In this episode, Jo & Vicky are joined by Collin Funkhouser from Pet Sitter Confessional. He and his wife run a pet-sitting and dog-walking company which employs 13 people, while homeschooling their kids. They also run a podcast and socials that help dog professionals across the globe to share their tips, experiences, and stories. During the discussion, Collin touches on everything you need to know to establish and grow a dog business. But he goes into depth when it comes to deciding when to hire your first employee, finding the right people, training them, and nurturing their talents. He also explains how to create a company culture that ensures that your service continues to improve, and your business can grow without you being there every minute of the day. KEY TAKEAWAYS If your business is seasonal smooth out the troughs by offering other services. Let your business partner take control of the things you are not good at. If you work with your life partner, don´t talk about the business during family time. Hire good help as soon as you can. It makes your business resilient. Hiring employees rather than relying on freelancers enables you to train them and keep standards high. Hire people who are confident in their abilities yet humble enough to ask questions. Put in place the right processes and continually improve them. In a competitive market niching down works. Every dog owner has a different lifestyle, so the dog care each one needs is different. Every time something goes wrong ask – what could I have done differently? Your marketing language has a significant impact on whether the service you provide looks like good value for money. Use video to connect with your client and show them how happy you make their pet. Providing the owner gives permission it is also great for marketing. Remember that taking care of someone´s pet well makes a huge positive difference in their life. Put in place boundaries and stick to them e.g. not working on your kid´s birthdays. You are not alone, join an online dog business group to find support and understanding. BEST MOMENTS “Everybody's better when we're sharing and telling our own stories.” “To be clear is to be kind…we want our employees to know exactly what it means to have done an amazing job.” “Soft skills are the most important thing in the success or failure of people in your business.” “We´re still learning.” “Downtime takes practice because we're small business owners we're wired to …. get out there and conquer.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.petsitterconfessional.com https://www.facebook.com/petsitterconfessional https://www.facebook.com/groups/412597292686603 https://www.instagram.com/petsitterconfessional SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity/ ABOUT THE HOSTS Meet Jo and Vicky! They bring a combined 25 years of expertise in the canine industry. Jo, with a background in corporate business, and Vicky, a dedicated advocate for rescue organisations, form an unstoppable team. Beyond the mic, their lives are a whirlwind – managing two successful businesses, pursuing a full-time university degree, and parenting two little ones under four. Each of their homes combined is a lively menagerie, housing five dogs and an abundance of chickens.
