I love it when I get new business owners on the line.

They are excited about starting their business and geared up to start their website. But wait….

What Do The Colors Mean On Your Pet Sitting Website?

Ever wonder why you feel a certain way on one website and another way on a different one?

Lets take it a step further and ask “What’s in a name?” So many pet sitters go for these “cutsie” names that work against them. They are hard to spell, hard to know what they do, just difficult in general.

Your color theme and name are two things that are going to be with your business forever and deserve a serious moment of thought. Your favorite colors, might not be the best for your company.

What emotion are you trying to provoke from your potential clients?
What message are you trying to portray?

I want you to listen to this three minute podcast. It is great and will give you great food for thought.

http://stitcher.com/s/player.php?AAAAAY-wS&refid=asie

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It has been brought up time and time again, “Should I give my employee a phone for company use?”  We are talking specifically employees right now because if it were an independent contractor, you would not be giving them any equipment to use.

An overall view of an LG EnV mobile/cell phone. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The con’s to giving a company phone to an employee:

1. The extra monthly cost.
2. The cost of the phones.
3. Repair of the phone if it breaks.
4. Possibility of personal usage.
5. Another “thing” to track, manage, and train on.
6. Possibly loosing the device.
7. Initial cost for the phone(s).
8. Staff might still get calls for pet sitting after they leave you.

The pro’s to giving a company phone to an employee:

1. An always track them by the phone’s GPS
2. Always have contact with them via email, text, or phone.
3. You can use the cost as a business expense.
4. You can ensure that everyone has the apps you need for your business.
5. The employee doesn’t incure any costs.
6. Don’t have to worry about them going over in minutes or text messages.
7. When they leave the company, you have the phone back in your possession and can forward calls.

Every business is different. Some have extra cash flow that they want to have write offs for. Some can’t afford anything extra. It is really a balancing act when deciding if you should get your staff phones.

Personally, I think a business should reimburse for gas before they go getting phones for everyone. There is also google voice where you can assign google numbers to each of your staff so when you part ways you can disconnect the google number from their cell phone.

Clearly, there are a lot of options out there and it is up to you, as the business owner, to decide what is best for your pet sitting company.

It is one of those nights when I can’t sleep.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My brain is just firing so quickly and I am so excited about the things going on in life, that I just can’t settle down.

Ever have a night like that?

So, I decided to check out the latest Sales Lion Podcast.
Bad idea for sleep, great idea for you.

It is 2:12 am and I am writing a blog to you because I am on fire! But then again, that is what these podcasts usually do to me.

I really hope that you all will listen because the first 15 minutes of this podcast is just so powerful!

If you are a part of my private facebook groups (I own a pet sitting company with staff.  and I own a pet sitting company without staff.) then you have probably heard me talking about Marcus Sheridan from The Sales Lion.

This podcast made me reflect a lot on some of the challenges I hear pet sitters hearing around the country. They say they are:

• Burning out
• Having major staff issues
• Their significant others annoyed because they are never home
• Beyond tired
• And more…

I know that listening to the story that Marcus tells in this podcast will encourage you. No wait, will light a FIRE under your butt, so be careful when you listen. Not suggested at 2am like I just did.

You have been warned.

Your success is all about who you surround yourself, what you listen to, and what you read. -Bella

Let me back up and tell you how this connection with Marcus started:

In October 2012, Josh hosted the 1st Annual PetsittingOlogy Summit. It was such a huge success. Everyone walked away so energized and excited and it was here that I first met Marcus.

He spoke to our small group of 12 pet sitters for almost two hours. We made him come to lunch and keep talking! He blew the lid off of “blogging” and expanded our thoughts and business to the concept of answering the questions of our clients on our blogs.

It was pivotal in many of our businesses. This meeting actually became a milestone in my business history. It changed my life and outlook on my coaching business and the possibilities and I have been on fire ever since.

