The Business Animal

Business transitions happen — and they've happened for both Cara and Kim. In this return episode of The Business Animal, you'll get caught up on the past year and where the podcast is heading in the future!

Social proof is one of your most important marketing assets. Your POTENTIAL clients are more likely to trust someone else… who was once like them… looking for the service or product that you offer. Social proof is so important because it directly influences your potential customer's actions. On this episode, Cara and Kim talk in depth about social proof. What is social proof and why does YOUR animal, pet or equine-based business need it? Animal-based business owners are more than happy to “talk up” their businesses and share the great service or product they offer with all who they come in contact with. However, when other people share their experience with a business it carries so much more weight! In this episode you will discover: the four main types of social proof available to your business; how to mindfully cultivate and harvest social proof; how to develop good social proof listening and tracking skills; and tips to develop your very own social proof plan.

Shifting your mindset away from seeing the businesses in your industry as competition to seeing them as collaborators is not always an easy feat — and yet doing it can change the level of success. In this episode, Kim and Cara discuss tactics to help you make this essential shift in mindset.

Customer segmentation allows animal businesses to identify and understand different groups of customers at different phases of their customer journey. By dividing your customer base into segments, you can develop more targeted and effective marketing strategies tailored to each segment. This will help you deliver the right message to the right customers, increase your chances of engagement, conversion, and overall customer satisfaction.

In this episode, we delve into an essential topic for business owners and entrepreneurs: ensuring the continuity of your business in case of an emergency. Life is unpredictable, and it's crucial to have a plan in place that allows someone else to step in and keep your business running smoothly when unforeseen circumstances arise. We explore three key steps to help you prepare for such situations: making an emergency plan, documenting critical procedures, and starting to delegate tasks now.

On this episode of The Business Animal Podcast, we delve into the art of motivating clients to buy by leveraging three key strategies: selling the solution, creating a sense of time or scarcity, and mastering the art of closing deals. Join us as we explore practical techniques and insightful tips to ignite client enthusiasm and drive increased sales in your animal-based business.

Owning and managing an animal-based business can have both positive and negative effects on a person's body, as it often involves a combination of stress, responsibility, and lifestyle changes. It's so important for animal-based business owners to be aware of these potential effects and take steps to reduce them.

The psychology of pricing plays a crucial role in the success of animal-based businesses. Business owners need to understand the psychological factors that influence consumer behavior and purchasing decisions in order to set prices that are attractive to their potential customers while also ensuring that their animal-based business is profitable.

Coaching oneself as a small business owner can be a valuable approach to personal and professional development. While having an external coach can provide objective insights, self-coaching can also be effective. On this episode of The Business Animal, Kim and Cara discuss a few tips and techniques to ensure that you get the most out of your self-coaching endeavors.

Dreaming big is one of the most fun and most scary parts of being an entrepreneur. It's doubly impactful for those of us with mission based businesses in the animal industry. Today, Kim and Cara talk about how you can step out of your comfort zone and take the next big step toward bringing your BIG dream into reality.

Overwhelm, resentment & frustration.

Ah technology — the thing we can't live without, and yet we have a love-hate relationship with it! In this episode Kim and Cara get real about all the tech we use in our business and break down how to be SMART about how you're using (and paying!) for it.

Did you know you can get an amazing amount of support for your business? You can! In this episode Kim and Cara give you a bunch of ideas on where to get information and assistance in building and growing your business.

This week on The Business Animal Podcast, Cara and Kim are diving into the topic of self-sabotage. We all have the tendency to self-sabotage from time to time, but why does this happen and what can we do about it? They will discuss how to recognize the signs of self-sabotage, identify the inner voices that can lead us down a path of self-sabotage, and when it's time to seek professional help. Tune in to get the tools and strategies to help you identify and break free from the cycle of self-sabotage.

Your mission statement is the North Star for your business, a beacon of light to guide you and your team as you move forward. It's the foundation of your business, a declaration of your values and goals, and it should be revisited periodically to ensure it's still relevant and accurate. Most entrepreneurs set their mission statement and then never think about it again, but the truth is that your business is likely to have shifted and changed since the day you wrote it. That's why it's so important to take a few moments and review it - to make sure that it still reflects your vision and goals. Mentioned in this episode:2023 Cottonwood Ranch information

As animal based business owners, asking better questions is a critical part of our success. It helps us to better understand our audience, build relationships, uncover their motivations, and look for opportunities to provide even better results. By asking better questions, we can not only learn more about our own business, but also discover ways to meet other needs and add value. It's a great way to foster a deeper understanding of the people we are working with, and to open up conversations about the animals we are all passionate about. We all have unique experiences, insights, and perspectives to share, and asking better questions can help us to draw out those elements of our client's story to better understand their needs and uncover opportunities that we may not have considered before. Asking better questions can be an invaluable tool for any animal based business owner, and it's an easy way to get the most out of our conversations with our clients.

