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Work ON Your Pet Business, Not Just IN It

Many moons ago, I came across the book The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, who is the one who coined this concept. What it means is that when they start businesses, most people come to the business and start their businesses with the mindset of a technician.

Meaning, I love animals, I love pets, and I’m going to start a business, and I’m going to walk all the dogs, and I’m going to take care of all the cats, I’m going to house-sit. This is a technician mindset. Meaning I created a place for myself to go to work. I didn’t necessarily create a business.

QUOTE - Work ON Your Pet Business, Not Just IN It


So I had to delegate my pet sits, and my dog walks to a team of amazing pet care providers and administrative work to an amazing manager.

So that person takes care of all the scheduling, phone calls, emails, issues with clients, and hiring. All of that I took off my plate so that my only focus was marketing and systematizing, which then multiplied my business so quickly.

It’s really that simple. When you’re working in your business, there are only so many hours that you can trade for dollars. But for you to create that replicable, turnkey business that somebody could come in and turn the key and turn on the revenue streams, that is what the value is, and that is where you’re going to make a substantial income in this industry.

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About Your Comparison Monster

Have you ever heard the term compare or despair? That means that comparing yourself to others can be a destructive thought process that you might not even be aware you are doing to yourself.

Many times, if you’re looking at a colleague and they have a business that is doing better than you, they have more revenue, they have a bigger team, they have a manager, they’re making more money, they have more freedom, all of these things and you say, “Well, why am I not there yet? Are they better than me? I must not be good enough. It must be my service area. I must not live in an area where clients are willing to pay that amount of money. I can’t find team members in my area.”

We start going into these destructive thought patterns where we feel like we’re less, and then we start creating stories around why our colleagues aren’t achieving what we are.

About Your Comparison Monster


So my homework for you this week is to pay attention to your thoughts and catch yourself when you are doing this. And instead of saying, “Okay, they are better than me,” say, “I am going to be inspired by them because they are proof positive that I can do it too.”

It’s a very simple shift. We all have the comparison monster, every single person on this earth. We’re human beings. That’s the way we’re wired. But you also have control of your thoughts, and you also have control of what meaning you assign to any of the thoughts that you have.

So this week, I am not going to compare. I’m going to be inspired because I, too, have great big goals of 10 timing my business. I want to create more revenue, I want to create more freedom, I want to grow my team, and I want to have more fun in my business, and they are doing just that. So I will work hard at the end of 2022 and into 2023 to have an amazing year. All right? Simple mindset shift.

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Everything is Always Working Out For You

When I say everything is always working out for you, I don’t mean that everything in your life is going to be 100% hunky dory, peachy keen all of the time. That’s not what I mean at all.

What I mean is that when struggles appear in your life or challenges come to the forefront, you need to have faith that they are coming to you for a reason, and it’s most likely to help you stretch yourself, to move you into your future and to the next, better version of yourself.

For example, many moons ago, in the early ages of my business, I got stiffed on a $1,000 bill. I spent a week at this client’s house, I took perfect care of her pets and home, and she wouldn’t pay me. She ghosted me. I even went and knocked on her door, that’s beside the point, but the bottom line is I did not get paid. I cried.

I was like, “This is baloney. Do I even want to do this?” You know, the whole victimhood story we all love telling ourselves. And after a lot of thinking, I thought, okay, so for me to have a business that I feel really good about, what policy would I have to create and implement to ensure that this does not happen again?

That is when my prepayment policy was implemented. All of my clients need to pay four days before the start of service and keep a credit card on file. They’re charged, and service happens. And I don’t have to chase payments, and I have created a streamlined structure for creating payments and having the credit cards on file. And my business can run more smoothly, so I can service more clients, hire more sitters, and so on and so forth.

Everything is Always Working Out For You-ver02


So something that was very, very simple that I thought was the biggest deal in the world at the time, a challenge that came up, ended up teaching me a valuable lesson. I implemented something that changed the trajectory of my business. As small as it may seem, I attribute that one shift to starting things moving and understanding streamlining in your business.