When the conference was over, I headed to the Las Vegas airport, armed with Marcus’ free ebook to read as I waited for my flight. But as I came through the security, I saw a yellow shirt in the distance. Marcus? Wow! What a great surprise! We connected for about 20 minutes before I had to JUMP on my plane and return to sunny Arizona.

This talk is something that inspired me so much as he spoke encouragement into my dreams and vision for where I want to take Jump Consulting. I had so much respect for him and I was so motivated. This was interesting to me, because there are not many that I truley look up to. I got on that plane itching to get home and start blogging and building my vision.

As I reflect on that day, all the blogs I have read from him, his ebook, and podcasts, I have learned a few things.
They have been so poignant that I wanted to gift them to you. So here they are:

5 Best Lessons I Have Learned From The Sales Lion:

1 -Be Relatable By Telling Your Story.
I told Marcus what I saw for my business future and it was incredible how much I felt like I could relate to him. We were both just sharing how our “pet sitter” and “pool guy” positions have brought us to our true passion. His, teaching. Mine, motivating and inspiring others. It was pretty encouraging for me, to see someone who was in a similar position, sharing the same faith, now in a position I would love to be in. And then he said it. “Bella, you can totally do it and you will kill it.”
It meant a lot to me.

TO YOU —> Who do you have in your life that you look up to? This is important.

2 – They Ask. You Answer.
If you read Marcus’ free ebook he will tell you over and over again to just answer their questions. Doh! That makes so much sense. Doesn’t it? Why complicate things? People have questions and they will go to Google to get their answers. Don’t you?

I will give you a example…. I was visiting my parents this weekend. We were talking about the different tax rates in the Phoenix valley and which one was the cheapest. We were speculating and weren’t for sure so my father, who doesn’t really like his digital leash (iphone), pulls out his iphone and Google’s the question.

My own father, who is not a “techy” Googled the question!!! At that moment I broke out into laughter that only the cubs of The Sales Lion’s of the world would understand…

TO YOU —–> What questions have you answered for your audience in your blogs in the past week?

3 – Care About People.
I was shocked at how much Marcus encourages people to email him questions and that he answers! I took a page from this book and set up some auto responders to my free ebook and the response was incredible. Who taught us to be these stuffy business people? It doesn’t work. Reach out. Be human and care about others. Find out how you can help them. Discover mediums that work for you (podcasts, videos, emails) and use them!

Another example…when Marcus talked to our group of pet sitters in October, he was incorporating all our names into his presentation. Wait?!?! You have only been here for 60 minutes. How do you know everyone’s names? He paid attention and connected with people before the conference started. Do you know that he captivated us all with that alone? In a world where things are dinging, buzzing, ringing, and popping up. Stop a minute and care about the people right there in front of you. Just like he did with me in the airport that day.

TO YOU —–> Who have you stopped and actually helped in your life in the past month that doesn’t have the means to repay you?

4 – Be authentic.
Your authenticity will gain others belief in you ad they will want to trust you. The heck with sales and your business, this is about being a decent human being. How often are you transparent and let people really SEE you? Don’t be afraid to talk about your failures or admit your faults. You will gain favor by doing so! This also includes posting a blog that might have spelling errors in it. Oops!

TO YOU  —–> Don’t be afraid to fail, be wrong, or be truthful about your mess ups in life. Just make the choice to tell the good lessons you learned from them!

5 – Sometimes rejection is the REdirection that you need in your life when you don’t even know it.
If you listened to the podcast like I suggested above (Go! Do it! What are you waiting for?) You will see the NOs that Marcus got. It is always inspiring to me when I hear of others hitting road blocks. I had road blocks with my family not thinking I could build a pet sitting business. Then that I couldn’t actually make enough money to save money. I have had those days when you want to just close up shop and go work at McDonalds. Hearing others strife and how they have soared above it is inspiring!

TO YOU —->  Who is there to inspire you when you get yourself down?

