How to Start a Dog Walking Business

How to Start a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business Webinar

How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Care Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, Pet Sitting Webinars / /

Hello pet sitter and dog walkers (and future pet sitters and dog walkers!)

Are you in your first year of pet sitting and dog walking?

Or…

Have you been kicking around the idea of starting a pet sitting and dog walking business for awhile and want to find out exactly what it will take to start and run a successful pet care business?

Once a year I offer my How to Start a Successful Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business webinar (for first year pet sitter and those considering pet sitting and dog walking as a profession) and this is the time!

If you are new to pet sitting or in your first year of pet sitting, this webinar is for YOU.

In this class you will learn the steps needed to create a firm foundation from which to launch and run a business that thrives from day one. It’s a myth that new business owners have to struggle, overwork and underearn in their first year of business!

Why reinvent the wheel? In this webinar you will gain all the tips and tools you will need to get your phone to ring off the hook. . You will learn how to create a business that will be stress-free: from Day One! You will come away with being able to create a level of success that usually happens for most businesses after year three—all in your first year of business!

UPDATE: THE WEBINAR IS OVER BUT YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE HOW TO START AND RUN A PET SITTING AND DOG WALKING BUSINESS RECORDING NOW!

In a clear, step-by-step format, Kristin Morrison, founder of the Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy™ will outline in a direct and concise way exactly what is needed to successfully start and run your pet sitting and dog walking business.

Coach Kristin has coached hundreds of brand new pet sitting and dog walking business owners on the art of running a solvent, successful business and in this webinar she’ll teach you how to catapult to your own level of success.

THE WEBINAR IS OVER BUT YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE How to Start and Run a Successful Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business webinar recording.

By attending the class you will discover:

  • 12 start up steps that will insure success from your first day of business
  • What contributes most to starting and running a successful business
  • The top concern for pet owners and how you can address that need
  • How to sell your service easily and effortlessly to potential clients
  • What service to offer clients that will generate the most profit for you
  • The #1 mistake pet sitters often make when starting out
  • How to identify –and find- your Ideal Clients
  • Looking ahead: how to double your clientele –and profit- in Year Two

You will come away with:

  • A First Year Tips and Tools List that will insure your success
  • Knowing exactly what is needed to get your phone to ring
  • A feeling of confidence when it comes to starting and running your business
  • How to create a business foundation that will enable you to make six figures
  • A sense of ease when it comes to running your business
  • How to sell your service in a way that compels clients to say YES
  • And more!

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE AND TO PURCHASE THE RECORDING FOR HOW TO START A PET SITTING AND DOG WALKING BUSINESS.

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Getting to Yes: Secrets to Selling Yourself to Pet Sitting Clients!

Dog Sitting Business, Dog Walking Business Start Up, How to get dog walking clients, How to get pet sitting clients, How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business / /

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Want to learn to sell yourself/your service to your clients without sounding the like a pushy car sales(wom)an?

Because who wants pushy?

Certainly not your clients…

Yuck!

On Tuesday’s teleclass you will learn how to turn 90-100% of those new client calls into ACTUAL clients.
Which will more than make up for the cost of Tuesday’s call.

🙂

Here’s more info:

Getting to Yes: Sales Success Tips for Pet Sitters Teleclass

Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Time: 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST

How does class take place? Via a conference call line. Call-in instructions will be given upon signup.

How long is this teleclass? 60-75 minutes (30 minutes will be for Q & A from the audience)

How much: $20 (register by Feb 18) $30 (register on Feb 19 or later)

Class description: It can often be challenging to ‘sell’ our pet sitting service to our clients.

Many pet sitters provide a great service but when they try to talk about why a client should use their company they often get tongue-tied. Or they don’t talk about the value of their pet sitting company with a potential client at all. Instead they simply quote rates and attempt to set up a client interview. These actions may land you the job. Maybe.

But taking ‘maybe’ actions isn’t a powerful way to do business. Don’t you want to close the deal most, if not all, of the time?

There are specific steps you can take to becoming a master at selling your service to clients. Believe it or not, selling can be easy, fun and natural when you know how to do it.

This teleclass will show you how to become an empowered seller of your pet sitting business.

Need more information? Click to find out more and to sign up for the Getting to YES: Sales Success Tips for Pet Sitters teleclass.

Getting to Yes: Secrets to Selling Yourself to Pet Sitting Clients! Read More »

Short Video of Kristin Morrison at NAPPS conference

Dog Sitting Business, Goal Setting, How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, Pet Business Goal Setting, Pet Sitting Business / /

A short snippet of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) conference.

