Episode 247: How To Hire An Office Manager For Your Pet Sitting Business

Finding the right office manager for a pet-sitting business can be a challenging task, as it requires someone who is organized, detail-oriented, and has a passion for animals. An office manager will handle the day-to-day operations of the business, such as scheduling, bookkeeping, and customer service. They will also be responsible for managing the staff and ensuring that the business runs smoothly. In this week’s podcast, we are talking about how to find and hire the RIGHT office manager successfully. Biggest Takeaways How Set Yourself Up for Success to Hire an Office Manager (10.00) Determining the Foundation to Have an Office Manager (20.00) Knowing Who You are Hiring and Different Personalities (27.50) Links Email Me: [email protected] Schedule a 20min Call: Click Here JazzHR: Click Here 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 247 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 everybody to another episode of Bella in Your Business. Today we have a very interesting and exciting twist on our hiring theme that we've been talking a lot about. Today I'm going to talk about something that comes up so many times in our group. So many times people are struggling with this exact position to hire, and I'm going to blow the lid off of it today. I again have never seen anyone talk about this topic in the industry quite this way or about this specific position in your business. And I am here to start talking about it because that's what we do here on this podcast. First, before we get into it, I do want to let you know that this podcast is sponsored by JazzHR. JazzHR is an amazing system where you can not only post on 15 plus job boards but also only see the applications that are actually good ones. Not only that, but you can get people through your workflow—yes, you should have a workflow. We've talked about this in past episodes. Some of my clients have said three steps in one hour. Guys, when we have such a volatile hiring job market, the last thing you need to do is wait till you get home to reply back to people. You have to have this thing flowing and going fast to get them excited about the process to work with you. Otherwise, you will get ghosted. People will not respond back to you or show up for the interview. So go ahead and head on over to jumpconsulting.net/jazzHR. That is exactly how you can get 50% off their software. Thank you very much just for being part of the Bella crew. You'll also get a bunch of freebies too, and of course, the wonderful Abby who has been working with our industry for three years and knows all about your pet sitting and dog walking business. So unlike other vendors who are like, “You do what?” Abby’s down with it. She knows exactly what we do. So let's get into it today. You are here probably because you want to learn how to actually hire for your administrative part of the business—your office manager, that kind of thing. So let's talk about this because so many times people start off with office management by pulling someone off their routes. And that feels right, right? They know your business, they know pets, they love pets, and they can obviously talk to the clients because they talk to them during meet and greets or consultations. So it just kind of makes sense that they would be good in the office, right? Wrong. And here's why. I'm going to explain all this to you today because I know that some of you have made this mistake before. Before you ever introduce anybody into your office staff or admin team, I want you to have a couple of things in place first. Just like if you were to hire a dog walker or a pet sitter, you need to have an employee handbook, a manual, and standard operating procedures. This is what we do, this is how we do it—written out step by step. It should be technically written, meaning no exclamation points or fancy formatting. These days, it's often virtual—something like a Google Doc or Google Sites where you can easily search. You cannot expect anyone to do any job for you without proper SOPs. The next thing is a workflow and checklist. Workflows are step-by-step processes that move you from one step to the next. Include videos if needed—some people learn better visually. Loom is a great free tool to record your screen. You need that foundation in place before you can expect success from anyone you hire. Cool, Bella, I already have it. It's not perfect, but it's there. Okay, next question: what's your close rate? What percentage of inquiries turn into paying clients? Because if you’re giving up responsibility for leads and client communication to this person, you better make sure they can sell as well as—or better than—you can. Sales is a big part of this job. You need someone who’s not afraid of hearing “no,” but sees it as an opportunity to try again. Have a sales script ready. Know your lingo, your phrasing, how you respond. If you’re just stating prices and not really selling, you’re losing opportunities. You need to know your numbers: how many people reach out, how many book, and how long it takes to create routes or schedules. This role requires attention to detail and strong operational thinking. So far we’ve talked about sales, attention to detail, and operations—three key pillars of the role. Start building your interview process around these. Test for problem-solving, communication, and initiative. Someone who loves animals but hates problem-solving will struggle in this role. You also need to consider skill set. Are you hiring someone exactly like you or someone who complements you? Ideally, hire to complement your weaknesses. And if you can, have two part-time admins instead of one full-time—it creates checks and balances and prevents dependency. Define KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). How will you measure success—more sales, faster scheduling, fewer route errors, or smoother communication? If you’re paying employees mileage or travel time, having an efficient operations person can save you hours and money. They can analyze data, identify inefficiencies, and optimize routes. Or maybe you need someone who’s detail-oriented and can manage your brain dump of tasks via Slack or Voxer. The goal is to make you feel supported. If you feel like you’re constantly supporting your admin instead of the other way around, something’s off. You need someone who can take ownership. Treat the hiring process for this position as seriously as hiring a pet sitter. Test them. Interview deeply. They’ll be your gatekeeper, and that’s a huge responsibility. When defining the role, categorize tasks under accounts payable/receivable, sales, operations, and marketing. Then identify what you need most help with. If you’re hiring someone already on your team, ask about their admin experience. Being great with pets doesn’t automatically mean they’ll thrive in admin work. Also, keep track of different pay rates for in-field and office hours since workers’ comp rates differ. Ask your insurance agent about using different classification codes for fieldwork vs. office work. Next, decide how you’ll communicate. Please don’t rely on text or email—it’s inefficient and disorganized. Use Slack for communication or Asana/Trello for project management. Slack lets you thread conversations, create channels, and search old messages easily. This alone will save hours. I’ve seen businesses run efficiently with just two hours of admin work per day because everything is streamlined. And yes, it’s possible. Do not hire an admin just because they’re a great dog walker or pet sitter. Hire someone with operational, detail-oriented, and sales experience. You might not find all three in one person, but you’ll know what you’re hiring for. During onboarding, learn their communication style and personality. Tools like StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, or 16Personalities are great for this. Understanding what motivates them helps you manage better. You can’t control whether people quit, but you can control your hiring, onboarding, and training systems. Build them now. It will make your business stronger and even more valuable if you sell one day. Reconsider pulling someone from the field just because they’re great with clients. Create a job listing on JazzHR and consider virtual candidates. This work can be done remotely. Find out your budget and what that translates to hourly. Think big. Build systems. Set them up for success. This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. I hope this has helped expand your thinking and helped you avoid mistakes that so many have made. I want you to succeed faster and with fewer headaches. Email me at [email protected] or message me wherever you found this episode. The day this podcast comes out, I’ll actually be in Chicago doing two in-person intensives, helping clients build out their businesses. I am so excited—it’s one of my favorite things to do. Get ready, because pet sitters are not slowing down anytime soon. If you want to leverage this momentum, you need systems and support. Join the Mastermind at jumpconsulting.net/mastermind, or email me for $25 off. All right, I’ll talk to you soon. Bye! 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.