Shows / Pet Sitter Confessional
Pet Sitter Confessional
Pet Sitter Confessional is the go-to podcast for pet sitters who want to grow, learn, and feel seen. Having run a pet sitting and dog walking business since 2012, Meghan and Collin share the real, behind-the-scenes life of professional pet sitting—from funny mishaps and tough lessons to business insights and personal stories. Each week, they also interview fellow sitters and industry pros to explore what it really takes to thrive in pet care. Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned pro…
Episodes
- Pet Sitter Confessional
211: The Power of Blogging with Ali Smith
How do you connect with your ideal clients? One of the best ways is blogging. Ali Smith, owner of Rebarkable, shares her story of blogging as a way to turn her…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
210: Coming Together
More and more people are entering the pet care space. At a time when many uncertainties plague the industry, we're facing questions and challenges. To overcome…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
209: Implementing Minimalism with Sandra and Paul from Minimalist Journeys
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by not only physical clutter, but also perceived obligations and expectations? Minimalism is more than just getting rid of…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
208: What is Shaping Client Expectations?
We all recognize that client expectations are changing. It's not just a generational thing, though that does play into it. New clients are finding they need a…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
207: Learning from Mistakes with Christina & Jen
Summary: Twin sisters in pet care share how they learn and grow together to solve problems and meet their client's need. Jen Adamo, owner of Jen's Happy Pets…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
206: Bootstrapping Your Business
Have you ever wondered how to grow a business organically and not take on extra debt? We break down what bootstrapping your business looks like from the ground…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
205: Switching from ICs to Employees with Amber Van Denzen Suarez
What do you do if you currently have independent contractors (ICs) and want to make the switch to employees? There are national initiatives underway to make it…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
204: Our Journey, so far!
This episode is unlike any other we've done. We received many questions about our history, so we decided to make an entire episode about it. We deep dive into…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
203: Looking After Your Finances with Vicky Clark
Do you know your business finances? Vicky Clark, The Pet Accountant, is passionate about helping others understand why basic knowledge of accounting and…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
202: Overcoming the Struggles to Hire
The job market has really changed in the last 6 months. Unfortunately, it corresponds to the increase in demand for pet care services. Many of us are facing a…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
201: Risk Management and Insurance with Colleen Giles-Harris
We know we should have insurance. It's a critical component of protecting you and your business from potentially costly claims. Sometimes though, it can be…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
200: Our 200th Episode Q&A
Where did 200 episodes go? The world of pet care since we started 199 episodes ago is totally different than today, and we are so thankful for all of the…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
199: Laying Strong Foundations with Heather Branch
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
198: Should you scale up or down?
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
197: Leadership of Self with Gila Kurtz
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
196: Business Introspection
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
195: Large Animal and Farm Care with Ariah Transmeier
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
194: Preparing for When You Get Sick
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
193: Reactive and Aggressive Dogs with Rene Smith
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
192: Integrity and Your Reputation
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
191: Design and Branding in Pet Care with Kaila Piepkow
Summary: Is your business communicating the right messaging? How does a well branded business benefit you? Design and branding are all about communicating the…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
190: Un-Marketing Your Business
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
189: Mental Fitness and Communications with Kate Myers
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
188: How to Make Social Media Work for You
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
187: Helping Clients Bond with Their Pets with Cherie Marquez
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
186: Pressing Pause
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…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
185: Roundtable: Future of the Pet Care Industry
What does the future of pet care look like? 2020 taught us a lot of lessons, changed our behavior, our client's behavior, and opened up many new opportunities…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
184: What Makes a Good Website, with Erika Godwin
Is your website working for you? When did you last update it? Erika Godwin, owner of Barketing Solutions, shares what it means to have a modern website and why…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
183: Imposter Syndrome in Pet Care
Have you ever felt like you weren't good enough? Do you ever think you don't belong or that you'll be found out as a fake and a fraud? Imposter syndrome in the…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
182: Client Experience with Madeline Burgos
In 2015, Madeline and her husband, Gabriel, couldn't find a trustworthy dog walker for their beloved dog Lola. Seeing an opening, they ditched their…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
181: Facebook Changes and Separation Anxiety
iOS 14.5 was released and is already having an impact on targeted ad campaigns in places like Facebook and Instagram. As small business owners, many of us have…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
180: Having What it Takes with JP Anunciacion
Summary: Buying a business can be a very daunting task. JP Anunciacion, owner of Dog Days & Cat Naps, bought a pet sitting company after a background in call…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
179: Avoiding the Pitfalls in Pet Care
Being a service based industry, we should provide both excellent pet care and excellent customer service. However, as we strive to meet those demands on us and…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
178: Perfect is the Enemy of Progress with Josh Schermer
As business owners, we have to recognize that not only is our industry in constant flux, but so too are we. Pet Sitter Bible, Dog Walker University, and Sparky…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
177: Why Have a Mission Statement?
