Choosing the Right Self Development Products for Your Pet Business

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Self Development SpendingIt seems like I constantly receive offers for the latest ebooks, courses, and teleseminars from business experts that promise to help me grow my business to 6 figures. They are all advertised as the “information you can’t afford to live without” or the magic pill that will help you achieve a major business breakthrough.

So how do you make the right decisions when it comes to choosing the products that will actually help you take you current business and get it to be where you want to be in the next few years?

Don’t fall into the trap of running after every new fad or new idea. This is often called “Bright Shiny Object” syndrome and trust me it’s hard to avoid. I have found myself suffering on numerous occasions when I’ve purchased product after product and barely had time to read all the books let alone put any ideas into action. Most of the products I have bought have just ended up as distractions!

The first step to investing in yourself wisely is to have a solid vision of what you want your business to be when it is fully grown. What market will you serve? What products or services will you offer your customers? How will your products or services be delivered? What part will you play in the business? These questions all need to be answered and form part of your business plan.

Once you know where you are headed the second step is to to make a list of the skills that you will need to master to successfully grow and efficiently manage your future business.

Third step - cross off the skills which feel that you already possess.

After you are done with the first three steps you will have a list of the skills that you will have to learn in order to grow your pet business to you future vision. These are the skills that you need to focus on nurturing by finding experts and mentors who already have these skills and are willing to share their secrets via products or coaching.

When you have your list in hand you will find that you are less tempted by the constant product offers in your email box. If the offer doesn’t fit with a skill you need to learn - then don’t be distracted, delete the offer and move on!

Be proactive and do some online research. Look around for products or experts that can give you the skills you need. If you have connections with other business owners ask them what they have used to gain similar skills and ask them for advice.

Make sure that you do your research on experts before you buy their products:

1. What kind of reputation does the expert have? Do a Google search on their name. Can you find them online? Do they appear credible?

2. What do others say in testimonials about the program and the results they achieved?

3. What kind of study materials do they offer? Audio, video, written transcripts. Be sure that the medium offered fits well with your preferred learning style.

4. Can you access the content afterwards if you can’t make the live class or teleseminar?

5. Do they offer learning guides, workbooks, or other teaching aids to help you learn?

6. Does the trainer or company offer email support and respond to questions?

There is plenty of information that is available but you will find that there is always a trade off between time and money. If you are able to invest money in yourself by attending seminars, coaching, or buying quality products you will be able to move forward faster in your business by skipping the learning curve and learning from the mistakes of others.

Choose wisely how you spend your self development dollars and you will find yourself closer to achieving your pet business goals!

To network with other pet professionals and find out what has worked well for them visit us at the Pet Business Forum.

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Pet Business Power Tips Ezine Launch

Filed Under Pet Business Tips, My Pet Business | 2 Comments

Pet Business Power Tips EzineTonight I am sitting down to write an article for the first edition of my new weekly ezine - Pet Business Power Tips.

The ezine will include a weekly article to help you with starting, marketing, and managing your pet business. It will also have special subscriber only offers for coaching and my pet business building products, news about upcoming teleseminars with successful pet business owners, and my own column where I’ll let you know what I’ve been up to each week here in Dallas TX.

As a gift to all new subscribers I am giving away a free copy of my ebook - 25 Low Cost Marketing Tips to Explode Your Business.

I don’t think I’ve let it slip on this blog but my other passion besides pets is cooking. I love to cook healthy and yummy meals for my family and when I do watch TV you will find me watching Rachel Ray, Iron Chef, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network.

So I’ve decided that in each ezine issue I will also be sharing one of my favorite recipies with my readers. This week I’m going to share a fabulous chicken soup recipe that we’ve been taking to work for lunch for the last week and still haven’t got tired of!

To sign up to make sure you receive the first issue visit www.petbusinesspowertips.com. Remember you’ll immediately receive the free Marketing Tips ebook in your email box. Launch is just a couple more days away!

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ScratchBack: Get A TopSpot Here for $5 and Attract New Visitors

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Top Spots WidgetDid you notice the latest change to my blog? Yesterday I added the new Top Spots widget in my left sidebar after reading Lynn Terry’s post at her blog Clicknewz. Tops Spots lets you purchase a link back to your site from Working with Pets.

I have been trying the “Buy me a Coffee” tip jar application in my blog sidebar for the last few months but sadly I haven’t had any offers for coffee lately. But I can understand - the tip jar didn’t give you my readers anything back for supporting my blog.

Top Spots gives you a chance for readers of Working with Pets to find you and visit your website. You can get in touch with other pet lovers and business owners and expose them to everything that you have to offer. Of course, I will also be checking the box and if your site is useful to pet lovers I may also decide to highlight your site in an upcoming blog post.

