success

How To Never Lose Again To The Kid Next Door When It Comes To Price

barcodeHow many times have you weighed in on the hot topic of “should you list prices on your website, or not list prices on your website?”

You’ll be happy to know that this article is not about that specific debate, but rather will offer a solid middle ground that should make both sides happy.

Whether we are talking about “ICs vs. Employees” or “does advertising your pet sitting business on your car compromise the pet owner’s security,” nothing is more highly contested than the ‘prices on your website’ debate.

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6 Things Football Teaches Us About Pet Sitting

football on the fieldAfter a magnificent win by my favorite football team, the NY Giants, to win Super Bowl XLVI, it only seems fitting to discuss how many of the strategies and qualities it takes to win games can also be applied to success in your pet sitting business.

Vince Lombardi is one of the (if not the) most respected and admired coaches in football.

In fact, it is the Lombardi trophy that is awarded to the winner of each Super Bowl, so the guy must have been pretty special to the game.

Lombardi is known for his motivational speeches and after reviewing some of his famous quotes, it becomes more evident how he was talking about much more than simply football.

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Top 12 Tips for Your Pet Sitting Website in 2012

website tipsHave you made any New Year’s resolutions in regards to your pet sitting business?

Have you decided to gain a certain number of new clients? Or make this the year you hire pet sitters to join your team?

No matter what your focus going forward, you will always need to keep your website in tip top shape.

One of my biggest passions has always been helping pet sitters grow by improving business skills and improving your website presence.

Here are my Top 12 tips for getting your website in great shape in 2012.

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How Is Your Pet Sitting Business Like Baking A Chocolate Cake?

chocolate cakeTruth be told, I’m not much of a cook. Ironically, I love food so that’s a bit of a dilemma.

What I’m most comfortable treating myself to is the quick and easy chocolate goodness provided by Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake – yes, right out of the box.

For my money, there’s nothing much simpler than following the directions:

Step 1 – Preheat oven.

Step 2 – Blend ingredients.

Step 3 – Bake 30 minutes.

That’s all there is to it. And the outcome greatly outweighs the skill involved to achieve the result.

But, What If…?

Baking a cake from a box is admittedly a simple process. Follow a few steps and wait a bit and you’ve got yourself a delicious cake.

But let’s not take the step by step process for granted. Because whether you realize it or not, most everything we look to accomplish in our day to day life is the direct result of following small, specific steps to reach the desired goal.

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The Simple Way To Stop Confusing Your Website Visitors and Start Helping Them

confusedDo you know what I love most about receiving email inquiries from my pet sitting website?

Besides enjoying the obvious lead, I love getting to learn more about how my website is actually performing.

Here’s what I mean. I recently received an email that said the following:

“I wanted to inquire about pricing info for in-home boarding. Your site was very informative and I wanted to look into this option further.”

It’s no secret that I take pride in my pet sitting website and work hard to make sure it converts as many visitors as possible into leads (which could become potential new clients).

When I read the statement about how informative my site was, I knew what I always thought was correct:

Every visitor arrives on your website with certain questions in mind. The better you help answer those questions, the more likely the visitor will take action and get in touch with you.

Is your pet sitting website helping or confusing your visitors?

You’ve probably already heard that content is king. Simply put, the more relevant content you have on your website, the more your visitors – and Google – will love you.

Below are 9 questions that your visitors need to know the answers to before they will even consider getting in touch with you. (It’s also a perfect way to add more content to your site.)

Side Note: #4 is my favorite secret weapon. Focus on that one alone and you’ll see results.

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Pet Sitting in Your Own Home: How to Prepare

This is a guest post written by Ashley Spade.

open doorFor the past few months, I’ve used the extra cash I earn from pet sitting to support myself and my dog, Sir Winston Pugsalot (known as Sir WP by friends and family).

I decided to start a pet sitting business as a way to make money on the side while I go to law school in Chicago. I started by mostly sitting for professors or other students, but soon branched out to nearby residents — even some in my own pet-friendly apartment building.

If you love pets, have a fairly flexible schedule, a place to pet sit, and clientele prospects, then you might consider starting your own pet sitting business.

And, obviously, the extra cash is a perk. Did I even need to mention that?

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Do You Remember Your Very First Pet Sitting Client?

Do you remember your very first kiss? Or the first job you ever had?

What about your first car, or the first house you bought?

Our lives are filled with a long series of firsts.

Sadly, as life moves from one day to the next, we give less thought to our firsts of the past, and focus more on the issues we personally face today and tomorrow.

Working in our pet sitting business is no different. In order to survive and grow, we constantly find ourselves looking for the next client to serve.

Long gone is the day we celebrated the success of gaining our first client ever.

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How would you build your pet sitting business if you were given $1000 to spend?

cash-registerHere’s an interesting ‘What If…’ that should get you thinking in the right direction.

How would you grow your pet sitting business if you were given $1000 to spend?

Where would you invest the money?

Leave your comments/list below…

Here is a short list of possible choices to consider:

Website

  • Logo design
  • Web designer
  • Freelance writer for blog content
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6 Important Reasons To Hire A Pet Sitting Independent Contractor

hire-ICYou may be a self-proclaimed control freak (many business owners and entrepreneurs are).

You may like to supervise hands on to make sure every thing gets done exactly the way you envision it.

However, at some point you’ll come to realize you can’t do it all, at all times.

Enter your pet sitting independent contractor.

We all get sick, get tired, get burnt out, get called away for an unexpected emergency and simply want a day off for ourselves.

Plus, in order to grow into a powerhouse pet sitting business, you’ll need to bring others on for maximum potential.

When you begin to see an independent contractor as someone you can trust, count on and confide in, you’ll be able to breathe easier knowing your business is in fine hands while you tend to other matters – including growing your business and profits.

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Day 8: Tri-Country Animal Rescue

Day 8

Tri-County Animal Rescue, North Carolina

8-tri-county

We started Tri-County Animal Rescue in 1998. We take animals to adoption events each weekend. We help our community with stray animals, assist with low cost spay/neuter, provide assistance with pet food for those in need, visit schools to educate children about animal welfare issues, work with Boy/Girl Scouts, partner with the Court Systems Community Service Work program, visit local nursing homes and much more.

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