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 Confessional331: Strengths of Solo Pet Sitting with Alicia Obando
Have you decided to stay solo? It's a decision everyone faces in their business, and one that most struggle with from time to time. Alicia Obando, owner of…
Pet Sitter Confessional330: You Need A Not-To-Do List
What is a not-to-do list, and why do you need one? As small business owners, we have a lot on our plate and things that demand our attention. Being pulled in…
Pet Sitter Confessional329: Meeting High Standards with Lauri Partanio
Finding your niche is a great way to establish yourself as an expert and the "go to" company for that need. It also means dealing with much more particular…
Pet Sitter Confessional328: Rocky Road in 2023?
Reports and analysts are saying 2023 is not shaping up to be a good year for the global economy. Monetary policy and interest rates are slowing the economy…
Pet Sitter Confessional327: Finding a love of business with Laura Breakstone
What does it mean to run a 'local' business and how do we foster a love for it? As business owners and entrepreneurs, we have to seek out things that inspire…
Pet Sitter Confessional326: Mental Preparedness
Summary Why is dog walking and pet sitting such a mental burden? It's not just the worry of meeting a client's expectations or concerns about missing a visit…
Pet Sitter Confessional325: Hosting Pet Loss Memorial Events with Coleen Ellis
How do you host a pet loss memorial service? Living in a 'death avoidance' society, many are uncomfortable with the idea of facing death and the passing of a…
Pet Sitter Confessional324: When You Struggle to Keep Going
Have you ever wanted to give up on your business? Challenges happen, no matter how long you've been in business. Facing challenges means assessing how we are…
Pet Sitter Confessional323: Increase Commitment and Compensation from Clients with Kathryn Burge
How do we secure both commitment and appropriate compensation from our clients? Kathryn Burge, owner of Lake Oswego Petsitting, joins the show today to share…
Pet Sitter Confessional322: No Such Thing as a No Risk Niche
What does it mean to find a niche in your business? From services to clients, there are a variety of ways to target your business. While it does have benefits…
Pet Sitter Confessional321: Meeting Pet Parent Needs with Eleanor Oates
What are you willing to do to make your business run exactly how you want? Eleanor Oates, owner of Sitter4Pets, went as far as developing her own software to…
Pet Sitter Confessional320: Considerations for Hosting an Event
Have you hosted an event for your community? 🎉 We recently put on a pet loss memorial service in one of our service areas and learned a lot! This was the first…
Pet Sitter Confessional319: Sales Psychology of the Affluent Client
What does it mean to market to affluent clients? Sales psychology is all about knowing and understanding the needs of your clients, and providing appropriate…
Pet Sitter Confessional318: One Year Hiring Retrospective
It's been one year since we started hiring in our business! A lot has changed in our company since then so we discuss what we've learned. We share the…
Pet Sitter Confessional317: Celebrating Your Wins with Janie Budnick
Summary: What does it mean to fail forward? Lessons can be learned from our own mistakes, as well as through reading and engaging with others and new ideas…
Pet Sitter Confessional316: Dealing with Grief as a Business Owner
Summary How do you deal with grief as a business owner? We don't always have the luxury of being able to not show up for the work. We have to find healthy ways…
Pet Sitter Confessional315: It's Personal with Scott Black
How do you grow and keep clients as a solo business owner? Scott Black, owner of Personal Touch Pet Sitting, shares why pet care is so personal to him. Scott…
Pet Sitter Confessional314: Overcoming Public Perceptions
Summary Have you ever felt like the pet services industry isn't taken seriously or seen as professional? Public perception often casts pet sitters as not…
Pet Sitter Confessional313: Troubleshooting Cat Behavior Issues with Molly Kelsey
How do we empower our clients to live better lives with their cats? As cat care becomes a larger part of pet services, more clients are looking for help. Molly…
Pet Sitter Confessional312: What's the Deal with Workers Comp?
What is Workers Comp and what do we need to know about it? Running a business means managing risk! We look for health insurance, liability insurance, and auto…
Pet Sitter Confessional311: Flourishing through Customer Service with Jan Brown
How do you push through fear in business? Self-doubt continues to come up, even after almost three decades in business. Jan Brown, owner of Jan's Pet Sitting…
Pet Sitter Confessional310: How to Recharge When You Feel Drained
Have you ever felt completely drained in the middle of a busy schedule? As small business owners, we don't always have the luxury of pressing pause on…
Pet Sitter Confessional309: Data Security and IT as a Small Business with Ron Cervantes
Are you securing your client data correctly? What security holes do you have in your business? Running a business in the 21st Century means we must consider…
Pet Sitter Confessional308: Why You Need More Editing in Your Life
Summary What does it mean to live a well edited life? Why is it so important in your business? Editing comes in three main categories; time, ideas, and…
Pet Sitter Confessional307: Workflows and Productivity with Doug Keeling
What does it mean to be productive? How do we get work done, other than the pet care? Doug Keeling, owner of Bad to the Bone Pet Care, joins the show to share…
Pet Sitter Confessional306: You Need to Stop Apologizing
Do you over apologize? 😬 While saying "I'm sorry" can come from many good places, often it's driven by personal fears and anxieties. Apologizing when it's not…
Pet Sitter Confessional305: Advocating for Pet Parents with Tannis Martin
Summary: What does it mean to alleviate pet parent guilt? Tannis Martin, owner of Pawty Waggin, saw firsthand the power and impact pet care services had on pet…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
304: 5 Advertising Methods That Won't Break the Bank
How are you advertising your business? While you may be tempted to pay for advertising, you don't have to! Advertising and marketing your business doesn't have…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
303: Facing Fear with Hope with Nicole Packin
How do you face fear? Fake it until you make it? Nicole Packin, owner of Miami Pet Concierge & The Packin Method, joins the show to share how she worked…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
302: Considerations for Being a Full-Time Pet Sitter
It's been almost exactly a year since Collin joined me full time in our pet business😄 It was a heavy decision (but also very freeing!) and there was a lot to…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
301: Wedding Services with Regina Richardson
Have you thought about offering wedding pet attendant services? It's a growing niche in the pat care world as pet owners look for more ways to include their…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
300: Listener Questions