To get listed in my Top Spots box just click on the link ” Show Some Love Buy One” at the bottom of the orange border. You will be taken to the Scratchback page where you can put in your own text for the link, your website URL, and the text for the box that appears when users mouse over the link.

As soon as I approve your link (to protect us all from spam or objectionable links) it will appear at the top of my box and will remain in the box until 10 other links are sold.

Here are some tips for the copy of your Top Spot:

1. Use a link that tells readers what you do and what they can learn by visiting your site

2. Or offer a freebie - people always love to get good info so why not make an offer for a giveaway product in the long text that appears when readers hover over your ad

3. Or use a link that will make readers curious. Make a bold statement or write a question as your long text that will then be answered at your site

Look forward to seeing you in my Top Spots soon!

If you have a blog give this Top Spots widget a try and let me know how it works for you.

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Obesity in pets - Do you have a fat dog or cat?

Filed Under Pet News, Pet Health | 9 Comments

Pug LizaThe latest studies suggest that 25% of pets in the US are obese - that totals 33 million fat cats and fat dogs. A staggering 45% of US pets are overweight.

We’ve never had any trouble with our overactive Labrador but recently this hit home to our family when we fostered our first pug - Liza (there she is in the picture). She came to us overweight and we have been attempting to reduce her daily food intake but have had little luck shedding the pounds so far. I’ve been a little scared to walk her too far as she limps and seems to struggle (she is advanced in years - 9-10yrs) but I took her on her first walk up the street and back tonight in an attempt to increase her movement. Sitting on the dog bed or at your feet is her most favorite activity. We are going to have to work up to all the way around the block - but at least we’ve made a start.

I was searching on the web for diet tips and discovered that February is the first National Canine Weight Check. A group of vets have come together to offer free weight assessments for dogs this month. You can find the vets near you that are offering this program at www.stopcanineobesity.com/ncwc

Pet obesity is a serious problem as it puts pets at risk of diseases such as osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer. Extra weight can also worsen existing conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances, and joint diseases. Put simply, carrying around the extra pounds will shorten the life of your pet. Veterinary Pet Insurance reported that last year they reimbursed policy holders over 14 million dollars for claims related to obesity - around 7 % of their total claims.

The most common reason for weight gain in pet is overeating. If the number of calories consumed by the pet each day is more than is used for normal body functions and during exercise then extra calories are stored as fat. There are other factors that can contribute to weight gain including heredity, breed, body type, and some medical conditions. Usually all that is needed for weight loss is reduced calorie intake and increased exercise. It is a common myth that spaying/neutering a pet will cause slowing of the metabolism. However, just like humans an animals metabolism will slow with age, so as they get older they will need to eat less calories each day.

Signs that your pet is overweight include:

1. Difficulty finding the ribs under layers of fat. Ribs should be easily felt.

2. Sagging stomach

3. No waist

4. Broad / flat back

Ideal weights for dogs vary by breed but a healthy pet usually weighs between 8-10 lbs. You can find a chart of ideal dog weights for common breeds at www.petobesityprevention.com/weight_ranges.htm

If your pet is overweight then you should visit your vet to get a weight assessment and suggestions for a diet plan.

An easy diet plan for dogs is:

1. Record the weight of your dog

2. Reduce their daily calorie intake by 1/3 (this means 1/3 of the total calories consumed in food and treats)

3. Weigh your dog again after 2 weeks

4. If no weight is lost - reduce calories again by 1/3. If weight is lost then stick to this amount of calories.

5. Repeat this cycle until your dog successfully starts losing weight

Information about the calorific values of common pet foods and treats is available here.

A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2% of total body weight per week. If your pet is losing weight more rapidly then they may be losing lean muscle tissue. You should feed your pets a quality food and avoid table scraps and too many treats. Some vets recommend avoiding “Low Calorie” or “Diet Foods” for pets as these food have less fats and often more carbohydrates. Extra carbs stimulate insulin production which tells the body to store unused calories as fat. Often it is preferable to simply cut the amount of your regular pet foods.

For more weight loss tips visit www.petobesityprevention.com or take advantage of Canine Weight Check and take your dog to your nearest participating vet for a free weight assessment. Don’t wait any longer to start improving the health of your pets - because who want to have less time with their companions?

