How This Dog Walking Company Exploded With Support Of Others / Ep. 99

Christina’s love & passion for animals brought her to become a professional and certified pet-care expert. Her professional training started back in 2005 and she continues to re-educate herself as time passes just in case new issues or findings in safety arise. By holding high professional and personal ethical standards for your pets care, Christina founded Beach Pupps, a dog walking company, to guarantee your dog receive the safest, most untypical walk around the block service available. Find more about Christina on her website, http://beachpupps.com/

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want To Miss:

• Whether you structure your company as the usual pay-per-service or as a monthly membership, you need to make your clients feel like you are ALL in. Make them know that your business is your livelihood and that you are there to serve them 100%! Give them extra perks 🙂
• When you become strong in your brand and your business, and you become unique! Nobody can really copy you and if they do it’s glaringly obvious.
• Delegation and hiring will allow you to EXPLODE your business. You’ll be able to get out of the field, so you can spend more time in the office growing the business and networking with other professionals in the community.
• There is always someone going through what you are going through or something similar. Find people that you can lean on and get support/advice when you need it. Reach out when you need it.

Show Highlights:

• One year ago, where were you at personally and professionally before joining the Jump Mastermind? [2:00]
• What does being a professional business owner mean? [4:00]
• What drew you to the Jump Mastermind and made you go all in? [4:30]
• How do you structure your company with a membership instead of the typical paying-per-service model? [6:00]
• What is the difference between pet sitting and dog walking? [7:45]
• What have you been able to accomplish since January after being in the Jump Mastermind? [17:20]
• Reflecting on where you were personally and professionally six months ago, where do you see yourself next? [19:00]
• What advice do you have for those that feel like they are “hitting a wall” with their business? [22:00]

Links:

• JOIN the Jump Mastermind: /jump-mastermind/clkn/https/www.jumpconsulting.net/checkout/?add-to-cart=9225&
• LEARN about the Jump Mastermind: /jump-mastermind/

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Transcript:

This is episode 99 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, your host with Jump Consulting. Today, I have a pet sitter here with me, actually a dog walker, who has just totally blown me away and that I have begged her and pleaded for her to come on our show. You are going to learn a lot about Christina today. Her love and passion for animals brought her to become a professional and certified pet care expert. Her professional training started back in 2005, and she continues to re-educate herself as time goes by. She holds herself to a high standard of professional and personal ethics, and Christina actually founded Beach Pups to guarantee your dog receives the safest and most untypical walk-around-the-block service available. Without further ado, Christina, welcome to the show.

Christina: Hi everybody. I’m so happy to be here. This is a really exciting day.

Bella: Yeah, for sure. Christina, I know that you and I kind of officially met at the beginning of this year, although you were following me before that unbeknownst to me. But you joined our tribe of awesome people back in January when we started the Jump Mastermind. I want you to take our audience back—where were you personally and professionally at the end of last year, 2017?

Christina: I was really lost, honestly. I didn’t have any guidance about where I was supposed to be. You mentioned I was a professional pet care expert, but I wasn’t necessarily a professional business owner. You can be a great pet care expert all you want, but being a business owner is a completely different aspect. The business was growing, I was a new mom, and I didn’t have much direction. I accidentally found you, and it changed everything.

Bella: You said you’re a new mom. Tell us about your child.

Christina: She’s actually 17 months today and she’s rambunctious, energetic, and loves dogs and cats just like her mommy. She’s very special and I’m so happy to have her.

Bella: Hats off to all the mompreneurs out there watching or listening right now. It’s a topic we don’t talk about enough, and I want to blow the lid off that as we approach our 100th episode. Pet sitting while raising a child—and your husband travels a lot—means you handle so much.

Christina: Yeah, I live states away from my family and close friends, and he’s gone a lot. It’s me, her, and the neighborhood—the business, the pets—oh my gosh.

Bella: You’re like superwoman. You said you were a professional pet care expert, but you were feeling lost as a business owner. Can you explain that?

Christina: There were things I needed to do in business that I didn’t even know about, like the difference between ICs and employees. I sat with a lawyer who helped me draw up contracts for ICs, but they didn’t say I had to treat them differently. I didn’t know that until later. I didn’t know how to follow up with clients or even answer my phone properly. There’s a million things I’ve learned just from you—even one YouTube video changed the game.

Bella: So all that was going on, and then poof—the Jump Mastermind pops up. What made you decide, “This is for me”?

Christina: I like exclusive things and feeling part of something special. My business is membership-run, and the Mastermind felt like an exclusive membership. You get Bella more exclusively, which I wanted, and it’s full of people who are dedicated to growing and winning. When you surround yourself with people like that, I don’t see how it’s possible to fail. Even if you fail, it’s a good kind that pushes you forward. Once I learned about the Mastermind and how special it was, I said, “I have to get in.” I didn’t care if I needed another job to afford it—I was doing it.

