Cats

Organise your Pet Business in 2019!

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I’ve come to the conclusion that much of my stress in 2018 came from me being really unorganised and ‘winging it’ a little too much!

I know some of us work better that way, but for me, I need things written down, clear and organised.  Give me a spreadsheet any day!!

If you’re the same, here’s my top tips for staying organised in 2019…

Keep a simple paperwork / new client system

It doesn’t need to be over complicated, create a system that works for you that you can keep up to date easily.  Also be clear on what your system actually is.  There’s no right or wrong with this, you are more likely to stick to a system you decide upon.

Plan your meals and snacks

I have been TERRIBLE at this!  But it’s so important when you’re doing a physical job to make sure you have enough lunch and snacks to keep you going throughout the day.  Trust me, feeling hungry is the quickest way to make you feel like crap!  I’ve now got a healthy snack basket in my car with dried fruit just in case I need something in between walks.

Keep your mobile office clean and tidy

“Tidy house tidy mind” or “Tidy car tidy mind!”  Personally i’m in my car for so long during the day it feels like my office and it can quickly get messy!  Before I know it it’s full of mud, wrappers and receipts, making me feel bleugh! Give yourself 20 minutes or so once a week to tidy your car, it will make you feel so much better!

Morning routine / evening routine

Our jobs can be very erratic and all over the place so for me having a set routine morning and evening can make me feel more in control and relaxed.  Everyone’s routine will be completely different but for me I like to make sure I give myself enough time in the morning to have a Cacao drink, feed and spend time with our pup Mia, and listen to a positive, feel good podcast or You Tube video while I’m getting ready.

Tax Return

Don’t leave it to the last minute to do your Tax Return, trust me you’ll get stressed out and possibly get a shock when you find out how much you owe!  Why not make it easier for your future self and record your incoming and outgoings as you go throughout the year.  All it takes is a simple spreadsheet or even a notebook where you can jot things down as you go.

Your diary

Set aside time on the same day each week/month to work out your schedule.  I like to do this on a Sunday ready for the Monday morning, checking that I’ve read everyone’s messages, got back to everyone and made any changes needed.

Social Media and content planning

One of THE most stressful tasks for us can be creating posts and content, and often doing it every day, as and when, can be overwhelming and cause us to post rubbish content that doesn’t benefit our businesses at all!  Set aside time to switch off from everything else and concentrate on this only.  This can be an afternoon once a week, a whole day once a month, an hour, whatever you can fit in.  Once you have your content you can schedule it to go out so you’re not having to physically do this every day.

For more help with this I have a 30 day content planner for Petpreneurs below.

Social Media Posting Guide

A 30 day social media posting guide for Pet Business Owners.

£1.00

 

Make lists and brain dumps

When everything is in your head its hard to make sense of it and remember it all! So get it all down on paper in whichever form you prefer.  Once you know what you want to do you can work out how and the steps you need to take in order for you to complete each task.

Time Out

Give yourself time out of your business to relax, recharge your batteries and get those things done round the house and in your personal life that get left when we’re so busy with our work.

If you’d like support with your Pet Business join me over in our free Facebook Group or click here for more info>>>

I hope you all have a very happy New Year and successful 2019!

 

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Adding festive charm to your Pet Business this Christmas

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What can you do to add some festive charm to your Pet Business this time of year?

Change your Facebook Cover Photo to a lovely Autumnal or Christmassy, snowy photo that you’ve taken. This is one of the first things people see when they visit your page so make it stand out with those lovely Autumn colours or beautiful white frosty trees.

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If you sell physical products make sure to update your website and social media with all those puuurfect gift ideas and add any special Christmas deals. You could add a pinned post to the top of your Facebook Page letting everyone know about a fab deal you have.

Create your own Christmas gift guide for Pet Owners featuring local businesses near you and either post them on your page so they can be shared or create as a blog post like this one or send out to your email list if you have one!

Come up with some small gift ideas for your customers. You don’t need to go over the top just a card and a small gesture will be so appreciated by your furry and non-furry clients.

Hold a festive themed competition on your page such as a best Christmas jumper photo competition. People LOVE to get involved in things like this and your page will be seen by so many more people wanting to take part.

Edit your website colours or add some extra sparkle just for this time of year.

Don’t forget to upload all those cute pictures of your furry customers to your social media accounts, we all love a puppy in a Christmas jumper don’t we??

