The Savvy Sitter features on boldjourney.com
We were recently interviewed by boldjourney.com. View a copy of the article below or visit https://boldjourney.com/news/meet-savanna-westwood/.
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Savanna Westwood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Savanna, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Honestly, I do not think it ever goes away. There will be someone with more experience, a bigger or more successful business, or more knowledge. I think going into the mindset of, “You don’t know everything.” you should always be learning and willing to continue education in your field. Imposter Syndrome pops its head up less over time the longer you are in business and people in your field start coming to you for advice.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My company is a Professional, In-Your-Home, Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Service for the Winter Garden, Windermere, and some of the surrounding areas. Founded in 2015, The Savvy Sitter is insured and bonded, our team has several years of experience in handling and caring for all creatures ranging from tiny fish guppies to Grand Prix Show Horses, and everything in between.
We don’t just play with puppies and kitties all day but have to have a well-rounded knowledge of pet care including health, behavior, and grooming, just to name a few. Our goal, for any Professional Pet Sitter or Dog Walker, is to form a relationship where the pet is excited to see us or is comfortable to be around us when the parents are not home.
I am starting to see a transition from Pet Sitting and Dog Walking, being seen as a side hustle to more of a Professional Career. When potential clients reach out, I often hear “We want to use a Professional company for our pet” which up to a few years ago was not a common phrase I heard.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Always be marketing, even if you are full and can not take on new clients. The Day you stop marketing is the day your business starts dying.
2. When Networking with people or groups, do not look at them as potential clients. Think about how you can best help their business first and build relationships with them. A solid network list of people in different fields and industries will show you are well-connected in the community and can help your clients when they need something specific.
3. It is never “No”, it is “Not yet” . People may not need your services now and may not trust you, but these things take time to build or it may not be the right time for them.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Not being seen as a “Professional” field or legitimate business, when a friend, neighbor, relative or the kid in the neighborhood can do it. A lot of that is based on pricing or the they will do it for free. However, what happens when something goes wrong? Who is it at fault? Do they have insurance? What if the pet gets sick? What if there is a bad storm coming and we can’t get home? The A/C goes out in the middle of summer? A pipe bursts and floods the home. What is the plan? Is there a plan?
Many Professional Pet Care providers get that call when something goes wrong with the previous pet caretaker or they are no longer available.
We show our clients, the paperwork that we use and the software, Time to Pet, for information intake such as medical care, emergency contacts, plans of action and other items to make sure we have what we need to act on pets’ and home behalf when they are away or unavailable. Professional Pet Care providers should have insurance, bonds, registered businesses, continued education, service agreements or contracts in place.
Showing clients all these things, similar to any professional company or business, brings peace of mind.
On top of that, I am one of the Founding Members of the Florida Pet Services Association, and four of my fellow Pet Care providers joined me to create it and just had our first conference in August of 2023, we are preparing for 2nd conference this year. Our Mission Statement is To promote professionalism, provide elite education and create and connect professional relationships in the pet industry in the state of Florida.
Vision Statement: To promote the highest level of excellence in the pet industry and advancement of pet care standards in the state of Florida.
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