Her innovative approach equips pet owners with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle various disasters, not just hurricanes.

Beyond her course, she has an inspiring story that will resonate with all pet care business owners. In just two years, Jennifer has grown her business to  300 clients with seven pet sitters, and she's STILL hiring for more. Jennifer opens up about her personal growth, discussing the challenges she faced, the fears she overcame, and the power of pushing past boundaries to achieve both personal and professional success.

Don't miss out on this empowering episode filled with practical advice, strategic marketing insights, and inspiring stories. Whether you're a seasoned pet care professional or a newcomer, this episode offers vital tools and strategies to enhance your preparedness and authority in your area.

Tune in now to revolutionize your approach to pet care and disaster readiness – and take the leap towards becoming the ultimate pet care expert in your community!

Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro of Guest; Jennifer Jasmin

[02:00] Jennifer's Course on Emergency Preparedness

[03:30] Jennifer's Background

[05:10] Hurricane Course Details

[07:00] Special Discount for Listeners

[10:00] Positioning as an expert in emergency preparedness for pets

[11:30] Personal Growth and Business Expansion

[13:45] Challenges and Mistakes

[16:00] Overcoming Fear

Notable Quotes:

"I created the course to help people with emergency preparedness for their pets. It's not just for pet sitters; it’s for anyone with a pet. Whether you're evacuating or dealing with disaster aftermath, this course prepares you for everything."

"In order to be the go-to in your community, you need to leverage what makes you unique. For me, it was combining my meteorology background with pet care to provide a valuable resource for fellow pet owners."

"Don't let fear stop you. Push past your fear because that means it's something that really needs to be done. Whether it's in business or personal growth, jumping past your fears opens up new opportunities."

"It's about jumping now. Has everything I've done been perfect? No, but those mistakes have led to incredible growth and opportunities."

Resources:

Better Marketing With Bella

Follow Jennifer on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/furriendlycrittersitters

Follow Jennifer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/furriendly_critter_sitters/

Hurricane Course: www.furriendlycrittersitters.com/hurricane-course

Use Code: 'Bella'

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome, everybody, to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today we're going to kind of flip the script. So many times, I tell you how to really be relevant in your area, as every area is different. In order to be an expert and have that perceived luxury service, to be the go-to in your community for pets, I always talk about doing things in your community, going to events, and creating blogs that are specific, like hiking areas. Well, today I've got Jennifer Jasmine, and she is from Friendly Critter Sitters. She's done something pretty cool. Jennifer's been a jumper for a while, and I wanted to bring her on to inspire you to maybe do the same thing or something similar in your area. It’s noted that Jennifer is in a hurricane area, and this is what prompted her, but I'm going to let her tell you that story. So without further ado, Jennifer, welcome to the show.

Hey, thank you for having me. I really created a course that will help all pet parents. Whether you're a pet sitter or a pet owner, and you're not even in a pet care business, it walks you through everything about how to create an emergency kit, what to do if you need to evacuate, what happens when you come home and have a lot of disaster, and how to take care of your pet around that. So, I created the course to help people. I noticed a problem when I was with my pet-sitting business. A lot of people were asking me, "How do I prepare? What happens if a hurricane hits? Do I use your services in the middle of a hurricane?" I've actually walked dogs in the middle of a hurricane.

I'm sure many of our listeners have, too. It was just crazy to me as an Arizonian who doesn't have to deal with hurricanes. So when did this idea inspire you to create the course? I'm sure other people have thought about it or maybe sent out an email or posted something on their social media. What made you want to take it to a complete course?

Because I have weather experience. I was in the Air Force as a weather forecaster, and I'm close to getting my meteorology degree. Just the math in the last couple classes kicked my butt. But I've been a weather nerd my whole life, and combining my interests in weather and pets felt natural to me. So, I figured I could really help people with this.

That is really cool. How long is the course? How is it administered? Tell us more about the makeup of it.

There’re six modules, and each module has two or three lessons. You can do it in a weekend. It's about 90 minutes of video. You also get a printable worksheet or binder to put all your contacts in. It includes a hurricane checklist for your emergency kit, a place to write down emergency shelters that accept pets, and hotels that are pet-friendly. The binder is a $30 value included with the course.

That’s really cool. How much is the course? I’m curious.

It's $79, but until the 21st, it will be $59. I will also offer a coupon for listeners – use code "Bella" to get 20% off the $79 price.

Thank you for extending that. I want to talk more about how this positions you and what it gives you to talk about. From a marketing standpoint, it's a tool you could use to break the ice with many rescue groups in your area, shelters, pet stores, dog boarding centers, etc. Have you started thinking about how you’re going to market it?

We have a hurricane disaster cleanup crew that helps when houses burn down or flood. They've been covering a lot of hurricane stuff. I reached out to them because they help with hurricanes, and many people they work with have pets. Having this course helps many people in the community.

What great credentials you have by combining meteorology and pets. So what do you hope to get from this besides educating people?

I hope to create more courses and help people realize that I'm more than just a pet sitter. I'm certified in a lot of things, and continuing education is a big part of my business.

That’s really good. So, what would you say to anyone listening right now who is thinking, "I wish I would have thought of that?" What makes you unique, and what can you do to help serve your community while bringing fulfillment to your life?