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Get your tinsel out and decorate your work place or yourself! Stick some in your hair while you’re walking your doggies, you may get talking to potential customers 😉

Overall, have fun with it and get into the Christmas spirit!

Rachel x

For more info about how we can support you click here.

Or join our friendly Facebook community here 🙂

Remember why you started

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Do you ever have one of those days (or weeks) where you think what the hell am I doing, what’s the point, why is nothing going to plan, why am I bothering?  Trust me we ALL feel like that at some point and it can be hard to get out of that state of mind when we work alone.

I have had sleepless nights, I’ve cried, I’ve ranted at my loved ones and felt so frustrated with it all and forgotten what the point was and why i was working all hours.

What I’ve learnt is to keep coming back to the point and the reason why I started my business. My goals and my aims and why I do what I do.

I wanted freedom, I wanted to be my own boss, to help people, to work with animals, and to do something I’m passionate about.  I didn’t want to work for someone else.

If you struggle with this, take some time now to jot down in just a few sentences:

• Why you started your own business
• What drives you
• Why you wanted to be your own boss
• Why you are passionate about what you do

When you’re feeling rubbish and like you’ve lost your way, come back to these sentences to remind yourself why you’re on this roller-coaster journey.  You could even print them off and put them somewhere that you’ll see them every day.

If you’re an aspiring Petpreneur and would like some support getting started join our free Facebook group!  Or click here for more info >>>

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6 Steps to finding potential customers on Instagram

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Make the most of your bio section

Here’s your chance to give an overview of what you offer and what you’re about.  I’ve seen a lot of Instagram accounts that literally just say ‘Dog Walker’ which, ok, says what it is on the tin, but if you’re a customer looking for the perfect dog walker are you going to go for that person or are you going to lean towards the person who has made an effort to put a full description with something to catch their attention?  You can add your website link, phone number, email address and any other info you think they’d need to contact you easily.

Post regularly but don’t stress about it

Social media experts say you should post 1-4 times a day to grow your following.  EEK!  That’s a lot!  I personally don’t think I can cope with 4 posts every single day but I aim for at least 1 a day.  I think if you are forcing yourself to post 3-4 times EVERY day you’ll end up putting out stuff just for the sake of it which is boring and repetitive.  Just don’t leave it weeks without posting anything as potential customers may assume you are no longer in business or not working.

Look for your ideal customers

Something I did when I started my Instagram account was to search for my potential customers by looking for hashtags that they might use.  So for example there’s a country park in my area called Ferry Meadows that is hugely popular with dog owners so I searched #ferrymeadows and looked through the people who had used that hashtag.  If there was a photo of them with their dog I would ‘like’ the picture or comment on it.  I know it sounds a bit stalker-ish but honestly this got me my very FIRST customer, who is still a customer!  Now don’t put anything too spammy, be genuine, comment something like ‘aww cute dog’ rather than ‘hi need a dog walker?!’

You’re simply drawing attention to yourself rather than trying to ‘sell’ yourself to them.

Use your hashtags

Think of relevant hashtags you could use that your potential customer might search for, including the area you cover. E.g. #londondogwalker #dogwalkersinlondon #petshoplondon

You can use up to 30 so make the most of them!

Insta Stories

Everyone loves watching short video clips, so Insta stories are amazing!  Post videos throughout your day and show everyone how much fun your furry customers are having.  You can be really creative with these, there’s loads of options now to make your stories interesting, fun and stand out.  Show YOU, your personality, so potential customers know who they are looking at.  They are more likely to contact someone who they feel a connection with or that they can SEE.  Don’t be another faceless Instagram account.

Don’t be boring

Overall don’t post just for the sake of it, be funny, interesting, informative and creative with your photos!  This is your chance to attract potential customers and show them why they should use your services or buy your products!

If you are an aspiring Petpreneur join our free Facebook Group The Petpreneur Network or click here for more info >>>

Social Media Posting Guide

A 30 day social media posting guide for Pet Business Owners.

£1.00

Picking the Perfect Pet Professional – Checklist

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With more and more people setting up Pet Businesses it can be so difficult knowing who you can trust and who to pick, to not only take care of your precious pets, but also have keys and access to your home.  If you don’t know of anyone personally or through mutual friends it can be daunting knowing who to pick.  So I’ve put together a checklist and a few things for you to consider.  These points are based on my personal experience of being a Dog Walker & Pet Sitter but also having pets myself.

