Josh Cary

This author has written 284 articles

13 Articles from the PetSittingOlogy Vault You May Have Missed

lucky 13The end of the year is always a good time to look back on your business and take inventory on where you are and where you want to go.

Whether it’s in the form of New Year Resolutions, or not, the start of a new year can empower you to reach the next level of success.

This February, PetSittingOlogy turns 5!

I thought it would be wise to put together a list of some of my favorite and most helpful articles here so you can inch closer to your personal and business goals.

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How Your Driving Habits Affect Your Pet Business Success

traffic jam
All it takes is just one car to hold everyone up!
If you had to rate your own driving ability on a scale of 1 – 10, where would you land?

There are two kinds of drivers in the world: Good drivers and bad drivers.

We all know what the bad drivers are like: they hardly ever signal and change lanes without warning. They speed out in front of you and then go 16 miles per hour. They hold up traffic without a care in the world.

I happen to love driving and consider myself a good driver. I’m aware, I’m defensive, and I’m considerate to those around me.

I do also like driving a bit on the faster side. I’ll always choose the left lane when possible. I do not believe that makes me any less of a good driver. I just like to speed along.

My wife, however, will disagree. She happens to hate my driving! She would prefer I slow it down a bit even though I feel I am safe as can be.

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How To Create Your Very Own Viral Ecards For Social Media

viral ecard example
Online Tool makes it incredibly easy for you to create your own viral cards! Click image for FULL size view.
One of the most shared items on social media, as you know, are photos or images – especially ones of cute adorable pets.

Inspirational quotes and funny sayings are also extremely popular.

How would you like to be on the front end of a wildly popular shared image that you yourself put out?

Thanks to ReciteThis, you can now do just that.

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Does Angie’s List Work for Gaining New Pet Sitting Clients?

listing optionsAs you have certainly seen in the recent past, many directory-style profile websites have popped up catering to our industry.

Sites such as Angie’s List, Care.com, DogVacay, Rover, and others are looking to be a viable resource to pet owners looking for reliable pet care.

I completely understand that the conversation here may be “these sites are nothing but filled with hobby sitters.”

But is that the case with Angie’s List?

And if that is the case, what does this mean for the future and direction of you and me (the professional pet sitter)?

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4 Specific Ways To Improve A Blog Post [Case Study]

case study image

Whether you are comfortable with it, or not, blogging (or simply creating content) is a requirement in the battle of SEO (search engine optimization).

Google has repeatedly said that creating unique, original, relevant content matters. Or, as they say it specifically: “Provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage. This is the single most important thing to do. If your pages contain useful information, their content will attract many visitors and entice webmasters to link to your site.”

OK, so with that out of the way, today’s post looks at a recent blog article from pet sitter Laura Capra of Keep Me Company Pet Sitting.

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Client Won’t Accept Their House Keys Back! Now What?

old keysHow many sets of client house keys do you currently have in your possession?

Plenty, I’m sure.

But, what is your [process,system] for returning those keys to the pet owner when the job is complete?

Now think about how your process would change if, for whatever reason, the client did not want to claim their set of keys.

Sound crazy?

Well, I received an email (a plea for help) recently from a frustrated pet sitter who finds herself in this predicament.

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These Pet Sitters Will Be Joining Us in Vegas as Our Sponsor A Pet Sitter Winners

winner picOur 2nd Annual Pet Sitting Live Event and Conference is coming along nicer than I could have imagined – thanks, in part, to our incredible sponsors.

We created 2 programs this year to allow even more pet sitters to attend who otherwise could not because of financial restraint.

Personally, I created the Sponsor-A-Pet-Sitter program and the PetSittingOlogy Scholarship to help do all I can for those pet sitters who want to attend, but simply do not have the financial means at this time.

Plus, keep reading… we have great news for those pet sitters not selected who truly want to attend the conference, as our guest! (Watch video below.)

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It’s OK To Steal, As Long As You Steal From The Best

stealing foodDid you know that I steal from people every single day?

And I know you do, too (or at least you should be)!

I spent close to 15 years in the acting and film world before I became a pet sitter.

And one of the things that I still remember today from an acting teaching of mine was that very quote (about stealing from the best).

What exactly did she mean by this?

Was she condoning illegal or unethical activity?

Of course not.

She was referring to learning, studying, and applying the techniques of the best in the industry to yourself.

Whether it’s acting, a new website, or the next greatest invention, people “steal” inspiration from those respected around them.

That’s how we learn, create and discover our own great potential.

For example, I teach pet sitters how to create an amazing website from the success of my own pet sitting business website.

Over the past 4+ years, I continue to deliver articles, tools and resources and basically say, “Hey, this is how I do it and found it to work, you should do the same (steal it!).”

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Harness Lead May Be The Answer To Your Dog Walking Prayers

harness lead

You know when you see a product online and your first thought is, “How can this not already exist??”

Well, that’s what went through my head when my good friend, and pet sitting colleague, Tori Lattig of Endless Pawsibilities introduced me to Lisa Flynn, inventor of the Harness Lead.

As you’ll see, the Harness Lead is a 3-in-1 harness lead, slip lead, and collar lead, that can truly transform the way you walk dogs for a living.

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Are Pet Sitters Taken Seriously?

If you spend any amount of time chatting with other pet sitters online, you quickly to hear similar stories, questions, issues, and frustrations.

One big overriding theme I see all too often has to do with the public perception of a pet sitter.

Sure, the pet owner who winds up hiring you understands and respects the service you provide, but this may be the exception, not the rule.

Dialogue of pet owners sneering at your fair pricing structure, making absurd requests, and expecting you as the service provider to be thankful that she is giving you the opportunity to be hired has got to stop.

But it starts with you.

In order to consider whether or not pet sitters are taken seriously (and why), we need to take a step back and understand what it means to be professional first and foremost.

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