Building your email and SMS lists is a key factor for the success of your business. Today, Kim and Cara are here to help animal-based business owners with three effective strategies for growing their list. Firstly, you should provide your leads with something truly valuable, such as a thoughtful lead magnet or a generous coupon. Secondly, take advantage of every single opportunity to add qualified leads to your database. Finally, don't forget to remove contacts that aren't engaging with your content, and replace them with ones that are more likely to interact. Doing so will ensure that your list remains up-to-date and that you can focus on the people who are genuinely interested in your services.

As a small business owner, it's important to recognize the importance of failure and why it can be a positive thing. It can be easy to become discouraged when things don't go as planned, but learning from our mistakes and continuing to strive for success is key to achieving success as an animal based business owner. Failing can help us to identify what works and what doesn't, allowing us to make necessary changes to ensure the best outcome. In some cases, it can even open us up to new opportunities that we hadn't previously considered. Additionally, failure can help to foster resilience, giving us the strength to persist even when things don't go as planned. We can also use it as an opportunity to evaluate our processes and make improvements to increase efficiency. While failure can be difficult, it is an essential part of the learning process and an invaluable tool in the pursuit of success. Embracing it and using it to our advantage is the key to success for any animal based business owner.

Yes, you're an animal based business, but are you effectively adding an animal influence to your marketing and branding? Our customers LOVE their animals — and we are in business because of that love (and the passion for animals that brought us to this community in the first place). In this episode Kim and Cara explore ways to further capitalize on the animal influence in your business and branding.

The ability to take risks and be courageous is a crucial component of success in any animal-based business. However, it's important to understand your own risk tolerance in order to make sure you're taking the right risks at the right time. Just like any other skill, you can grow and develop your courage to become more flexible and resilient. It's also important to remember to be kind to yourself, and not to dwell on any past failures. It's perfectly normal to feel anxious or scared when it comes to taking risks, but don't let those feelings hold you back from achieving your goals. With the right attitude and mindset, you can develop the courage necessary to make your animal-based business a success.

Have you ever thought about turning your hobby into a business? If so, you may be wondering how your relationship with your beloved pastime might change. Making the leap from hobby to business can be a big decision, and it's important to think through the implications before you get started. One of the most important questions to ask yourself is whether you can monetize your hobby in a way that makes sense. After all, if you can't make money from your hobby, it may not be a viable business. If you're ready to take the plunge, don't be afraid to ask for help. Whether you need assistance with the legalities of starting a business or tips for reaching a wider audience, there are experts out there who can provide you with the resources you need. For example, if you're an animal-based business owner, you may want to reach out to other entrepreneurs in the industry who can offer you advice and support. Taking the plunge from hobby to business can be an exciting adventure, and with the right preparation, you can make sure you're ready for success.

When you become a business owner, you are faced with many more dilemmas than just business. One of the things that can blind side you is how you will handle the relationships in your life — the existing ones and the new ones you're going to make as you grow in your business. Things can get complicated: Customers become friends, family members want free service, and friends become clients — not to mention the deep relationships you'll form with your business partners. In today's episode, Kim and Cara give you some things to consider in how to manage these relationships so they don't derail your momentum as a business owner or cause turmoil in your life.

Today on The Business Animal Kim and Cara provide you with helpful tips and strategies to create and maintain an effective annual marketing calendar. Learn how to create a timeline of your marketing activities and set goals to help you stay organized and on track. Plus, you'll learn how to make the most of your current resources. Tune in for expert advice and creative ideas to get your marketing year off to a great start!

A round table is a group of advisors you choose, and who become actively involved, for your business.

It's our 100th episode and we are very proud to now be “seasoned” (x4!) podcasters. Today, we want to share the things we've learned about creating and maintaining a podcast for all those who are thinking of stepping out to be heard on the podwaves.Here are a few of the tools we use and you might like to use too! Podcast Hosting https://www.captivate.fm/Podcast Editing https://www.thewavepodcasting.com/aboutRecording Studio https://riverside.fm/Transcript Creation and Editing https://otter.ai/home

As we start into a new year, it's nice to look back at all we've accomplished and be grateful for all those who helped us along the way. Now, we'd like for you to turn your attention to ways you can help others in their entrepreneurial and life journeys. In this episode, Kim and Cara talk about how you can pay it forward and bring success and good vibes to more people.

Do you ever feel disconnected from your business? Yep, us, too. Sometimes it feels like we get so carried away in working in our business we forget to work on our business. In this episode, Kim and Cara discuss three ways you can reconnect to your business (and your passion!).

Burnout is very real for entrepreneurs. Long hours, lots of bosses (ahem, clients), and a oft-neglected life away from your business mean we are prone to the things that kill our joy and our business. In this episode, Cara and Kim take a real look at the stress that leads to burnout and some ways you can work toward halting (or avoiding!) the blaze of burnout.

