Professional on the Go

Dr. Ian Dunbar, the man who wrote the book on pet training and developed the first ever puppy-training courses in the country. Go to any local dog park in your city and most of the dogs there have been influenced by his work! He has written six books with hundreds of thousands of copies in circulation. He has a Udemy course that has trained more than 40K pet parents and trainers. He was the founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, which is now known as the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Over the past 35 years, Dr. Dunbar has given over 1000 seminars and workshops around the world for dog trainers and veterinarians. You will learn:- How Ian found his way to dog training after going to veterinary school- What Ian’s research taught him about how to train dogs- The best ways Ian found to distribute his knowledge about puppy training- Why Ian believes it’s so important to reach prospective puppy owners - Ian’s advice for planning for retirement as a service professional- Ian’s idea of the good life and how he lives it every dayIan’s story is certainly an inspiration for anyone who has a dream of working for themselves and making a good living.

On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we are talking to Nicole Stuart (https://nicolestuart.com/) who is a celebrity fitness trainer who has trained the likes of Kate Hudson, Portia de Rossi, Goldie Hawn, Anna Faris and Julia Ormond. Nicole practices a creative style of Pilates that blends dance, yoga, stretching and cross-training to help her clients benefit their bodies as well as their minds and spirits. Nicole has appeared on MSNBC and in numerous magazines, including People, W Magazine, US Weekly, InStyle, and Cosmopolitan. Her iPhone app is available on iTunes and is being sold worldwide.You will hear about:- What Nicole learned from her dance teacher at an early age that shaped her life- How Nicole kept moving in spite of feeling lost in her life and career- Nicole’s path from waitressing to fitness training- How Nicole decided she was going to make a career out of training others in Pilates- How Nicole got connected to Kate Hudson and began training her- Is there a fundamental difference between making fitness training house calls for celebrities versus everyday stay at home moms?- Nicole’s vision for creating her fitness app as a way to expand her service offerings- How Nicole spends her time outside of fitness training and Pilates that gives her options for an exit strategy and fuels her creative spiritThere are over 300,000 certified fitness trainers in the U.S. and millions more who moonlight. Nicole’s story is an inspiration for anyone who has a dream of working for themselves and making a good living.

On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we are talking to Kyra Sundance who is a dog trainer, performer, and author. Kyra quite literally wrote the book on “how to teach dogs to do tricks” called 101 Dog Tricks, which has over 1 million copies in print and has been translated into 22 languages. Her company, Do More With Your Dog (http://www.domorewithyourdog.com/), is the official sanctioning and organizing body for the sport of Dog Tricks and has certified over 20,000 successfully trained dogs. She is nationally ranked in competitive dog sports, trains dog actors, and has been featured on programs ranging from Ellen and The Tonight Show to the NBA halftime show. Kyra Sundance’s story is an inspiration for anyone who has a dream of working for themselves and making a good living. You will learn:- What inspired Kyra’s super unique career path of becoming a dog trainer- How Kyra learned how to train dogs to do tricks (and how you can, too)- Why passion is a great tool for growing and marketing your business- How Kyra transitioned from her full-time job to running her dog training business, and how that business evolved over time into the one it is today- The power of focusing on the important versus the urgent in growing your business- How to maintain passion and joy throughout different stages of business- Why you need to think about an “exit strategy” as an entrepreneur and independent service professional

On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we are talking to Harry Josh who is a legend in the hairstyling, beauty, and fashion industry not only because of his tremendous skill in dressing the hair of celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tina Fey, Ellen Pompeo, Gisele Bundchen, but also because of his super successful product line, called Harry Josh Pro Tools, including the most instagrammed hairdryer in the world, the Harry Josh Pro Dryer.This episode is an inspiration for anyone who has a dream of working for themselves and making a good living. You will hear about:- Harry’s journey from working at a hair salon in Vancouver to achieving his dream of being a model and celebrity hair stylist in New York City and beyond. His hunger, hustle, passion and inspiration comes through so powerfully every step of the way.- The pivotal decisions and unobvious connections Harry made along the way that ultimately lead him to his dream.- Harry’s lessons learned on the way to achieving his dream, including the importance of always working toward the bigger picture, even if it looks like a lateral or backwards move sometimes.- Why Harry decided to start building his business and iconic brand of hair tools, Harry Josh Pro Tools, and how he built his brand and business model with an emphasis on quality and sustainability.- Harry’s idea of the good life and how he lives it every day.