So having faith that challenges and struggles are part of the process, and we’re all constantly changing, and we’re all bettering ourselves each and every day to become our future selves on who we want to be, and when things get tough, and you feel like, oh my gosh, this isn’t worth it, take a deep breath and just say to yourself, “Everything is always working out for me. I’m exactly where I’m meant to be now.” Try to release it. Try not to stress.

I know being a business owner is difficult. I know when people disappoint you, when you have a team member that doesn’t show up for a visit, or you have a client that leaves you a bad review, these things will happen in business. So if you can have a strong mindset and just say those words to yourself, I promise it’s going to be a lot easier.

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Excuse Makers aren’t Money Makers

What I mean by this is that people are constantly telling themselves why they can’t take action or why they can’t make more money in their business. Or, as to why they can’t build their team or why they can’t build out their systems, are the people going to stay stuck.

Your brain will always tell you that you can’t do something because it likes you to stay nice and cozy in your current environment. It doesn’t like change. It likes continuity. It likes comfort.

These people are telling themselves these excuses and then believing they are the ones that are not going to move forward. You cannot be an excuse maker and make much money because you’ll always stay stuck. I hear it every single day, “Colleen. I can’t make money because I have too many people living in my house, and I can’t focus on my business.”

I coach them around ways that they can create boundaries and put a sign up on their door for when they’re working. The next time I talk to them, they need to implement the coaching because they still believe that initial excuse. “Colleen, I have more clients than I know what to do with, but there are no sitters out there to hire. The hiring market is terrible. It’s impossible to hire right now.”

Excuse Makers aren’t Money Makers


I, as the coach. “Well, that’s interesting. We just hired 12 new pet sitters. I’m not having that issue. Tell me, what’s your attraction strategy looking like?”

“Well, I posted on Indeed.”

Well, there’s a whole list of recruitment strategies in the Multiply Mastermind program that involve online and offline strategies. You’re only doing one of the 15 strategies. I suggest you implement three strategies the following week, three more, and so on.

Next time we talk, “Hi. How did the recruitment strategies work?”

“Well, I didn’t do them because there’s nobody good to hire.”

I have been coaching people for a long time and can give people all the strategies in the world. If they don’t implement it, it will not do them the least bit of good. I hope you get what I’m putting down here.

The biggest thing I see is these excuses. Excuses as to why I can’t take action. Excuses as to why I can’t hire, and so on. And the remedy to this is becoming aware.

Be the watcher of your thoughts.

I want you to write down all the excuses you are telling yourself about why you can’t do something, whether in your business or life. You’re going to be amazed, and if you can get to a point where you can say, “Oh, there it goes. I just made another excuse, but I will take action anyway.” You will start moving the needle in your business.

Stop with the excuses. They’re not real. They’re stories you’re telling yourself. All they’re doing is keeping you stuck.

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Sitter Spotlight: Jan Archer

Colleen Sedgwick:

Hello there everybody. It’s Colleen Sedgwick with Pet Nanny Coach, and today I am doing a sitter spotlight with Jan Archer of The Sitter of Pawz in Fort Worth, Texas. Jan is one of my all-time favorite students, and we’ve truly become very close friends. So I’m very excited to have this conversation with you today. Thank you for coming.

Jan Archer:

Yay. Thank you for having me.

Colleen Sedgwick:

All right, let’s talk. So how did you come to find me and Pet Nanny Coach?

Jan Archer:

I watched every YouTube video you had on YouTube for at least a year. I just kept devouring your videos.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Okay. Right. So you were getting the content, getting your feet wet, learning what I was all about.

Jan Archer:

Right.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Okay. So when you contacted me, I specifically remember I was on vacation at Long Beach Island, and you were ready to go. But what problems and struggles were you having that made you reach out to me and decide that you were ready to take the next step and join my high-level program?