Think about what unique things happen in your climate or seasons and how you can position yourself as an expert. You can post on Nextdoor or social media about upcoming hurricanes and preparedness tips, using tools to start building relationships with people.

I would start by looking at what new people in your area might question and how you can solve that question. For example, new people arriving with pets who have never experienced a hurricane would have many questions. One thing my course covers is that a pet sitter should be the third contact in an emergency because they might not be able to make it to your house due to other commitments.

I remember a couple of years ago, we had a massive hurricane come towards Florida, and I had a meteorologist friend from the Weather Channel come on to do a weather report specifically for pet sitters. It’s crucial to bring this information to the front and put it out there as a public service announcement, building relationships in the process.

Tell us a bit more about your business. How long have you had it, where is it located, and what do you currently work with?

We’re on Space Coast Florida, by Cape Canaveral on the eastern side of central Florida. We’ve been in business for about two years, celebrating our anniversary in April. It’s so much better than I imagined. We’re nominated as the best pet sitter in our county and receive positive feedback regularly, which is very encouraging.

Tell our listeners about the growth. Where did you start, and where are you now?

My initial goal in the mastermind was to have 20 clients, thinking it’d be the best in the world. Now we have 300 clients, seven pet sitters, and we’re hiring more. It’s crazy!

That’s amazing. I want people to understand that we have many listeners just starting out. Everything you’ve done hasn’t been perfect, right?

No, I made some mistakes.

What would you tell your old self to avoid?

Probably don't hire too many people too quickly. I hired three people in a month, and they weren't the right fit. I should have waited to find the right fit instead of jumping in immediately.

Right, right. People think hiring is one step, but it’s essential to understand what you’re looking for and find the right fit. Bad hires are inevitable, but they teach us valuable lessons in creating the right team.

What else is there? Is there one more thing you would tell yourself before starting your business?

Don’t let fear stop you. Push past your fears because that means it's something tha

Feeling overwhelmed by clients who disregard your pet care policies? Struggling to assert boundaries in you pet sitting business without risking client relationships?

Tune in for a crucial episode tackling boundaries in pet sitting businesses.

In this episode of Bella In Your Business, Bella unveils powerful strategies to regain control and respect in your business interactions. Learn how to confidently enforce policies on cancellations and last-minute changes, ensuring your time is valued and your business thrives. Discover practical tips to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Whether you're a pet care veteran or just starting, this episode equips you with the tools to establish boundaries that command respect and elevate client satisfaction.

Don't let issues with boundaries undermine your success—tune in now and transform the way you manage client expectations!

Timestamps:

[0:00] Introduction about boundaries and the context of a pet sitting business

[5:40] Signs that boundaries are being blurred and the impact on business/personal life

[7:37] Reframing mindset to see boundary issues as business matters, not personal

[11:24] Sample response scripts for clients pushing boundaries

[13:19] Tips for maintaining boundaries like training clients and consistency

[19:09] Advice to a client who posted about schedule changes

Notable Quotes:

"Boundaries are like the framework of a house, they hold everything together and they keep it standing."

"These small boundary breaches can add up leading to burnout and resentment, which ultimately affects the quality of the service you provide."

"Boundary issues often are not personal attacks. They usually stem from unclear communication."

"We teach people how to treat us. If you're answering the phone late at night or sending emails outside of office hours or bending the rules frequently, you're setting a precedent with clients."

"Being motivated does nothing. It's like toilet paper that you throw down the toilet."

Resources:

Mastermind

20-minute consult

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome back to another episode of Bella in your business. Oh my gosh, you guys, we are so close to 400 episodes. Oh my goodness, more to come on that in a little bit. But I hope you guys are having a fabulous summer. Olivia and I just got back from Disneyland, we went out there for a couple days had so much fun. I'm sure you have seen my Instagram stories. I hope you guys are taking some time, or at least planning a little bit of time out during the vacation or during summer break, or just, you know, time to recharge, whether you have kids or whether you're single, or whatever it is that you're doing. I just hope that you're taking some time for yourself and scheduling, because I want to remind you that the majority of us have started our own company because we wanted time and financial freedom, and so in honor of that, I just wanted to remind you to take a little time for yourself.

Okay, so along with that, in a very good segue is today I wanted to talk about boundaries. Oh yes, boundaries. And it was actually sprouted from a question that I saw happen online, and I was just really intrigued by it, because I read a lot of the stuff that you guys post, and then I think to myself, like, Well, why is that a problem? What is what is that? And so I'm just going to kind of read this to you. I'm going to keep it anonymous here, but this person says that she's been having several issues, some issues with several, several clients not respecting her policy. So the first thing that it tells me as if it's happening several times with different people, then the common denominator is you and I say that respectfully, okay, but I'm using this as an example, because I know that so many can relate to it. She says I need to take control of my business, and I want to do it without losing clientele, and because she can't afford to do it right. So she's a little bit fearful to assert her boundaries, because she doesn't want that risk of potentially losing people. So she asks everybody, can you share a link to your policies for your business, which, you know, it's a little like tricky, because most people copy from someone else, or they put in their own stuff. They don't have a lawyer look through it someone. If policies are done correctly, then they should be done according to you, right? And here's an example. When I was a solo sitter, my cancelation policy was two weeks for day visits, four weeks for overnights. If you cancel within that time frame, you are responsible for half the invoice. It was that simple. I was able to say it that succinctly, that like 15 years later, 20 years later, I'm able to still remember that I made it so specific and so clear. But then, when I got employees, I considered changing it, and I never did, because I said that my time is worth the same thing as their time. And so I basically, I was a lot of pet sitting like vacation clients, and I didn't want, I wanted our schedule to be set. I didn't want to deal with all that. And so if someone had a cancelation, we'll talk about this a little bit later. I had a script that I would say to them all right, back to the situation.