Yoga is a big part of the health and wellness industry. 36 million Americans practice yoga and spend $16 billion on yoga classes, clothing, equipment, and accessories each year. The number of Americans doing yoga grew by 50% between 2012 and 2016 alone! On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we explore:- What makes yoga so popular and why the recent boom in popularity?- How much do Yoga Instructors make?- What is the secret to making more as a Yoga instructor?- What changes do people have to make when they want to take yoga instruction from a hobby to a career?- What are the licensing and certification requirements for yoga instructors?- How yoga professionals can ensure they have the training needed to protect their clients from injury - Who is Yoga Alliance and what is their role within the yoga industry?- What is the best advice for someone who is looking to grow their yoga practice and income?Here to help us learn more about the yoga industry is Kerry Maiorca, the founder of Bloom Yoga Studio in Chicago. A yoga teacher for more than 20 years, Kerry is passionate about making yoga unintimidating and accessible for each unique student, and she also provides an online mentorship program for yoga teachers. Her writing has been featured on The Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, and Mindbodygreen, among others, and she explores the intersection of yoga and daily life on her Thinking Yogi blog. For free continuing ed offerings for yoga teachers and great discounts, check out https://www.yogaalliance.org/ where there are lots of helpful resources for making yoga instruction into a viable business.

Our featured guest on this episode of Professional-on-the-Go is Rocco Castellano. Rocco started out his adult life serving time in jail. He tells us the amazing story of how he, determined to make a better life for himself, went from one "family business" to another. Out of jail, Rocco bought his cousins' gym, leading him down the path to a very successful Personal Training career (with some surprises along the way, as you'll hear). Ultimately, Rocco retired from his successful Personal Training Career to start a media company that helped fitness professionals get media attention. Join us on this journey through Rocco's life as he shares the lessons he's learned as a gangster turned independent service professional.

The Sharing Economy has made it possible for everyone, not just the super wealthy, to have services on-demand, and this includes house cleaning services. With a higher demand for cleaning services, how has the cleaning industry grown and changed? We discuss:-How technology has helped cleaning professionals make more money-Why trust is key for a cleaning professional’s relationship with a client-Why cleaning service professionals have the potential to retain a particularly high percentage of clients-How companies like Handy and TaskRabbit have impacted the cleaning industry-How associations like ISSA help cleaning professionals be successful-The outlook for implementing certifications and standards in the cleaning industry-The biggest reasons cleaning businesses failOur guest is Alonzo Adams, the owner of Busy Bee Cleaning Company. He is also currently the chair of ISSA's Residential Cleaning Council, the residential cleaning arm of the worldwide cleaning organization.

More people than ever have a personal trainer these days. It used to be that only really wealthy people hired personal trainers, but with the shift to an on-demand economy, it has become more accessible. Everyone can have their own personal trainer just like everyone can have their own driver with Uber or stay in exotic locations with AirBnb!This is a great episode for anyone considering becoming a personal trainer or is curious about the industry. We discuss:-What is new and hot in personal fitness training?-What related services are personal trainers including in their packages?-What are clients looking for in a personal trainer?-How does a personal trainer stand out among thousands of trainers?-Where do business relationships usually go sideways between fitness trainers and their clients?-Is online training a fad or is it here to stay?Our guest is Billy Polson who is the founder and owner of DIAKADI (https://www.diakadi.life/), the largest personal training facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. Billy is also the founder of The Business Movement (https://www.thebusinessmovement.com/), a program to help fitness entrepreneurs launch their businesses. He shares his journey of becoming a personal trainer and how he grew his business.

On this episode of Professional on the Go, we talk about life coaching as an independent service profession. We discuss:- What exactly is a life coach and how is it different than being a mentor? - Why do people hire a life coach? - How does someone get the professional credentials to be one? Is there state licensing?- How much money can you make as a life coach?- Do people often have both a therapist and a life coach, or just have one?- Is there a beginning and an end to life coaching work with a client or does it go on indefinitely?- Making the decision to start your own shop versus join an existing life coaching company- Advice for someone who is considering quitting their job to become a life coach.Our guest is Kara Lowentheil from UnF*ck Your Brain, https://unfckyourbrain.com/. Kara is a Master Certified Coach and all about women’s empowerment. She is a no bullshit, no nonsense advisor on how to get your mind right and get your life on track.

