Your pet business, Your way

Being featured on a podcast is a way to reach hundreds or even thousands of potential clients in an intimate way. Because they’re listening to you, it helps you build a connection far quicker than they might experience from a social media post. You also have the benefit of being seen as a trusted source of information from the person who hosts the podcast. You’re able to reach their audience, whic...

I'm so excited to share this episode with dog trainer Karen Boyce from Beastly Thoughts who has done incredible things when it comes to raisnig her profile. In the past 18 months alone, Karen, Wales, has been featured more than 30 times in the press, including many times through lockdown. This has meant she’s become the go-to person for new dog owners and has even been called the ‘Puppy Queen’ of...

You might know Sarah Baxter from her awesome pet blog Twilight Bark where she showcased pet brands, shared stories and documented the adventures of her Dachshunds Ted and Millie. Two years ago, after Millie needed surgery, Sarah began training as a business and personal coach with leading experts in the coaching industry; Barefoot Coaching.  With her experience in the pet industry and her exp...

Would you love to put your pet business in the media spotlight for 2021? If you’re here, I think the answer might be yes. And it is completely achievable for you to win fantastic media coverage as long as you have a plan. In this podcast, I’m going to share how to put one together to increase your chance of featuring in the media in 2021. And if you need more support I have a free challenge taking...

Fancy tuning in to some tips for your pet business over the holidays? There are pet business podcasts popping up all over the world where you can learn ways to boost your brand. I've rounded up a selection of shows that you can tune in to to improve your skills as a petpreneur. Here are the key timings in this episode:  0.20 - Intro and why I'm doing an episode on podcasts. 1.54 - Dominic Hod...

Would you like to help dogs live healthy, happy, pain free lives? I know the answer is going to be a firm 'yes' if you're tuning into this podcast. It's a special episode with Hannah Capon, founder of Canine Arthritis Management, and she is appealing to YOU to help. As a pet professional, YOU have influence over owners, and often might be the first person to see the signs something isn't right. Ha...

How do you feel about pricing? Do you feel comfortable and confident when it comes to what you charge or is it something that causes you stress and worry? I’m in the latter group and as I was planning this podcast I spoke to a lot of people who felt the same. In this episode Sally Farrant - aka The Pricing Queen - talks about what gets in the way of us putting up our prices. She explains what the...

Are you looking for ways to keep in touch with your pet business clients over the holidays? But you want to inject a bit of fun rather than talk work! Well help is at hand with the 12 Days of Pet Business Content ideas. This podcast has 12 different topics you can talk about on social media, on your blog, in your e mails or even as pitches to the media if you get a wriggle on in time. Do let me kn...

When Becky Baker welcomed Cockerpoo Buddy into her home five years ago she admits she didn’t quite know what had hit her. Sleepless nights, toilet training and constantly worrying whether she was doing things right led her to having the ‘puppy blues.’ But she also had a lightbulb moment - if she was feeling like this then surely others were too - and she created a solution - the K9Nation app. It s...

Thanks to the Coronavirus health crisis there are more new pet owners in every town, city and village across the UK. Everywhere you go, you can’t move for pandemic puppies. Animal charities now have huge waiting lists for adoptions. And if you’re a pet business owner this is good news - because the new pet parents will need to use your services. Whether that’s dog walks in the day when they return...

Jade from StreetVet is the first guest in my new Change Maker series, set up to shine a light on people doing extraordinary things to help animals. Jade co-founded StreetVet along with another vet, Sam Joseph in 2016. StreetVet is a charity delivering free care for the homeless and their pets on the streets of London and cities across the UK. It started with two vets and a backpack back in 2016, a...

Carla Finzel is a district vet nurse who is pioneering a revolutionary service allowing pets to receive the medical care they need in their own homes. It's no longer just humans who can benefit from expert medical care at home when it's needed. Carla is my second guest in my new Change Maker series, which I've created to shine a light on people doing extraordinary things to help animals. In this p...

