30 Days to Start and Grow Your Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business by Kristin Morrison

In this episode of Handling Business we interview Kristin Morrison, who is a celebrity in the world of pet sitting and dog walking! Kristin is the creator the Six Figure Pet Business Academy, the author of two books, Six Figure Pet Business and Prosperous Pet Business, a well known speaker, a podcast host and has successfully sold her own large pet sitting business. In the last 18 years Kristin has coached business owners in 49 of the 50 States. She has also produced countless webinars and products that have helped business owners around the world go from being burned out and unprofitable, to becoming business owners who see massive profits and gain more freedom in their lives. Kristin has a new book that she has just released called 30 Days to Start and Grow Your Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business. It’s not only full of valuable advice, but also provides you with a guideline for getting started with homework and checklists. This way, you can confidently start working towards the pet sitting and dog walking business of your dreams.

What you’ll learn in the episode:

• How Kristin sold her own pet sitting business for six figures and how she prepared her business for sale by putting the processes and systems in place to get a higher valuation than if she were to just sell her client list.

• Tips for battling burnout and how to work towards freedom from tedious long hours.

• How to hire a great team so that you can take weekends off, achieve a four hour work week and scale your business so that you can travel.

• How to stay inspired and creative when it comes to running your business.

• How to think beyond your service business and become an expert in your field, and possibly write your own book one day.

• Kristin shares her new book that’s full of step by step instructions for moving your business forward. She also includes tips that her coaching clients have implemented to increase their sales and improve their margins.

• How to implement modern technology with your business so that you don’t lose clients to the big app giants just because they are looking for the ondemand booking and tracking experience.

To learn more about Kristin Morrison and the Six-Figure Pet Business Academy visit sixfigurepetbusinessacademy.com.

To order your copy of 30 Days to Start and Grow Your Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business, click here.

Or to download an e-book version of Kristin Morrison’s newest book, click here.

Small Business Talk: Avoiding the Summer Slump

For a child, summer is unquestionably the best time of year. Long, sunny days mean trips to beach, afternoons at the pool, and best of all, no homework. But for the small business owner, summer can be the worst season of all. Many companies experience a “summer slump” in June, July, and August. They struggle to find new customers and revenues don’t grow. You must avoid this dreaded “slump” at all costs. Doing so may require an investment of creativity, but it is necessary for success.

A great example is Starbucks. In the early days, people doubted if the chain could maintain sales in the warm summer months. Who would want a hot expresso in the middle of July? Starbucks, unwilling to submit to a seasonal drop in sales, innovated and debuted the all new “Frappuccino.” This iced drink has earned Starbucks billions and ensured they stay relevant all year round.

“Where most see problems, you should see opportunity. ”

Like Starbucks, you should not settle into a “summer slump.” When revenues go down, it is up to you to boost them back up. It’s not time to take a break; it’s time to launch more marketing! This season offers exceptional opportunities to drive growth. Summer outings, events, and holidays have enormous marketing potential. You could host a BBQ for loyal customers, hand out flyers at a festival, or create summer themed giveaways. It is all about adapting your marketing techniques to the season. Where most see problems, you should see opportunity. Don’t accept a drop in sales, get creative and your summer may just become your favorite season again.

The Missing Piece of your Marketing Strategy: In-Person Marketing

“A simple face to face connection is perhaps the best way to gain a new customer.”

Every year, companies spend enormous amounts of time and money developing innovative marketing techniques. From electronic billboards, to sponsored web articles, to even creative skywriting -- businesses are constantly trying out new methods to drive growth. This desire to experiment with marketing is valuable, but often these efforts are poor uses of resources. Just because it is new doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. Too often, businesses forget to focus on the simplest and perhaps most effective strategy: in-person marketing. Personal relationships with customers are critical to driving revenue and business growth. A simple face to face connection is perhaps the best way to gain a new customer.

Personal connections are especially important in the early stages of your business when you are still perfecting your model. Customer feedback is a key way to find out what elements of your business aren’t working. You can check in with your customers frequently and gain valuable information about pricing, quality, or anything else you want to know. A strong personal connection will ensure the feedback they give is honest and reliable. These connections are also great for market research. Learning more about your customers – who they are, where they are, and what they want – is critically important. You want to constantly tweak and improve your business to keep it relevant in the market place. Even for larger, more developed companies, maintaining and creating new personal connections is vital. It’s a big mistake to just see customers as dollar signs. Businesses who fail to understand what their customers actually want will not last long.  

Making meaningful connections with people can also be a great way to expand your business. Of all the types of advertising, one of the most valued is “word of mouth.” Your business profits when satisfied customers share their experiences and recommendations to friends and family. One Tweet or Facebook post could lead to many new customers. Again, this is why in person connections are so important. One solid interaction with someone will allow you to put a “face to the business.” Customers are of course more likely to share their opinions if that personal connection has been established.  One connection could lead to a whole web of potential new business leads. A small investment of time can lead to huge amounts of rewards. Your growing business could be one connection away from exponential growth.

In-person marketing is perhaps the best way to market your business, and best of all, it just requires a little bit of time. It’s as easy a quick call to a good customer. 

Survival of the Tech-Savviest

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

— Charles Darwin

There was a time when if you wanted a ride across town, your only choice was to call a cab. Now, with a few taps, you can call an Uber or Lyft and get where you need to go. To many, the instructions to “call a cab” now seem strange and outdated. While paying for your ride with your phone was once thought of as unusual and unsafe, it is now rare to find someone with more than $40 dollars cash in their pocket. Although cabs were often dirty, slow, and expensive, you can argue that their biggest weakness was failure to change.

The point of this illustration is that you have to adapt to survive. The most successful businesses are the ones that embrace change and continue to give real benefit to their customers. This means adapting to and accepting new methodologies that technology now offers. Not only will platforms like Handlr make your business more efficient, they will help you compete in a market that is relying more and more on technology. “Oh, I just pay you on my phone?” is no longer a weird request. Oh, no more paperwork & invoicing? -- It is quickly becoming a valuable and appreciated convenience. The ability to directly message customers is revolutionizing customer service.  Scheduling appointments in a few clicks is becoming the new standard. Businesses who fail to adapt to the increasing demand for mobile and digital services won’t be able to compete. The competition is changing and customers are taking notice. For today’s businesses the choice is clear: you either adapt to new technology or go the way of the dodo.

To see Handlr in action, schedule a demo to see the magic here.