Dog Business Coaching Puts You Back in Control!

Like many small business owners, you wear a lot of hats.

Sometimes wearing many hats can wear you down. Instead of sailing the sea of success you spend your time bailing water out of the boat.

I’m Kirsten and I am a business coach for canine professionals and pet entrepreneurs. Business coaching can help design a business that works for you.

Too many times I have watched animal lovers turn their passion into a business -- only to get depressed, frustrated, and even quit. Have you ever noticed the tag line to most animal programs is Turn Your Passion Into Business? It paints the ideal business dream in one short sentence.

What these programs don't tell you is that building a business takes a lot of work. It's true, having passion for animals can fuel the fire to keep working, but it can also steer you away from accomplishing other important business goals.

One thing most animal professions have in common is a high burn out rate. We are owner-operators. We are marketing, human resources, technician, and CEO. It's hard to know what percentage of time we should be putting into each of these elements, unless we have mapped out a plan.

It's easy to get lost in the details. It's hard to get back on track. It can be so overwhelming that we are hit hard by the do nothing bandit. We stick with the few tried and true elements and give up on the things outside our comfort zone. The problem is, those business elements outside of our comfort zone still affect our business. We have to deal with them in one way or another.

As your Business Coach I help you identify elements outside your comfort zone and we work together to put them back on your map. Often these elements include budgets, marketing, money issues, measuring success, and being in control of your business decisions. It usually isn't as scary as you have made it out to be.

As a sole owner of a dog training business sometimes you feel all alone making all of the decisions and can second guess yourself all the time. That is where Kirsten has been a lifesaver. We brainstorm ideas together and after speaking to Kirsten she helps me to sort things out and I am ready to go. She has helped me with everything from difficult clients, marketing, accounting, to keeping me focused, motivated and more. Kirsten has it all to help you be successful in your business.

Sandy Wishnick CPDT-KA from all-paws-pet-training.com

How did your business get here?

You knew the minute the idea hit you that could train better, pet sit better, or run a daycare better than others have done in your area. All your friends have told you how great you would be, and how they would hire your services for their pets needs.

You got online and excitedly designed logos and business cards. You asked all your Facebook friends to vote on a business name. You dropped off business cards around town. You only had great expectations so every phone call was a chance to prove yourself. You could hardly sleep at night!

You may have started with a boom - lots of inquiries and initial clients. You say to yourself This is what running a business is about! And then something dreadful happens... you either become so busy you don't have time for anything else in your life, or so slow that you doubt you can make your business work.

You wonder how long you can keep this pace (you can't). If you're too busy, you can't take care of your family. If you are too slow, you can't take care of your family.

You start asking friends for advice. Most of them have opinions and good intentions, but they don’t run a small business. You may have even tried asking your spouse for advice. Unfortunately, even a business minded spouse can’t give unbiased opinions. They want you to show them the money!

The real problem here is that solo-entrepreneurs are just that... solo. The daily camaraderie of like-minded people to bounce ideas off is almost non-existent. Even if you have one or two employees asking them for business advice can have tumultuous results. Employee goals are different than business goals. Like it or not, an entrepreneur is in charge of both!

You look online for help, but it’s overwhelming. There are literally hundreds of business websites offering toolkits, business advice, and marketing plans. Which one should you choose? If you run your business by the seat of your pants, you won't be able to make a business choice that puts you ahead.

This is where business coaching can help. I specialize in solo-run companies and micro businesses. I help you create a business strategy that works. The next time you see a product offering a brilliant toolkit you’ll have the power to know if it can really help your business or if the best choice is to walk away.

Why hire me? Before I built Gentle Canine I moved through the ranks of several pet related businesses (see my about me page for a partial list). I was usually the employee that did it all. I thought this was a good thing.

Because of that mindset, I started my first business building a massive dog related website. Sure enough I could do it all. Website design, SEO, HTML, marketing, and article writing. When I got sick my business was sick. When I went on vacation my business went on vacation. When I ran out of ideas, so did my business. I wondered how to run a business that didn't depend on every part of me.

I spent over $30,000 learning this one lesson...

Don't run your business without a plan. With the right strategy and goals - you can make the income you want - and run your business the way you always imagined.

6 Hour Private Coaching Package $425

Includes 6 - One Hour Phone (or Skype) Consultations