Pet Sitting Business Success

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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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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What is the PetSittingOlogy Scholarship Program – 2013

scholar photoSince 2009, PetSittingOlogy has been providing pet sitters at every stage of their careers with tools, services and resources to build stronger businesses.

You have seen everything from our “Start a Pet Sitting Business” course, IC Toolbox, and training webinars to the SEO master classes and WordPress-powered website system.

As part of the upcoming conference in Las Vegas on Oct. 7 and 8, we are proud to announce the PetSittingOlogy Scholarship Program.

NOTE: Visit petsittinglive.com for all details on the conference.

This program will award up to 3 professional pet sitters a full, complimentary trip to the live conference, including ticket fee, 2-night hotel stay at the Tropicana, and round trip airfare.

Simply put, the aim is to find, discover and promote pet sitters that bring something different, incredible and unique to the table.

There is no one correct way to run a pet sitting business, and so many professionals today have amazing stories that need to be heard.

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The Las Vegas Conference Calendar – 4 Unique Ways to Join Us This Year!

what's on your mind?
What fights for your attention inside your mind?
It amazes me just how often the pet sitting industry is on my mind.

You know when you get a song stuck in your head and it cycles through your brain over and over?

Well, it’s like that, but instead of having lyrics and the tune of a popular 80s hit on my mind, I have a handful of pet sitting thoughts, projects and new ideas fighting for head space at any given time!

Luckily, serving pet sitters is a passion of mine, so it’s no bother.

(I can’t say the same had it been, say, “Oh Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey!”)

This Week’s Mickey is The Las Vegas Conference

Winning the fight for head space this week is our upcoming Las Vegas pet sitting conference.

We are coming down to the wire, with just about 40+ days before the big event.

Now is the time to get your tickets, come on board, and plan your trip.

This week, I offer you a variety of ways to make your decision to join us in person this October 7 and 8 even easier.

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Do Lawn Signs Really Work As A Form of Good Pet Sitter Marketing?

lawn sign photo
Do Lawn Signs work as good pet sitter marketing? One pet sitter says Yes!

One of the things I love most about our pet sitting industry is the varied way pet sitters run, operate and market their businesses.

Success comes in all shapes and sizes.

For example, some pet sitters find great success using Craigslist to hire staff, while others do not.

Some have had clients find them through pet directories, or had a Google Adwords campaign pay off, while others lost money though those forms of advertising.

I was recently speaking with pet sitter Rachel Muhammad, of See Spot Run, LLC, who mentioned that she successfully uses lawn signs to market her pet sitting business.

It makes sense Rachel was influenced by the real estate industry for this method. According to the National Association of Realtors, 48% of homes that are for sale by owner successfully use yard signs to market and promote the sale of their home.

I was intrigued by this form of promotion and wanted to hear more. Here is our Q&A session on the topic:

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