Last installment of All About Amanda

Don’t cry, I am still here!  Haha, Amanda here.  I am wrapping up my “all about me” series with a personal note.  I have been wracking my brain trying to think about what else a person would want to know about me and my fantastic business, Amanda’s Paw Pals.  My office manager (and very best friend) Mary said I should tell you all about how I feel about running Amanda’s Paw Pals as my main source of income. 

Not everyone knows this, but up until last August I was what I would call a “hobbyist Pet Sitter.”  I put my heart and soul into my business, but only part time.  I worked full time at Young Horizons daycare center and also went to school online to get an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Ed. and a Bachelors Degree in Library and Media Science.  Turns out I liked going to school better than actually working in the field, but no education is wasted.  I also have a certificate in Grooming, a certificate in Computer Networking and Repair, and I am A+ Certified in the state of Connecticut!  I am a full-fledged career hopper 🙂

I loved everything I have tried and everywhere I have worked.  But not enough to see myself doing it forever.  The one thing I can see doing forever is being a pet sitter.  Too bad I didn’t come to that thought sooner, Sally Mae lives in the guest bedroom upstairs and won’t leave until my student loans are paid LOL!

But seriously, being a professional pet sitter is like a dream come true for me.  I get to see so many smiling faces every day that it is nearly impossible for me to get down.  What is a better antidepressant than a cat rubbing against your legs or a dog bringing you their favorite toy to play with?!

There is more to being a pet sitter than just playing with animals all day.  I also have to keep up to date on all the different ways animals behave.  I am always listening to podcasts and webinars about my craft.  There are no formal licenses needed to be a professional pet sitter, but someone who doesn’t hold insurance, bonding and some other credentials doesn’t have to be the only choice anymore.  Most of the professionals I know are just like me, keeping current on the changing world of pets.

Also, my favorite part besides the actual work, is marketing.  A serious professional is marketing themselves any way they can.  Staying visible in the community (helping with drives, volunteering, working at festivals, whatever is needed in your area!), hanging flyers in all the local bulletin boards, and posting on social media are just a few ways to market.  I have also found that handing out business cards to strangers is helpful…but I am not really good at that part.  I usually don’t want to intrude if you are just taking a nice walk with your dog or something!  I always have cards on me, though; feel free to ask for one!

As far as having this be my only income, being self-employed is a double edged sword a lot of the time.  You have the freedom to “be your own boss” and “make your own hours”, but also have the fear of not paying your rent or cell phone bill when business is slow.  It is scary sometimes but I am fortunate.  I live with my Mom so I never worry about being evicted.  Verizon Wireless is not as sweet and lovely when I am late on my bills, but thankfully I make enough to have that covered 🙂  The pet care business has ups and downs, not unlike most businesses, and I plan accordingly.  You will not find me crazy because I overbooked myself out of fear of the long winter.  That being said, I always say you should book your pet sitter as early as possible so they will be able to guarantee you placement.  I made a budget of sorts when I first started out that gives me a “poverty line” and a “maximum visits” line.  The poverty line is more for my own peace of mind.  When things are not going well, I add up my visits for the week.  As long as I am above the poverty line (and I usually am) I don’t worry.  The maximum visits line is to keep my current customers happy and satisfied.  Once I reach that line, I no longer take vacations or new clients.  I still have several spots left per day but they are reserved for my current rock star clients who want to go out to dinner straight from work or who find themselves with last minute plans.  I can’t always say yes, but once you are a current client you have a really good chance.  This also serves another purpose for me.  I can live off of the money I will make between both of these lines.  Therefore, I never make myself crazy or overloaded with visits because I know exactly what I can handle.  Burnout is an unfortunate side effect of self employment and I am hoping to have found the way around that.  Also, overloaded people tend to cut corners to get through.  I will not cut corners or shorten visits!  You will always get what you paid for with Amanda’s Paw Pals.  I feel like I am running for office haha 🙂

I am one of many professional pet sitters in my area but I would like to think I stand out.  When you see me in line at the grocery store, feel free to ask me about Amanda’s Paw Pals.  I always have a company shirt on and talking about my job is my favorite thing to do.  You won’t be sorry if you call me, either.  I may not answer (I try to only answer when I can give you my full attention so leave a message and I will call you back when I can do that…within 24 hours.)  I return phone calls after 6 pm usually, sometimes after 2 pm if you call early enough in the morning.  The other way to reach me is by Facebook or my website.

So there you have it.  A blurb about me, Amanda Krom.  I hope you reach out and contact me.  You won’t be sorry and your fur-family will love you forever!

 

Presenting…Amanda’s Paw Pals!

Hi all, Amanda here.  I recently did an interview with Ray Anderson, The Dog Walker.  He has been running a podcast called, “How to start and operate a dog walking and pet sitting business” and it is located at The Dog Walker Podcast.  This podcast is designed to help people who are trying to decide to get into this field, or who have already made the leap (like me) and just want to stay fresh and current.    As a side note, Ray also owns his own pet sitting business, Christine’s Pets, out of Virginia.  What that means for me is that he has insider knowledge of what it means to be a pet sitter; he understands why I carry an empty water jug and pee pee pads in my trunk, for example.  What that means for you is that he understands what customers want to know.  When he interviews other professionals, he doesn’t ask them pointless questions just to take up space in the interview.  I mean, truthfully.  Who cares what season I like to pet sit in or what my favorite thing is about pet sitting?  (I would hope you, my readers would care!  But that isn’t the point).  What a person listening to the podcast wants to know is how I handle difficult situations and how I work every day in every weather situation without flinching.  The people listening to this podcast are individuals who are trying to figure out a path in their careers and in their lives, and customers (future and current) of the guest speakers.  If they are going to take 20 minutes out of their time to listen (and I hope they do because it is fantastic!!!) it has to be worth that time.  Ray Anderson definitely delivers.