Jan Archer:

I had hit a ceiling, a financial ceiling. I wasn’t reaching that $100,000 mark that I wanted to reach. I felt like I was working in my business way too much, doing all the sits, and not having any free time. And your videos on YouTube said that there was a different way of life.

Colleen Sedgwick:

And that’s the petprepreneurial trap, I call it. Everybody starts because we love animals, and then we get completely stuck working in our businesses instead of on our businesses. And then our business stops growing because there are only so many hours you can trade for dollars. So you were there, you were tired, you were burned out, and you were like, “Colleen, I am ready to do this.” And I was like, “Oh, okay. Hold on. I’ll be back from vacation.” You were like, “I’ll get started on the videos.” I remember that. Did you have any concerns or fears about taking that big next step with your business?

Jan Archer:

Yeah, I had looked at a bunch of different coaches. I was concerned about dealing with somebody who was too tough on me because I’m a sensitive type of person, and I had a lot of mindset things that we had to break through because I felt like I wasn’t adequate to make that amount of money, I suppose. There was a lot of self-talk that needed to be broken off of me that you helped make it through.

Colleen Sedgwick:

So self-limiting belief, something that I speak to so many pet sitters about, that they don’t believe that they are capable of creating the same results that I have. And I have to go through with everybody and say, “I’m not some special unicorn that can do it. You can do it too. You just have to do the work, put it into action, show up and work on your inner self and mindset,” which you totally did and completely embraced and have transformed into this amazing business owner. So it’s very exciting. All right, what have been the greatest results and benefits from being a member of the Multiply Mastermind program?

Jan Archer:

I think the mindset change is tremendous. You are what you think you are. You can do whatever you think you can do. Getting past the overwhelmed symptoms or feeling overwhelmed, I remember when I first met you, you said overwhelm is a choice. And that totally blew my mind. I was like, “Oh wow, I can choose not to be overwhelmed. I can choose to break this down and tackle one thing at a time and make steps.” And you helped me realize that many of the attitudes we have are choices, that we’re choosing to think that way and we can do better.

Colleen Sedgwick:

So overwhelm and confusion, our self-indulgent emotions that human beings go and lean towards because it feels comfortable and it keeps you where you are, but it keeps you stuck. It keeps you from taking action. If you’re like, “I’m just so confused over here. I’m just so overwhelmed. I’m just not going to do anything because I’m too overwhelmed.” That’s totally a choice. But if you take the project and break it down into step-by-step pieces, you can put it into action. So I love that you took that away from the program because it’s absolutely true. All right, let’s talk turkey. Let’s talk numbers. So when we met, your business was at 62,000. During COVID, you went up to 80,000, and at the time of the completion of working together, you are at…?

Jan Archer:

120,000.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Yeah!

Jan Archer:

I finally broke through that ceiling.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Yes! You broke through the ceiling. And the exciting part is that the foundation’s all laid now. So now it’s showing up and just working the system, working the steps every day, and you’re just going to see this continue to grow and to grow and to grow. I’m so, so unbelievably excited for you. Were there any surprises about the program after you joined that you were like, “Oh wow, I didn’t know this was going to be included, or this was part of it”?

Jan Archer:

Oh, definitely. There are so many behind this scene things that you included in your program that I had no idea I even needed.

Colleen Sedgwick:

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Jan Archer:

No. All of the processes and the standard operating procedures or SOPs that we have, the backbone, are the things that make the business run itself. I mean, I don’t have to go and give a big training spiel to my employees because I have a resource center that they can go to, and they can look at a video I did once. That tells everybody that every employee who comes in sees that video and knows exactly what I expect from them. Just the backbones that you gave me to make it a system.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Right.

Jan Archer:

The systems you put in place make things just work like McDonald’s.