So she says, you know, she wants everyone to share. What would happen if this was them? And then she goes on to an example about a steady client who usually schedules Tuesday and Thursdays twice a day, but they often cancel because their week schedule changes. And so her boundary is she requests a 24 hour notice at least to make the schedule changes. And then this week, they asked for the schedule changes of only one visit, and she said that she has a two hour arrival window. But then they started freaking out because they wanted to change her two hour window. And so it sounds like there's, like, a lot of different things going on there, and she's just really perplexed as to how could she keep the client happy, but also not feel my words taken advantage of, because I feel like she feels taken advantage of, and just kind of on call for these people. And so we're going to talk a lot about this today. I'm going to kind of go back to this example, but I just thought it was it really sparked my interest to talk to you guys about this today. And like I said, I feel like a lot of us struggle with boundaries. And so what are boundaries? Let's just start there.

So the context of a pet sitting business, boundaries are the clear lines that you draw concerning your working hours, your policies on cancelations, how you expect to be treated by your clients, and these limits ensure that you're not overextending yourself and maintaining a professional relationship with your clients. For instance, you might set a boundary that you're only available for communication during certain hours, or you have a policy for last minute cancelations to ensure that your time is respected. Boundaries are like. The framework of a house, they hold everything together and they keep it standing. If you don't have that framework, then the house is going to crumble, and you might have felt that way before. But these boundaries are not just about setting limits for others. They're also about protecting our own well being and ensuring the sustainability of our business. Imagine you receive a late night text from a client expecting an immediate response left unchecked, these small boundary breaches can add up leading to burnout and resentment, which ultimately affects the quality of the service you provide. For example, if you were to actually respond to that client late night, then they're going to start realizing and feeling that they can now get you, reach you in the middle of the night, right?

So boundaries provide a reliable structure for your business operations. They help establish clear expectations and prevent misunderstandings between you and your clients. You'll find that most clients will appreciate knowing your boundaries up front as it sets the stage for a respectful and professional relationship. So it's crucial to recognize when the boundaries are being blurred. And like, here's some signs that you can look for. Are you ready? So one clients are frequently contacting you outside of your stated office hours. And again, this is, like, it's really interesting, because if it's happening with a lot of people, you know, it's you. If it's happening with just like one or two people, you know it's them, and then number two clients are expecting immediate response, or three clients are making last minute schedule changes without considering your availability. So let's break them down further. If a client's texting you at 10pm there's a breakdown in your communication about acceptable hours of contact, and I would say, like texting, because texting is like, you kind of expect immediate response. If you were to email at 10 o'clock at night, then emails like, you know, aren't checked all the time. I think emails are more like, okay, get back to me when you can right. So similarly, if clients expect immediate response, it might indicate that you haven't clearly communicated your turnaround time, and if clients are repeatedly changing their schedules on short notice, it suggests they don't understand or respect the impact of your planning. And so these actions can lead to increased stress or burnout, lowering professional respect, disrupting your personal time. It's not just about inconvenience, it's about the larger impact of your overall quality of life and the sustainability of your business.

Because again, getting back to what I said at the beginning, I know that many of you got into this business for more time and financial freedom. These actions can lead to increased burnout and stress,...

Running around last minute trying to put together a booth for a local event? Struggling to make it interesting and get people chatting about your business? Tune into this episode of Bella In Your Business for game-changing booth strategies for pet sitters and dog walkers!

Bella will guide you on transforming your event booth into an engaging and interactive experience that fosters meaningful relationships and boosts your brand recognition. Learn how to create an inviting booth, compile a list of must-attend events, and make use of clever promotional items that truly resonate with your audience.

Discover the importance of strategic scripting and effective local marketing—all without breaking the bank. Plus, grab Bella’s special free download packed with guerrilla marketing techniques to create a buzz around your business.

Walk away from your next event with a treasure trove of hot leads, invaluable business contacts, and eager new hires. Don’t miss out on turning simple booth setups into powerful, relationship-building opportunities.

Your next major breakthrough starts here!

Timestamps:

[0:00] Effective event marketing strategies for businesses

[9:04] Creating engaging booths for pet businesses at events

[13:30] Networking and booth design for pet sitting businesses

[17:00] Systematizing pet business operations for growth

Notable Quotes:

"These events are ways for you to really excite and delight people. It's a it's a chance for you to start building a relationship, if you're thinking about it as just however many people come up and talk to me and I tell them what we do, and if they want to use our services cool, or how many people I can give our business cards out to, and you're just keen on getting as many business cards out there, then you might as well stay at home, because what you're doing is you're advertising, and when you advertise, you are no better than every other person."

"I want you to think about your business as a corporation that you work for, and as such, we want to make sure that anyone else who steps into this position also knows what they're doing. So therefore, I want you to start learning or writing down or documenting your scripts."