So back to the podcast.  Ray called me via Skype to do the interview.  We had to record it twice, there was a snafu with the first recording, and that was a surprising difficulty.  You see, The second copy was exactly like the first.  The same questions were posed to me.  I should just
give the same responses, right?  Except I didn’t always do that.  I know, weird.  Turns out that I felt like I was having a conversation with someone I had already talked to and I didn’t want to repeat myself!  I don’t know how he does it, or for that matter how anyone does this!  I am most thankful for the fact that it wasn’t on live. My answers in the first go were BRILLIANT usually.  Ray had emailed me the questions ahead of time and I actually went through and wrote out my responses.  A little extra work but then I knew I would sound precise and professional instead of stammering a lot of umms and uhhs.  I knew Ray would have edited as much of the stalling and lost air out but I didn’t want it to be there in the first place.  After a few questions, I was able to snap out of it and just give the polished answers that I had worked on previously.   I still fretted over it for the few weeks before the podcast was released, but it was fine.  I should not have had any doubts!

The whole experience got me thinking that maybe my customers would like to know more about me and about Amanda’s Paw Pals in general.  So this pod
cast (which I hope you take the 20 min. to listen to, it is really good!) is a stepping stone into a series on Amanda’s Paw Pals and what we can do for you.  Next week, we will explore what being Pet First Aide certified means and why I make sure it is on the top of my list (and should be on the top of your list when you are looking to hire a professional to care for your pets!)

And just for the record, I love the Spring for pet sitting best because it isn’t cold but it isn’t so hot that I am not enjoying the outside.  The animals are all returning from their winter hideouts and are preparing for summer.  The birds are singing and the air is sweet.  I don’t have allergies so the pollen is not a problem at all.  And my favorite thing about pet sitting is when I come into a house and get rushed by a dog who hasn’t seen me in YEARS (or maybe it has been minutes, time is relevant!) and they just want to love me.  Who doesn’t love that?!

Be on the lookout for next week’s post and please send me a comment or write on my Facebook page if there is a question you have been wondering about.  I am answering questions that I think people might wonder but you, dear readers, can give me real questions.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Talk to you soon!

Awkward…Right?!

 

Hey there, Happy Friday!  Amanda here 🙂  I recently had a few different meet and greets and realized that I am SO awkward when I talk on the phone!  I don’t know why that is for sure.   Do you ever feel that way when you hang up the phone or talk to a person?

I am brilliant at pet sitting and dog walking.  I am well educated in the field and I have so many different ideas and skills when it comes to keeping my current and future customers happy.  I am very informational and lovely in email and text conversations.  I am fabulous in face-to-face meets.  But get me on the phone, and I become a different person entirely!  I struggle to find words to say.  I stumble through my thoughts and I can’t remember the basic information (such as prices of visits) that I can prattle off in my sleep!  I sound incompetent and inept even though I am far from it.  Easy questions seem to catch me off guard and cause me to hesitate in the flow of the conversation.  Why?  WHY?!

I know how important a knowledgeable person is to speak to on the phone.  I know that first impressions are the most important (right or wrong!).  I have absolutely been on the phone with someone who didn’t seem to have a clue and felt like maybe I picked the wrong company to handle my needs.  So having a phone conversation with someone where I may or may not seem to know what the heck I am talking about is pretty huge.  Or as Donald Trump would say, “HHUUUGGEEE!!!”   This is definitely something that I need help with.  I can’t go on stumbling through life awkwardly and I don’t want to lose out on meeting some amazing clients (two and four legged!) because I didn’t make the right first impression.

One of my advisors told me to make a list of questions a person may ask me on the phone and answer it on paper.  Not so I can be reading off a script when a person calls; but writing down some questions and answering them when I have time to calmly reflect on my responses will go a long way in settling my nerves about the phone.  I believe it is a strength to talk to a live person who has answers in this world instead of the automated systems that have invaded our telephones, so this is a must for Amanda’s Paw Pals.  She also told me I needed to elaborate a little in my responses after a quick Q & A session we had where she pretended to be an interested pet owner looking to see if Amanda’s Paw Pals would be a good fit.  It was very helpful to do that with her but we struggled to come up with questions.  Here, dear readers, is where you come in.  Can anyone think of questions they would ask me about Amanda’s Paw Pals when they first reached out to me? We covered the basic questions, what are your rates?  What is the amount of time you spend on a visit?  Are you insured and bonded?  I know there are more questions out there! I am going to collect a list and answer them in a thoughtful and informational manner like my friend advised.  Once I have done that, I will remember my thoughts when the question is posed to me again and I will be able to respond with ease and confidence.  It seems like a lot of trouble to go through but nothing easy is worth having, am I right?!

So please, leave me a question or two in the comment section.  Let’s see if you can come up with questions that will be thought provoking for Amanda’s Paw Pals.  I know you have them…this is the perfect chance to get them out!