Learn How Joseph Grew His Pet Business Urban Outsitters to 6000 Clients!

Filed Under Pet Business Success Circle | October 13, 2008

Joseph Giannini has a thriving pet business - he is the largest independently owned pet service company in Chicago. His business has grown from a dog walking service, to now offering pet sitting, pet boarding, grooming, and a specialty pet bakery. He plans to add veterinary services to the mix soon as his goal is to own a business that can supply 100% of his customers pet needs.

I interviewed Joseph for my product “Secrets of Pet Business Success” earlier this year. This month I am releasing the audio and transcript of this interview to my Pet Business Success Circle members.

In the interview Joseph shares:

His biggest obstacle to growing his pet business
How he has marketed his business to attract 6000 clients
The most profitable segment of his business
Tips he would give to new pet sitters

The audio recording and transcript are available to you when you join the Pet Business Success Circle this month. When you join you will also get the recordings and transcripts for these other great calls:

How to Market Using Press Releases with Rachel Monroe the Pet Industry Copywriter
How to Find and Hire great Independent Contractors with Peggie Arvidson of Peggie’s Pets
The Most Effective Marketing Tools for Pet Businesses with Leslie May or Pawsible Marketing
How to use systems to create a 24-170 business that allows you to work a maximum of 24 hours per week with Sam Brown from Boarding as a Business

If all those great interviews are still not enough I am also giving a bonus to all members in October.

I am giving all members of the Success Circle a free 20 minute phone business consultation.

In this consultation we will discuss your plans for your business and I will give you suggestions about what you should be doing right now to reach your goals. To get your free consulation just join up now for the $7 trial of the Pet Business Success Circle right here. Hurry I only have 20 slots for new members available!

Danielle

10 Ways Pet Sitters Can Learn About Pet Health and Behavior

Filed Under Pet Business Tips, Pet Health | October 11, 2008

As a pet sitter you are the caretaker of your clients pets and are responsible for their wellbeing. Clients expect you to be knowledgable about common pet health problems and behavior issues so that you can spot the early warning signs and take action before a condition becomes serious. The more knowledgable you are - the more you can become a valued resource for your clients.

There are many ways to build your knowledge. Here are my top 10:

1. Read industry publications including blogs, magazines, e-zines and books

2. Volunteer at local humane society or animal rescue organizations. They often need volunteers to help with dog walking, cat care, and administration of vaccinations and medication.

3. Join a pet lovers online forum and read posts that people make about their pets health problems. As you become more aware of problems and solutions you can start to offer suggestions and resources (don’t forget to include your website link in your signature)

4. Participate in a 4-H or a local dog club

5. Find a local trainer and/or veterinarian to be your mentor

6. Take local community education classes or online education

7. Create your own pet blog for your pet sitting clients – it will force you to stay current with pet industry trends and is a great marketing tool for your pet sitting business

8. Attend a Pet First Aid training course. Courses are held by your local Red Cross and by Pet Tech instructors - www.pettech.net

9. Interview pet health and behavior experts – use the information to create a handout for your customers (another great marketing tool)

10. Participate in local animal health awareness initiatives.For example, if there’s a fund raiser or even to raise money for a rescue organization participate. You’ll learn a lot and help the animal community at the same time

Here are some websites where you can do some research:

Pet Health Web Sites:

Information from the US National Library of Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pethealth.html

Cat Chat UK registered cat rescue organization - http://www.catchat.org/health_care.html

Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Library - http://www.lib.utk.edu/agvet/veterinary/pethealth.html

The Internet Animal Hosptial - http://www.thepetcenter.com/

American Animal Hospital Association: http://www.healthypet.com/

Washington State College of Veterinary Medicine - http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/

Pet Behavior Web Sites:

SPCA Dog Behavior Library -
www.sfspca.org/behavior/dog_library/index_library.shtml

Humane Society Dog Behavior Tip Sheets -
www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/

If you have other sites that you regularly visit for pet health and behavior tips please leave a comment and let us know about them

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My Experience at the Brand Power 4 Day Intensive in Atlanta

Filed Under My Pet Business | October 7, 2008

Yesterday I flew back from an invigorating 5 days in Atlanta where I attended Kim Castle’s and Vito Montone’s Brand Power 4 day Intensive. Wow - what a great seminar and it was fantastically energizing to meet some many entrepreneurs who care about making a difference with their business.

I went on this journey to find a new name (and create a powerful brand experience) for my pet sitting business. Last year, after using my current name “Claws Paws & Jaws” for 4 years I approached a trademark attorney and discovered that it cannot be trademarked as there is another business using the name “Claws and Paws”. This is why I recommend that before choosing a name you should make sure that it is unique and able to be trademarked if you choose to go that route. I have a passion to franchise or license my business in the next few years so that I can enable others to start their own pet sitting business and avoid all the pitfalls! So you can see why I need a trademarked name.