CHECK FACEBOOK

If you are on Facebook, this is an excellent way to check out a business.  Look at their photos, do they have lots of pictures of pets they already look after, do they have pictures of themselves with the pets?

It’s also one of the BEST places to check their reviews.  Positive 5* reviews are obviously a good sign.  As a business you cannot delete or edit any reviews left on your page (unless they are proved to the God’s of Facebook that they are false reviews). You can delete the whole review section though so if a business doesn’t have a review section at all, good or bad, then they have probably deleted it for a reason! Be wary.

Everyone has to start somewhere so if they don’t have many reviews on their page maybe they have just started, you could always ask them for a reference from a previous employer.

DOCUMENTS

Ask to see their documents.  Although technically it isn’t a legal requirement for a Dog Walker to have any insurance, it would be very silly for them not to.  Most will have Public Liability Insurance (in the UK) which should cover things like injury to your pet/other people’s pets, the public and themselves.  It isn’t expensive so I can’t think of a reason why you would not have this as a professional Dog Walker, and they should be happy to provide you with proof of this on request.  Having your own general pet insurance is not enough to cover incidents that might occur when you’re not there.

DBS checks also are not a legal requirement and many people think these are unnecessary or only needed when a person is looking after children or vulnerable people, but if someone is going to have a key to your house it may give you peace of mind knowing they don’t have any criminal convictions. You may argue that they are only valid on the day that they are printed but at least it shows a willingness by the person to try and provide you with some peace of mind.  (If you are in England a self-employed persons DBS check will usually say ‘Disclosure Scotland’ on the top if the check was requested and paid for by themselves.)

Overnight Dog Boarding at the Pet Sitters own house is slightly different as they WILL legally need to be registered with their local Council as health & safety checks and fire risk assessments etc will need to be undertaken and they should provide you with a certificate stating this.  Always go and view the house that your dog will be staying in.

FIRST AID TRAINING

IMG_0446Being Canine First Aid trained is another bonus, in my personal opinion, when choosing your perfect Pet Sitter.  A Canine First Aid course isn’t expensive, usually around £30 and is undertaken in one day, most being practical lessons with a Veterinary professional.  If they haven’t undertaken any training ask them what they would plan to do in an emergency situation or if your pet became ill.  Again not a legal requirement but may give you extra peace of mind.  (Here’s me bandaging a stuffed toy dog on a First Aid practical session haha!)

QUALIFICATIONS/TRAINING

Not all Dog Walkers will have specific training, so don’t let it put you off completely if they don’t. A lot of Dog Walkers I know don’t have ‘professional’ training purely because it is ridiculously expensive, not because they don’t want to learn, but most of these people will have A LOT of practical experience with dogs and other animals.  From owning their own, to experience in previous jobs such as kennels or rescue shelters for example.  But having said that, If you feel your pet would benefit from someone who does have training in canine behaviour or if your dog needs someone with that extra knowledge behind them, they should highlight on their website what training they have undertaken.  If not, just ask and they will tell you what qualifications they have obtained.  Again this is where Facebook reviews come in handy!

MEET THEM WITH YOUR PETS PRESENT

Most Pet Professionals will offer a free, no obligation meeting with you at your house, to meet you and your pets.  This is the perfect way for you to get a real feel for what they are like, their personality, if they will get on with your pets, if your pets will like them.  You can ask to see their documents, any questions you might have and it’s a chance for them to see where your pets food/leads etc are kept.  It’s a good sign if they are also asking you questions, for example what your pets personalities are like, what they are like on a lead, and what they are like with other dogs.

INFORMATION THEY ASK FROM YOU

It surprises me when new customers tell me that their previous Dog Walker didn’t ask them to fill out any forms.  I think this is so important.  It should include things like your phone numbers, your emergency contact details and/or numbers for another person who they can contact in an emergency if you are not available.  It should include vets details at the very least.  These forms will vary from person to person as most Pet Professionals will write their own but this should cover at least the basic information that they will need in an emergency.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK

A really important question is how will they transport your dogs? Do they have a van? How will your dog be secured and will they be safe?  Ask if you can have a look, after all they are transporting precious cargo and should be more than happy to show you how they would insure your dog’s safety.

One thing that numerous customers have asked me is whether I have advertising on my vehicle.  If someone has PET SITTER all over the vehicle which is parked outside your house at the same time every day, it may be obvious to others that nobody is home.  Some Pet Professionals will have removable stickers which they take off their car when they are at customers houses so as not to draw attention to the fact that you’re not home.