What a joy it was to meet (in person!) a few of you dear coaching clients.
🙂

I will be at next year’s conference and hope to see ALL of you there!

Short Video of Kristin Morrison at NAPPS conference Read More »

Self-Authoring Your Pet Sitting Business

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Recently I was in a yoga class and the teacher said to our class: “Even though you might think you can’t do a pose, TRY. Don’t just assume you can’t do it. Attempt it. Find out.”

So many pet sitting business owners run their businesses from the place of NO.

No, I CAN’T DO IT.

No, I’VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE.

No, I’M AFRAID.

It takes a lot of courage to feel the NO and turn it into a YES. To run your business from outside-the-box. Which might be very different from how you think you should run your pet sitting business or how your competitors are running their pet sitting businesses.

As I’m traveling I’m even more aware than I was back at home of how we create our own reality.

I’m not getting woo-woo on you here.

What I’m talking about is that most people put limits on what they can and can’t do in their business and their life which ends up becoming their limited reality.

Where are you putting limits on your pet sitting and dog walking business?

Here are some common areas that pet sitters put limits on their businesses:

1) Your Schedule: You don’t like doing early morning or late night visits and yet still you do them.

2) Hiring: You are afraid to hire pet sitting and dog walkers so you don’t. Or you need to hire more staff yet you keep putting it off even though you are getting more and more stressed by having to do the work yourself.

3) Your Income: You have a mental ‘cap’ on what you think you can make in your pet sitting business each month. You say to yourself, “Oh, I can’t make more than $________/month” which becomes a self-imposed glass ceiling. You don’t imagine or believe you can make more than you’ve currently made and thus live out that reality from month-to-month.

4) Your vacation: You haven’t had a vacation in years and you feel burned out. You are afraid of leaving your pet sitting business. You don’t know what to do with your business when you go away and don’t investigate options.

5) Business Duties: You really don’t like (or aren’t good at) a certain aspect of your pet sitting business and yet still you do it because you feel you ‘have’ to. You don’t allow yourself to think creatively or ask for help in thinking creatively for how to delegate specific tasks or jobs that you really don’t enjoy.

Guess what?

YOU are the author of your pet sitting business. You get to make up the rules for how you run your business and what jobs you do or don’t do.

So many pet sitters that I work with forget this. They let themselves be swept away by the whims of clients or their own fear of doing something differently than they (or another pet sitter) has done before.

It’s the halfway point through the year here, folks: June 2011.

A perfect time to honestly access what works and doesn’t work with the way you are currently running your business.

You really are the only one who creates the stoppers in your business and your life. Not your clients. Not your family. Not your staff.

YOU.

And you can also take that pen and start self-authoring your pet sitting business!

Try this bit of self coaching:
Get a piece of paper and a pen. Set a timer for 15 minutes. For one minute focus on an area that is clearly not working in your business or is causing you discomfort or unhappiness.

Then, with the remaining time, write down all the possible solutions that come to your mind.

Don’t censor.

Don’t edit.

Don’t spell check!

Simply write fast, without thinking, for 14 minutes.

You may be amazed at what may emerge.

Self-Authoring Your Pet Sitting Business Read More »

How to Start a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business

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Is one of your goals for 2011 to start a pet sitting and dog walking business?

Are you thinking about starting a pet sitting or dog walking business but not sure how to get started in a way that will insure success?
Or are you in your first year of pet sitting and aren’t generating the kind of profits you’d like to be generating?

If you are new to pet sitting and dog walking or in your first year of pet sitting, this recording is for YOU.

In this 60-minute recording you will learn the steps needed to create a firm foundation from which to launch and run a pet sitting business that thrives from day one. You will also receive a 12-point tips and tools worksheet for pet sitting business start up.

It’s a myth that new business owners have to struggle, overwork and underearn in their first year of business.

Why reinvent the wheel? In this mp3 recording you will gain all the tips and tools you will need to get your business phone to ring! You will learn how to create a business that will be stress-free: from Day One. You will come away with being able to create a level of success that usually happens for most businesses after year three-all in your first year of business.

Click here for more information and to purchase the How to Start a Successful Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business Recording.

How to Start a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business Read More »

It’s Not About the Money

How to get dog walking clients, How to get pet sitting clients, How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, Pet Sitting Business Coach, pet sitting marketing / /

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I’ve been on nearly a hundred pet sitting business coaching calls in the past few weeks.

It’s been really great to work with some of you after being gone for so long.

