Episode 179: 2020 Predictions in Your Pet Business

As a coach in the Pet Industry, I have the opportunity to work with pet businesses from all over the world at all different stages of their business. Due to this, I'm able to see trends that spread from the starter businesses to the six-figure businesses and identify what trends are being used to help their business growth and what's simply not working. Thus, every year I write my yearly predictions leading me to the 2020 predictions in your pet business. Biggest Take Away You Don't Want To Miss In order to excel in your business, you need to know the 2020 predictions for your pet business. With businesses such as Rover and Wag not going anywhere, the sooner you're able to adapt, the better. Adapting can mean making educated business investments, getting smarter with technology, utilizing dark social or simply fixing your mindset. Show Highlights More Educated Business Investments [2:05] Using Rover to Your Advantage [3:20] Get Smarter Using Technology [5:43] Dark Social [7:48] Mindset [9:43] Links Learn more about the Pet Industry Coalition  Get started with AgoraPulse  Join my FREE E-Myth Mastery Book Club Check out the Jump Consulting Mastermind Let's Connect! 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’' Are You New Here? Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below. Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here. Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here. Transcript: This is episode 179 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business. So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I’m going to give you some of my 2020 predictions for your pet business. My nose has been to the ground and my tail’s been up because I’ve been paying close attention to trends. I get a unique look into our industry as I work with business owners all over the world at every stage. I hear what keeps you awake at night, see where people are moving forward fast, and where others get stuck. Each year, I release an epic post on what’s changing in the pet industry and how to plan for the year ahead. Last year, I wrote The State of the Pet Industry in 2019 and shared key trends like the shift from baby boomer to millennial consumers, the rise in pet sitting and dog walking businesses for sale, Rover and Wag’s growing presence, increasing regulations, rapid industry growth, and the ongoing dominance of software tools. If you revisit those predictions, you’ll see they’re still relevant. Those who embraced them have grown significantly—some skyrocketing from zero to six figures in months—while others are still struggling after years. It’s all about the person driving the ship. Let’s talk about more educated business investments. I recently advised a couple against buying a $500,000 pet business because all workers were non-compliant independent contractors. After explaining the risks, they agreed. They didn’t want to gamble their investment. Around 90% of businesses using ICs are out of compliance. If you’re growing and scaling, please make sure you’re compliant—meaning, you have employees. A great resource is the Pet Industry Coalition, a group of pet business owners helping others meet employment laws that are increasingly being enforced. Next, let’s discuss using Rover to your advantage. Last year, I said they’re here to stay, and they are. They keep raising money and aren’t slowing down. Stop complaining that they’re stealing your staff or clients—if that’s happening, you’re doing something wrong. Rover succeeds because of their user experience, not necessarily because of superior service. As customer service expert Dan Gingiss shared in our mastermind, people choose Rover because it’s easy to use. So ask yourself—how easy is your website to navigate? Does it make signing up effortless? Is it about you or your client? Redoing your website can be hard, so consider hiring a copywriter who understands psychology and storytelling. Your site should make visitors feel something, clearly guide them, and showcase the customer as the hero. Rover’s strength lies in simplicity—a busy mom can book at 1 a.m. half-asleep. That’s your competition: technology. Which brings me to my next point—get smarter about using tech. I predict that in 2020, pet business owners will use technology more effectively in three ways. First, they’ll maximize the tools they already pay for instead of using only 20% of a platform’s features. Second, they’ll evaluate whether their current tech setup—with its “workarounds” and manual fixes—is truly helping or hurting them. Third, they’ll encourage full adoption of tools among staff and clients to streamline systems and reduce costs. Take a technological audit. This might mean investing in social media management tools like Agorapulse, which helps track, report, and engage (and yes, I can get you two free months). Or it could mean learning to manage notifications—turning off unnecessary alerts, scheduling Do Not Disturb hours, or customizing ringtones for key contacts. Use apps like Audible or Brain.fm to learn and focus. Charge credit cards weekly to cut down on bookkeeping time. Now let’s talk about dark social—a concept my friend Jessica Phillips from Now Marketing Group often discusses. Dark social includes private-feeling channels where selling happens—DMs, chatbots, Facebook groups, and Stories. While these spaces feel private, they’re powerful for business growth. I see pet sitters using them effectively to text clients, run community-focused Facebook groups, and build relationships. The best groups aren’t about promoting a company—they’re about building a community. I travel worldwide teaching people how to create online communities. If you want to learn more, follow me on Instagram at @BellaVasta or my public Facebook page. Also, consider attending Social Media Week Lima in Ohio this June 16–17, hosted by Jessica Phillips. I’ll be speaking there again alongside many top marketers. Every year, our pet sitter table grows—join us! Next prediction: mindset will make or break businesses in 2020. It’s time to step up or step aside. The gap between strong and weak business owners will widen. Many will sell their businesses, and some will realize their business isn’t worth as much as they thought. The key is shifting your mindset—your business is not you; it’s a separate entity. Build it to be valuable and self-sustaining. The best thing I ever did was read The E-Myth Mastery. It taught me to build a business worth buying, and I later sold mine for six figures in two weeks. I’m even running a book club on it now—join at jumpconsulting.net/emyth. It’s a great resource if you want to understand why small businesses fail and how to build one that thrives. As a business owner, you need to work on your mindset daily. You’re the visionary—the leader. If you’re buried in stress or indecision, you can’t lead effectively. Not making decisions creates anxiety; lack of growth leads to depression. If you’re not showing leadership to your community, clients, or staff, they’ll drift toward others who do. In 2020, I predict business owners will rise up—seeking accountability, investing in development, creating visions, and achieving them. Will you be one of them? If your only motivation is your love of pets, but you’re still stuck with the same challenges year after year, maybe it’s time to sell. That’s not giving up—it’s choosing joy and control over your life. Some people simply aren’t meant to run a business, and that’s okay. The successful ones think differently—they see problems as challenges, failures as lessons, and the future as opportunity. They move fast, stay positive, and make decisions with confidence. So what are your predictions? Do you see something I missed? I’d love to hear from you—email me at [email protected] or message me wherever you found this episode. What struggles do you see? What’s changing in the next year or decade? It’s a brand new decade—exciting, right? I’ve got two major launches coming soon—one in marketing and one in training—to help the best of the best grow stronger. Stick with me, friends. A new episode drops every Thursday. If you liked this one, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever you listen, and share it in your groups or on your Stories. Tag me @BellaVasta—I love seeing your posts. So what did you think? Did you love this episode? I sure hope you did because I put a lot of love into this for you. The best way you can show me that is by going to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you listen to your podcast and leaving a review. I just might read it on the next episode. I also want to remind you that when life gets you down, remember to always keep jumping. Thanks for listening.