Episode 104: Scaling A Dog Walking Business Fast With Unique Internal Office Systems

Our guest today is the founder, owner, and operator of a very busy dog walking company in Hoboken, New Jersey, Heather Gaida. She started walking dogs in 2006 when she was working on her master's degree in education. Upon graduating, she loved walking dogs SO much that she decided to continue dog walking instead of going into teaching. She prides herself on holding her business to very high standards and is passionate about providing the best pet care around. She is always looking for ways to improve her business's systems, technology, training, and development for the team. Biggest Takeaways You Don't Want To Miss If you feel overwhelmed in your business and like you're just spinning your wheels, consider a complete overhaul of your business. It might sound terrifying, but you can truly come out of it with some INCREDIBLE results. This may include raising your prices, developing an employee handbook and training manual, and really narrowing down the services you provide. If we focus on too many things, then NOTHING gets 100% of your attention. Don't try to be everything to everyone! Do you live in a metropolitan area and feel like you're constantly hiring and hiring and hiring? Our guest found a unique solution to this problem by hiring a human resource manager. An HR manager keeps an eye on where you need more staff or even have too much. They also make sure there is a steady stream of interviews coming in. While it might not work for everybody, it may work for you! This is just one of the unique ways he has been scaling a dog walking business. Show Highlights Who is our guest and what is her business? [1:45] At what point did you realize that you needed a complete overhaul of your business? How did you start scaling a dog walking business? [4:00] When you first started your business, what were all of the services you were trying to provide & what did you end up narrowing them down to? [6:20] How did your life and your business change once you started saying NO to everyone else? [7:00] When did you realize that there were certain functions of your business that you needed to delegate? [9:15] What are some of the biggest mistakes you made in your business and what did you do to rectify them? [12:00] Describe some of your best delegation tips for somebody that's terrified of that word or has tried it before and failed? [16:45] What are some of your long-term goals and where do you see yourself in a few years? [21:00] Links Join the Jump Mastermind Share The Show Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’ Transcript: This is episode 104 of Bella In Your Business. The next series is going to be a bunch of interviews with amazing pet sitters that I know will motivate and inspire you in your business. From time to time, I interview incredible pet sitters who have faced some really amazing challenges that have inspired me and I know will inspire you. If you know of anyone who has an amazing story to share and is a pet sitting or dog walking business owner, I'd love to hear from you. Just email me at [email protected]. Until then, enjoy this next episode. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella discusses 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, and today I have a longtime client—and I think now a friend—Heather from Trusty Tails in Hoboken, New Jersey, and soon to be other places as well. Heather, welcome to the show. Heather: Thank you. Bella: I am so excited to have you on today because every time we work together, you inspire and motivate me. You have come such an incredibly long way, just building and building and building. Even that short time you were in the mastermind, you inspired everyone in there. They wanted to know all about your story and how you’re able to do what you do. So today, that’s what I really want to unpack with you if you’d be so kind to allow me to. But before we get deep into it, let our listeners know more about who you are—how you started your business, how big it is, maybe give them a comparison and overview. Heather: My name is Heather Gaida. I started my business back in 2006 while I was in grad school to become a teacher. My business just kept getting bigger and bigger. Before I knew it, I had a business partner and then I had employees. We would split the walks. About three years into it, I decided that I wanted to have kids, so I had to ramp up to make the same amount of money while being home with my children. That was the whole reason I started this business—to have flexibility to be the kind of mom who could be there for her children. My business now fluctuates between 25 and 40 staff depending on the season. We're in the busy season now, so we’re ramping up. I cover all of Hudson County, I’ve crossed over into Manhattan, and my human resources manager moved to Savannah a couple years ago. We recently decided to take on clients there. I’m down in Savannah now with three employees and some clients. We take care of chickens and all kinds of animals we don’t usually see in an urban environment. It’s kind of exciting. Bella: There’s so much you said there that I want to unpack. I know a lot of our listeners can relate to being a “mompreneur,” right? Trying to figure out how to take the kids along on pet sits, make dinner, run errands, pick the kids up from school, and still run a business. Can I have it all? I love that your “why” started with those kiddos—they’re adorable boys. Heather: Seven and nine. Bella: That’s so sweet. You have a habit of just walking through doors, girlfriend. You walk through, decide if it’s for you, and if not, you can always turn around and walk back out. So at what point did you realize you needed an overhaul? Heather: I think it was when things got so overwhelming that I wasn’t making any money and couldn’t figure out why. I was doing so many things wrong—my pricing was terrible, I was taking on everyone and doing everything for everyone. I didn’t have defined services; I’d say yes to everything—pet taxi, errands, baths—rather than focusing on core services. Once I narrowed things down, my business became manageable. Bella: So your mindset shifted from “how can I serve everyone?” to “how can I serve my family and make this business work for me.” Heather: Exactly. It was hard at first, but once I focused on a few key things, everything changed. I became an expert at those and learned to delegate. Bella: What kinds of things were you doing before you streamlined? Heather: Baths, working with animals my team wasn’t qualified for, saying yes to clients we shouldn’t have taken. Now I focus on the pets we’re trained to handle and refer others out when needed. Bella: How did your life change when you started saying no to people? Heather: I had more time—time to focus on running my business efficiently. I also learned to delegate. You encouraged me to hire a human resources manager because I was constantly hiring in a transient area. That was the best thing I ever did. My HR manager loves writing processes and tracking hiring needs. We now have a steady stream of interviews and a structured hiring process. Bella: Many people say, “I can’t afford an HR manager.” What would you say to them? Heather: Start small. Hire part-time or remote. My HR manager started at a few hours a week. You just have to decide what tasks to offload. Hiring someone for what you’re not good at frees you to focus on revenue-generating work. Bella: Exactly. You solved one of the biggest pain points in pet sitting—hiring. You found someone who loves it. That’s rare! Heather: It’s true. Most people don’t enjoy it. But now, my HR manager handles interviews, hiring, and terminations. Bella: And that freed you to focus on marketing, client service, and growth—which is why your business has scaled so fast. Heather: Yes. Bella: Let’s talk about mistakes. Tell me about a big blunder you learned from. Heather: Last year was tough. My husband and I moved out of town, and I hired a full-time manager to run things. It worked for six months until she started mismanaging everything. Thirteen people quit in one month due to frustration. I fired her and took back control. Then I created an org chart with my HR manager, promoted team leads as neighborhood managers, gave them stipends, their own Google Voice numbers, and limited system access. I also hired a key manager for handling keys daily. Now, turnover is almost nonexistent. Everyone feels in control and supported. Bella: That’s brilliant. Most people would’ve frozen in fear after that kind of loss. You rebuilt and decentralized your management structure. That’s leadership. Heather: I actually got the idea from another pet sitting company. I talked to people with bigger companies and adapted their ideas to fit mine. Bella: And that’s the difference—you weren’t afraid to try. You fail, learn, and pivot. Heather: Exactly. What’s the worst that can happen? You try again. Bella: What are your delegation tips for people scared to let go? Heather: Don’t give it all away at once and don’t give it all to one person. Everyone wants to grow. Giving sitters small leadership roles makes them feel valued. It gives them ownership and upward mobility. Bella: And you created that structure while freeing yourself. You now travel—RV trips, overseas trips. Heather: Yes, I’m actually leaving for Morocco tomorrow for two weeks. Bella: That’s amazing. You’re the example of what many people dream of—building a business that runs without them.