Sitter Spotlight Jan Archer


Colleen Sedgwick:

Right. So for anyone that’s watching that doesn’t know everything about this program, what I am teaching in this program is to create a turnkey system, a business that can run without you having to do the work. So anybody could come in, turn the key and turn on the income streams in your business and you’re not the one that’s physically having to do the pet sitting, the phone calls, the emailing, and the scheduling. It’s all systematized behind the scene. And then anybody can run it, and you can still have an income. So that’s amazing.

Jan Archer:

Yes, it is.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Good. All right. So what about the community of people, the community in the Mastermind? Let’s talk about that a little bit. What’d you think of that?

Jan Archer:

I just loved it. I loved how close everybody became. I’ve got good friends that I still talk to from the program. I really enjoyed the camaraderie that we shared. There were people ahead of me in the program that had been in the program longer and mentored me. There were people that were behind me in the program that I was able to mentor. And then, that makes you feel better when you can help somebody. “Hey, I know that.” We had the book club. I’ve read so many books, and I am not a huge reader. So for me to sit there and read all these books and listen to them, I would listen to them while driving. I learned so much from you and all of the people that were in the group. It was great to hash out new ideas and bounce things off of one another. So the community’s fantastic.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Oh, good. And something else that you did, which was not part of the program, was a result of all that you were learning about mindsets. How about your other big accomplishment during the program?

Jan Archer:

Oh yes. I lost 40 pounds. So yes, I made health a top priority, and I lost quite a bit of weight. I still have quite a bit to go, but…

Colleen Sedgwick:

Oh, you look amazing. 40 pounds.

Jan Archer:

Oh, thank you.

Colleen Sedgwick:

That’s huge. That’s so good.

Jan Archer:

Yes, yes. A lot of it is attributed to a change in mindset.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Good. All right. So if someone were to call you and say, “Jan, why should I do business with Colleen?” What would you say?

Jan Archer:

Because she will change your life. You have changed my life with the mindset you’ve taught me. The business aspect is amazing. The backbones that you’ve given me, and you’re a person of integrity. When you say you’re going to show up, you show up and teach us to do the same thing. You hold us accountable without being harsh, and that’s needed. There are harsh coaches that make you feel bad because you didn’t do whatever, but you told me to be accountable and say, “You really should have done that. You would’ve been this much further along if you had done what we were supposed to do.” I’ll never forget when you were like, “Show me your Google Drive.”

Colleen Sedgwick:

Oh, you remember that? You were like…

Jan Archer:

“You want me to show you what?”

Colleen Sedgwick:

I said, “All right, I’m going to give you a week, but I’m going to be in there next week.”

Jan Archer:

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you hold us accountable and are a person of integrity. And that’s so important because so many people say, “I’m going to do this, that, or the other,” and then they don’t. And it was just a wonderful experience working with you and then getting to meet you personally at the Texas Pet Sitters Conference. That was so much fun.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Oh my gosh. We had the best time. Jan and I spent the weekend together at a conference, and we laughed and went to dinner. Oh my God. We had the best time.

Jan Archer:

Loved it.

Colleen Sedgwick:

I want to tell you that I feel the same way. You were a beautiful gift for me as well. Working with someone like you and of your integrity and somebody that wants to create something for themselves of value. And you showed up, and you did the work with an open heart and an open mind, asked questions, and really embraced everything that was taught and got the results. And it’s just going to continue to compound over time. And I have gained a true friend. I love you. I think you’re one of the coolest chicks in the world.

Jan Archer:

Thank you. The feeling’s mutual. I love you back.

Colleen Sedgwick:

All right, Jan. Well, thank you so much for being here, and we’ll catch you next time, guys.

 

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How I made my first $100k in my Pet Sitting Business

I was told for many years that I could not make six figures being a pet sitter. The family told me. Friends told me. Complete strangers told me. I was told by current clients. I was told by everybody that it wasn’t possible.

