Episode 195: The Scientific Way To Choose A Pet Sitting Software

The Scientific Way To Choose A Pet Sitting Software Choosing a pet sitting software is not an easy task. Maybe you're overwhelmed with all of the different options out there, or even tried them all but just can't decide. It's difficult to determine which features are important to YOU and then to match those needs up with software. In this episode of Bella In Your Business, I sit down with Kristin Young, where she shares her scientific process for successfully choosing a pet sitting software to use in your pet business. After 20 years in corporate real estate and business, Kristin "woke up" one day realizing she wanted more ownership over her own time and to escape the common cubicle. With two young kids and a supportive husband, she began the search for an income model that she could manage, grow, and LOVE. In January of 2019, she decided to buy NOT ONE, but TWO cat sitting companies, with the intent to merge them into a single business. With a passion for business, love of animals and affinity for cat puns, Kristin uses her inner "geek" to make data-driven decisions in her cat sitting business and create processes that allow her to start stepping out of day-to-day operations and spend more time working ON her business, instead of IN her business. Kristin Young Show Highlights [1:30] - Who is Kristin Young? [5:00] - What was the driving force behind switching pet sitting software companies? [7:00] - Can you describe what an "RFP" is? [9:15] - How did you come up with the methodology for RFP and choosing a pet sitting software company? [19:15] - How long did you try each pet sitting software for? Are you happy with your choice in software? What advice would you have for someone that is stuck trying to choose a pet sitting software? [23:00] - Where can you find Kristin online? Links Kristin's Website: www.preciousfur.com 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 195 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 Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta and today I've got Kristen Young with me. You guys, I saw her post in one of my groups, one of the free groups I have, Jumpstart Your Pet Business. If you're not in there already, go ahead and jump on in there. But I saw her post about something really interesting, something that we don't often talk about on this podcast. So I wanted to bring her on to share her knowledge. Have you ever wanted to either get software or switch software but just seem to get completely paralyzed in all of the decision-making process that comes with it? Maybe you've trialed ten, fifteen, or twenty of them and you're still stalling out and it's been months and months. Well, today we're going to blow the lid off of it, and Kristen’s going to give you some awesome tips on how to actually choose a pet sitting software and bring you through her, what I call, scientific process. Before we get started, I want you to know who Kristen is. After twenty years in corporate real estate, Kristen woke up one day realizing she wanted more ownership over her time and to escape what I call “cubicle jail.” With two young kids and a supportive husband, she began searching for an income model she could manage, grow, and love. In January 2019, she decided to buy not one but two cat sitting companies in the Bay Area with the intent to merge them together. With a passion for business, a love for animals, and an affinity for cat puns, Kristen used her inner geek to make data-driven decisions and create processes that allowed her to start stepping out of day-to-day operations and spend more time working on her business than in it. After that kind of intro, you know this is a woman after my own heart—someone working on her business and making data-driven decisions. Without further ado, welcome to the show, Kristen. Kristen shared that the past year had been a crazy but exciting ride. She hadn’t specifically set out to buy a cat sitting business but knew she wanted something to do with animals. When she found not one but two cat sitting businesses for sale at the same time, she crunched numbers, made offers, and somehow managed to close on both simultaneously. Coming from a corporate environment gave her advantages, but she had to learn the pet industry fast. She leaned on her staff and others in the community to help her understand the market. The first six months were insane, but once she got everything merged, the major task was selecting the right system to operate efficiently. That decision became central to her business success. Kristen explained that many people get stuck in “analysis paralysis” when facing big business decisions like software selection. The key, she said, is to have a clear process, define steps, and set timelines. She emphasized the importance of goals with deadlines—otherwise, the decision-making process can drag endlessly. When asked what drove her to switch or select software, Kristen explained that the two companies she acquired were run very differently. One had a great client-facing interface but was micromanaged, with the owner handling every little detail. The other had a more powerful back-end system and trusted employees to handle communications and responsibilities. Both used large, established software systems, giving Kristen hands-on experience with two of the biggest names in the market. Seeing both perspectives helped her realize how critical software choice was to efficiency and scaling. She approached it with a corporate mindset, treating the process like a formal “RFP” or Request for Proposal. She explained that business owners should “run their business like a multi-billion-dollar corporation,” regardless of size. Kristen broke down her process into two essential tools: a Gantt chart (a timeline-based action plan) and an evaluation criteria matrix. Both can be made in Excel. She explained how she started with a plan, listing each week and setting milestones. She worked backward from her target goal—merging both companies before the summer rush—and broke down steps needed to get there. Her six-step framework started with an environmental scan of available options. She found about twenty pet sitting software companies but quickly narrowed them down based on scalability and reliability. Smaller, newer companies were riskier, and she wanted one with proven longevity. Next, she defined ranking and weighting criteria—factors like size, price, and key management. For her cat sitting business, key management was crucial due to constant key handoffs between staff. She weighted that criterion heavily (80%) and gave lower weight (10%) to price since most systems cost roughly the same. She then reached out to four or five companies with a list of detailed questions to evaluate responsiveness and customer service. Two were immediately eliminated for not addressing her questions. The others participated in hour-long demos, and Kristen compared each system side by side in her Excel sheet. Once she selected her software, she created an implementation plan in her Gantt chart, working toward “D-Day,” the official switchover. She even ran both systems concurrently for a short period to minimize transition issues. Bella summarized the method as starting with the end in mind, reverse-engineering the process, and prioritizing what matters most. Kristen added that she didn’t make decisions alone—she involved her team and even asked clients what features mattered most to them. This not only improved decision quality but also helped with client buy-in during the transition. Bella highlighted how Kristen’s process—complete with weighted criteria—turned a potentially overwhelming decision into a structured, scientific approach. For those intimidated by spreadsheets, Bella noted that the principle, not the format, matters: knowing what you need, assigning value to each criterion, and sticking to a plan. When asked how long the process took, Kristen said about six months—from the initial evaluation to the final switch. She emphasized that big decisions like this shouldn’t be rushed. Unrealistic timelines only lead to frustration. She ultimately narrowed her choice down to two major systems—Precise Pet Care and Time to Pet—and chose Precise Pet Care. She was happy with her decision, especially because of their customer service and willingness to listen to feedback. Communication features were lacking but were already being improved based on user feedback. Kristen encouraged software users to communicate—not complain—with their providers. Constructive, solution-oriented feedback helps companies evolve. She advised business owners to communicate openly,