Episode 245 – How To Think Bigger About Your Business

In this week’s podcast, we are thinking big and talking about what you can do to level up with the tools you already have. BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS: You won’t grow your business trying to do everything yourself. Make use of organic opportunities. The last thing you need is another business course. Show Highlights Testimonial of what can happen when you start thinking big! (9:50) Perfect your processes and nothing can stop you. (14:00) Questions you need to ask yourself. (20:00) Bella's call to action. (24:00) Links Ready to get serious about your hiring process? Sign up with Jazz HR, click here. Ready to join Mastermind and start thinking big? click here. Free Facebook group, Jump Start Your Pet Business here. To sign up for Pet Care Team Training click here. To email Bella, if there is anything you’d specifically like to hear about, email [email protected] 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 245 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. I want to tell you a story about one of my clients. Her name is Rhonda Clark with Tail Chasers. Her and her husband, Matt, run this magnificent business. They joined the mastermind in 2018. She was one of our OG, original gangsta members. She was struggling to delegate employees when communicating what she was trying to convey with different tasks. Her dog walks at the time were only $17 for 20 minutes or $75 a week, and her plan was to raise her rates $2 per visit on February 1, 2018. She wanted to rebrand her whole company because she wanted to go from being known as dog walkers to everything pet care because she had this big vision for herself. She was working on all of these grandiose plans while doing it scared and wondering what’s happening. She was also living more in the city in a high-density area with her two young sons and just living life, trying to figure it all out. Today I want to talk to you—are you playing too small in your business? And just how much growth can you see in a year or two? I'm going to give you examples of many of my different clients, both in the mastermind and in Better Marketing with Bella. Through those programs, we get to work together long-term, which is always really amazing because there’s accountability and working through struggles and fears the whole time. But I want you to wonder—are you playing too small with your business? How are you solving problems? The way you solve your problems determines the answer to this question. Are you using things to the best of your advantage, or are you just of the mindset that, “Well, this is good enough for today,” or “Another day, another dollar,” or “I’m so busy, I don’t even have time to eat, so I’ll just go through drive-through”? Things get worse before they get better, and what determines if they get better is your mindset and your connection to your vision and dreams. Are you dreaming bigger? Are you building a business with a vision for one, two, three, four years from now—or just doing it to get by today? Are you solving problems or creating dreams? Are you creating systems and structures that will let your business grow beyond you? Most of the time, we miss out on opportunities because we don’t have the time or headspace to take advantage of them. I want to talk about software because I see this as a major pain point in pet sitting and dog walking companies. When I talk about software, I mean all of it—your pet sitting software, JazzHR, your phone, ClickUp, Slack, Evernote, Asana. Are you playing too small? Are you using them to their fullest capability to streamline your systems? It’s rarely the software’s fault—it’s the user. We need to humble ourselves and say, “I don’t know,” or delegate it to someone who can become an expert. Do you understand integrations and APIs? You don’t need to be an expert, but you need to know enough to be dangerous. When we evaluate members’ systems in the mastermind, we see huge differences between how people use the same software. Two businesses might use Precise Petcare or Time to Pet, but one appears sleek and automated while the other is clunky—all because of how they set it up. Some let clients self-manage bookings; others insist on doing it for them. How can you grow when you’re spending time being your clients’ virtual assistant? Dream big—it’s possible. What about Slack? Do you have channels set up or one big chat? Many ask me the difference between Slack and text. It’s huge. Slack allows organization, collaboration, and boundaries. Text threads don’t. You get constant pings, no threading, and chaos. I’ll tell you right now—you don’t need more courses or education. You just need to use what’s already in front of you better. If only you know how to do things in your business, you’re playing too small. If you were gone tomorrow, could someone take your place? If not, that’s a red flag. You’re not that indispensable—you’re not a brain surgeon. Working from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. isn’t a badge of honor; it’s a road to burnout. In 2014, when I birthed one of the world’s smallest female babies—only 12 ounces—I would never have been able to sell my business for six figures if I hadn’t built systems and a bigger vision. If I was still doing it all myself, I would’ve lost everything. Let’s go back to Rhonda. She raised her rates, rebranded, and got flooded with clients—even old ones returning at the new rate. She hired an office manager, opened a daycare, moved her family onto the property, launched her own dog food line, and opened five businesses in three years—all while homeschooling her boys. Was it smooth? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely. This is what happens when you delegate and dream big. Start solving problems with a big mind. Think bigger. Grow into your business like shoes that are too big now but will fit soon. What have you done since last year? Are you still waiting for things to “go back to normal”? That’s small thinking. Or are you making a plan and going for it? Big thinkers don’t wait—they act. I’ll give you another example: a Boston pet sitter who was terrified to hire. She was the queen of control freaks, but she pushed through. Her manager quit with one week’s notice. She hired five new employees—and spent the entire month traveling. Her business had its biggest month ever. She believed in herself. That’s what happens when you prepare instead of panic. Another client of mine is hiring three people at once because he perfected his systems early. He now runs a $400k business with a VA who works only 10 hours a week. That’s efficiency. You’re not winning if you have a waitlist—you’re losing revenue. Supply and demand, people! If demand is high, raise your prices. The world is adjusting, and so should you. This isn’t just about hiring. It’s about thinking bigger. Start systematizing. Create processes for complaints, client calls, employee issues. Build confidence through structure. Ask yourself: are you building a job or a business? A job depends on you; a business runs without you. Don’t build roles around people’s preferences—build them for the company. Read Powerful by Patty McCord—the Netflix story. It’ll teach you about letting people go when they outgrow their role, welcoming new energy, and understanding that not everyone is meant to stay forever. Hire for the company’s needs, not sentimentality. Loving dogs doesn’t qualify someone for office work. You’re not a hostage to your business—you’ve made yourself one. So what are you going to do about it? Automate your marketing, join a mastermind, surround yourself with big thinkers. Or will you keep running in circles until burnout catches up? We are in a service industry revolution. It’s time to wake up. You are the captain of your ship, not the deckhand. When the iceberg comes, you better be steering. So—how big can you dream? Can you grow from one business to five in three years? Can you travel for a month while your business runs itself? You can—but only if you dream bigger and systematize smarter. It’s not easy right now. Hiring is tough. But buckle up, buttercup—it’s supposed to be. The ones who get through this are the ones who build strong systems, protect their mindset, and collaborate with peers. The worst thing you can do is isolate yourself and stay small. Everything you’re going through is normal—but it’s doable. My clients prove it every day. I poured my heart into this one, and it’s different from my usual episodes. So please, email me at [email protected] and tell me what you thought. I don’t do this for me—I do it for you. When I record, I think of you—the business owners in my mastermind and Better Marketing with Bella who are pushing through, crying, scared, and still doing the work. The only difference between those who win and those who give up is that the winners keep showing up. If you’re ready for me to fight for your business like I do every week, join the mastermind at jumpconsulting.net/mastermind. You can save $600 a year by paying in full. Make that commitment to yourself. Life is hard, but if you keep jumping, you’ll never get stuck in a rut. 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,