Announcing a New Weekly Blog Carnival - Working with Pets

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I am proud to present the first edition of the Working with Pets Carnival. I’m looking for articles on pet career and business tips, innovative pet products, pet training, and pet health care.

To submit an article, email a link to daniellechonody@gmail.com  or use the submission form at Blog Carnival. You can find the carnival filed under pets.

Submissions for this edition are due by Midnight Saturday 28th July.  Subsequent submissions are due by midnight each Saturday.  Chosen articles will be published on this blog on Sundays.

What are you waiting for?!  Share your pet knowledge with us..

5 Reasons You Must Have a Website for Your Pet Care Business

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Person at computerThis weekend I was doing my marketing research and asked a new customer as I always do at the end of an interview - how did you find us? Her answer is the one that I now most commonly receive - “on the internet”. More and more customers are finding my business on the internet either by conducting a search using Google or Yahoo or using an online yellow pages search.

This customer also told me that she was looking for a pet sitting company that had a detailed web site because in her opinion having a website gave the company more credibility and meant that the company was serious about their business. This comment illustrates the power of having a web presence for your business. To compete in this computer age having a well designed web page or site affects the perception that your customers have about your business image and professionalism.

Here are my top 5 reasons for getting your business on the web:

1) Adds credibility and trust for your customers. On a website you are able to give customers information about your personal background and experience. It lets them get to know you before you even meet. You also have the space to highlight customer testimonials which add social proof to the claims that you make about your service quality and professionalism.

2) Allows you to give customers more information about your business policies and rate structures. On a web site you can give a full explanation what they can expect from working with your service (or product).

3) Sets you apart from other businesses that are listed in the traditional or online yellow pages or other service locators. Many of the other pet businesses that you compete with for space in the phone book or online directories will not have a detailed web page. Having a site that gives them more information about you and your business makes them more comfortable working with you and gives you a competitive advantage.

4) Gives you a way to add value to your business by offering visitors to your site free information and tips or even a free report that is relevant to your service or product. On my site I offer to give clients a pre-travel checklist to ensure that they leave home prepared. I also have articles on my site that give visitors seasonal pet care tips. You could offer articles on the latest pet trends, a report on what to look for in a good groomer, or free puppy training tips.

5) Can be a low cost form of marketing as long as you choose the right website design and hosting service - or set up the site yourself (it’s not as hard as you may think!). If you set up your site to be optimized with keywords such as the city that you serve and the type of service, customers that do all their business online will be able to find you easily through search engines and online directories. You can setup and host a website for less than $5 per month. My website is one of the cheapest forms of advertising that I have used, and one of the most successful.

A great ebook that will help you get started online is How to Create a Website Non-Techie Guide. This book runs you step by step through the process of getting a domain and host to designing your site and putting it online. It has video tutorials and a good list of resources and is a steal at only $7. I wish I had this guide when I set up my first site. Also check though your business association as they are beginning to offer simple to create and low cost to host sites to their members.

Free Pet Industry Magazines for Business Owners

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This weekend I found a couple of pet publications that offer free subscriptions for pet business owners. Both look like they have information that is valuable to keep on top of pet industry trends and new pet products. Both magazines are primarily aimed at pet product retailers - but if you have a pet service business it may be worth considering adding some products to you business. (I’ll be discussing the concept of Double Edged Sword marketing in a future post and show you how adding products to your business can help you increase your profits).

Pet Business gives pet retailers marketing tips and product information to help them increase their financial success. They distribute monthly and also run articles on grooming, trends in pet foods, and specialized pet care.

Pet Age is also targeted to retailers but also offers instructional pet care articles, customer relations tips, industry and regulation trends, and innovative new pet products.

I haven’t got my first issues yet but I’ll give you a full review when they do arrive. Until then it is easy to subscribe to the magazine at their websites online - they ask that you let them know what part of the pet industry you are involved in to receive your free subscription.

Own An Internationally Successful Doggie Bakery

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Three Dog Bakery Dog TreatsA friend and I were discussing specialty pet foods and treats tonight and she told me about a bakery that she had visited in Kansas City - Three Dog Bakery. Their treats look so good I think you may be tempted yourself! Among their treats are Beagle Bagels, Carob Chip Cookies, Vanilla and Peanut Woofer Cookies,and Low Fat Apple and Oatmeal treats. They also have dog foods and cat treats - all made from natural ingredients.

3 Dog Bakeries have stores in 18 US states and several in Japan. They are currently searching for people interested in opening stores in the following cities:

Chicago, Dallas, San Diego, Manhattan, and Houston

They have details on their site about the Trademark Licensing agreement and the training available to new store owners. As part of the process of becoming a store owner they also provide help with site selection, start up, and marketing and promotion.

If you love to cook, or just want your own pet business to manage and grow this could be a great opportunity. 3 Dog Bakery is expanding fast and has a proven business model. For more information visit their site at www.threedog.com and click on the Business Partners link.

More About Me … (continued)

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Here is the second installment of my journey to becoming a pet business owner. In my last post we had come to part of my tale when I packed up my kitty and moved to the USA. I transferred with my day job with oilfield service company to pursue a new job as a design engineer.I met my husband Todd in the first year in my new home and we married in 2002. By then I had another Burmese cat that I bought from a breeder in Dallas in 2001. Her name is Cozzy. Of course Todd is a pet lover too and one of the first items on our agenda after our honeymoon was to find a family dog. We brought Mackie the black Lab into our home - I’d love to report that he fit right in with the cats but we had a 2 year getting to know you period. Mackie was good with the cats but she did like to chase them when they ran from her. It took them a couple of years for the cats to work out that if they stood still she wouldn’t hurt them!

In 2003 I was feeling tired of the 9-5 grind and started searching for a business I could run from home part time that could one day replace my salary. At the bookstore I found a book by Patti Moran - Pet Sitting for Profit: A Complete Manual for Professional Success (Howell Reference Books). It didn’t take me long to decide that working with pets sounded like the perfect job!

I researched pet sitting and joined Pet Sitters International - a professional association for pet sitters that offerred me education, insurance at a reduced rate and a listing for my new business in their pet sitter locator. I then set to work creating tri-fold flyers that I left at the counter of local pet businesses to advertise my service.

It took a few weeks for me to get my first customer but when I did I was hooked. I loved spending time with the pets and also had fun meeting new clients and hearing their pet stories. Slowly I got other customers from my flyers and the PSI online locator.

The next steps I took were to advertise in the local Yellow Pages and hire a service to set up a website for my business. As the business slowly grew I developed systems for managing client keys, created a pet sitting contract, and started to reach out to network with other pet sitters.

I attended a networking lunch with 5-6 local sitters and was very fortunate that one of these women knew a pet sitter in my city that needed help of the Christmas holiday season. Working with another sitter gave me more confidence, helped me learn new techniques and tips, and gave me inspiration. I have been friends with this sitter for the past 3 years and we still support each other when we need additional help.

In my second year of business my husband and I travelled to San Antonio to attend PSI’s annual conference. This was a great experience as we met many other sitters with whom we shared marketing, pet care, and business management tips. We also attended a pet first aid and dog behavior workshop. Attending the conference increased my awareness of the growth of the pet sitting industry and the opportunities that existed to grow my business.

To be continued…

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