Summary How do you know if you're meeting your business goals? What do you do when you're facing a tough decision? A mission statement isn't just something to…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
176: Should You Hire an Employee or an Independent Contractor with Kim Ottone-Tank
When you are ready to hire, you'll have to decide whether to hire an employee or bring on an independent contractor. Kim Ottone-Tank, owner of Apronstrings Pet…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
175: Breaking Up with a Client
Summary Have you had to fire a client? If you're in this business long enough, you will likely have to do it. Whether it's because the pet isn't a good fit or…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
174: What do you want out of your business? with Bella Vasta
Summary: What do you want? It's a question Bella Vasta, owner of Jump Consulting, asks all the time. It's a simple enough question but it takes a lot of…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
173: Investing in People
Summary Why is it important to invest in the people around us? How does it benefit us? We focus on community not for the benefits that come from it, but from a…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
172: Nomadic House Sitting with Eden Rudin
Summary: Eden Rudin and her husband, Danny, have been nomadic house sitting across the globe for the last 6 years. Eden shares how to get started in house…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
171: Decision Fatigue In Pet Care
Have you ever just wished you could stop making decisions? Decision fatigue comes from being overwhelmed with options and the never ending day-to-day decisions…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
170: Leashes and Leads with Taylor Leedahl
Summary: Taylor Leedahl, owner of Tiny Horse Mercantile, is determined to help build a better connection between dogs and their handlers through building…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
169: Running a Business as an Introvert
Summary Running a business is usually seen as something for extroverts. We're told to be outgoing and put ourselves out there for our clients. But many of us…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
168: Always Keep Learning with Jennifer Sybol
Summary: Jennifer Sybol, owner of Comfort at Home Pet Services, took the opportunity to buy a pet care business in 2013 and began working hard to raise the bar…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
167: Conversation About Prices
Summary Have you recently thought about raising your prices? On this episode, we have a conversation about prices and dive into the pros and cons of telling…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
166: Brand Photography with Petra Losonczi-Kiss
Summary: Photos are the fastest way to communicate what our business is, who our services are for, and what our 'vibe' is. How do we use photos in our business…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
165: The Many Hats of a Business Owner
Summary On this episode we discuss the different types of hats you may wear, and the ones you shouldn't. From being an IT manager to a marketer and CFO, there…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
164: Burnout Recovery with Kristin Morrison
Summary Burnout and compassion fatigue are such a huge topic in the pet care industry, because we all struggle with it. Kristin Morrison joins the show to…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
163: Pet Business Insurance with Colleen Giles-Harris from Pet Sitters Associates
The world of pet business insurance can seem overwhelming, but Colleen Giles-Harris, Manager and Underwriter with Pet Sitters Associates, joins us to discuss…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
162: Client Education
Summary Did you know you're an educator? As a pet care professional, you're perfectly positioned to educate your community on being awesome pet parents. We're…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
161: Franchising with Carmen Chávez de Hesse
Summary: Have you thought about franchising your pet care business? Carmen Chávez de Hesse, owner of Slinky Cat at Home, shares her experience of franchising…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
160: Our Firsts in Pet Care & What We Learned
Each day we experience some sort of 'first' in life and in business. We break down some of the most influential firsts we've encountered over the past nine…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
159: Hospitality in Pet Care with Kimberly Richmond
Summary: After years in hospitality and running a high end wedding service company, Kimberly Richmond knew it was time to follow her passion and dive into pet…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
158: Pet Sitters Week 2021
Summary Happy Professional Pet Sitters Week AND International Women's Day! We discuss the tremendous impact women have made, and continue to make, on the pet…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
157: Passion and Compassion with Renee Neideigh
Renee Neideigh, owner of Day with Renee Dog Walking, dove into pet sitting to avoid burnout as a vet tech and better align her passion with her mission. She…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
156: Safety
Summary Safety should always be a top concern for us as pet care professionals. This safety is not just for the pets, but also for you. This was highlighted…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
155: Friendship in Business with Lalka and Amanda
Summary: Going into business with a friend may be something you've thought about. Lalka and Amanda have been living it for 9 years. SoHo Hound was founded from…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
154: Contracts
*This episode is brought to you by our awesome partners….YOU! Thank you to our wonderful Patreon Members. * Summary: Contracts are essential to setting…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
153: Weathering the Storms of Business with Kim Ottone-Tank
Kim Ottone-Tank, owner of Apronstrings Pet Sitting, has been providing pet care since 1990. After 30 years in business, Kim shares her experiences of…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
152: The "Hustle"
Summary: What does "hustling" mean to you? We break down several ways it applies to the pet care industry and the misconceptions around what is means to be…