If you’re looking to raise the profile of your pet business one really easy way is to put yourself forward as a case study. Case studies share their real life experiences of all kinds of things, from setting up a business in lockdown to having a pet that weighs more than you! My membership clients and people in my free Facebook group have had huge PR wins from being case studies in national newspa...

How do you feel when it comes to writing about your pet business? Do you worry that you sound bossy, or that you’re boasting, or bigging yourself up too much? When you start a business of your own, writing about what it is that you do or the product you create can be overwhelming. Lots of us may not have written regularly since school, never mind put stuff out in the public domain. But when w...

This is a bonus episode of the podcast for anyone who is considering taking part in the Get Your Pet Business found on Google course taking place from 10th November 2020. If you’re in the UK, you’ll know we’ve just gone back into lockdown for four weeks until December 2nd. And while many pet business owners can still work thank goodness, we can’t do much else. The Get Your Pet Business Found on Go...

When you Google your business name, what do you see? Do you show up in lots of places and do you think you’re ranking for the search terms your ideal customers are putting into a search engine? If working on your business is something you’re planning on doing for the next four weeks as we go back into lockdown, then here’s how you can give your website a refresh. Rosie Robinson has worked as a dog...

Have you ever seen posts on social media about Awareness Days and National Days and thought you might like to create the same? There are days to mark all kinds of different things from fun days such as Dress Up Your Pet Day to more serious ones such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They’re used by PRs and social media managers to come up with campaigns and story ideas and you can use them in your...

Have you found your way into the pet industry as a second, third or fourth career? Did you once dream of escaping your old job to follow your passion? Karen Maher, a dog trainer and behaviourist and founder of Maher and Hound, felt the same.  After 20 years working in London in fashion PR, Karen ditched the City for country life and now works as a successful dog trainer, specialising in rescu...

If you’re thinking of raising awareness of your pet business in the media then the first thing you need is a story. Remember journalists aren't sitting waiting to write about people's businesses. They're looking for stories, for news. They need to keep their readers, listeners, viewers or followers informed, educated and entertained. If your story idea doesn’t do any of those things, then it’s lik...

How do you feel about content planning? Do you love it?  Or find it overwhelming, like feeding a beast that is permanently hungry? If you’re in the latter group then you will love this episode with Janet Murray, a content marketing expert. Janet - aka the Content Queen - has spoken all over the world about content creation AND is a former Guardian journalist and editor. Her social media posts...

In March 2020 the world was turned upside when the devastation of Coronavirus hit the UK. As well as the confusion as to what the virus was and what it was capable of, we feared for our health and that of our families and loved ones. Then on March 23rd full lockdown hit. We were told to ‘Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.’  For many working in the pet industry, their businesses skiddi...

Are you thinking of pitching to the media but you're worried about being ignored. Or worst, your story being rejected? Being knocked back is hard and it can often stand in the way of people pitching to journalists. In this episode I share the five reasons why your pitch or press release might be ignored. Plus what you can do to improve your story, and bring back to life an idea you didn't think wo...

Petpreneur Julie Maxted started out as a PR in the 1970s and 1980s before setting up her pet care business, Pets, Homes and Gardens. Julie now runs a franchise business with 25 franchisees all over the country caring for animals. She'd had plenty of press coverage but when she came to launch a product, Dog-G8 , she wanted to learn more about how to reach as many people as possible. Julie was one o...

Have you been using Facebook groups to connect with journalists who might be interested in your story? Or perhaps you would love a journalist to use you as an expert to comment on one of their articles? Maybe you're already in a Facebook group and you've been plugging away with your story but it hasn't been picked up yet. If that's the case then you will love this podcast episode with Jill Foster,...

Would you love to get media coverage for your pet service business but feel unsure where to start? If you're a service provider like a dog walker, groomer, trainer or pet sitter, then it's vital people who live nearby know about what it is that you have to offer. Having media coverage can elevate your status and make you the star pet business and the go-to person in your town or village. But where...