Resources:

Mastermind

JazzHR

Blog: Get Dog Walking Customers Cheap: 11 Effective Strategies

 

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome back to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today we're gonna talk all about having booths at events—but in a good way! I see so many business owners just going through the motions without giving much thought to the process. It's summer now, and fall is just around the corner. I really want you to knock it out of the park. These events are incredible opportunities to excite and delight people, and to start building relationships.

If you're thinking about event booths as simply talking to as many people as possible, handing out business cards, and hoping a few will use your services, you might as well stay home. What you're doing in that case is advertising without making a significant impact. People usually take whatever freebies you offer, toss them in their bags like it's Halloween, and most of it ends up in a junk drawer or the trash. This approach is not only ineffective but also a waste of resources—it lacks follow-up and relationship-building.

Today, I want to encourage you to think differently. What can you actively do to make a real impact? I'll share some effective strategies that some business owners are using. Additionally, I have a free download for you—my guerrilla marketing guide—which outlines a chalk marketing effort you can implement around your town to create buzz. Head over to the show notes to grab it.

The first thing you should do is compile a list of events in your community in a spreadsheet. This includes every possible event, whether or not you plan to attend. Start with elementary, middle, and high schools—find out when they have PTAs or PTOs events like spring flings or fall festivals. These organizations often look for business sponsorships and silent auction items. Reach out to the treasurers to learn about opportunities to partner with them.

Next, consider town events. When are the parades, festivals, and other gatherings? Don't overlook planned communities and their community managers, as well as real estate agents who often know what's happening locally. Local humane societies and big rescue groups also host and attend events. Compile all these opportunities into a spreadsheet with dates and contact information, and update it annually.

By preparing this way, you'll avoid last-minute scrambles. You won't find yourself in a panic two weeks before an event, unsure of what to order or how to proceed. Let's be organized because, as a listener of this podcast, you're going to be locked and loaded, ready to go. I call it having a "booth in a box." Get all the essentials you need, from promotional items like pop sockets or collapsible dog bowls to fun interactive ideas like puppuccinos or doggy scavenger hunts.

Promote these events beforehand. Email your list, post on social media, and tag other businesses. Use the events not just to acquire clients but also to find referral partners and potential employees. Always have a sign saying "Always Hiring—Inquire Within" at your booth.

Think beyond the individual event. Your business is a corporation that you work for, and it's essential to document your process. Write down your scripts: what do you say to engage people? How do you collect their information organically? This documentation allows anyone else who steps into your position to know exactly what to do.

Now, let's talk about booth setup. Instead of placing your table in front, consider positioning it behind you. This setup invites people into your space rather than creating a barrier. Display framed pictures or unique selling points that distinguish you from competitors. Engagement is key—be outgoing, exciting, and interactive.

When you have an organized approach, including a list of events, well-thought-out scripts, and all necessary materials ready, it becomes much easier. You sidestep the stress of last-minute preparations and can focus on meaningful interactions.

Think of the bigger picture. Start preparing now, in June, so you'll be ready for events in July, August, September, and even around the holidays. Anything you do more than once in your business should be systematized. Create a standard operating procedure—a clear guide on how to set up, what to say, and how to dress. This preparation ensures consistency and effectiveness, setting you up for success every time.

Remember, it's not just about showing up—it's about showing up prepared and ready to engage. Implement these strategies, and you'll see a significant difference in the effectiveness of your event booths. Keep an eye out for the upcoming blog for even more tips, and don't forget to download the guerrilla marketing guide from the show notes. Now go out there and make those connections!

If you systematize your approach and make it into a well-oiled machine, you'll find that your community starts recognizing your branding and logo everywhere. When people are in need of a dog walker or pet sitter, your consistency and visibility will make them think of you first. They'll see your posts on Facebook asking for recommendations and recognize your company.

When potential clients go through the recommendations and visit your website, they'll feel a sense of familiarity because they’ve seen your presence everywhere. This will likely encourage them to call you, and from there, it’s up to you to turn that lead into a client. This visibility is crucial.

Remember, your effort now is an investment in creating a strong, recognizable brand presence in your community. I know many of you are overworked, tired, and pressed for time. But if you systematize and then delegate these tasks, it will be a game-changer.

This advice comes directly from my own experience with my old company and from mentoring hundreds of others. I can't wait to see what results you achieve. Don’t be bashful—email me at [email protected] if you want to dive deeper into this.

If you want even more support, consider joining my mastermind at jumpconsulting.net/mastermind. Use the code BELLA25 for $25 off every month. I'd love to help you build your business to seven figures or wherever you want to take it.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and remember, when life gets you down, Always Keep Jumping. Bye for now!

Tired of endless interviews and flaky applicants? Struggling to crack the code for successful pet care hiring?

What if the solution involves a fresh perspective – one that can set your hiring process on the path to success and ensure you build a dream team?

In this week's episode of the Bella in Your Business podcast, we're rethinking the hiring process and uncovering the secrets to successful recruitment and onboarding.

We'll dive into actionable pet care hiring strategies that will help you attract and retain top talent. From crafting compelling job ads to developing a seamless onboarding experience, we cover it all.

Get insider tips on identifying crucial candidate qualities, creating attention-grabbing ads, and implementing a multi-phase interview process to ensure you find the right fit. Plus, learn how to systemize your scoring and rating for consistency and efficiency.

Are you ready to revolutionize your hiring and build a stellar team? Listen now to empower yourself with the knowledge to transform your recruitment approach and ensure long-term success. This is your chance to rethink and refine your hiring strategy.

