Pet Sitter Confessional

Are you building a business—or just staying busy? In this episode, we explore what it means to shift from being the technician to becoming the CEO of your pet care company. We break down the mental and operational changes needed to move from chaos to structure, burnout to sustainability, and survival to growth. We share practical steps, real-life examples, and honest truths about what it takes to ...

What happens when your business grows faster than your systems—and regulations force you to rebuild everything? In this conversation, Marie and Justin Plummer of Winston-Salem Dogcare share how North Carolina's Animal Welfare rules pushed them from "in-home" into a fully regulated, facility-based setup and what that required financially and operationally. We talk about the mindset shift from feeling like problems are "happening to ...

What happens when the skills that built your pet care business are no longer the ones it needs to grow? In this episode, we respond to a thoughtful listener question about the uncomfortable transition from doing the work to running a company. We unpack why growth often feels harder instead of easier, even when things are "going well." We walk through three major mindset resets that ev...

What does "professional" pet care actually mean—and why does it matter so much right now? Collin sits down with Niki Tudge, founder of the Pet Professional Guild, to talk about the gap between what pet owners assume they're buying and what many providers actually deliver. Niki shares the eye-opening real-life process she used to hire a pet sitter for her own dogs—and why it convinced her the industry needs higher minimum standards....

What if 2026 isn't about doing more—but about doing what actually lasts? In this episode, we talk about why the end-of-year holiday rush can push pet sitters and dog walkers straight into toxic productivity. We walk through how to name what didn't work in 2025 (without shame), especially where policies, boundaries, and overcommitment quietly drifted. Then we shift to what did work—lif...

How can you use your pet care business to make a bigger impact? Cheyenne Williams returns to share how community involvement has transformed her life and her business. From leading suicide prevention walks to supporting foster care initiatives, Cheyenne explains how giving back is not just about writing checks—it's about connection, purpose, and passion. She shares the challenges of balancing busi...

What do we do when a service isn't working anymore—but we don't want to lose the revenue or the client? In this episode, we walk through how converting clients is leadership, not upselling, and why adding or changing a service isn't a failure. We break down two conversion scenarios: when the service is a poor fit for the pet/client, and when it's a poor fit for the business. We share practical str...

What does the future of the pet service industry look like as technology and client expectations evolve? Matthew Kutas, founder and CEO of Republic of Dog, talks about the challenges and opportunities facing pet care businesses today. He discusses how technology can streamline operations without losing the emotional connection at the heart of the work, and why onboarding is a make-or-break process...

What happens when clients see your pet care business as interchangeable with everyone else? In this episode, we break down the commodity trap and why it's not a pricing problem—it's a positioning problem. We walk through the client, financial, and operational red flags that quietly signal your business is stuck competing on price. We explain why being more trained, more insured, and more professional often hurts more w...

Have you ever thought about what happens to your business when you're ready to step away? In this episode, Erin Fenstermaker, certified exit planner and pet industry veteran, breaks down the key elements that make a pet business valuable and sellable. She discusses the importance of recurring revenue, documented systems, and building a team of employees over independent contractors. E...

What if the key to protecting your business and sanity is actually learning to care less? In this episode, we share how our unorthodox Word of the Year—"care less"—helped us step back from constant urgency, emotional overload, and decision fatigue. We talk about naming our non-negotiables, especially around safety and standards, while letting go of guilt and overinvestment in pricing ...

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What do you do when your pet care business feels stuck in the same old patterns? In this episode, we talk about how "ruts" form in our businesses the same way they do on a muddy trail—through repeated, unexamined habits over time. We explain the brain science behind habitual neural pathways, how stress and burnout make ruts deeper, and why comfort and fear of change keep us on the sam...

How do you protect your passion while running a growing pet care business? In this episode, Wayne Hartley Jr. of Happy Hearts Pet Care and PETLANTA shares the realities of entrepreneurship, including the hustle, the overwhelm, and the habits that help keep you grounded. He discusses the role of community and education in sustainable growth, and why posting imperfect content is often b...

In this episode, we continue our conversation on building a resilient business by focusing on shared ownership, redundancy, and smart automation. We talk about how to empower your team to make decisions, centralize knowledge and access, and design systems that don't fall apart when one person steps away. We also explore the mindset shift from being the hero of every story to building a brand and team that clients can t...

How do we better serve aging pets and their senior owners? Angela Dinsmoor, gerontologist and founder of Grey Whiskers, joins the show to share how her background in human aging informs her unique approach to senior dog care. From adapting grooming practices to handling emotionally complex client conversations, Angela outlines the deep overlap between pet and human aging. She discusses the importa...

What would actually happen to your pet sitting or dog walking business if you couldn't show up tomorrow? In this episode, we share how a scary experience during COVID forced us to confront just how much our business depended on us personally. We walk through the first four ways to build a more resilient business: having a backup as a solo sitter, creating a team-based system with empl...

In every industry, true leadership isn't about recognition—it's about service. In pet care, that spirit shows up in those who give their time, share their experience, and create space for others to grow. Few embody that better than Deanna Schaar and Cathy Vaughan of the Texas Pet Sitters Association. What began as a small meet-up in a boarding facility has become one of the most beloved conference...

Are you covered for what you actually do today—not what you did last year? We walk through our annual insurance review. We cover the "must-haves", when bonding makes sense, and why non-owned auto and business property matter once you add staff or an office. We also explain what petsitting business insurance does not cover—and how workers' comp and personal health insurance fit in. Finally, we shar...