For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Kim Tank, owner of Apronstrings Pet Sitting in Contra Costa County, has had employees for longer than anyone else in the business. Kim started hiring W2 employees for her pet sitting business over 30 years ago, and she's been paying them hourly instead of per visit / piecemeal for over a decade. This episode is packed with info on how and why we can pay our pet sitting teams hourly as well! Thank you to Kim for sharing her knowledge and experience with us!

Get in touch with Kim Ottone Tank:

https://apronstringsonline.com/

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.o.tank

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Want to scale your dog walking business? Learn more about DogCo and see a real a case study of a DogCo client who tripled their revenue here: dogcolaunch.com/casestudy 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to Pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Shannon Hendon from Ocala Pet Sitting for coming on to share how she has overcome fear countless times in her life and business. Fear is the main thing that holds most business owners back, but Shannon's joy and business are proof of what's possible when you conquer your fears!

Join Shannon's Facebook group, Built For Cats: The Business of Feline Care: https://www.facebook.com/groups/843523431827984

Get in touch with Shannon Hendon:

https://www.ocalapetsitting.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ocalapetsitting

https://www.instagram.com/ocalapetsitting

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Want to scale your dog walking business? Learn more about DogCo and see a real a case study of a DogCo client who tripled their revenue here: dogcolaunch.com/casestudy 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to Pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Andrea from Top Tails of Greensboro for coming on to talk about how she has created systems that make hiring and scaling easier, and bought back her time.

Get in touch with Andrea Pollina:

https://toptailsofgreensboro.com/

https://www.instagram.com/toptailsofgreensboro

https://www.facebook.com/toptailsofgreensboro

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Want to scale your dog walking business? Learn more about DogCo and see a real a case study of a DogCo client who tripled their revenue here: dogcolaunch.com/casestudy 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to Pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Jon from Jon Loves Dogs in West Orange, NJ for coming on the Pet Business Hiring Podcast to talk about how he went from working as a recruiter in the corporate world to owning a pet sitting business and growing a team of pet sitters and dog walkers.

We talked about how Jon's corporate recruiting experience helped and hurt him building his pet care business, and we talked about how and why his team is the best trained team in New Jersey!

Get in touch with Jon Eckrich:

https://www.jonlovesdogs.com/consulting

https://www.instagram.com/jonlovesdogsllc/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571985793965

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Want to scale your dog walking business? Learn more about DogCo and see a real a case study of a DogCo client who tripled their revenue here: dogcolaunch.com/casestudy 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to Pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Collin and Meghan Funkhouser from the Pet Sitter Confessional podcast and Funky Bunch Pet Care in Missouri for coming on the Pet Business Hiring Podcast to talk about how their hiring process has evolved over the years!

Get in touch with Collin & Meghan:

https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/412597292686603 

[email protected] 

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Want to scale your dog walking business? Learn more about DogCo and see a real a case study of a DogCo client who tripled their revenue here: dogcolaunch.com/casestudy 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to Pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Morgan Weber, owner of Lucky Pup Adventures in Sioux Falls, SD for talking to me about how to adopt a CEO mindset on the Pet Business Hiring Podcast!

Get in touch with Morgan:

https://luckypupadventures.com/

https://memoryflame.co/

https://woofsandwaves.com/

https://luckypupliving.com/

https://www.instagram.com/luckypuppod/

https://www.facebook.com/luckypuppod

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Enroll for the 2026 DogCo Mastermind by December 31st and mention me when you sign up! https://www.dogcolaunch.com/mastermind 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

In this episode, I share the story of how I went from an 18 year old pet sitter who didn't know anything, to now owning and leading an award winning pet care business with 30+ employees, Bad to the Bone Pet Care in Jacksonville, FL.

Thank you so much for listening. If you'd like to support the podcast, please share with your pet biz friends, and give the podcast a 5 star rating!

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dougthedogguy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Enroll for the 2026 DogCo Mastermind by December 31st and mention me when you sign up! https://www.dogcolaunch.com/mastermind 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Rebecca Thompson, owner of Skyline Pet Care in Houston, TX for taking the time to talk her hiring process with me on the Pet Business Hiring Podcast!

Get in touch with Rebecca:

https://www.skylinepetcarehtx.com/

https://www.instagram.com/skylinepetcare

https://www.facebook.com/skylinepetcarehtx

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Enroll for the 2026 DogCo Mastermind by December 31st and mention me when you sign up! https://www.dogcolaunch.com/mastermind 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Maris Sonnabend, owner of House of Paws in St Louis, MO for taking the time to talk to me about standardizing our operations for our pet care teams!

Get in touch with Maris:

https://www.houseofpawspetcare.com/

https://www.instagram.com/houseofpawspetcarellc/

https://www.facebook.com/houseofpawspetcare/ 

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Enroll for the 2026 DogCo Mastermind by December 31st and mention me when you sign up! https://www.dogcolaunch.com/mastermind 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Save 80% off your first box of Farmers Dog! https://tfd.partners/badtothebonepetcare

You can save $15 off of your first year of Pet Sitters International with my code: DTDG15 https://www.petsit.com/

You can save 15% off of PETSITPRO monthly training subscription with my code: DTDG15 https://www.petsit.com/

Microphone I use: Logitech Blue Yeti: https://amzn.to/4imSgoL 

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.

For everything you need to go from a solo pet sitter to a team leader, Enroll in my Pawsitive Hiring Course: pawsitivehiringcourse.com 

Thank you so much to Nikki Blaha, owner of Mollyz Pet Services in Richmond, VA for being my very first guest on the Pet Business Hiring Podcast!

In this inaugural episode of the Pet Business Hiring Podcast, host Doug Keeling interviews Nikki Blaha, the founder of Molly's Pet Service. They discuss Nikki's journey from the corporate world to starting her own pet service, the importance of community engagement in building a client base, and her successful hiring process. Nikki shares insights on employee recognition, communication, and her leadership style.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:31 Nikki's Journey: From Corporate to Pet Service

06:59 Building a Client Base: The Power of Facebook

08:30 The Hiring Process: Overcoming Initial Fears

10:18 Nikki's Hiring Strategy: Finding the Right Fit

15:32 Interview Techniques: Assessing Values Over Skills

20:25 Creative Interview Questions

23:07 Insights from Joey Coleman's Workshop

27:27 The Importance of Communication

31:35 Fostering Team Relationships and Transparency

36:55 Training and Development for Team Retention

41:36 Future Plans

Get in touch with Nikki:

https://www.mollyzpetservice.com/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Mollyz-Pet-Service-100090436762199/

https://www.instagram.com/mollyz_pet_service/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-blaha-99aa86206/ 

Follow the Pawsitive Hiring Academy:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583169482484 

https://www.instagram.com/pawsitivehiringacademy/ 

Follow me 👇

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougthedogguyofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougtheDogGuy/

Send me an email: [email protected] 

Enroll for the 2026 DogCo Mastermind by December 31st and mention me when you sign up! https://www.dogcolaunch.com/mastermind 

Get 50% off your first FOUR months of Time to pet using my referral link! https://www.timetopet.com/doug

Download my FREE guides and templates, and schedule personalized pet business coaching at: https://dougthedogguy.co/

Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links in an effort to support the channel. And obviously, nothing I say should be taken as legal or financial advice.