As much as I love traveling (and I really, really love it!) I do love coming back and diving into my life here. It is so gratifying to work with pet sitters from around the country who are hungry to grow their businesses so that they can lead rich, meaningful and fulfilling lives both professionally and personally.

I was talking with a friend the other day about money. We were engaged in a discussion about her recent business venture which resulted in a big profit. My face lit up with happiness over her financial success.

She smiled and said to me, “Kristin, you love money.”

I thought about it for a minute and then I said:

“Yes, it’s true I do love money,” I replied. “But money in and of itself would be so boring and unsatisfying. It’s flat and kind of an ugly color green. It’s what money gives me and my coaching clients that is really where the excitement is for me.”

Mostly it comes down to freedom. To me, having enough money equals freedom. The freedom to travel around the world. Money provides the resources and the time to be able to live my life in a way that feels really right for me. To live my life in a way that really suits me.

What about for you? What does money equal for you? For everyone it is so different.

Part of my coaching involves determining the WHY of money for the person I’m working with.

When I can help them see what they can create in their lives if they have more money things usually happen pretty quickly. They begin to do the action steps I’ve given them. Their bank account grows. They are able to hire more help and create more space in their life.

And what my coaching clients want from money isn’t more things. Sheesh. We all have enough things now, don’t we?

Some of my clients want enough money so they have more time.

Time to sit with their kid on their lap and eat cookies together in the warm sunshine.

Sometimes it’s all about taking the trip they’ve always dreamed of taking. Having enough money and time to go on that Alaskan cruise or that trek through the jungle in Peru which will inevitably bring them closer to their spouse or themselves.

Sometimes it’s about wanting to create stability: being able to buy a house or provide for their family.

It’s not about the money.

It’s what is created from the money.

If you want to make more money in your pet sitting and dog walking business to provide the kind of life that is meaningful for YOU there is still time to sign up for Tuesday’s teleclass: Get Pet Sitting Clients NOW: Marketing that Works.

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Unplugged and Unleashed!

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Hello pet sitters!

I’m sitting at an Internet cafe in India and just wanted to check in.
I’ve been away for three weeks now: first in Bali and then a week ago I arrived in India.

This has been an incredible (and in some ways life-changing) trip so far and I still have 7 weeks that I’ll be traveling.

I met some incredible local people in Bali who really took me under their wings and invited me to temple ceremonies and to share meals together. Meeting these wonderful local people helped me really immerse myself in Balinese local culture in a way that I never anticipated.

The inner and outer beauty of the Balinese people was lovely to experience. The natural beauty and lushness of Bali was also a real gift.

I’ll be heading back there in 4 weeks to experience 3 more weeks there before I head home in April. I’m thrilled to go back to Bali as, in some ways, it feels like ‘home’.

India…is another story.

I arrived in Pune, India a week ago and there was a bombing at a restaurant that I was considering going to the same night it was bombed.

Instead of going to the restaurant I chose to meditate in the ashram I was staying at.

Had I been in the restaurant I would have been either injured or killed as everyone who was there experienced some type of injury.

The last count, according to the media reports, was that 11 people were killed and 60 people were injured. Everyone who survived the blast lost all or partial hearing in the bomb blast plus many other injuries.

I’ve never come this close to major injury or death and having this experience has helped me get in touch with, on a deeper level than ever, what is really important in this life.

I’ll be leaving Pune tomorrow and going to a beach town south of Pune (13 hours train ride from Pune).

Relaxing near the water after all the activity of Indian police and Indian army, not to mentioned the frayed nerves of the tourists and locals, will be a good thing!

On a lighter note, I have noticed how challenging it is for me NOT to go online on a daily basis. Even though I have not done any Six-Figure blogging or any work-related Internet activities, I have done A LOT of personal emails and personal Facebook checking while I’ve been away.

I’ve been exploring what it is like to not log on for one day and let me tell you: it is challenging.

So my next edge is to try not log on for a couple of days at a time.

It’s harder than it sounds! I encourage you to try it.

I notice even though not logging on for a day is challenging I feel so much more involved in life when I’m not logging on for 24 hours at a time.

Even today, I’ve somehow managed to be online for nearly 2 hours! 2 hours that could best be spent exploring this city that I won’t be in for much longer.

And on a final note:

Though I deeply love my work (working with all of you is SUCH a gift as is running my pet sitting business) I’m experiencing how deeply restorative it is to my soul it is to not work for a long period of time.

I wish you all a wonderful rest of February. I may or may not check in again in March.

If not, I’ll be back in action in April when I return from my travels!

