BUSINESS TIPS OF THE MONTH
From Joyce Shimetz, of Shimetz
Enterprises Business Consulting
and Services:
5 Easy Tips for getting started
on writing a business plan:
-
Brainstorm. Find some
quiet time to just sit down
(with a cup of coffee/tea or
a beer) and write down all
your goals. Don’t evaluate
the ideas, everything is
possible!
-
Money. Determine how
much you need to live on. Be
realistic. This is the base
number you need to start
with to build a budget,
price your
products/services, and to
fund the growth of the
business.
-
Calendar. Set
deadlines to accomplish your
goals. Start with
monthly/quarterly/annual and
then build up to a five year
plan.
-
Update. Murphy rules
and life changes. Review
your business plan at least
once a year and update it to
reflect your current
circumstances.
-
Avoid perfectionism.
There is never enough time
to document everything. Just
start with something as
simple as a page or two. As
your business grows the plan
can grow as well into a more
sophisticated document.
Joyce Shimetz is your small
business consultant. For more
information on how Joyce can
assist you with your business
plan contact her 707-542-1003.
ORGANIZATIONS—PERSONAL TIDBITS
Team In Training News
The ride is June 7th. It’s here
already! Time sure does fly. I’m
looking forward to a beautiful
ride and hopefully a faster time
J.
Another big THANK YOU to those
who have donated! To view my
progress, please take a look at
my Team in Training website at
http://pages.teamintraining.org/rw/ambbr09/jdavisa63u.
GROWING MY BUSINESS
I’m happy to announce that to
support the growth of my
business, I have hired a
part-time bookkeeper to my
staff.
Toni Becerra will be calling and
introducing herself to my
clients and business associates
during the next few weeks.
Please feel free to chat with
her and discuss any bookkeeping
concerns you may have just as
you would with me. She will be
working closely with me to help
provide better customer service
to all my clients as my business
grows.
VIRTUAL JEANNIE VIRTUAL
SPOTLIGHT
Any pet owners going on vacation
this summer?
This month’s spotlight is on
Marguerite McLennan, owner of
Wine Country Pet Sitters.
Wine Country Pet Sitters, LLC
 |
According to the Humane
Society of the United
States, Americans own
over 74 million dogs and
over 88 million cats.
Obviously, pets are as
much a part of American
life as hot dogs and
apple pie. Americans
consider their pets to
be valued members of the
family.
Marguerite McLennan,
owner of Wine Country
Pet Sitters, LLC, is one
of those happy pet
owners. She is the owner
of a Papillon named
Buddy, and two cats,
Joey and Socks. “I’ve
had pets all my life,”
she says. “When I was a
child, I knew all the
cats and dogs that lived
in the homes on the way
to school.” |
A
few years ago Marguerite was
planning a trip and needed to
find someone to take care of her
pets. She searched far and wide
before finding a friend of a
friend who agreed to not only
take care of her pets, but to
stay in her home with them while
she was away.
While she was away it occurred
to her that there’s a real need
for this service. There are so
many pet owners that have to
deal with finding someone they
can trust to watch their pets
every time they leave home. She
loves animals; it seemed a
perfect fit for her. “The whole
idea of pet ownership has
changed,” she says. “When I was
a child my dog lived outside.
Today, my dog sleeps on the bed.
If I’m going away I have a
sitter. I can’t tell you how
many people have said to me that
they can’t leave home because of
their pets. I’m providing the
solution.”
Wine Country Pet Sitters, LLC
provides several services. If
you would like your pet to have
in-home care each day while
you’re away, Wine Country Pet
Sitters, LLC will provide daily
visits that include individual
attention, feeding and play time
or perhaps a walk. And, if you
choose, one of Marguerite’s
sitters will stay at your home
overnight with your pet for the
duration of your time away,
walking your dog or playing with
your cat, watering plants and
bringing in the mail, going for
walks and in general making sure
your furry family member is
loved, fed, cared for, and, most
importantly, not alone.
Marguerite is very careful about
the sitters she works with. Her
vetting process includes a full
background check by a
professional private
investigator, including checking
personal and business
references, the applicant’s
driving record and they
ascertain that the applicant has
no criminal record. But mostly
it’s about her impression of the
potential sitter. “I look for
someone who loves pets,
obviously, has experience caring
for them and that has done pet
sitting before,” says
Marguerite. “My first impression
is very important and I have
passed over some applicants
because it just didn’t feel
right. Also, we’re bonded and
insured.” With seven sitters
contracted to date, Wine Country
Pet Sitters offers service to
most of Sonoma County.”
Before a sitter is matched to a
pet, Marguerite and the
potential sitter meet with the
client and their pet to make
sure there’s a good connection
among everyone involved. A
client/pet profile is taken,
noting daily routines and
habits, special food
requirements, sleep arrangements
(for the pet and the sitter),
personality traits and anything
else germane to the well-being
of the pet and the peace of mind
of the client.
In addition, Marguerite
or her sitter will
provide a written diary
of each visit,
describing what was
done, how the pet was
eating, what activities
they engaged in and
more, so the pet owners
can be assured that all
went well. And, Wine
Country Pet Sitters, LLC
will continue to visit
and care for their
charge until the owner
calls and tells them
they’re home. This
ensures the pet is taken
care of in the event the
owner’s return is
delayed for some reason.
Marguerite takes her
responsibility
seriously. As she says,
“I’m a pet person—I know
how important it is to
know that a pet is cared
for. To be able to
provide that kind of
peace of mind to my
clients makes me happy.
Our clients love us as
much as we love their
pets.
It’s such a wonderful
feeling to walk through
the door and have the
clients so happy and
relieved to see us. This
is a very positive
business. I love it.” |
 |
Wine Country Pet Sitters, LLC is
a member of the Better Business
Bureau, Pet Sitters
International and the National
Association of Professional Pet
Sitters, and Marguerite actively
supports the local library and
Humane Society.
If you need to leave town and
want to make sure your
four-legged family member is
well taken care of, give
Marguerite a call at Wine
Country Pet Sitters, LLC at
707-836-0238. She guarantees
your pet will be loved, pampered
and cared for—happy and ready to
greet you when you get home.