Topics & Key Points:

The importance of creating attention-grabbing hiring ads that stand out from the competition

Identifying key qualities and non-negotiables for candidates

Creating a multi-stage interview process to evaluate candidates

Implementing a systematic onboarding, training, and employee development program

Understanding applicants' lifestyles and availability to reduce turnover

Using metrics to track ad effectiveness and improve the hiring process

Timestamps:

[0:00] The importance of creating attention-grabbing hiring ads that stand out from the competition

[8:57] Identifying key qualities and non-negotiables for candidates

[9:08] Creating a multi-stage interview process to evaluate candidates

[18:30] Implementing a systematic onboarding, training, and employee development program

[27:30] Understanding applicants' lifestyles and availability to reduce turnover

[29:30] Using metrics to track ad effectiveness and improve the hiring process

Notable Quotes:

"Don't just have a generic job posting - create attention grabbing hiring ads that make potential applicants feel like they absolutely must apply to your company specifically."

"Take the time to thoughtfully identify the key qualities and traits you are looking for in candidates, as well as any non-negotiable requirements, to help you evaluate fits and ensure a good cultural match."

"Don't just do one interview - develop a systematic multi-stage interview process using clear criteria to thoroughly evaluate candidates and get a well-rounded sense of their skills, experience and personality."

"Make your new employees feel valued from day one through a welcoming onboarding process so they are excited to join your team and stay for the long run."

"Break down your employee training into digestible themes so new hires don't feel overwhelmed but instead learn in an organized, engaging way."

"Take the time to understand applicants' current life situations and goals so you can reduce unexpected turnover by ensuring roles fit with their availability and needs over at least the next 6-12 months."

Resources:

Mastermind

JazzHR

Pet Care Team Training

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome, welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta. Oh my gosh, you guys, there's so much exciting stuff happening. We are now officially in June, and I cannot wait to unleash all this goodness for you. We are finally flowing; we are back in content creation. There's so much exciting stuff happening.

First of all, we've got Julia McCoy coming into the Mastermind this month to talk all about artificial intelligence. And you guys, this is way beyond just Chat GPT. The way it's going to affect your life is huge. It's not just about your business; it’s going to be really massive and awesome to learn from her and be able to follow along with her. So I can't wait for that.

We also have something coming up with Pet Care Team Training. Stay close and follow the Pet Care Team Training socials. Liz and I are going to be doing a free class all about how to get publicity for your company and talk a lot about marketing. That's going to be happening at the end of next week. You have to register for that, but anybody can join; you do not have to be a Pet Care Team Training client.

Today, we are going to talk all about hiring. The reason why this topic inspired me today was I had a coaching call. The client was like, “I've been hiring, I have five people, I’m really not sure how to do it because people aren't staying long enough with me. Or I get ghosted during the interview, and it's the one thing that's really hurting me from growing my business.” I was like, "Girl, I got you." I hear this all the time.

Over the next 28 minutes—because these 20-minute calls usually end up going long anyways—I was just explaining to her all of this goodness. I thought, "Wow, this would make a really good podcast episode." So we're going to pretend that you and I are having a 20-minute call right now. You're like, “Bella, I can't figure out this hiring thing. It just doesn’t work. You don't understand; in my area, people want more money. No one wants to work; I can't get people to stay with me.” Girl, I got you, I got you, I got you. But this is not something one-and-done. This is a fluid process.

Let me run you through some very high-level things. Most people just think that suddenly, you get an application, look at it, give them a phone call, tell them all about your business, and they start working for you. And then it doesn’t work out. If that sounds like you, you’re doing it wrong. And I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re doing it wrong.

Let me show you a different way. You're thinking too small; you need to zoom out to the 30,000-foot view. It's not just a tree; it's a whole ecosystem that I need you to understand. Today, we’re going to glide through that because I don’t think enough of you take it into account.

Step one is knowing the important qualities that you're seeking. You need to figure out who you are looking for. Company A might be looking for people to be on their social media all the time, while Company B might need someone really good at sales. Who you might be hiring as a dog walker or pet sitter might change and evolve. Sometimes you need different types of people on your staff in addition to what you specialize in.

The second thing is to create attention-grabbing hiring ads. This involves not being so corporate and boring. Honestly, if I can take your ad and apply it to any other company, then you’re doing it wrong. Think of this ad as a love letter to the people you want to attract. Make it so they must apply for you, and it will be amazing.

Next, you need to figure out your non-negotiables. This means you need standards; otherwise, you don’t have any. This might be a reliable car, a certain type of availability, a specific skill set—everyone’s non-negotiables might have similarities but should ultimately be unique.

You also need to create phases and questions for each phase and systematize what makes a yes or a no for each phase. These phases could be as many as seven steps long, but if you have it set up with a system or software, it becomes manageable. These phases should reflect what you really want in a candidate, just as your non-negotiables reflect what you absolutely don’t want.

Step five is systemizing rating and scoring. You need to figure out what constitutes an answer that moves a candidate forward or knocks them out. This isn’t just about doing things right but about showing common sense and critical thinking. This is where you test for that coveted "common sense" through their responses.

After you've gone through the phases and identified your ideal candidate, create one of the best job offers ever. Avoid clichés and corporate templates; infuse your personality into it. Make it compelling and celebrate the fact that they’re getting this job offer.