Take good care,
Kristin

Unplugged and Unleashed! Read More »

Bali Sandwich

How to Create a 3-Day Pet Sitting Workweek, How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, Pet Sitting Business / /

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In exactly three weeks I’ll be heading to Bali.

I just got back from my annual New Years retreat in Santa Cruz and have a massive to do list before I leave at the end of January. Yesterday I decided to extend my trip for an extra two weeks so instead of being gone for two months like I’d planned, I will be gone for two and half months! Wow.

I’m thinking back to that fateful conversation about travel that hot August day in 2009 in my friend Peter’s peaceful office…with his great questions…gently probing me with words to get me to my truth around my desire to travel…and now here I am. Getting ready for my trip.

Amazing how one decision six months ago can create a new adventure like this.

But that’s how life changes happen. One foot in front of the other until there you are-where you wanted to be six months earlier.

Things are falling into place. I found a subleaser to rent my house for two and half months. She gave me the deposit last week and tonight she gave me the balance for the rent. I can tell she’s going to take good care of the place and I’m excited to have her stay here and experience the healing energy of my tranquil, retreat-like home.

My managers are stepping in to manage my business with such love, caring and an excitement for my going away. I cried at our business meeting last week as I thanked them for their steadfast support around my trip. It was an unusual business meeting. Crying at a business meeting? It was beautiful.

We all got a little teary.

I’m nervous and excited. Going away for two and half months feels like a bit of a dream right now. Surreal.

I’ll be in Bali for 2 weeks then India for 5 weeks then back to Bali for 3 weeks.

A Bali sandwich.

This blog’s topics will switch for a short time from my pet sitting business tips and tools to my writing about my travel adventures. I don’t know how often I’ll check in and post as I have decided NOT to bring my computer with me.

I need and want to unplug.

I don’t know about you but one of the best ways for me to unplug is to leave my cell phone and computer behind.

There are always internet cafes along the way…

I’m hoping my travels will inspire some of you who haven’t had a vacation in years (very common in the pet sitting industry) to open your mind to the possibility of having time off. If I can do it, anyone can. I used to be a total control freak about my business. I still am very particular about the way it runs but I’ve also learned how to let go on a deeper level in the last few years.

Having great staff members makes all the difference in the world, folks.

And for those of you who aren’t interested in travel adventures on this pet sitting business blog, no worries.

I’ll be back in action again in May with business-related blog posts, exciting teleclasses, pet sitting business coaching, and my continued commitment to your pet sitting business success.

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5 Business Tips for Successful Holiday Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, Pet Business, Pet Sit Coach, Pet Sitting Business, Pet Sitting Business Coach, pet sitting marketing / /

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Below are 5 of the most important tips for holiday pet sitting and dog walking business success:

1) Charge and enforce a holiday fee. Many pet sitters are resistant to charging a holiday fee because they are afraid or embarrassed to ask for more money over the holidays. Get over your fear and DO IT. You (and your staff) are giving of your time to work during this special time of year and deserve to be compensated for it.

2) Have your holiday fee be over the holiday period, not just on the actual holiday days. My holiday period this year is Dec. 20-January 3. Clients are charged an additional $5 for visits and $10 per night during this entire period.

Charging a holiday fee for the entire holiday period can help your profit increase by $500-$1,500+ during the holiday season!

I recommend that half of that holiday fee goes to the sitter working that particular holiday job. The other half goes to the company. Obviously if you are the one doing the job(s) you would receive all of it.

Why should your company get a portion of that holiday fee if your staff are doing the holiday jobs? The bulk of December reservations are often (obviously) only around the holidays so often times pet sitting business owners will find they are super stressed this time of year but are not making any more money than they might make in say, April. Having you, the business owner, receive a portion of that holiday fee will help your business thrive financially during the holiday season.

3) Figure out exactly how many visits you want to take NOW so you can have a sane holiday. Holidays only come once a year, folks. It’s up to you to decide now how you want to spend the days that are special to you.

If you want to spend Christmas day pet sitting from morning till evening with a brief holiday dinner in between jobs that is no problem. If that is what you want.

But if you don’t want that, decide now and limit the number of visits that you are willing to take. Make a time plan of the special holiday days that matter to you (Christmas Eve/Christmas/New Years) and block off the time for you that is sacred. Be clear and firm that nothing can touch that time you have blocked off for yourself and your family, no matter how insistent a client might be that YOU are the only one who can care for her pets.

Sound easy? It’s not. That’s why deciding now and sticking to a holiday time plan will help you stand behind your no (or help you get a staff member to take an insistent client).