Today we are talking about an industry that is booming: the pet industry. According to the American Pet Products Association, consumers in the U.S. spend $70 billion on our pets. There are many pet professionals that are tapping into this boom by providing services such as training, grooming, boarding, and walking. In this episode we focus on dog trainers as independent service professionals:- How do people become dog trainers? What is the typical career path for dog trainers?- What’s the scope of services that dog trainers provide?- How much do dog trainers typically charge?- Do you need to be licensed or certified?- How does the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) help dog trainers?- Is there a consensus in the industry about the right and wrong way to train a dog?- Are there any major changes happening in the industry that anyone considering a career in dog training should be aware of?Our guest is Nick Hof who has been a dog trainer for over ten years and holds several nationally recognized certifications from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, the Karen Pryor Academy, and more. He is also the Chair for the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, the largest trade organization for dog training. He owns Paws Look Listen, LLC in Cincinnati, OH which offers private dog training services to busy families.

The nature of work has changed. Less people are working for companies and more are designing their own careers as freelancers. Why the big change? What are freelancers looking for that they can’t get at a regular job? How do big corporations feel about this trend? How do freelancers save for retirement and secure health insurance? What tools are freelancers using to help them run their business and become more productive? Also, Caitlin Pearce, the Executive Director of Freelancers Union, is here to share:- The state of freelancing in the US- Can people really make a good living as freelancers? - Who are the top paid freelancers? - What are the fastest growing freelance job categories?- Why a freelancer would want to belong to a group like the Freelancers Union

On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we talk about the trending lash technician profession. Lash technicians have a specialized job in the beauty industry working on eyelashes. Why has this profession become so popular? Do you need to be certified for this work? Do lash technicians usually work independently or at a salon? How much can an eyelash tech make a year? We answer these questions, plus we speak with Elizabeth Jennings who is a pioneer in the lashing industry. She owns 4 salons across North and South Carolina, has launched her own lash line, and she is known to many as the Minister of Beauty. You will learn:- How Elizabeth got her start as a lash technician- What lash techs did for work before the industry became hot- Pros and cons of being an independent lash technician versus being an employee of a salon- Characteristics of a good lash technician certification/training program- Advice for independent lash technicians looking to expand their income

The way we go about finding the best handyman, HVAC technician, and other home service professionals has really changed over the past 10 years. It used to be that you would just ask a friend or neighbor or look in the yellow pages, but now there apps such as Angie’s List, TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Upwork, and more where you can find a whole host of service professionals. These platforms are convenient for consumers, but is it a good business deal for the service professionals? We discuss these platforms from several perspectives with help from Kellyn Blossom, Head of Public Policy at Thumbtack. She shares how pricing works, who exactly is the marketplace’s priority (the consumer or the service professional), and the biggest mistake she sees service professionals make on the platform.

One billion people use Instagram every month. It has become an incredible tool for small businesses to build a pipeline of future clients if they know how to use it well. On this episode, we share how independent professionals can start to develop engaged communities online, and what’s actually at stake if you’re not successful in doing this. Here to help us master Instagram is Amanda Tress, fitness professional, influencer in the health and wellness industry, and CEO + Founder of FASTer Way to Fat Loss. She talks about the business model of her fitness company, how she has grown her program from 11 people to over 100,000 people, and the role Instagram has played in this growth. She also shares the first few steps she took on Instagram to grow her following to 55,000 followers.

There are many different types of professional photographers in the market, but one specialty in particular is becoming quite popular: real estate photography. We share more about what’s involved with this type of work and why there is such a growing interest in this niche. Our guest Brandon Cooper is a real estate photographer who also runs photographyforrealestate.net, a blog that helps real estate photographers be successful. You will learn:- How does someone typically get into real estate photography?- How does the blog “Photography for Real Estate” help current and aspiring photographers in the industry?- What can someone make as a professional real estate photographer? What do top photographers make and how do they get to that level? - What appealing trends, techniques and services are driving people into the real estate photography business?- Advice for a professional photographer who is looking to expand into real estate

