5 Simple Tips for Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Business Success

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Here are 5 simple steps you can begin TODAY to create more success in your pet sitting and dog walking business:

1) Accumulate business savings no matter how small at first. Even the act of starting with $10/month is progress. Your business savings account will help get you through the lean times, especially when you are first starting out.

2) Create an action plan to ensure that your pet sitting business bookkeeping records are clean, orderly and accurate. Get accounting help if and when you need it. Pay someone to help you learn Quicken or Quickbooks. Knowing how much you make each month will help you set financial goals which will keep you focused and intentional in your business actions.

3) Develop a yearly business plan and create goals and visions for yourself and your business. Review it quarterly and adjust as needed. Having a map will help you get to where you want to go in your business.

4) Budget your time realistically and focus on income-producing activities. Get clear on how many minutes it takes to actually takes to drive to your dog walking/pet sitting jobs. This will help you get clarity about how many clients you can take in a given day and how much time you are spent driving. Setting a timer for those business tasks that are challenging can help keep you on track. Focusing your daily actions on income-producing activities such as marketing and answering the phone directly you will cause you to see your profits to rise.

5) Let go of difficult-to-work-with clients and staff members. Difficult staff and clients can eat up as much as 95% of our energy which leaves only 5% left for the majority of our clients and staff. If you notice your thoughts consumed by a particular client or staff member then it might be time to let them go. Talk it over with someone whose opinion you value and once you get clarity about how challenging they are, be willing to let them go sooner rather than later.

Need more tips? You can find them in in Kristin’s book for pet sitters and dog walkers: Six-Figure Pet Sitting: Catapult Your Pet Sitting Business to Unlimited Success.

Click to get the book IMMEDIATELY: Six-Figure Pet Sitting Ebook version or Click to get the printed version on Amazon: Six-Figure Pet Sitting print edition.

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How to Create a 3-Day Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Workweek!

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This teleclass is back by popular demand!

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011

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: $30 (register by September 24) $40 (register on September 25 or later)

Class description: Whether you want to take one day off a week, have weekends off, or create a 3-day workweek like Kristin has created in her pet sitting business, it’s up to you!

In this class, Kristin will outline the step-by-step method necessary to create time off.

In less than one year, Kristin went from working 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week to working 3 days a week!

If you have an established business and responsible staff members that you trust, you can too!

This teleclass will truly change your life by profoundly transforming the way you relate to your work schedule! You will come away excited and ready to create a work schedule that is beyond your wildest dreams (while being firmly rooted in reality).

Click here to find out more and to sign up for the How to Create a 3-Day Pet Sitting Workweek teleclass.

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Coach Kristin leading teleconference for National Association of Professional Pet Sitters on Monday, Sept. 19!

Hello beloved pet sitters!

Wow, what a long journey! As many of you may know, after I wrote the book Six-Figure Pet Sitting I’ve been on sabbatical in India and Bali for 7 months.

I have missed working with my coaching clients and am so excited to get back to coaching you.

But first…

The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) has asked me to lead their monthly teleclass which is free for NAPPS members.

The topic will be on Pet Sitter Burnout. Obviously I’m not suffering from burnout now after my 7 month sabbatical…
🙂
…but oh-my–have I got experience with this topic! I’m really looking forward to sharing my “burnout cures” with pet sitters from around the country.

If you’d like more information click here to find out more about the teleconference through National Association of Professional Pet Sitters.

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you on the call,
Kristin

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Coach Kristin is leading teleconference for National Association of Professional Pet Sitters on Monday, September 19!

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Hello beloved pet sitters!

Wow, what a long journey…

As many of you may know, after I wrote the book Six-Figure Pet Sitting I’ve been on sabbatical in India and Bali for 7 months.

I had a wonderful time on my trip and I have missed working with my coaching clients and am so excited to get back to coaching you.

But first…

The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) has asked me to lead their monthly teleconference on Monday, September 19, 2011 which is free for NAPPS members.

I’m really looking forward to connecting with NAPPS members on Monday after my time away!

The topic will be on Pet Sitter Burnout. Obviously I’m not suffering from burnout now after my 7 month sabbatical…
🙂
…but oh-my, have I got experience with this topic! I’m really looking forward to sharing my “burnout cures” with pet sitters from around the country.

If you’d like more information, click here to find out more about the teleconference through National Association of Professional Pet Sitters.

I look forward to ‘seeing’ you on Monday’s call,
Kristin

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Six-Figure Pet Sitting: The Book

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I’m one of those people that is a bit old-fashioned when it comes to books.

I know, I know, Kindle is the hottest rage and I will admit it would be nice not to be lugging 50 pounds of books around with me on this trip that I’m currently on.

But, for me, there is something about holding a book in my hands that makes me very, very happy.

Which makes me also happy to announce that, in addition my book being available in eBook format, Six-Figure Pet Sitting: Catapult Your Pet Sitting Business to Unlimited Success book is now available in printed format through Amazon.

Yay!

You can do the writing exercises in the book. You can fold down the corner of the pages that you want to come back to next time you pick up the book (I won’t tell anyone).

And for those of you high tech pet sitters who want to read the Six-Figure Pet Sitting book on your smart phone and Kindle–it will be available for purchase in those formats soon too.

Enjoy and happy pet sitting!
Kristin

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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.

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Hello from Coach Kristin

About 3 years ago a friend invited me to do an exercise which involved imagining that I had six months left to live and what I would do with my life in those last six months.

Before I did the exercise I assumed that if I had six months left to live I would spend my last six months with my loved ones. Duh. It was a no brainer.

But still I did the exercise and was very surprised to see, in my mind’s eye, the image of me wearing a travel backpack and a big smile on my face.