Once you onboard them, ensure that all your ducks are in a row. Don't appear disorganized. Ensure your paperwork is streamlined and digital. Have a clear and concise training program, not just a shadowing process that overwhelms new hires. Tailor your training to different learning styles—auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

It’s also important to create an employee love situation. Celebrate new hires and integrate them into your team. Don't do a 90-day trial; aim for a 30-day check-in where you both evaluate each other. This opens lines of communication and sets a positive tone for the relationship.

So many people get frustrated because they don't understand the life circumstances of their employees. Ask the right questions about their life stages, financial responsibilities, and future plans from the beginning. This awareness helps with longer-term planning and understanding.

By creating a structured and engaging hiring process, you’ll find the right people who are excited to be a part of your company and who are more likely to stay. Now, go out there and revolutionize your hiring process!

When you set up the employee love situation, regular check-ins, and celebrations, you're fostering a great work environment. Remember, onboarding isn't just about throwing information at them; it’s about making them feel confident in their role from day one. If you invest time in their training and create a nurturing environment, you'll significantly reduce turnover.

Think about how you can make the first 30 days memorable. Transform their onboarding experience from mundane to exciting....

Are your marketing strategies stuck in limbo, not quite bringing the returns you hoped for?

What if the answer just needs a different approach – one that could propel your business to the top of the dog walking pack?

Welcome to this week's episode of the Bella in Your Business podcast, where we're flipping the script on conventional marketing tactics and diving deep into the art of affordable and successful business promotion.

Strap in as we unveil eleven resourceful and cost-effective marketing strategies designed to magnify your reach without evaporating your funds.

Get inside scoop on the secrets behind leveraging your personal connections, crafting standout business cards with QR codes, and why sidewalk chalk might just be your unexpected hero in grassroots marketing.

Are you ready to revamp your strategy and see tangible results? Listen now and and equip yourself with the knowledge to transform your business's visibility and attractiveness. This is your golden opportunity to rewrite your marketing playbook and catapult your business into the limelight.

Topics & Key Points:

Julia McCoy from the "queen of AI" will join us in Jump Mastermind in June.

Marketing strategies for dog walking businesses:

Leverage personal network

Create eye-catching business cards and QR codes

Offer introductory discounts

Partner with local pet businesses

Get endorsements from veterinarians

Partner at local events

Use sidewalk chalk marketing

Create personalized bark cards

Example of marketing at apartment complexes through a "kissing booth" event.

Strategies are about building relationships

Utilize social media marketing

Attend local networking meetings

Target high density living areas

Building relationships is key to success

Timestamps:

[6:24] Marketing Strategies

[16:19] Marketing at Apartment Complexes

[16:24] Relationship Building

Notable Quotes:

"AI is here… Like every month is literally like a year with how fast it's moving."

"So your friends, your family, your acquaintances are some of the best potential clients, or they know someone who could be. Don't be shy about letting your personal network know about your dog walking business."

"Leveraging your personal network, offering introductory discounts, partnering with local pet businesses… these can be gold mines because a relationship will always last a lot longer than a business card."

"Guerrilla marketing basically means cheap, effective marketing. And all of the things I'm about to tell you are things that you can do very easily right now."

Resources:

Mastermind

JazzHR

Blog: Get Dog Walking Customers Cheap: 11 Effective Strategies

 

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome to another episode of Bella in your business. My name is Bella vasta. And wow, that was really great series all about customer service and how we can really turn it around by changing the way that we react to it, how we respond to it, and then how we systematize it to actually turn it around into a positive experience. So I really hope that you enjoyed all of that.

There's so much going on at jump headquarters so to speak. First of all, my world has been rocked and upside down now because Olivia is now out of school. So any of you other mamas or Papas out there who are working your business, and the kids are getting out of school or soon to be Oh boy, here we go. So all of my meetings are monday, tuesday allow the mama guilt to set in. We just got her Barbie Dreamhouse off off, offer that off of offer up. And she's really enjoying playing with that.

And we are also working on learning Spanish this summer, I kind of told her that if she wanted to earn her screen time, she had to teach me Spanish. So that'll be pretty fun. That's kind of what we're doing. So I would love to hear how you guys are keeping it together. Those of you who may have kids at home and also trying to run your businesses.

Summer is here. At least in Arizona, we get out a little bit earlier than the west coast because of the temperatures. And so yeah, we are having a lot of fun. Here. I am I mentioned this the past couple episodes, I'm starting to blog again, and I'm starting to do some really cool stuff. With the help of AI but not in the way that you would know I'm going to tell you all my secrets.

And I've one of the queen of AI is come in to the mastermind in the month of June, I am really excited to have Julia McCoy. Come on in, she used to actually be very much against artificial intelligence. And she ran a very profitable writing company, she had tons of writers. And she was convinced that it is, you know, it's, it's gonna sound so cliche if I tell you, so I'm just going to tell you, you need to join the mastermind, because the stuff that's going to be popping off next month, you're not going to see anywhere in the industry.

And I understand AI is scary. Some people think it's a fad, some people are very much against it. But you know, it's it's technology, and it's coming, it's here, it's not even coming, it's here. And like every month is literally like a year with how fast it's moving. Last year, we talked about AI in the mastermind, and I had the founder of a company come in. And that is already that was already outdated in three months.

