Summary:

Why should we have a good support community and what does it mean to be an advocate for the pet care industry?

Heather Branch, owner of Best Friends Forever Pet Services and a board member of NAPPS, shares about the tribe around her business and gives advice for building a strong foundation. Her tribe, which includes her staff, help make her better and continue to push for more education and excellence. She stresses the importance of learning about running a business and not just focusing on the pet care.

Heather also encourages us to get involved in the pet care industry at the local and national level to start advocating for the industry and let our voices be heard.

Topics on this episode:

• Laying strong foundations
• Keeping good staff
• Finding joy
• Getting involved and advocating

Main take away: Your voice is important! Get involved and help shape the industry for the future!

Links: NAPPS Check out her website Email Heather: [email protected]

Full show notes and transcript

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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As in life, businesses have ebbs and flows. The pandemic showed us what we liked and what we didn't like about being in the pet care industry.

To take advantage of those, we have to be introspective and ask ourselves if scaling up or down is right for us. Each of us will have our own reasons, and only you know which is right for you and your goals.

We discuss the difference between scaling up or scaling down, when it's right for you, and ways to implement it in your business. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers, "What is leadership?"

Topics on this episode:

• Scaling up…or down
• How to scale up
• How to scale down
• Which is right for you?
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: Scale up to broaden your reach, scale down to focus your efforts.

Full show notes and transcript

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

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When most of us think about leadership, we tend to think of what it means to bring others together and work toward a common goal. However, leadership actually starts with leading ourselves. Self leadership is based on habit formation, discipline, and follow through. When we are self-aware enough to ask, 'Who am I right now and who do I need to become?', we start the process of growing and expanding ourselves. Gila Kurtz, dog trainer and owner of Dog Is Good, shares why self leadership is so important in pet care and what it means to overcome the limiting beliefs that hold us back. Gila shares why setting goals for ourselves can be so hard and recognize the need for growth. We also discuss how being better at self leadership makes us better at leading others.

Topics on this episode:

• Defining your role as a pet professional
• Limiting beliefs
• Role of language
• Self leadership
• Leading with your 'why'

Main takeaway: Our limiting beliefs are built on our past experiences and become our operating system. Breaking free starts with being self aware and asking ourselves 'who do I need to become'?

Full show notes and transcript

Sponsored By:

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

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Throughout the year, most of us reflect on our personal life, where we excelled and where we fell short. The same should be true for our pet care businesses. Whether you've been in business for 6 months or 16 years, it's important to be introspective so you know where to improve. We discuss how being reflective will help you and 10 questions to ask yourself about your business. Then, Natasha O'Banion answers "How do I stop feeling like I have to be 'on' all the time?"

Topics on this episode:

• US news on non-compete policies
• Why be introspective?
• 10 questions to ask of your business
• Ask a Pet Biz Coach

Main takeaway: Taking time to periodically reflect on your business will allow you to see red flags early and stay true to your goals and values.

Full show notes and transcript

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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

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

Support Pet Sitter Confessional

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

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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

Sponsored By:

• 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

Sponsored By:

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

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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

Support Pet Sitter Confessional

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

Sponsored By:

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

Support Pet Sitter Confessional