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Pet Business Interview - BloomingTails Dog Boutique

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Carol SchwedToday we have a new interview with Carol Schwed from BloomingTails Dog Boutique. Carol creates custom dog apparel and accessories and also has a range of designer ready wear. Here is how Carol describes her family:

“We are a multi dog family, as we became actively involved in puppymill rescue. I foster for several rescue groups and accordingly, our numbers have grown. We tend to keep the more damaged cases that are puppymill rescues who would have a hard time fitting into a normal family situation. However, our dogs give us more than we give them. They are the focus of our lives and would not have it any other way. My husband is retired and I am semi-retired so we have time to pursue what we like and for me, that is my dogs and my business. I have made some great friends through my volunteering with rescue groups and they became life long friends”

1. What type of pet business do you run?
Custom Dog Clothing Boutique

2. How long have you been in the pet business?
3 years

3. Why did you choose to start a pet business?
Bloomingtails was born out of my frustration in finding well made clothing for toy breed dogs that actually fit them. I ordered and discarded many dog clothing items and finally decided I could do a better job myself in fitting toy and small breed dogs. Through trial and error I created patterns for small dog clothing in the correct proportions for toy breeds. We have now grown to the point of getting closer to being a one stop shop in that we also now carry designer lines of clothing of the higher end dog clothing available in the market. The industry has improved in its recognition of the differences in toy breed dogs and you can now find well made dog clothing in ranges from a 1 lb dog to a 100 lb dog. We specialize in small and toy breeds. With our custom line, our niche is the toy and small breed from 1 lb to 15 lbs.

4. What advice would you give someone about to launch a new pet care business?
Research, research, research. There is a lot of competition today in the pet industry and you need something that makes you unique from the thousands of pet boutiques in the market. You need to know what your target market is and what your niche is.

5. What has been the greatest challenge in growing your business?
As I am an internet based business, getting ranked and showing up in the search engines is the greatest challenge by far. I naively thought you could put up your website and people would find you. I did that and sat back and waited, and waited, and waited. Through much diligence on my part, we now are becoming a presence in the marketplace.

6. What are the pros and cons of your profession?
The pet industry continues to grow by leap and bounds so the demand is there for good quality products. The down side is that there are many pet related businesses that are competing for business. As with any upstart business, there are not enough hours in the day to do it all and it is time consuming and all absorbing at first. A business plan is an essential requirement if you are going to be successful at launching your business. Another down side is that with a home based business, you never get away from it so you have to be somewhat disciplined in deliniating some personal and family time.

7. What daily tasks do you enjoy most? We pride ourselves on our customer service which we feel sets us apart. We know our clients well, their likes and dislikes, what their sizes are, etc and designing products with them in mind is challenging and rewarding and the part I enjoy the most. We keep in regular contact with our clients and our association with them in the most rewarding. I consider them part of our extended family. I also enjoy finding new and unusual products to add to our site.

8. If you could have done anything differently what would it have been? I would have taken more web design courses sooner. There are several free interenet based SEO courses that provide a wealth of information. Also I would have started out with a marketing strategy firmly in place rather than done it on a “learn as you go basis:.

9. Did you have a mentor or business coach? If so, how did they help you? I had a mentor who is actually a competitor of sorts, she helped me with everything to finding wholesale supplies to web design. She even spent her time calling me to help me set up my website and was always there when I ran into a glitch out of my lack of knowledge about website design. People in the pet business are pretty people and pet oriented and helpful…I continue to “pay it forward” by assisting other people I meet on the forums and groups with starting their business.

10. What form(s) of marketing have you found the most effective in reaching pet owners?
Network, network, network. I belong to several breed specific forums and chat groups. Linking with other pet related (but non-competitive) websites is also useful. I do not have a big advertising budget but I do utilize one advertisement on The Pampered Puppy on a montly basis.

11. Do you offer clients incentives for giving referrals?
No but I do offer discounts to forum members. I also donate a portion of sales to rescue groups that have a link to us on their site with a link back to my site.

12. At what stage of your business growth did you choose to take on help?
As we do custom made dog clothing, when it got to the point where I realized I had a decision to make in terms of where I wanted to take Bloomingtails, it became a question of whether I sat down and made the outfits or spent time promoting the business. At that point I hired two people to sew for me. This freed me up to work on the creative end in designing new outfits and to spend time promoting the business.

13. Did you choose to use employees or independent contractors? Why?
I use independent contractors for several reasons, ie, I am a home based internet only business and did not want someone having to come to my house every day and it is common in the sewing industry to use piece work rates and the work is sporadic in terms of items are custom ordered so I would not have work to keep someone busy on a set schedule.

14. What have you found is the best way to find new staff members? I live in an area that was once the glove making capital in the leather industry. People here grew up learning how to sew. I do occasionally advertise for a home sewer in the local newspapers.

15. What have you done to differentiate your business from your local competitors?
N/A - Internet based. As far as competitors in general, we think our customer service sets us apart.

Thank you for sharing your business experience Carol! Please visit her site www.BloomingTailsDogBoutique.com to view her great range of designer dog wear.  You can also meet Carol at The Pet Business Forum if you would like more information about her business.

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