Another question I would ask is whether your dog will be walked with other dogs and how many, and how do they ensure all of the other dogs will get along with your dog?

What experience do they have with dogs, have they worked with dogs before and why have they chosen to work with them now?

ADDED EXTRAS

Personally I love to provide my customers with updates, photos and videos of their pets which I am sure most Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters would happily do for you.  Afterall their main aim should be your pets care but also your peace of mind.

At the end of the day trust your instincts, if you’re not sure, say you’ll get back to them and maybe arrange to meet a different person so you can compare or find a better fit.

In my personal opinion the Pet Industry is not very well regulated and there are not really any legalities when setting up a Pet business so it’s down to pet owners to do their research and find the best fit for them by asking the right questions.  So I hope this checklist helps a little : )

 

MYTH – All Pet Sitters have to be registered with The National Association of Registered Pet Sitters (NARPS).  Not true – NARPS is a great resource for Dog Walkers & Pet Sitters as they provide things such as insurance cover, advice, and templates, BUT it is not a legal requirement.  So don’t be put off if someone is not signed up with them.

If you work in the Pet Industry or you’re considering it, come and join The Petpreneur Network! Head over to our Facebook Group for support, advice, free workbooks and connect with other Petpreneurs! https://www.facebook.com/groups/391514318013949/

You can also follow us on Instagram @thepetpreneurnetwork

Pet Sitting is not for sissies

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Some names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Pet Sitting is not for sissies – I saw this comment and thought how true it was, Dog Walking and Pet Sitting is also not for clean freaks, the squeamish or people of a nervous disposition!

Only this morning I was walking a dog who did his business and then did that thing where they scrape their feet backwards as if to spread their scent. I bent down to pick it up but no, he hadn’t finished ‘spreading his scent’ and I got a face full of grass and mud and I dread to think what else! People wonder why I carry a back pack when I’m walking dogs… it’s full of wet wipes and tissues to wipe the mud and crap off my face!

One of the things I’ve learned is the need to have a spare pair of shoes and socks in my car. Not only for the changeable and untrustworthy weather here in the UK but also foIMG_8307r those instances where a dog decides to use your leg as a tree… the problem is if they decide to do this half way round your walk you still have to walk for half an hour back to the house with soggy feet. Again those wet wipes are needed! I’m sure they don’t do it on purpose but there was the time Prince the Frenchie walked round the other side of a fence and decided to aim through the gap and onto my leg! I had to admire the accuracy of his aiming skills though.

I once looked after a cat whose owner informed me (after they had left for their holiday) that the cat was on antibiotics and needed to be given his medicine by squirting it into his mouth. This immediately filled me with dread knowing what this cat was like…he was not going to take this willingly. I googled the easiest methods which involved oven gloves, a large towel and eye shields, this did not help settle my nerves. So I ended up asking the owners how they give it to him. They suggested holding him by the scruff of the neck, prizing his mouth open, and quickly placing the syringe in his mouth and squirting the medicine in. Again this did not sound like it was going to go to plan. Can you imagine an angry cat that doesn’t like being held, having his jaw held open by a stranger and liquid squirting in, nope, it wasn’t going to happen. Needless to say after many attempts I mixed it into his food instead….

One of the things I do before meeting a new customer and their pet for the first time is ask their name and their breed. I don’t discriminate against or turn down any dog breed but just ask purely out of interest and future reference. There was one occasion where I was arranging to meet a new customer and her dog whose name was something very pretty and girly (we’ll go with Poppy) and I later realised I hadn’t asked what kind of dog it was. Oh well I’ll find out when I get there I thought, imagining a spaniel or something like that. I arrive and follow the lady into the kitchen to discover ‘Poppy’ is the biggest Doberman I have ever seen, who was the other side of a stair gate standing on two feet and was the same size as me! The lady then informed me Poppy doesn’t know any commands in English as they speak Polish and that they will be getting a new extendable lead as Poppy had snapped the last one again! I have to say I was a little anxious about this but to be fair she was a lovely dog…and I learnt some Polish.

If you work in the Pet Industry or you’re considering it, come and join The Petpreneur Network! Head over to our Facebook Group for support, advice, free workbooks and connect with other Petpreneurs! https://www.facebook.com/groups/391514318013949/

You can also follow us on Instagram @thepetpreneurnetwork
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