There are so many business apps and productivity tools for independent business owners these days. They range from business messaging and marketing apps to shopping and scheduling to payment and accounting apps to taxes and document signature/storage/management apps. How do you select the business apps that are right for you? We discuss:- Where to go to research business apps - Whether you should look for multiple apps or an all-in-one app- If businesses should be skeptical of free apps - Feedback for businesses that have opted out of using any technology to run their businessWe also talk with Amad Ebrahimi, CEO and Founder of Merchant Maverick. Merchant Maverick helps make small business easier by providing online reviews, ratings, and comparisons for a large variety of small business products and services. Amad helps us understand:- How does MerchantMaverick help businesses? - How does MerchantMaverick pick which apps to review?- The main difference between 5 star apps and those that aren’t 5 stars- Online review industry trends, such as “pay to play” tactics that small businesses should be aware of

On this episode of Professional-on-the-Go, we talk about what’s hot and what’s not about the esthetics industry. We’re talking about trends that are impacting estheticians, skin care professionals, and service providers in the spa & salon community. We first discuss:- What exactly is an esthetician? What do they do?- What’s the difference between a dermatologist and an esthetician?- Why is esthetics a hot career path right now? Do you need a license to practice? - What kind of income can estheticians make?- Where do most estheticians work? Then, we talk to Susanne S. Warfield who is the Executive Director of the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors, & Associations. She literally wrote the book on how to have a successful career in esthetics. We dive into:- How estheticians today are different from skincare professionals 30 years ago- Why states in the U.S. require estheticians to be licensed- The number of hours that are required to get a license- The National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors, & Associations (NCEA) and how it is different from the Associated Skincare Professionals (ASCP)- The future of the esthetics industry

On this episode of The Professional-on-the-Go Podcast, we are talking about the popular communication app WhatsApp and its applications for independent service professionals and small business. Our guest is Natalie Zfat, a social media expert and Forbes contributor who has partnered with some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Facebook, Samsung, LinkedIn and American Express. We talk about:- What is WhatsApp? What does it do?- Why are people using WhatsApp for Business?- What’s the difference between WhatsApp, Skype for business, and Facebook messenger?- How are small businesses using WhatsApp for Business for communicating with clients? - Can WhatsApp replace a customer contact database?- Can you use WhatsApp on a desktop?- How does a small business decide if WhatsApp is right for their business?

Square revolutionized the credit card processing market for small business, and they are a very popular payment processing solution. But there are so many other mobile apps out there now that make it possible for you to get paid online - Venmo, CashApp, ApplePay, AmazonPay, GooglePay, FacebookPay. We discuss:- Which payment apps can be used for business as an individual service professional and which should just be for personal use?- Are there any limits to using these payment apps for business?- How do you figure out which payment processing solution is best for you?- Does your payment processing solution have to integrate with your other business tools?Jim Angleon, the President and CEO at Aegis FinServ Corp, a global financial and business intelligence firm, is here to discuss whether or not independent service professionals should use Venmo for their business. He shares some limitations around using a payment system like Venmo, whether or not there are security issues, and whether or not these apps check your credit history and credit score.

It used to be a nightmare to set up your business to accept credit card payments. Now, it’s incredibly easy, and thankfully so because 90% of customers' payments are coming in the form of credit and debit cards. If you don’t accept credit cards, it’s going to be difficult to grow.On this episode, we walk you through how easy it is to set up credit card payment processing for your business. We answer:- What are the different options for how businesses can get setup to process payments? - What are the steps to setting up credit card payment processing?- What is the cost of accepting credit cards? Are there fees?- What are the tradeoffs to accepting credit cards versus cash or check?- Are there any gotchas in accepting credit cards? Are we liable for our customers credit card data? What’s the deal with disputes and chargebacks?Christina Reichers, the lead for Cash Flow Products at Square, joins us to share what Square saw in the market that led to the credit card revolution for SMBs, how a business can get set up with Square, who are good candidates for Square, and how businesses can determine which product is best for them.

This week we talk about solutions for fitness trainers, yoga & pilates instructors, and any service provider in the health & wellness community. How are these independent professionals unique in what they need to work with clients? We explore:- How well are health & wellness service professionals’ needs met by general business & accounting tools like QB, Freshbooks, Wave, etc.?- What do industry-specific solutions like Mindbody, Vagaro, and Booker do very well for health & wellness service professionals?- What are must-have features for health & wellness service professionals?- How do service professionals’ needs change as they scale their business? What’s different about their day to day as they grow and what do they need to help them make the transition?We also take a deeper dive into MindBody by talking to Lauren McAlister, a marketing content specialist and MindBody customer, about what MindBody is, who it’s for, why it focuses on the health & wellness field, how it helps business owners and managers, and what size of company it’s for.