It shocked me.

Is that really how I would spend my last six months on this planet?! Exploring it? What about my loved ones?!

In spite of the inner questioning I let that image sit with me for a few weeks and I could feel that, indeed, travel with a backpack was a heart’s desire of mine. A heart’s desire that was not being fulfilled.

It was hard to imagine leaving my business (and my life) for a few months. However, I knew that was what I had to do otherwise this heart’s desire that was clearly expressing itself to me would act out negatively in my business (and my life).

It’s been my experience that when we know that we have a heart’s desire and we aren’t taking active steps to make that desire happen, the ‘not taking action’ affects every area of our life, including our business.

It’s not pretty when that happens.

So 2 years ago I began to plan a 2.5 month trip for 2010. I had a lot of fear about leaving my pet sitting business even though my managers are so very competent and amazing. I knew my business would be in good hands but still I had the fear.

I’m so aware that the real goodies in business and life come from feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

Knowing that didn’t ease the fear though!

But still I took the actions to make the trip happen. I went on my trip and I had an incredible time and everything went well in the business. I even extended my time for an extra month.

When I got back last year I knew I wanted to do it again. This time for 5 months.

So here I am!

I’m in Bali writing this to you now. I’ve been traveling for nearly 4 months and have 5 weeks left.

It’s been an incredible journey.

I’ve been doing a little work while I’m traveling: I’m writing my second book for pet sitters and dog walkers. I’m planning on having my second book available in December 2011. More later!

I will be offering coaching sessions again in early August and will be offering a teleclass in August as well.

In future blog posts I will be including some tips to getting to your own heart’s desire and how your business can support.

Wishing you a wonderful month of June. 🙂

Warmly,
Kristin Morrison
Founder, Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy

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Pet Sitting Business Tips for February

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Want to start off on the right foot in your business this month?

Here’s how:

1) Take one marketing action a day to ensure that the calls come rolling in by the end of February. Drop your business cards off at vets, groomers and pet stores. Begin listing your business on as many websites as you can (links on other websites will help you come up higher on the search engines). Join a networking group. Get out there and market. Soon clients will be calling you saying, “I see your business everywhere!” (When that happens you know you are doing the right kind of marketing.)

2) Do you have an accountant ready to help you with your 2010 taxes? If not, February is a great time to find one before they get booked up at tax crunch time. Ask your business-owning friends for a recommendation.

3) Make self-care a priority this month. Put yourself in your appointment scheduler. If not now, then when?

4) Were you short-staffed in 2010? Spend the month February hiring even more people than you think you will need. Having an overflow of staff members will help you say YES to all the clients that contact you this year. Be clear in your communication with new staff members about how much work is/is not available; Let new staff members know that you may not call them for a few weeks but that as business grows their workload will grow.

5) Set a clear financial goal for February. Put your goal on your computer where you will see it daily. Write it on a sticky note in present tense: “I earn $_________/ month easily and effortlessly.”

6) Write your top 10 goals for February 2010 where you can see them. What do you most want to accomplish this month? What did you want to do in January that still needs to be done? You want your Top Ten Goals for February to be where you can see them daily as that will help you stay on track. In goal setting it’s especially important to remember: ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Put those goals in your car, in your office, on your bathroom mirror…wherever you will see them each day.

7) Set aside money for 2011 Q1 Taxes NOW. A lot of pet sitters that I’ve worked with the past few weeks have been surprised at the money they owed for 2010 and/or their 4th quarter tax payment for 2010. To avoid being surprised when taxes come due try this: split each quarterly payment into thirds and pay monthly so you aren’t hit with a large sum of money to come up with for your first quarter payment in 2011 (due April 15).

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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.

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Pet Sitting Book Review

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Hello pet sitters,

I’ve experienced a few delays with the ebook production but come hell or high water, my book will be sent out as promised by the end of December to those who have preordered the book.

Debra Farrington, the book reviewer for the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) recently reviewed my book and she emailed the review to me today.

I have to admit it was a bit vulnerable sending her my manuscript. It’s a little like, “Here, critique my baby, would you?”
🙂

This review will appear in the next issue of the NAPPS magazine:

“If you’re a brand new pet sitter looking for a guide to pet sitting from A-Z, this probably isn’t your resource, though you’ll find lots of good advice here. But if you’ve been a pet sitter for even a little while and you’re looking to grow your business into something that not only pays the bills, but gives you the lifestyle you want and deserve, then run—don’t walk—to the nearest computer and order this book.

Kristin Morrison, owner of a very large pet sitting business herself, and coach to pet sitters for many years, shares her secrets and strategies to free your creative energies, imagine your business (and life) as you’d like to see it, set goals and then, as Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek would say, “make it so.” There are plenty of practical tips on how to run your business on a day-to-day basis here, but the largest percentage of the book is dedicated to out-of-the-box exercises and practices that will help you understand what may be holding you back from being outrageously successful, and encouraging you to be very intentional about creating the business you truly want—whatever that looks like to you.

Included in the book are chapters on creating a good foundation, creating a business plan, recognizing your own self-worth, removing roadblocks to financial freedom, getting organized, marketing and promoting your business, being an employer, providing great service, and so much more. Those of you who have heard Kristin on one of the mentoring conference calls, or worked with her personally, will hear her voice in these pages, which are written just as she speaks with coaching clients. Approach this book with an open spirit, and a willingness to really look at what you’re doing, and you will walk away inspired and ready to make whatever changes you need to make to have a business and a life—both!—that match your dreams.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
There is still time to save $5 by preordering your ebook now. It will be emailed to you by the end of December.

Click here to find out more and to preorder the book: Six-Figure Pet Sitting.

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