Success isn’t a steady up. It is a roller coaster and how you deal with the lows will determine how high you can soar.

So what does this all mean to you?

Listen, I know that all of you have probably read that “ra ra sish coom ba stuff” and if you know me, you know that ain’t my style. Seriously, the best way to fail is keep doing what you are doing (assuming you are not happy). I have told many of you that my pet sitting company is so streamlined that I really only need to work on it for one hour a day. Then, I get bored. When I get bored, I get depressed. Ever feel that way? So usually a quick lunch with family or friends helps. Sometimes I go for a walk with my own dog and listen to a Sales Lion podcast. By the end of the “distraction” I am back on fire again. Especially if I was listening to the podcast.

I want to challenge you to take an inventory of your life. What are you reading? What are you listening to? What is motivating you? What is encouraging you? If you are a pet sitter the 3 resources you need under your belt are:

www.TheSalesLion.com  – That is Marcus’ website if you haven’t realized that already You can grab your own copy of that free ebook just like I did by going there!

www.Petsittingology.com  – That is Josh’s website. He is my business partner in the pet sitting world. Go get lost on his site. He is like the “cub” of the pet sitting world. You have a question? He has been answering them! (No offense Josh!)

…and of course you have this website. Start in the library, and find out how to BARK at the next networking meeting you are at by downloading my free ebook.

Sound off below…

What motivates you? What do you like to read? Listen to? Be around? List them all below so you can help spread the wealth. And as always, let me know how I can help giving you the Bella Butt Kickin’

PS It is now 330AM

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I recently asked a question to a group of pet sitters that had staff, “What is holding you back from taking days off?” The answers were all quite similar.

“My clients don’t want anyone else other than me.”

Oie! That is a doosey, right? I remember being in this same exact position. I was afraid my clients would get upset and leave my company if I “broke up” with them. Although, lets take a closer look at this.

If your clients threaten to leave your company, wouldn’t they be in the same boat of having to find someone else to trust? The key to all of this is that they trust you, so show them how to trust your judgement on who you have hired.

This is always harder to do when you first start out and gets easier as you grow your business. I promise!

Tell the client, “If you were to go find another company, you would have to work up a whole new trust with them. In this case, I am sending someone who has gained my approval and I would never do you or your pets wrong.”

Let’s examine your own self confidence for a bit. You want the time off, but can’t see to say the word NO and stand up for your free time, huh? How do you gain the confidence to do this?

I want you to follow these steps to make the transition:

1 - When you are getting ready to switch them over, take the new staff member with you when doing  1-3 of the visits.
2 - Write your care notes talking about the amazing bond that the new staff member is making with the pet and how the pet doesn’t even care about YOU anymore.
3 - Take pictures of the new staff member with the pets.

The next time the client books, I want you to email them a thank you for the booking and tell them that you are unavailable but your staff member is. Include a link to their bio on your website so they can get to know them better and put a face to a name. Include an attachment with a picture of their pet with the new staff member.

TIP: A video biography would be very impactful! Just 30 seconds.

4 - Express that you are more than happy to arrange a meeting if they would like, although you and staff member feel more than comfortable proceeding forward. Waive that meet n greet fee. You are building up a trusting relationship. 5 - Enjoy your cat nap on the couch  or day off while your staff works!

The important elements to this are that you are not asking the client. You are telling them what is going to happen and giving them options. People always like options. It makes them feel better. Also, you are telling them that you can’t do it because you are booked/schedule is changing so they don’t have any valid objection to “But I want YOU”

You are now permanently BUSY. You are the owner of the business which means you call the shots.

This is really a very easy thing to do. You just need to know how to handle the scenario so there isn’t an objection and if there is you know what to say.

Still worried? Post your comments below. I am here to answer all your fears. Really! I am

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Over 100 pet sitters across the country were surveyed and data was gathered based off of sole proprietors, employees, and independent contractors. The results are in and are interesting.