Many small business owners and independent service professionals are comfortable using Excel spreadsheets to manage their business finances, but is this really the best way?On this episode, we discuss when using Excel for business finances works great and when using Excel falls short. Excel can be time consuming and end up creating a lot of unnecessary work, so it’s important to know when it’s time to ditch Excel for a proper accounting tool. Here are some of the questions we answer on this episode:- Can independent service professionals use Excel spreadsheets for their business to keep track of their finances?- What other tools can keep track of small business finances and money?- Are there Excel small business templates? - What data should service professionals look at each month to see how their business is progressing?- In what areas does Excel fall short in helping businesses manage their finances? - What are some ways small businesses can save time and money managing their finances?

In the previous episode, we covered how to get your website to rank high in Google's search results organically by building your website with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Now, we talk about paying to get your website to show up on Google. Is this a good idea for small businesses? Google employees and Google Adwords experts Michael Martina and Denise Jayne are here to answer:- When should a small business owner use Google Adwords?- What are the best practices for small business owners using Google Adwords?- Should service professionals target keywords or audiences in their online advertising campaigns?- How should you treat prospects who are in different places in the purchasing journey?- How should small businesses think about whether their investment in Google Adwords is worth it? What metrics should they monitor and evaluate?- What is re-marketing and how does it work?- What resources are available for small businesses and independent service professionals who are looking for help with Google Adwords?Michael Martina is Technical Solutions Manager for Google Adwords and Denise Jayne is Head of Technology Partner Implementations for GoogleAdwords.

The SBA says 35% of small businesses don’t have a website. On this episode, we dive into the question: Do independent service professionals really need a website? If so, what needs to be on it and what’s the best way to start one? We cover:- What should be on the homepage of a website? - What are a lot of service professionals missing from their website?- Many independent service professionals have never set up a website. Where do they start? Which website provider is best to start with?- How do you measure the success of a website? How do you know whether your website is helping your business?- Who can help service professionals create their website?We also speak with Branden Laske, Marketing Lead at PocketSuite. He has built and scaled websites for both e-commerce companies and service companies on the local and global level. He shares why independent service professionals should care about search engine optimization, which tool service professionals should use to build their website, and how to figure out how much functionality the website needs to be successful.

Many independent service professionals use social media sites like Instagram and Facebook for their personal lives, but how can they effectively be used for their business?On this episode of Professional on the Go, we cover common questions business professionals have about using Facebook and Instagram for business, such as:- What is the difference between my personal brand and my business brand?- How do I make the transition from personal to business? - Do I need to start a separate profile for my business? What do I post? How often?- Should I try paid advertisements on Facebook and Instagram?- Should I be talking about politics?- How do I determine which social media tool, Facebook or Instagram, is best for my business? We also speak with solopreneur Robert Forto of Alaska Dog Works. He shares about his business as an independent service professional, why he chooses to use Facebook versus Instagram as his primary social media tool for his business, what types of content he posts to spark engagement, and how he turns social media engagements into business.

When things get busy, the first inclination of many independent service professionals is to hire an assistant and why is this a bad strategy.Does this mean without an assistant you need to work harder?What can I do instead of have an assistant? What technology can help?Do assistants as gatekeepers take away from the personal connection you need with clients?The latest trend of professionals hiring virtual assistants?

Why is it important to get repeat clients?What do you do to get them to come back?How do you keep clients for a long time?When you get clients from existing client referrals versus through paid advertising, do you see a difference in your retention rate? How to stay connected with clients who have only ever booked you once?

The 3 key things independent service professionals need to succeed are clients, getting paid, and keeping your clients. In this episode we discuss:1. Relying on marketplaces like eBay or Amazon for #1 is not a #winning long term strategy."2. One of the things that prevents business from actually getting customers is scheduling them.3. Do people still want to talk to the service provider when booking or just do it online?4. How do you ensure clients keep appointments?5. What is the best way to manage all your appointments?6. What can I learn by having all this data on the computer? 7. How can you use social media to book clients?

Many independent service professionals are focused on providing their service and not on collecting payment. In this episode we talk about:1. Why the biggest problem for most independent service professionals is getting paid and what the best solutions are to solve it.2. Why is getting paid so important to the cash flow of your company.3. How to deal with dreaded chargebacks and disputes from credit cards. 4. How to track where your payments are at all times. 5. How to combat loneliness as an independent professional.