I went to the intensive having read Kim’s great free weekly ezine - Powerplay - but still didn’t really know what to expect. During 4 days Kim and Vito lead me through a process out of which emerged a new clarity and understanding of the heart of my business and an new excitement about creating something bigger.

I have a name chosen and this week I will be having a new logo designed. I have a new understanding about the correct colors and words to use as part of my logo to create a powerful customer first impression. I hope you’ll understand why I can’t tell you yet what it will be yet - but you will be the first to know once a trademark has been secured.

The greatest lesson that I learnt this past week that I want to share with you is :

Take the time this week to dedicate some time thinking about what you want your customers to say to others about your company. What lasting impressions do you want your customers to “walk away” with.

This is something I had not previously taken much time to consider - but how powerful it is to know what you are trying to create and get people to feel when they use your pet business! Once you are clear on what you want them to feel then you can create your business in a concious way to make sure that everything you do in your business conveys this intention.

I’m sure I will be sharing more with you about the seminar in the next few weeks!

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Going to PSI’s Quest for Excellence 2009?

Filed Under Pet Events | September 26, 2008

I just submitted my early bird registration for PSI’s Quest Pet Sitting Conference that will be held February 18-21st 2009 in Orlando Florida. Quest is Pet Sitting International’s annual conference and is a great opportunity to network with other pet sitters and increase your knowledge about the pet industry and pet care.

Some of the events at Quest include a welcome networking dinner, and crowning of Pet Sitter of the Year, speakers, worskhops, breakout training sessions and their charity auction. This year they have several extra workshops available including Pet Saver First Aid training by Pet Tech, disaster planning, customer service, and pet sitter safety. You can take a look at the full schedule here.

I have expressed my interest to PSI in teaching a break out session of my own - Creating Systems to Streamline Your Pet Sitting business, but I’m not sure if they still have any openings for speakers. I would also love to host a get together of all my blog readers and coaching students at the event - I’ll be announcing this in the next couple of months.

A new feature of Quest 2009 will allow attendees to earn accrediation CEU’s for every session they attend that can apply toward their pet sitter accreditation program. I completed their accreditation program in 2008 and would recommend it to every pet sitter.

The conference venue is the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando Florida. Of course in Orlando there are plenty of other activities and sites to see such as Disneyland, Seaworld, wildlife parks, shopping, nightlife, and many golf courses.

I also plan to attend the Pet Tech Pet Saver Instructor training so that I can expand my business by offering Pet First Aid classes to customers here in Dallas Texas. If you are interested in adding this to your pet sitting business take a look at their course curriculum at Pet Tech Instructor Training.

Top 5 Tips for Attention Grabbing Press Releases

Filed Under Pet Business Interviews, Pet Business Success Circle, Pet Business Tips | September 17, 2008

Tonight I interviewed Rachel Monroe - pet industry copywriter - to learn her tips on writing press releases this holiday season. It was a great call - I took 5 pages of notes and wanted to share with you just a snippet of the information she was generous enough to share.

Here are Rachels top 5 tips to ensure that your press releases grab the attention of the editor:

1. Use statistics in your release. These could be statistics from a survey that you have performed, or from studies published by trade journals, or pet industry associations. A good example of this is the recent PSI survey that you can find right here. Statistics must be related to the topic of your release and of interest to the audience of the publication.

2. Keep your release short (2-3 paragraphs). A short, concise press release will stand out from the crowd and won’t take editors long to read.

3. Make your releases newsworthy. Tie in your stories to holiday topics or events that are currently in the news - or make sure your release tells a news story.

4. Interests the publicaiton audience. Make sure that you story not only interests you but it is also of interest to the readers of the publication that you are submitting your release to. Do some research by reading the publications and looking at the type of stories they print to get clues.

5. Include a photograph or product sample. Including a photo or sample lets the editor experience your story first hand.

Getting your business in the press this holiday season can inform readers about your services, position you as a pet expert, or announce a special holiday event that you are hosting. Publicity is free and is a great alternative to advertising as stories published in the press typically carry much more credibility with consumers.

To hear the full interview with Rachel and discover :

1. her secrets for creating an angle or hook for your release

2. how to format your press release to ensure it is read by the editor

3. the top 3 mistakes made when writing press releases

4. the research you should complete before sending out a release

5. how to find the contact information of editors for local and national publications

6. her checklist for polishing a press release prior to submission

7. the right time to send your release to editors

8. ideas for press release topics for the holiday season

Just sign up for a trial membership to the Pet Business Success Circle. Members can download the recording of the interview, my action checklist that shows you how to apply the tips to your pet business, and a full written transcript.