Episode 288: 3 Of The Biggest Mistakes Pet Businesses Make During Onboarding And Training

A lot of business owners are trying desperately to hire employees right now, but are facing issues such as long waitlists, difficulty finding qualified candidates, candidates dropping out of the interview process, or quitting shortly after being hired. These problems are running rampant in the industry and it is probably because of one of these three things: Too long of an onboarding process, too much back and forth with new employees, and needing help with the probationary period. This week I am diving into all these mistakes and what you should do to avoid them. Biggest Takeaways: 3:48 Too long of an onboarding process 6:32 Too much back and forth 8:24 Probationary period Recommendations: Did you take your eye off of marketing to focus on hiring? Let's call that a 4th mistake! Your marketing should also be attracting the right employees to work for you. DM me today and ask how Better Marketing With Bella has helped many, many clients not only land more business but multiple employees! The Mastermind is the place to be around other business owners who are making this happen every day. It is a group of like-minded business owners who are killing the game when it comes to making sales and finding the right employees for their business. I am inviting you to come to check it out! I am opening up a FREE group devoted to hiring new employees! If you are struggling, let me help guide you along. DM me to get o the list to join this exclusive group! Links: www.jumpconsulting.net/marketing www.jumpconsulting.net/mastermind [email protected] Gingr Pet-Care Software Transcript: This is episode 288 of Bella in Your Business. You love to take care of the pets, but not the busy work that comes with running a pet care business. Meet Ginger, the best-in-show dog daycare, boarding, and grooming software. Ginger is packed with time-saving features that make running your pet care business easier, and your customers will love booking appointments from the Pet Parent mobile app. More tail wags, less busy work. Say hello to simplicity with Ginger. Visit gingerapp.com/bella to claim your free one-month subscription. That’s G-I-N-G-R-A-P-P.com/bella to claim that one free month subscription. 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 a little under the weather. I might sound a little bit more raspy than I usually sound—thank you, Arizona allergies. It might not snow here, but it sure does snow these little yellow things from the Palo Verde trees. So please forgive me in this episode. We’re going to talk a lot today about how to overcome three of the biggest mistakes I see when people are trying to hire somebody—and it’s right at the very beginning, typically. I’ve helped revamp so many hiring processes for people. I do them in person during the intensives, and I do them online through Zoom intensives. And one thing is clear: there’s a pattern. There’s a pattern of mistakes that people are making. So, we’re going to throw the lid off of it today. It might be a shorter podcast because, one, I’m going to tell you these three things straight up, and two, I literally can’t talk that long. But you’re definitely in for a value-packed treat today. Everyone’s looking to hire employees right now. I think I mentioned on a previous podcast, we’ve been reaching out to a lot of people every single day just to have conversations with you guys and get a feel for what’s going on right now. As we mentioned previously, there’s a big, huge bubble coming. I just got off the phone with Tiffany from Pet in Home Care, and she called it “revenge traveling.” I loved that phrase! Everyone’s breaking records right now, which is pretty typical—we’re seeing it everywhere. However, that’s not going to last, right? Every bubble pops. So I want to encourage you—do not take your eyes off of hiring. We’re still thinking about doing a special hiring group for free for you guys because I want you to succeed. But let me ask: are you trying desperately to hire right now? Are you on a waitlist? Do you feel like you can’t find anyone? Like nobody applies, or they don’t follow through? Maybe they stop halfway through your interview process, or they ghost you at interviews. I’ve heard of a lot of people getting ghosted—are you one of them? Or maybe they quit right after they start. I just saw a screenshot from an employee who was hired and, on her first day, said, “Actually, I don’t want this job. I’m just kidding.” And of course, the business owner was like, “What in the world?” It’s hard not to take that personally, right? But these problems are running rampant in the industry. And it’s probably because of one of these three things I’m about to tell you. 1. An Onboarding Process That’s Too Long Let’s start here. What is an onboarding process? It’s everything that happens between the moment you say, “I’d like you to work for me,” and they say yes—up until the point where they’re on their own with their own schedule. You want to make sure your employees are well-equipped to do the job and that they feel comfortable with your company culture and how you do things. But an onboarding process that’s too long will bore them. I’ve heard of people with endless checklists—two face-to-face meetings, a virtual meeting, and ten back-and-forth emails, each with something new to fill out, watch, test on, or upload. My word! This is pet sitting and dog walking. It’s pretty straightforward. That first experience with your company either excites them or leaves a bad taste in their mouth. I’ve said before that interviewing is like dating. Well, onboarding is still dating—you’ve just made it official. Now they’re thinking, “Okay, is this going to be a match made in heaven?” So just because they’ve said yes doesn’t mean you can slack off. Your onboarding process still needs to be on point—smooth, easy, and exciting. Exciting videos can make a big difference. But sometimes, people make the mistake of throwing new hires into a disorganized library full of talking head videos or boring slideshows that don’t connect. That bores them to death. They think, “I’m just kidding, I don’t want to work here.” Your onboarding process is so important. The way you present that material matters. Have you looked at it recently? Because that might be one major mistake you’re making when hiring and onboarding new people. 2. Too Much Back and Forth You’ve probably been there—you’re so excited to have a new person start that you want to tell them everything about the company. But beware: too much information at once will overwhelm them. Ease into it and give them time to adjust. Set times to talk about each new task so they know what to expect instead of being overloaded. Also, not everyone learns the same way. The most effective process lets people read it, watch it, and do it. But don’t turn it into a fire hose of information. If you overwhelm them, they’ll think, “I’m not good enough,” or “I’ll never remember all this.” You’ll stress them out. So really think about what you’re showing them, when you’re showing it, and how you’re showing it. If you’re so afraid of hiring mistakes that you’ve built extensive testing into every step—or if you hire someone and then ghost them for five or six days—stop. I don’t care how busy you are with work. When you’re onboarding someone, you need to tell them what they can expect and when they can expect it. There’s an easy way to make onboarding smooth, relatable, and exciting—not overwhelming. 3. A 90-Day Probationary Period I hear this all the time: “We have a 90-day probationary period.” Really? I’m pretty sure you know by the end of week one whether it’s going to work out or not. I’m not saying make it seven days—but 30 days is usually enough. Regardless of what timeframe you choose, ask yourself: during orientation, do they know when you’ll check in? Have you created the expectation that you’ll meet to discuss how things are going? Do they know what they’ll be graded on—and are you grading yourself, too? Remember, this is a two-way street. It’s not just about you wanting them—it’s about them wanting to stay and being a good fit for your company culture. So, create space for open communication. Make it clear you’ll meet after a set period to evaluate how things are going—on both sides. That way, employees know you care, their voice matters, and they’re not left guessing how they’re doing. It builds trust and communication from the start. Unfortunately, most people don’t do this. They just say, “Okay, probation’s over. You’re official—here’s a raise.” A raise? Why? For what? You just reduced the job to money instead of meaning. People take these jobs for more than a paycheck—they want to nurture, belong, and make pets happy. That’s worth more than fifty cents. I told you this would be a short episode, mostly because of my voice, but I want to encourage you—if you want to be around people who are doing this differently and succeeding like gangbusters, please join us in the Mastermind. Go to jumpconsulting.net/mastermind. You’ll get a kitchen sink full of value and benefits, but the biggest one is the people—the community of business owners doing things differently and succeeding. And if you’re struggling with hiring, shoot me an email at [email protected]. I’ve got tons of resources—over 200 YouTube videos, almost 300 podcast episodes, 500+ blogs, and endless materials inside the Mastermind. Let me know how I can help.