This survey is going to be interesting to those who are wondering about if you can actually make money with independent contractors or employees?

For example the average income of those w employees was 96K while those with ICs were only 54K. There were actually MORE companies with ICs than employees in our survey too!

There is a lot of great info that was discovered and you will learn a lot.

Check out the link here

NOTE: Be sure to click around on the bottom to see the different tabs, info, and charts!

Sound off below!

How does this all pertain to your pet sitting business? What do you think about the survey results?

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The Call:

1 – Have A Sign Up On Your Website For New Clients.
2 – Purchase QB Online so you never have to enter in invoices manually.
3 – Get on a schedule. Every Sunday email confirmations for the week and then send that list to a staff member to write thank you notes.
4 – Create a Guide and Invite Clients To Call You to Schedule Appointments.
5 – Consider separating the services so you know which are your money makers and where you need to focus more marketing efforts.
BONUS: Did you know about the mobile website?

How Can You Listen?

Best part about this is you can listen to this on your phone, at your computer, while you are making dinner, doing laundry…

Enjoy and post any follow up questions in the Power Pet Sitter Facebook group

The facebook groups mentioned were:
I Own A Pet Sitting Company With Staff
I Own A Pet Sitting Company Without Staff

Please ONLY join the appropriate ones. These are my private coaching groups and you do have to participate!

Listen NOW:

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Video says it better.

That is a proven fact. When someone can hear and see what you are saying you will make more of an impact.

In the pet sitting business, this is no different. After all we have so many cute and fuzzies to take a video of, but what do you do with the video AFTER you have captured that moment?

Here are a few tips for you to keep in mind when recording your next pet sitting video for youtube of Facebook.

1 – You don’t have to be a pro. The more authentic, the better. We as curious people and when it is self done, people will be inclined to watch it! Grab your phone and press record!

2 – Watch your voice on the video. If you are like me, you don’t like the sound of your voice on video. Just beware of the extra laughter, comments, or excessive talking that you might do. It will all be recorded.

3 – Don’t be afraid to flip the video on your own face. Doing a self portrait can be funny and interesting. Take a look at how Bella’s House & Pet Sitting did all three of these things here:

4 – Introduce yourself.  Let the world know who you are and who you represent. Do a short intro. Your video might get shared and whatever it was uploaded to might get lost in the shuffle.

5 – Give your video great titles (with your key word inside) that are going to get people wanting to watch it. Usually asking questions generate lots of plays.

Here are some examples:

6 – Fill out your description.  The description of your video is your chance to add in words that google will find. Don’t just write “Here is Sophia. Isn’t she cute?” Instead write “While dog sitting in (city) with Sophia, she did the cutest thing on our pet sitting visit.”  Do you see how ‘dog sitting’ ‘pet sitting’ ‘city’ is now all in the description? ALSO INCLUDE: your website starting with http://

7 – Upload to Youtube AND Facebook.  Both are searched by Google. In fact You Tube is the second largest search engine. So if someone is typing in “I need a pet sitter in (city)” BOTH your videos have a chance of showing up if they say that or even just ‘pet sitter’ ‘city’

 8 – Be Authentic!  People love to see things that are not perfect. It makes people more able to relate to you. So if you stutter, say “um” (like me), just go with it! Trust me, no one ever says, “Wow! I love the way I look and sound on camera!”

9 – Beginnings and Endings - Programs like Windows Movie Maker can make you look like a million bucks! Add a slide at the beginning with your logo announcing the video and at the end, put your logo and website again. Bookend the videos!
Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpf08F9lDbQ

10 – Embed the video to your website and blog - To do this on Youtube go to SHARE > EMBEDDED > Copy and paste the html. Then go to your WordPress website and put the cursor where you want the video to appear, switch to TEXT format and paste the HTML.  You might want to change the dimensions to make the video smaller.

So, now your turn! What is the first thing you are going to do with your video? What questions do you have for me? Write them below!

