Minding Your Dog Business - A Practical Guide To Business Success for Dog Professionals

Get ahead of your competition and stay there
Setting up and running a successful dog-related business is an achievement in itself, but building a business with staying power that can succeed over the long run is the ultimate test for a dog pro. dogTEC's Veronica Boutelle and Rikke Jorgenson new book will help guide you as you work to build your dog business, whether you are a trainer, a dog walker, a dog sitter, or a daycare owner. Of special interest to many of you dog pros will be the up to date information on the latest in marketing technologies and techniques as well as how to manage your business during economic downturns.

Learn:
How to develop your business for long-term financial security and personal fulfillment.
How you can become more comfortable and effective at selling your services.
What the smartest, easiest, least expensive ways to market yourself are. Should Google Adwords, Facebook, and Twitter be part of your marketing plan?
How to level out the scheduling-and-revenue roller coaster of seasonal fluctuations.

In straightforward language, sprinkled throughout with humor, Veronica and Rikke show you how to make choices that are right for you in an ever more competitive market A truly great resource for dog pros.

What dog trainers are saying about Minding Your Dog Business
Veronica and Rikke hit the bull's-eye in their emphasis on clarity and plain English in all client dealings, and sophisticated, up-to-the minute business strategies. There is an ah-ha moment sometimes several on every page.
Jean Donaldson, The Academy for Dog Trainers, author of Culture Clash, Mine!, and Dogs Are From Neptune

Without a doubt the most useful compendium of marketing and business development advice available for dog professionals. Practical, easy-to-read, insightful and innovative an essential read for anyone who wants to be a successful dog trainer.
Dr Ian Dunbar, veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and author of How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks

Veronica Boutelle, MA Ed., CTC, is the former Director of Behavior and Training at the San Francisco SPCA. Through her business, dogTEC, she teaches sold-out seminars and consults one-on-one with dog professionals. She writes a column for the APDT Chronicle of the Dog and is a sought-after speaker at conferences and dog training schools across the country. She lives with her husband and two dogs surrounded by wildlife in Sixes, Oregon.

Rikke Jorgensen, MA English and Comms, is a communications consultant and writer with a background in high-end advertising. She consults on communications and marketing strategy, and writes articles, newsletters, columns, and Web copy. She lives with her computer surrounded by restaurants and art galleries in San Francisco, California.

Click here to view an excerpt.

What reviewers are saying...

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"Some people love dogs. Some people love dogs so much they turn it into a living. "Minding Your Dog Business: A Practical Guide to Business Success for Dog Professionals" is a guide for those who are trying to get their dog related business off the ground. With business advice as well as how to apply these aspects to dog business and how the dog business can vary from other typical businesses, "Minding Your Dog Business" is a fine resource for anyone trying to turn their dog fancy into profit. " James A. Cox, Editor



THE APDT CHRONICLE OF THE DOG
Gone are the days of only yellow page listings and business cards. Today's savvy dog-business owner includes a website (the minimum), newsletter, vet packets, fun events, community lectures, local articles, referral cards, and more in her toolbox. But how to do it all in today's Dog Eat Dog World with the dual challenges of a slow economy coupled with increasing competition? In short: change don't quit. Written by the premier dog businesswoman who transfers her skills and knowledge to other dog professionals, Minding Your Dog Business is a huge, unique book actually, many introductory books in one. Veronica Boutelle, formerly, of the San Francisco SPCA, with freelance writer Rikke Jorgensen, has crammed a bookful of helpful information, business etiquette, and comprehensive ideas into a mere 129 pages. Professional dog walkers, dog sitters, groomers, dog day cares, boarding kennels, dog trainers the same basic business principles apply to all, and for the rare instances that they don't, Boutelle gives specialized assistance as she does in all her products. Written in a down-to-earth, cut-to-the-quick style, Minding is not a book to be read once, but a book to be used over and over again as a reference, a blueprint, a handbook of how-to's (only the checklists are missing) with nearly up-to-the-minute resources and URLs (c. 2010). A list of resources appears at the end of most chapters, in addition to a handy index at the end. The book is packed with facts, though some lack full citation, which may bother a reader looking to find the source material to support them. Minding carries on where Boutelle's first book, How to Run a Dog Business (which covers creating and managing a dog business) leaves off, in showing how to adapt a business to a changing economy by adjusting to current trends. The book's four sections cover policies (why you should decide sticky situations in advance) and guidelines, marketing (focusing on the message, targeting, timing, and delivery), business development, and survival strategies. This book runs the gamut. From planning to discounts and dog injuries (though no mention of a dog first aid course). From marketing (always!) and branding (a difficult chapter) to websites (three detailed chapters!), social media marketing, blogging, handling online complaints, and building relationships with vets. From customer service to great class designs and improved conversion rates. The Engagement Pyramid (five levels) of social media is introduced (and a simple diagram would have been nice). Specific vendors are also occasionally recommended without further explanation and when a business is mentioned whose URL appears in the resources list; it would be helpful to mention that in the text. In addition, great headings and subheadings ease transition and enhance readability but sometimes it was difficult to determine which were heading and which were subheadings. On the whole, there is much to crow about in this slim volume that fills a dog-pro void. Thomas Edison first said, Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Boutelle's book helps with the perspiration of a dog biz and she is your cheerleader as well. She wants you to success for the dogs! Skye Anderson, writes for Yankee Dog News and other publications.