We've hit 300 episodes! On this episode we talk about why we started the podcast and answer some listener questions! We discuss how to take days off…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
299: The Key to Great Communication with Chrissy Neumyer Smith
Are you great at communicating with your clients? Chrissy Neumyer Smith, host of the Creating Great Grooming Dogs podcast, sheds light on what it takes to ask…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
298: How to Answer Client Questions
How do you handle answering questions from clients? As a business owner, we field hundreds of questions every week about our business. From policies and…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
297: Evolving as a Business Owner with Michelle Sabia
How do you grow in the role of being the founder of your company? Many of us feel uncomfortable using such formal titles in our businesses, but words have…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
296: 5 Best Practices for Surveying Your Clients
Have you surveyed your client's recently? With the economic turmoil we're facing, it's important to stay on top of how your business is doing. We don't have to…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
295: Making Your Photos Shine with Caitlin McColl
What makes a great pet photo? The photos we send to our clients are a snapshot into their pet's lives while they're away. Caitlin J. McColl, founder and…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
294: How to Budget for Your Pet Business
Summary: Why do you need a budget? With everything going on in the world, it's more important than ever to know exactly where your money is going and wrestle…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
293: Decide to be the Leader with Julie Fredrick
Have you decided to be a leader in the industry? Julie Fredrick, owner of The Pet Sitter of Boise, has been running her pet sitting business since 2003, while…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
292: How to Handle Inflation as a Pet Business
How are you handling inflation and high gas prices? Prices on everything continue to rise and businesses are feeling the pinch more and more. Unfortunately…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
291: Staying Ambitious with Zach Shearer
What does it take to stay ambitious in business? Zach Shearer, owner of Zach's Pet Services, rejoins the show to share how much has changed since we last had…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
290: Creating an Exceptional New Client Experience
Do new client's enjoy the onboarding experience with you and your business? The benefit of focusing on the details is that existing clients also benefit from…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
289: Investing for Retirement as a Small Business with Joshua Winterswyk
Are you saving for retirement? 💰While it can seem daunting and like it's far away, it is critically important to get started as early as possible. Joshua…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
288: What to do When a Client Disagrees with Your Business Decision
Summary Have you raised prices, brought on staff, made a policy change, and a client disagreed with the decision you made? Whether a new client or an existing…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
287: Continuing to Adapt with Miguel Rodriguez
Summary: How do we continue to pivot, adapt, and overcome challenges in business? Miguel Rodriguez, owner of City Dog Pack, joins us to share how he continues…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
286: Balancing Time, Scope, & Cost in Your Business
Summary: How do you handle when a potential client's expectations don't match up with how you run your business? From policies to pricing, there are a million…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
285: From Finances to Felines with Wendy Thomson
How do you manage your finances? Wendy Thomson, owner of My Three Cats, spent over 20 years as an accountant. She credits her background with her ability to…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
284: 20 Ways to Make Extra Money in Your Pet Business
2020 taught us we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket, which is why add on products or services are so great. On this episode, we share 20 way to make…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
283: Merging Companies with Therese Villemure and Lindsay Licata
What does it take to merge two pet sitting and dog walking companies? Therese Villemure and Lindsay Licata believe it takes passion and sacrifice. Owners of…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
282: The Roller Coaster of Business
Summary: Do you ever feel like you're on a roller coaster? We know business is never static and there are things we can do to try to manage the business side…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
281: Fueling You with Alex D'Elia
What fuels you? Dog walking and pet sitting is hard grueling work that takes a toll on our bodies. If we are not eating the right foods or finding the right…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
280: Changing a Client's Perspective
Do you have potential clients contact you for services you don't offer or advertise? How do you convert a potential client from one service to another? It's…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
279: Making HR an Asset, Not a Liability with Kim Ottone Tank
What does HR mean to you? Human Resources is all about how we treat the people in our company. Even if you're solo, having an HR mindset helps you treat people…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
278: 5 Ways to Strengthen Your Brand
Do you have a strong brand for your pet business? Why should we be concerned about it? Our brand is being built as we operate our business so the process of…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
277: Pet Sitting in South Africa with Alexiane Arcens
Summary: Pet sitting is a global community, with different flavors and markets across countries. Alexiane Arcens joins us to share what being a pet sitter is…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
276: Common Social Media Mistakes
Chances are, you're probably using social media for your business. How is it working for you? Social media can be overwhelming and feel like it's actually not…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
275: Putting Your Value First with Heidi Lewis
The lessons from the pandemic continue to highlight the importance of self reflection and knowing your 'why'. The last couple of years have taught Heidi Lewis…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
274: Stress and Anxiety as a Business Owner
What do you stress about? As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. Stress and anxiety can be a big part of running a business, but they don't have to…
Pet Sitter Confessional273: Finding Hope in Pet Care with Pack Pals
We all have our own way of joining the pet care industry. Abagail was given hope when she started as a dog walker for a company, but several years later found…
- Pet Sitter Confessional
272: Growing and Scaling Your Pet Business
We all think we want to grow and grow our businesses. Just growing without a plan means we're spending a lot of money and having a lot more headaches than we…