But, I knew with my deep intuition that I pride myself on that I absolutely could do it. That was the first thing. I had to know, and I had to believe that I was capable of doing it. That was the number one thing. If you don’t think that you can, you certainly won’t.

How I made my first $100k in my Pet Sitting Business


The second thing is I stopped working in my pet-sitting business. It’s a straightforward equation. The more you can serve in your pet-loving community, the more money you will generate in your business.

But if only one of you is trading hours for dollars, you have a cap on the income you can create in your business. You need to leverage yourself through a team of heart-centered pet care professionals to help you serve more of your pet-loving clients.

The more people you serve, the more money you will make, plus give job opportunities to these other amazing people. It’s just a win-win for all that is involved.

So, two points. Number one, you need to believe that you can do it. And I’m here to tell you that you can. I am knighting you. I’m saying, “Yes, go for it.”

And number two, stop working in your business. Stop trading hours for dollars. Step into the CEO role and leverage yourself through an amazing team. That is how you’re going to get there, and that is how it will continue to multiply year, after year, after year. I’m so excited to hear about your journey.

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Sitter Spotlight: Maria Estes

Today we have Maria Estes from All About Cats Pet Sitting in Tallahassee, Florida. Maria is a recent graduate of my Multiply Mastermind program.

Colleen Sedgwick:

So, so happy that you are here today. I have seen such a huge change in you since you started, what, two years ago, from the person you became, timid, shy, and you’ve stepped out of your shell.

You’ve put on your petpreneurial hat, embraced all that you learned in the program, and had great results. So I’ve had the best time with you over the last two years. But I wanted to have this discussion so that you can talk about your experience in the Multiply Mastermind program so that others can learn about it. All right?

So how did you come to discover me and Pet Nanny Coach?

Maria Estes:

I found Pet Nanny Coach community on Facebook about four years ago, and you reached out to me personally back in 2019, asking me some questions about the business and where I would like to see it go in the future.

Colleen Sedgwick:

So when we talked about your business, what problems and struggles were you experiencing?

Maria Estes:

I was experiencing a lot of problems. I was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed, total burnout and barely keeping my head above water. I was running every aspect of the business myself, and there were plenty of times I wanted to give up, even though I wouldn’t, but my stress level was through the roof.

Sitter Spotlight Maria Estes


Colleen Sedgwick:

I remember specifically when we had our strategy session, and you were like, “I want to do this,” but you had some fears that were coming up and concerns like, “Oh, I don’t know if this is right for me.” I think even after you decided to join, I remember you emailing me, saying, “I don’t know if I have what it takes to do this.” Do you remember that?

Maria Estes:

Yes, I do remember.

Colleen Sedgwick:

What were the fears that you were having?

Maria Estes:

The biggest fear I had was stepping out of my comfort zone. Change has always been difficult for me, but what put my fears to rest was the encouragement you gave me and the reassurance that you would be with me every step of the journey.

Colleen Sedgwick:

I remember it, I remember it so clearly, and I was so happy that you decided to join and took the leap. And it took you some time. You were building up your courage, becoming the person you needed to be to step out of your comfort zone, see the vets, talk to the strategic alliances, and all that. But you did it. You did. And I couldn’t be prouder. It makes me so happy to think back on the transformation I witnessed. Let’s talk about the best results and benefits you received from the Multiply Mastermind program.

Maria Estes:

I think one of the biggest was discovering my abilities. I’ve learned that I can step out of my comfort zone and be okay, actually better than okay. I’ve had the courage to onboard eight contractors like you said, visit the vet offices and form strategic alliances, which I don’t know if I would’ve ever been able to do without your support and encouragement. Those were really big steps for me, and once I put myself out there, I realized, “Hey, I can do this, and I’m going to be okay.” It was exciting and not as difficult as I thought. So a lot of personal growth.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Good. And you feel empowered. It feels good, right?

Maria Estes:

Yes.