4) Have all of your holiday cards and gifts purchased and sent off by December 18. If you get all of the holiday preparation done by December 18 you will be able to focus on the business of pet sitting and be able to enjoy your own holiday period. Start today by outlining all that you need to do to be fully prepared for the holiday for both your business and personal life. Next write down the action steps that you need to do between now and December 18. Put the action steps in your calendar on the specific days that you intend to accomplish them.

Example:
December 7: Purchase holiday cards, purchase staff gift cards
December 8: Write holiday cards
December 10: Mail holiday cards

5) Buy yourself a holiday gift to honor all the hard work you’ve done in your business this year. Why is this a success tip? Because it is a way of honoring all the hard work you’ve done this year. When we honor ourselves, more money flows to us. Always.

This is an action step I give to my coaching clients this time of year and sometimes it is the hardest action step they can take! Allow yourself to give something to you. Pet sitting is a business of serving and taking care of others; explore a way to bring that focus to yourself in the form of a gift for you.

Here are some gifts that pet sitters have bought for themselves to honor the work they’ve done in their businesses: a six-pack of massage certificates to use at various times in 2010, a novel that a pet sitter has been wanting to read all year but hasn’t made the time to read (part of her gift to herself was putting time in her time plan to read the book too!), a 2-day spa retreat with a girlfriend in January, a new car (!), a dinner out at a favorite restaurant.

Happy Holidays everyone!

For many more holiday success tips you can purchase the Riches and Relaxation for Holiday Pet Sitting Recording.

5 Business Tips for Successful Holiday Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Read More »

#1 Pet Sitting Business Tool that is Helping Me Travel for Two Months

How to Start a Dog Walking Business, How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, Pet Sitting Business Software, Pet Sitting Software / /

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As most of you know I will be traveling to Indonesia for 2 months in late January. This is a dream I’ve had for years.

When I first started my business I was able to do world travel for six to eight weeks at a time fairly easily because my business was smaller and thus, I didn’t have a lot of clients and staff.

Now my pet sitting business is huge: we cover two enormous counties, have over 30 pet sitters on staff and close to 700 pet sitting and dog walking clients!

Thankfully I also have 2 trustworthy and competent managers who run my pet sitting and dog walking business as well as I do. I also have two back-up managers. Having these 4 managers in place is definitely the only way I could be able to travel and leave my business humming along for 2 months.

But it’s not all I’ve needed…

THE most powerful tool (besides my managers) that is helping me travel for two months is Power Pet Sitter.

Power Pet Sitter is an administration software system for pet sitters that enables my managers to manage my pet sitting business from the comfort of their own homes. By using Power Pet Sitter my managers can easily access client data, schedule sits for clients, send the schedule to the staff, invoice clients and powerfully run my business for me while I am out of the country!

It took me a long time to use an administration system. I’d been doing things by hand for years and years and years. And it worked. But it was tedious. And it wasn’t an empowering way to run my pet sitting business.

Most of you know I do not recommend products for pet sitters unless I believe in them 100% and stand behind them with every ounce of me.

Power Pet Sitter is one of those products. If you are interested in running your pet sitting business in a way that is more ease-filled and empowering I encourage you to contact Power Pet Sitter today.

If you mention that were referred by the Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy, you can sign up for Power Pet Sitter and receive 3 months free when signing up for 6 months. You will prepay for 3 months and you get 3 months free. It’s a great way to try out this system. This offer expires December 31, 2009 and is only valid for Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy students and fans of the Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy. You must specify that you found out about this discount from the Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy in order to receive this special discount.

Power Pet Sitter is the #1 tool that is enabling me to step away from my business more and more and to create the right work/life balance for myself that includes 2 months of travel in 2010!

I highly recommend Power Pet Sitter (and, as I mentioned above, I don’t recommend things lightly -products have to *really* be amazing tools for pet sitters for me to toot their horn!) Power Pet Sitter is one of those products.

Once you sign up you won’t know how you lived without it.

And maybe you’ll find YOURSELF planning a two-month vacation away from your pet sitting business in 2010?

Click the link to find out more and to sign up for Power Pet Sitter today.

#1 Pet Sitting Business Tool that is Helping Me Travel for Two Months Read More »

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Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy™ provides help and support for pet sitters and pet sitting business owners including: pet sitting contracts, pet sitting forms, pet sitting contract, starting a pet sitting business, dog walking contracts, dog walking contract, pet sitting forms, dog walking contracts, starting a dog walking service, and more.

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