Have you ever had a toxic employee? I’m not talking about the employee who blatantly steals, lies or cheats. What I’m talking about is more subtle. This is someone who is hurting you and your business in ways that might not be obvious. I’m going to talk today about my experience with a toxic employee. We’re also going to talk about how you can spot people like this before they get into your organization and what you can do about it if you already have a toxic employee.

What are you doing differently post-pandemic to find great people? You’ve tried all your old tricks and nothing seems to be working as well as it did before the pandemic. Tune in today to talk today about some things that I’ve been doing in my own pet business to address this hiring challenge and find great people. I’m also going to be coming at you with a dose of reality and talking about some of the trends I’m seeing in job candidates. I’ll be keeping it real as always and providing you with a deep view into what a pet business deals with on a regular basis.  

Have you ever had to fire a client? Chances are, if you’ve been in business for any amount of time, you have. How did you go about it. Was it short and sweet, long and drawn out. Did you do it in person, by phone, by text. Did you anguish over it for days or weeks before you did it? We’re going to talk today about the best way to approach this unpleasant task to make it a little less unpleasant and a lot smoother.

How did you find your pet sitter? I’m not talking about the pet sitters you’ve hired for your business. I’m talking about the sitter for your own furry family members. I was recently in the position of trying to find a new pet sitter for my babies and let me tell you it was an interesting experience! We’re going to talk today about my adventure on the client-side of the pet sitting business and what we can learn from it.

How does a pet sitter earn a client’s trust? Especially a new client. Perhaps they’ve scheduled the initial meet and greet, maybe they’ve read your online reviews. Many will take the recommendation of someone they trust or that has used you in past to care for their own animals. We’re going to talk today about how to build an amazing client referral program that will drive your business to the next level.

This is part 2 of my 2 part series in building referral programs that can drive your business to the next level so be sure to check out the last episode if you missed it on how to build an amazing employee referral program!

It seems like you can’t look anywhere these days without seeing a help wanted ad. Everyone is hiring and pet care businesses are no exception. I’m going to explore an area today that most business owners don’t take advantage and may not even have considered in their hiring programs. This will be an eye opener to many of you and may change the way you find and hire great people. This will also be part 1 of my 2 part series in building a referral program that can drive your business to the next level so be sure to tune in next time as well!

The truth is that owning your own pet business sometimes stinks! February and March are a tough time of year for pet sitting businesses. For those of you who know me I don’t beat around the bush. I give it to you straight, the good, the bad and the ugly and today is a good bit of ugly followed by an important message. I hope you’ll hang with me today to talk through some of the touchy feely stuff that affects all of us, including me. And my hope is that, in exploring this together and getting it out there in the open, your heart will be a little lighter because of it.

I love talking about your pet businesses. I also love talking about my own pet business and what’s worked for me. In this episode I’m going to give you a rare behind the scenes look at my own business, Preferred Pet Partners. I’ll give you practical advice on how to make your business run like a well oiled machine.

The holidays are in full swing and your business is bursting at the seams with activity. The period between mid November and mid January are among the busiest times of year for pet related businesses. This is can be the best time of year for your business and the most stressful! Today I’m going to talk about how not to lose your mind during this time. You and your business can come out of the craziness stronger, wiser and calmer and I’m going to tell you how.

You’ve decided to become a pet care business owner. That’s great news! That’s one decision down and about a 1000 more to go. Two of the most difficult decisions you’ll make as you start your business is how much are you going to charge people for your services and what are you going to pay your employees to deliver those services. While there’s no wrong answer to these question, they are factors that will have a huge impact on your bottom line and it’s worth taking some time to fully think them through. Today I’m going to walk through some things to keep in mind and options for both of these important questions.