Bella: And I’m so glad you did. At first, you were quiet as a mouse—I’d check in like, “Are you okay?” Then one day, bam, you opened up and shared your heart. It gave me chills. You mentioned you run a membership-based company, which many people think about but never actually do. Can you explain that?

Christina: The membership is exclusive to clients who are gone most of the day, Monday through Friday, for midday walks. We’ve made it a luxury-style experience in both customer service and service quality. It’s very professional—we take it seriously. When I walk in, clients know my business is my future. I give 100% because if I don’t, I have nothing to fall back on. They know that. The luxury feel makes them feel special—they can call me within limits (something I learned in Mastermind). We use smart technology with the membership—our pricing sheet lists everything they get, like free nail trims, ear cleanings, or discounts at doggy spas. We throw in perks like that, so it’s more than just a walk. We don’t do pet sitting for non-members anymore, but members get discounted pet sitting. It’s just more than a walk for us.

Bella: For any newbies listening, dog walking is typically weekday midday visits, and pet sitting is when owners are away—different schedules, different operations. Going back to January, how did you feel entering the Mastermind?

Christina: Overwhelmed. There was so much I needed to progress on. At first, it felt negative, like, “Look at everything you haven’t done.” But then I reframed it—thank goodness I’m here. If I hadn’t joined, I don’t know if I’d still be in business.

Bella: I remember that—you were at a breaking point. Then later, you poured your heart out in a video. That moment was powerful. What was happening then?

Christina: I completely redid everything in Beach Pups except the name. I got rid of clients and staff, switched from ICs to employees, rebranded, and built a new website and logo. Delegation was key—I can’t be 100% of everything. Florida doesn’t even have a state Department of Labor; it goes straight to the federal one. My old lawyer never told me that. I learned it from you. You don’t know what you don’t know until you get around people doing what you’re doing seriously.

I decided we’d go all-in on the membership model but leave a small non-member option. I increased prices to weed out certain clientele. I was terrified, but now I’m confident. I tested the new pricing with new clients first—they said yes, yes, yes. When my first client bought my highest package, $539 for single walks, I realized people are willing to pay for quality. I’ve since added new puppy clients at the new rates, and it’s working. I’m setting a higher standard—smart tech, lost dog prevention, trained employees. I’m raising the bar for dog walkers in my area.

Bella: That’s incredible. You’ve differentiated yourself so clearly that no one can confuse you with anyone else. That’s powerful branding. What have you accomplished since January?

Christina: I have a strong brand now that stands out. I can confidently explain what my business is. I’ve gained confidence in pricing and services. I still have a long to-do list, but progress is happening. My computer is sitting on my Freedom Journal that I haven’t started yet because I’m still tying up business details. My next step is goal-setting.

Bella: I love that you’re giving yourself permission to go at your own pace and make progress steadily. Every week you’re better than the week before. Robin just commented, “Way to go, thank you for sharing.” Denise says, “As a mom starting a pet business, you’re my new idol.”

Christina: That’s awesome!

Bella: Where do you see yourself in another six months?

Christina: I see myself delegating more. I hired my first technical employee—it didn’t work out—but I’m looking to hire more. I’m working on getting your handbook and manual before hiring again. In six months, I’d like to be off my walk route, working in the office, meeting clients, networking, and focusing on the business instead of working for it.

Bella: I love that. You’re doing the hard work. Our next Mastermind topic will be delegation! Every month we have a focus—goals, numbers, video, sales, customer experience. Maybe we’ll add a “mompreneur” topic soon because you’re inspiring me right now. What advice would you give someone who feels stuck or burnt out?

Christina: If you want it that bad, you have to push. Nothing worth it is easy. Being an entrepreneur is hard. I used to think my old bosses were terrible, but now I understand how much they handled behind the scenes. Don’t think it’s easy for others—everyone struggles. In the Mastermind, nobody’s floating through roses. Even people who seem like they have it all are struggling too. Surround yourself with people doing what you want to do. Don’t go backward—go forward. Keep your ducks in a row and deal with problems as they come. Don’t let them pile up like tumbleweeds. Reach out for support—it’ll get you through.

Bella: That’s beautiful advice. Thank you so much for joining us. If people want to find you, where can they go?

Christina: I’m south of Tampa and in St. Petersburg, Florida. My website is **www.beachpups.com**—that’s pups with two Ps.

Bella: Awesome. This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business, the 99th episode. The next one will be solo with some nuggets you don’t want to miss. If you found this inspiring, share it with your friends and let Christina’s story encourage them. Remember to like and subscribe on Stitcher and iTunes. And when life gets you down—always keep jumping.

Thanks for jumping with Bella in Your Business. For more information, free articles, and coaching sessions, go to jumpconsulting.net.