Colleen Sedgwick:

People don’t know I’m a total introvert when you find that. Nobody believes me when I say that, but I can promise you that I am. I lite mini-strokes anytime I have to go and speak in public or when I have to go to the vets in my strategic alliances, I would have a heart attack before too. So I identified with what you were feeling, but the magic happens on the other side of fear. So getting out there and doing that, and then you have these amazing businesses sending you business, and you are referring them, and it’s just a wonderful relationship. So I said, “Just do it.” I know how scary it is, but go and do it, and you did, so awesome.

Maria Estes:

Took me a long time. But yes, your support and Jessica allowed me to become a better version of myself.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Aww. All right. Let’s talk turkey. All right, let’s talk numbers. So when you started the program, you were around $6,000 a month, and then during the pandemic, during the pandemic, for anyone that’s listening, do you remember that time? It was just not an easy time to be in business, Maria scaled her business to $10,000 a month, and then in 2021, you were at around $17,000 a month. And then, in December of 2021, what was your revenue?

Maria Estes:

$27,000.

Colleen Sedgwick:

I mean, hello. That’s so amazing. So you just had this unbelievable influx of business. And if anyone missed it, Maria has a cat-sitting business, correct? Do you do any other dogs, or is it strictly cats?

Maria Estes:

It’s strictly cats, except for I have probably. On the one hand, I can count maybe three clients with cats and a dog that we tend to take care of, but 99% cats only.

Colleen Sedgwick:

I mean, it’s just absolutely amazing. And you’ve also onboarded eight pet sitters, and you have onboarded your husband to come into the business and work with you, which you said has been a wonderful decision. Yeah. So big, big changes since we first met a couple of years ago to where you are now, and it’s so exciting. All right. So if someone called you and said, “Should I work with Colleen and join the multiplied Mastermind program?” what would you tell them?

Maria Estes:

I would tell them absolutely yes. All the knowledge you give us to grow our business, have our business thriving, and ultimately have a business that can run itself is just amazing. For the investment, it’s priceless. So I would recommend the program to anyone who wants to scale their business, reap the rewards, and let things take care of themselves.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Good. Well, thank you so much for being here. I think you are an amazing person, I think you’re an amazing business owner, and it literally brings tears to my eyes just seeing what you’ve done. It makes me just so happy. So I’ve loved, loved, loved working with you, and I can’t wait to see what great things are yet to come for you. So thanks for being here.

Maria Estes:

Thank you for everything. It’s been a blessing. Thank you so much.

Colleen Sedgwick:

Aww, you’re welcome, Maria.

Hey there, Newbie Pet Sitter! Are you feeling stuck or overwhelmed with starting your pet sitting business? Fret no longer, my friend. I’ve got ya covered!

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Making Money in Your Dog Walking Business Isn’t a Fluke

You create money. You do this first through your thoughts, then through your feelings, then by taking aligned action to bring that money into the physical world.

It may sound woo-woo to many of you, but I don’t really care because this has been the big mindset shift for me that happened so so many years ago when I realized that I could create any result that I wanted in my life, money is simply a manifestation of what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, and how I’m acting every single day.

So when I’m online, and I’m teaching people, “You can make $10,000 or more a month,” and I get pooh-poohed, “No, you can’t, that’s such a load of baloney.” I’m always blown away by these comments because I’ve surpassed that mark, and hundreds of my students have surpassed that benchmark.

Making Money in Your Dog Walking Business Isn't a Fluke


But it’s about the mindset shift you need to make to get to that 10,000, and that’s where I see people take off. Because understanding this, that you create your reality, that you create and generate the money and wealth in your life; it’s all created by you.

Still, you have to be aware of your thoughts and feelings; you have to show up and take aligned action in your business to bring that into reality.

Today was a woo-woo video, but I love to talk about how you create money. It is not something that happens to you. It is not a fluke. So start watching your thoughts, thinking positive thoughts, generating positive feelings, taking aligned action, and seeing what you create in your business.

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