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English: Dog walking ?esky: Pes na procházce (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I get asked this question on a monthly basis.

Makes sense ,right?

Daily dog walking clients can be the bread and butter to a pet sitting company. When your vacation clients are not on vacation or your business clients are not traveling, you know that you can always count on those daily dog walking clients.

There are 8 simple ways that you can help promote your daily dog walking service, thus leading to more clients:
1 – List dog walking on your website. Listing it on your website will help the search engines find you as a result to those looking for “dog walking (your city)”

2 – Blog about it! The more information and pages you can put on your website talking about dog walking the better. Your website will dominate your area about dog walking.

3 – Bark Cards These are cards you can leave on the neighbors doors of the houses you pet sit for. “Hi I heard your dog barking while I was visiting your neighbor. Sounds like a medium sized dog? Pretty sure they were saying, “Let *your business name* come visit me to Mom!” Let us know if we can help break up your dog’s day!

4 – Talk to the veterinarians you work with! Grab a meeting with they and tell them that you are at their disposal for the overweight pets they see that are trying to loose weight. Ask if they will recommend you and if you are really close with them if they will let you put something in their waiting area. BONUS: Get them to write a blog or get on video with you about why it is important for dogs to be walked.

Check out what Bella’s House & Pet Sitting did with this video:

5 – Create marketing material that says DOG WALKING It isn’t enough to have “pet sitting” on everything. You need to create fliers, post cards, rack cards (whatever you do) that specifically say dog walking and talk about the benefits pets receive from having them.

6 – Discounted rates that are enticing! If a daily visit is $33 but you can cut a daily dog walk of four or more a week to $29 that is a $4 incentive! That is enough to make people think. Although if it is $18 regular price and you are only discounting to $17, know that isn’t enough of a difference. This all comes down to your pricing structure and if you can even afford to do this…)

7 – Start a social media dog walking campaign - Make it cute! Create a event. Looking for 5 dogs who need daily dog walking. Is this your dog? With a bunch of examples of what happens when they are not exercised.

8- Attract your existing clients- What better way than to access your existing client base? Send them your blogs on daily dog walks and your discounted pricing. Ask them if they would like to sign up for once a week dog walks and up sell them. They already know and love your business, so why not use these hot leads you already have?

Daily dog walks can be a great service to maintain a pet sitting business cash flow. They are important for any business to have in order to maintain a steady business. There is so much that can be done to attract the daily dog walking customers. You can’t simply think that people will know that a pet sitter will do this or can do this.

Let me know how your results turn out!

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Did you know there are certain questions that you can’t ask during an interview?

If you do, and a person wants to report you, they can report you and your business to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC)?

Questions about Race, Color, Sex, Religion, National origin, birthplace, and age are all off limits. This might seem easy and straight forward enough, but if you have ever asked the following questions, you might have opened yourself up to a lawsuit:

Describe to me who you live with (to see if they were a Mom or will be trying to bring their children on jobs)
Where are you from?
Asking where or how they learned their foreign language.
If they have a spouse, if their spouse is employed, how much their spouse earns (I could see pet sitting interviews going down this road to see if the applicant needs supplemental income and has another source of a provider at home)
Can not ask if they have children or about child care arrangements.
Can not tell them they have to work certain holidays or ask them about their customs around holidays.

The Fine Line

It is a very fine line you can walk because you are not allowed to ask these questions, yet if they are worded another way, you can. Tricky, huh? I am offering you this blog pot as a guide and a way to start the conversation with yourself, office manager, hiring manager, etc. These are fundamental things that you need to be aware of if you are interviewing in your pet sitting company for staff.

Great Resources I Recommend You Check Out!

You may have been in violation. However, for some of these there are ways around these questions if you ask them in a proper manor. The University of Albany has put together a really great document that breaks down the differences between Legal and Illegal Interview Questions.

Here is a great story that CBS did in 2011 that could cost your company 1 Million Dollars!

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