Pet sitting was a small but growing industry when I opened my business as a sole proprietor eight years ago. One of the pleasant features I soon discovered about the industry was that individual pet sitters were unexpectedly collaborative. Having come from a corporate background, I expected the same kind of competition that drives most businesses to succeed.
What a nice surprise to find pet sitters more concerned about the welfare of the animals than where their next client was coming from. Having a network of other excellent pet sitters to refer clients to who are out of my service area or who need care when I’m not available has helped me offer the best service possible to the animals and their owners.
With this as a backdrop, you can imagine my dismay to hear Paul Mann, former dog walker and now the CEO of Fetch!, a pet sitting franchise, make patronizing, even critical, remarks about independent pet sitters and boarding kennels. It is so contrary to the spirit of the industry that it jars me every time I see a new press release by this guy. Here’s a sample of a recent interview with him by Ivonne DiVita on www.ScratchingsandSniffings.com:
Mann starts out nicely enough, but quickly slips into negativity, “Most independent pet sitters out there are really loving and caring people. The problem is they don’t have the full business background, meaning operations, legal, accounting human resources, marketing, all the things they need to know to run a sustainable business where they can provide great service to everyone all the time, and that’s what we encapsulated into the Fetch pet care franchise,where not only would we have a streamlined operation in the back office, but on the front lines we would put great pet sitters….” (He then describes all the same services independents offer.)
What Mann doesn’t acknowledge is that many independents also came from a corporate background. We share our knowledge of marketing, human resources, accounting, legal, and operations in active national forums to lift the professionalism of the industry and help each other. The result is that we are able to offer the same streamlined back office systems as Fetch does, but individually we can offer a customized, personal touch along with them.
I admit, I love a Starbucks Americano because I know it is going to be pretty much the same every time. But I am also delighted with the extraordinary flavor in my neighborhood coffeehouse espresso. Many people prefer the customized service they get from independent sitters, but there is certainly a place for the standardized franchises too, just as there is a place for good boarding kennels.
The fact that Mann feels compelled to take potshots at his colleagues says a lot about his personal character. Mann is missing the boat by alienating thousands of pet sitting companies and boarding kennels around the nation. As we independents have found, there is a lot more to be gained from cooperation than competition in a growing profession that has room for everyone.
Technorati Tags: pet sitting, Fetch! Pet Sitting, ScratchingsAndSniffings
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This is the email that I just sent to Yvonne… the woman who did the interview with Paul Mann that you talked about above:
Hi Yvonne!
I wanted to write to tell you that I really enjoy your blog, and I especially like listening to your “Out Loud” sessions! As a pet sitter and dog walker here in Portland, Oregon, I really find a lot of helpful and informative material when I have time to log on and check it out!
I wanted to let you know, though, that I am troubled by a recent segment of “Out Loud” that you did with Paul Mann of Fetch! Pet Care. I just got the time to listen to it, and it was very frustrating. While I do think he has some good ideas about how to run a business, any business- because it seems he has run several, I am a little frustrated about how he always seems to try to denigrate independent pet sitters. I have seen other interviews (in print) with him, and he always makes a point of saying how unprofessional we (as a group) are, and how we lack the same level of business savvy that he has. I have been in business for almost four years now, and many of my fellow pet sitters here have been in business for more than a decade. We are a VERY professional group of people! We are all licensed, bonded and insured. We all have systems in place to provide back up in case of emergencies. We all are quick to respond to our customer’s needs. We return phone calls and emails in a timely fashion. We provide completely personalized service for all of our clients… all of the time. We work with each other to come up with new ideas and innovations to make our businesses the very best that they can be. We are a very communicative bunch! But, more importantly, we assist new people in growing their businesses. We help and support each other. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen pet sitters who have been in the business a long time refer potential new clients to newer pet sitters that they know are just starting out, but deserve some clients because they are doing excellent work. We are a very nurturing and supportive group. This is, I believe, the true mark of a professional. He or she knows that what they have to offer can only be enhanced when they take the time to help others build their industry. A rising tide raises all boats, so to speak.
On the other hand, you have someone like Paul Mann, who it seems thinks nothing of tearing down independent pet sitters, kennel and boarding facility operators and anyone else he can think of that might be competition. He does it on his website, he does it in interviews, and he did it (admittedly a little more softly than he has in the past) on your show! How disappointing! Independent pet sitters built this business… literally from the ground up. For decades, independent pet sitters have been on the front lines educating potential clients about what it means to be a professional pet sitter. I dare say that Mr. Mann would have a much harder road to travel on were it not for the people who came before him and paved the way! People wouldn’t even know what a “pet sitter” is if it were not for all of the independents who have been operating with nothing but professionalism, and the utmost care and attention to detail, for decades!
I also take issue with his assumption that corporate care is better than independent care. I have clients that have been with me from the very beginning… before my business even had a name! I know their animals like I know my own. I know when a cat named Shaggy is grumpy and not eating because it is his Mom’s first day of vacation. I know when a dog named K’uychi is getting riled up just because she can see a squirrel from her favorite window and she needs to be distracted before she tears up some furniture. I even know a few particularly adventurous chickens who all have distinct personalities and favorite treats. In some cases, I know some people’s pets better than they do… because they never see what their pets go through when they are gone.
Now, I could be wrong, but I don’t think that Mr. Mann can guarantee that the same sitters will be with the same animals for every visit for their whole lives. That’s what happens when you run a big business. People get lost in the shuffle. It’s an unfortunate, but inevitable, side effect of being a big corporate business. But, an independent pet sitter can make that guarantee. Easily. And a good independent wouldn’t have it any other way!! I have had clients that I have cared for from their birth. I also have been invited to be with families to say goodbye to clients when it was time for them to leave this world. Independent pet sitters are not unreliable or unprofessional, in my experience. If anything, we are even more committed to the overall welfare of our clients because we have the ability to get to know them so intimately. We are in it for love, but also for “the long run”.
I am a very small business owner. I’m no threat to Paul Mann. But I have to tell you, I don’t feel like the Paul Mann’s of this world are any threat to people like me, either. There will always be people who put their faith in systems, in computers, and in numbers. Those people will hire a company like “Fetch!” But, I work for people who put their faith in individuals, in the human heart and in the love that a professional, independent pet sitter will inevitably have for their pet. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I hope that you will, at some point in the future, be willing to give equal time to your favorite independent petsitter, so one of us can show your readers/listeners the other side of the coin. We may not all be super snazzy with logos and tag lines, but we are an honest, hard working, and above all, professional group of people who shouldn’t have to worry about big corporations trying to take away what we so richly deserve… validation and recognition of our professionalism. If Mr. Mann were smart, he would give us the validation we deserve. That would be the most professional thing he could do. To do anything else just makes him seem small-minded and unprofessional. He does himself and all of us a disservice.
Thanks again for having such a wonderful blog, and all of this Paul Mann business aside, keep up the good work. We’ll be watching!!
Sincerely,
Sherry Hasslacher
Owner – Sherry’s House Pet Sitting & Dog Walking of Portland, OR