So to know it to leverage it is going to only enhance your business, it's kind of like refusing to learn Google or Facebook or Instagram, and tries to operate your business, like you're gonna have to start learning about it. So might as well start doing it. Because, again, it's the only place in the industry, you're gonna be able to learn about it. Just go to jump consulting dotnet forward slash mastermind. And yes, I am being cocky and conceited about that, because I just don't know why anybody else doesn't talk about it. So there you have it. Um, anyways, let's get on with today.

Today, we're getting too quick and dirty, we are going to talk all about getting dog walking customers for cheap 12 effective strategies, I also have a free download for you. It's like a 10 page download. And it's all one of my gorilla systems. Gorilla basically means cheap, effective marketing. And all of the things I'm about to tell you are things that you can do very easily right now.

And it's not going to break the bank. In fact, you might not even have to go to the bank. So I know that you have a passion for for building your business. But you probably also sit there and think about like, How do I turn that into a thriving dog walking business without breaking the bank.

And before I give you all of these things, I also want you to keep in the back of your head that every time we're looking for more customers or clients, it also can be also to attract employees and partners. So think about how you can adapt it to that. Now when I say partners, I mean like referral partners. When I see employees, well that's kind of self explanatory, right?

So you can hustle. I don't really believe that you have to pay a lot of money in Google ads in with petsitting, I also can cook for very firmly say that many people are blogging incorrectly. They're wasting their time, they're wasting their money, and they're doing it wrong. And they're not helping their website. They're actually like diluting their website.

So I'm actually not even gonna be talking about blogging today. Although if you do do it right, it is an amazing strategy. But the very first one I want to talk about is leveraging your personal network. So your friends are your friends. Your family, your acquaintances are some of the best potential clients, or they know someone who could be.

So don't be shy about letting your personal network know about your dog walking business. This means those of you who are like, I don't want to put it on my personal Facebook page or your personal Instagram page, why not? Like, it's okay to share it from time to time. And I mentioned your pet sitting and dog walking service at different gatherings that you might have. And your loved ones want to support you, you know, especially when they're like, Oh, how's that business going? Like, it's amazing. Like, Hey, would you mind sharing something like from time to time, you know, if they live in your service area, and the way that you phrase it can make all the difference?

And so it's a difference between like, oh, yeah, I have a pet sitting and dog walking company, and we're looking for clients. Versus Do you know, anyone who gets asked to watch their friends or neighbors pets when they travel? I'd love it if you would think of us the next time. Right? Okay, so another way you could do it is create eye catching business cards and a QR code.

Okay, because it is 2024. I think it's actually funny QR codes really tried to make it on the market. And like 2018 2019, and no one was having them, no one was doing them like the behavior modification did not happen until 2020, when we all had to access restaurant menus with a QR code. And now my parents understand QR codes like my almost 70 year old parents, they would probably cringe if they knew how much I talked about them on this podcast.

Anyways, I'm so on your business cards. If you leave them at different places around town, I always was a fan of vertical cards, and then you get vertical holders for them. Because everybody has horizontal, so be different. And also on those cards. Part of being memorable is talk about what makes you unique. Don't just list out your services aimlessly like what makes you unique. I know a lot of our pet care team training people, they tout and they brag that they are double certified the only double certified pet sitting company in Scottsdale, or something like that, right. When I had my company,...

Are you tired of cringing every time a customer complaint rolls in? What if I told you that these frustrations could be the key to your next big breakthrough?

Welcome to this week's episode of Bella in Your Business, where we'll transform what seems like the worst part of business—customer complaints—into your greatest asset.

Dive in as we unlock the secrets to not only handling but embracing customer complaints to fuel innovation and growth. Building on our previous chats in Episodes #388 and #389, today’s focus shifts to using these uncomfortable moments to refine your approach and enhance customer satisfaction.

Discover strategic methods to analyze and systematize feedback, identifying patterns that might just be the lightbulb moments you’ve been missing. We’re talking less anxiety, more action, and a streamlined process that turns upset customers into valued partners in your business’s journey.

Ready to turn the tide on customer feedback? Listen now and learn how every complaint is a step toward refinement and operational excellence. This is your moment to flip the script and make those challenges the driving force behind your success—let's get started!

Topics & Key Points:

Managing emotional reactions to complaints and leveraging them positively

Strategies for strengthening relationships after complaints

Identifying pain points and recurring issues from complaints

Addressing complaints with empathy to build loyalty

Creating a centralized complaint log, assigning roles, developing response procedures, and implementing feedback loops

Timestamps:

[9:50] Why complaints matter and identifying trends from them

[11:00] Strategies for strengthening relationships after complaints

[16:52] Tips for setting up an effective complaint handling system including a centralized log, roles and responsibilities, response procedures, and feedback loops

Notable Quotes:

"Every complaint is a door that opens to two distinct paths, one leading to a crisis and the other to an opportunity."

"Addressing complaints isn't just about resolving an issue. It's about demonstrating to your clients that their satisfaction is your top priority."

Resources:

Mastermind

JazzHR

Did you love this episode?

Make sure you never miss an episode! Head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Bella In Your Business.

