Have you ever been asked to care for large animals or a farm? Within the pet care industry, it's a growing niche that relies highly on word of mouth and reputation. Ariah Transmeier has been farm sitting for almost 18 years. As a horse owner and lover, she knows the needs of owners and how to communicate her experience into solving their problems. She describes what it's like preparing and caring for 300 acres of farm, while making it worth her time, and still providing excellent care. Ariah shares what it means to know your strengths and weaknesses, and how it results in a higher quality of care. We also discuss some of her favorite resources and how to go about gaining experience as a farm sitter.

Topics on this episode:

• Why focus on farm care?
• Preparing for emergencies
• Knowing your clients
• Knowing your limits
• Gaining experience

Main take away: At the end of the day, being kind protects your reputation and gets you the clients that you actually want.

Full show notes and transcript

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Summary A stomach bug ran through our house last week. Thankfully we are on the mend now, but it was a reminder that we need to have a plan for our business, ourselves, and our clients! While we never plan to get sick, we can plan what to do when it happens. We outline the four major components of planning for sickness. Whether you're solo or have a team, having a plan helps you to continuing to provide care to your clients. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I keep myself from being overwhelmed by social media?"

Topics on this episode:

• We got sick
• Have a back up
• Take time to heal
• Communicate
• Prevention
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: Build in time for rest throughout your week and remember to take the time to rest when you get sick.

Full show notes and transcript

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Reactivity and aggression in dogs can take many forms. From resource guarding to separation anxiety, as pet professionals, we should be mindful of the context and history of the pets we are working with. Rene Smith, owner of Street Dog Rehab, started off with a passion for dogs, but got in over her head. On her own road to recovery, Rene dove into training resources and is now dedicating her life to helping dogs have a second chance. Rene shares common signs of aggression, ways we can help clients and their pets through aggression, and why consistency is key. We discuss how to help dogs self-regulate and what it means to build a sacred bond between the pet and their owner.

Topics on this episode:

• What is LEMA?
• What is aggression?
• Trigger stacking
• Dogs and kids
• Resources

Main takeaway: When in doubt, be consistent and know your limits for when to get help.

Full show notes and transcript

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• Pet Sitters International Promo Code: PSC15
• Time to Pet Promo Code: 50% off first 3 months

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What does it mean to run a business with integrity? How do I build and maintain my reputation?

Collin details the connections between consistency in service, communications, and valuing your integrity as a business. When it comes to un-marketing, understanding that we have a reputation to build and maintain is key to building relationships.

We break down a recent article describing the four major factors in building trust and your reputation. It all comes back to being consistent.

Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "What's your favorite hiring question?"

Topics on this episode:

• Consistency and your integrity
• Building your reputation
• A recent example from us
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: We aren't in business for public opinion.

Full show notes and transcript

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Summary: Is your business communicating the right messaging? How does a well branded business benefit you? Design and branding are all about communicating the personality of your business. Kaila Piepkow, owner of Dox Design, gives us a crash course in design and branding. She shares how we need to get out of our own way and connect better with our ideal clients. She shares why, as pet professionals, design and design language are so important. We dive into the role of color theory in eliciting the right emotions, and how our businesses are judged by the brand. Kaila discusses the importance of editing, and how white space helps enhance the vibe and other elements in our business.

Topics on this episode:

• Designing to communicate
• Design vs branding
• What's working?
• Design language we can use

**Main take away: **A brand is more than a logo, and should connect not just with your clients, but have your personality in it as well.

[Full show notes and transcript @ https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/191]

Sponsored By:

• Pet Perennials Promo Code: Use 'PSC' when registering for a $2 off coupon on any purchases in the 1st 90 days
• Time to Pet Promo Code: 50% off first 3 months

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Summary Where should we invest our time as business owners? Traditional thinking would say to make sure to carve out plenty of time for marketing your services. What if we focused on other things and put relationships first? What would that look like in our business? We break down what the idea of Un-Marketing is and ways to start changing our mindsets towards placing more importance on relationships than ads. From the technology we use, to how we post on social media, there are ways to respect our clients and build their trust without ever running a single ad. Natasha O'Banion answers, "How do I handle a negative review?"

Topics on this episode:

• Role in technology
• Role in social media
• Role in getting feedback and improving
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: Shift your focus from marketing to investing in building relationships.

Full show notes and transcript @ https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/190

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• Automated CEO Promo Code: PSC20 for 15% off

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Summary: Kate Myers has been working with pets for the last 55 years. Over that time she has been deeply involved in animal control and animal shelters. Now she has transitioned into a pet nanny. Kate, owner of Darling Companion, shares the experience of building mental fitness and the unique challenges of effective communication to educate pet parents and elicit big changes. She gives some amazing advice on how to receive feedback and turn it into something productive. We discuss what it means to find a niche, why it's so important to charge so you can make a living, and how to best support our local shelters.

Topics on this episode:

• Educating pet parents
• Mental fitness
• Supporting our local shelters
• Finding your niche and your worth
• How to receive client feedback

Main takeaway: We live and work with our hearts as pet professionals, but that doesn't mean we should ignore planning our business, and focusing on our mental fitness.

Full show notes and transcript at https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/189

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• Time to Pet Promo Code: 50% off first 3 months

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Summary How are you using social media? Meghan breaks down some of the key aspects for making sure your social media is working for you. From having realistic expectations, to setting manageable content strategy, using social media for your business does not have to be overwhelming. As with everything, there is a balance to be had, and understanding why you're using social media is the first step. It's not all about the follower count, it's about having engaged loyal clients and followers. We also share how to balance content across the major platforms, and how to leverage local Facebook groups to your advantage. Natasha O'Banion answers the question on how to less awkward at the meet and greet.

Topics on this episode:

• Setting realistic expectations
• Posting value
• Using the different platforms
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: You do you boo, just make sure your social media is working for YOU.

Full show notes and transcript

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• Pet Sitters Associates Promo Code: Confessional
• Automated CEO Promo Code: PSC20 for 15% off

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How do we help deepen the relationship between the client and their pet? With the pet craze in full swing and many owners struggling to connect with their new family member, pet professionals can help guide their clients into a deeper bond with their pets. Cherie Marquez, The Dog Mystic, is passionate about keeping pets in their forever home through education, training, and building trust. Cherie encourages us to set aside the technology and be present in the moment to focus on the pets around us. She also shares some awesome techniques to teach our clients how to deal with separation anxiety.

Topics on this episode:

• Happy Dogs = Happy Homes
• Bonding and sharing the love
• Being present and our energy
• Separation anxiety and routine

Main take away: Setting aside stress and technology, to be in the moment and present, is key to setting the stage to better bonding with pets.

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Full show notes and transcript

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Summary: Stressed? Feeling overwhelmed? We are. The rapid increase in new clients has caught many of us off-guard and scrambling to meet the new demands. We want to give you permission to press pause for a few seconds and just breathe. We know there are so many things on your plate to get done today and this week. Which of them are mission critical to your business? We encourage you to seriously take 30 seconds to rest and focus on the emotions, fears, and stresses that bubble up. We share how we're processing everything and encourage you to give yourself permission to rest. Natasha O'Banion answers the best way to scale to meet the new demand.

Topics on this episode:

• BREATHE
• Understanding our emotions
• Handling our stress
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: Give yourself permission to press pause, and focus on the core of your business, and yourself.

Full show notes and transcript at https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/186

Sponsored By:

• Automated CEO Promo Code: PSC20 for 15% off
• Pet Sitters Associates Promo Code: Confessional

Support Pet Sitter Confessional