Transcript:

Welcome, welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. I'm really excited to be doing this series. It's been actually really exciting, I love that I get to be creative. I feel like I'm coming back into this creative season of my life where I haven't been for like two years. And so just things like this, like the podcast how I first started off three weeks, two weeks ago thinking I was going to talk about customer service, because that's what we're talking about in the mastermind, and how this has turned into a three-part series.

If you have not already, go back to Episode 389. It was no, I'm sorry, 388, Managing emotional reactions to customer complaints, and 389, which are words that when language skills to defuse customer complaints, we're kind of taking you through the whole story. The whole stages, like the first stage was what actually, like happens inside of you when someone's upset with you, right. And we actually really talked about all of that, those triggers and the traumas that we all have, we all have, and we all carry them around. And it's how we deal with conflict, right?

Then we started talking about language that you can use and ways that you can acknowledge. And now today we're going to talk about how you can take what could be perceived as a negative situation, and use it for the positive. So I'm really excited to get into that with you today. Like I said, I have tons of stuff to talk to you about. We're going to talk about, like why the complaints matter and identifying the trends, how to leverage them for interviews, implement changes, how to build stronger relationships, and how to have a good complaint handling situation or system.

And this is going to help you so that you're not looking at every negative situation or complaint situation like oh my gosh, what do I do? What do I do, right? Because if you already have a system to rely on for it, it's going to help reduce your anxiety a lot.

But before we get into that, I want to let you guys know that I did something totally crazy. Last Friday, I took all of my coaching, and I dropped it 63%. All right. So right now for a very limited time. And at the recording of this podcast, I only have one left, I opened up nine spots. And it was nine because what I did is I offer these things called intensives, where you could work with me six sessions, 645-minute sessions, recorded on zoom with whatever you want. And you can schedule them whenever you want in six months. So it's kind of like having me in your back pocket on call.

So, if there's something that you're trying to work through, whether it's that new website, whether it's scaling, whether it's bringing on employees, whether it's figuring out your internal operations, and an organization or org chart, you know, whether it's just starting, there's so many different things, that if you really want to have success with it within six months or less, I really highly suggest grabbing that last spot. It's only 1499. Normally, it's 3991. Yeah, so it's a huge discount. And all you got to do is just go to the show notes, or go onto my, my website, shoot me an email, Bella at jump consulting dotnet or go to work with me on my website, and you can get it right then and there.

I cannot guarantee that by the time you're listening to this, the slots are still open. But go ahead and check it out. And let's get into the show. All right. So every complaint is a door that opens to two distinct paths, one leading to a crisis and the other to an opportunity. And the way that we handle these moments can transform, a simple service misstep to a profound lesson and stepping stone for growth. In an industry like ours, where passion meets professionalism, the way that we handle our clients' grievances can set us on a path to exceptional improvement and deeper customer loyalty.

Because how many times can you think back to a time where you had a complaint to a service provider? Or a store that you were in? Right? And what did you do like the minute that you complained you're automatically hoping that you can see some sort of a resolve that you're happy with, right? And if they did resolve it, sometimes you actually end up bonding with them even more. I forget what the name of it is. But there's this this Chinese or Japanese art—oh my gosh, I'm gonna totally forget it now and I'm so sorry.

But I'm thinking about this and I would have done the research on it. I actually own one—one of my friends gave me one. It's this practice where a bowl is broken, but then they like glue it together with liquid gold in the cracks. And it's actually even stronger than it was before. And so I want you to think of these relationships that you know are—you feel like—they're broken, or you feel like oh my gosh, they're so upset at me and, and we already talked about all the emotions two episodes ago.

But what I want to show you today is how you can actually make it stronger than ever. So let's delve into how every complaint that you receive is not just a problem to be solved, but a golden opportunity to learn and strengthen your customer relationships. It's that gold that we put in in the middle of it. So whether you just experienced your first customer complaint, or you've been handling feedback for years, I'm going to give you some strategies that will turn potentially negative interactions into game-changing moments for your business.

So let's address the elephant in the room and understand the complaint. Have you ever received a complaint that just made your heart skip a beat, like we've all been there, and whether it's the stress of the unknown ramifications? Or immediately being defensive, which we talked about two episodes ago. But the reality is the complaints are not crises—they're signals. So I want you to think about that. let's reframe it, there are signals that need attention, adjustment, or even a complete overhaul.

I always think about like, "Okay, what could I have done differently?" Right, I always think first to myself, even before it's my staff or anybody else, right. And so if we shift our mindset from seeing complaints as a personal attack to viewing them as vital feedback, we set ourselves on a course, to continuous improvement.

So we're going to think about the treasure trove of insight that complaints bring every piece of feedback, especially the negative time, it provides us with data points, that we can highlight areas we might not have seen. We can explore methods for cataloging that feedback, analyzing trends, and systematically implementing changes. It's not just about fixing what went wrong, it's about evolving our business based off of real tangible data, right? What better data do we have when oops, something went wrong, right.

And then addressing the complaints head-on can actually strengthen your customer relationships. And so we're going to talk about proven strategies to extract valuable insight from every piece of feedback, techniques, techniques to turn those insights into actionable improvements, powerful communication skills to effectively address and resolve the complaints and methods to follow up and ensure that customers feel heard, valued, and loyal to your service.

I'm literally on a mission to break this down. So that you can feel like you have these stepping stones for greater success, whether it's just for you, to create SOPs for your future office staff or for the staff that you might already have right now. So let's get into the insights of our customer needs....