We all want to be successful, but have you ever stopped to think about what defines success for you? It's truly a different equation for all of us. Today, Cara and Kim talk about some of the attributes they and others use to define and measure success.

Many people get confused between branding and marketing — in this episode, Cara and Kim help you understand the difference and how to make sure you're doing both.

There are so many distractions that can lead you off your path in business! Today, Kim and Cara tackle how to avoid those “squirrels” and “shiny objects” (or choose the right ones for you at least) in your entrepreneurial life so you can stay focused on reaching your goals.

Brand building is one of the most fun — and challenging — aspects of creating a successful business. In today's episode, Kim and Cara have an engaging (and laughter filled) conversation with Betsy Bird of Ride the Sky Photography about a unique aspect of brand building — brand values. If you want to create more appeal to potential consumers and encourage your current clients to be loyal, you won't want to miss this episode of The Business Animal!Get your free 194 Animal-Based Business Brand Values here and figure out what you and your brand stand for right here https://ridetheskyequine.com/bap-brand-values/Learn more about Betsy on social mediahttps://www.instagram.com/ridetheskyequine/https://www.facebook.com/ridetheskyequine

Limiting beliefs can hold us back in both business and life. On today's podcast, Kim and Cara get vulnerable and honest about the limiting belief challenges they've faced in their businesses. You'll learn how to recognize your own limiting beliefs and how to go about resolving them.

So You Procrastinated Your Holiday Marketing ... Now What?You just looked at the calendar and it's November 8th and you haven't done any holiday marketing — yet. You're decidedly not alone! In this episode Kim and Cara give you some great tips on marketing during the upcoming holiday quadfecta of sales days. It's time to add some cash to the holiday coffers!

Today, Kim and Cara bring attention to all the quiet ones, the ones in the back of the room, the ones who dread holiday parties — yes, today, we're putting the introverts in the spotlight! Join us as we talk about the amazing super powers of the introvert and introduce you to some strategies, if you're an introvert, to navigate the extrovert-focused business world.

Tooting Your Own Horn – How to Become Okay with Self-Promotion

Your website is the front door to your business .... the question today is: Is your front door welcoming or is it repelling your customers? Can people even find it for that matter? In this episode of The Business Animal, Kim and Cara help you determine if your website is good to go or ... yikes, sucks!

Nurture sequences are at the heart of Evolved Email Marketing. In today's episode, Kim and Cara cover how to write a nurture sequence that converts.

Your small business sales process is a repeatable and structured set of steps taken by a business to convert prospective consumers into clients. It's how you make a sale by turning a POTENTIAL CLIENT into a BUYING ONE. Can you make it simpler? Can you personalize the experience? Can you automate it?

When you set up your animal, equine or pet-based business to sell on value instead of price you are using a sales method where you price your products and/or services based on the value your customer receives from the product and/or service instead of the actual cost to, you as the business owner, to deliver or produce the product and/or service. Also Kim wrote a book! Go show her some love by grabbing your copy of "The Little Book of Big Sales Moves: The Sales Training You've Always Wanted, But Didn't Know How to Find". https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCSB1N5V?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

We've all got a book we want to write. Getting that book from initial concept to a published product ready to share with the world can feel like an insurmountable task. Kim and Cara sit down with Mark Weber and Martin Pugh of Marathon Press to discuss three big things that all small business owners should consider before starting the self-publishing process.  Learn more about Marathon Press right here https://www.marathonpress.com/ and check out their informative blog right here http://blog.marathonpress.com/

Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow — the motto of all procrastinators. In today's episode, Kim and Cara talk about how to both overcome and embrace (yes, embrace) the tendency to procrastinate.

For consumers, the internet has become the compass for our buying choices. This means as a business, you must have good online credibility. In this episode, Kim and Cara give you a guide on how to boost your digital credibility and turn that credibility into sales and loyalty.

Open houses are a great way to draw people into your business, build your list, and reward loyal customers. In today's episode, Kim and Cara give you three great ideas for open house happiness.

Don't become a member of the BAD AD club! Today Kim and Cara share three design tips to help get your ad materials looking awesome! Designing Better Print and Social Media Marketing Materials Join us on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/thebusinessanimal/ https://www.facebook.com/thebusinessanimal

Do you have negative thoughts? About yourself, your business, life? Let's face it, we all do! Our guest today, Tara Punter, is an NLP expert and she shares ways we can shift those negative thoughts into positive progress. This episode is jam packed with actionable steps you can take to both believe and achieve your goals. Learn more about Tara in all the places right here: https://www.instagram.com/tarapuntercoaching/ https://www.facebook.com/tarapuntercoaching https://www.tarapuntercoaching.co.uk/ And listen to Tara on her podcast https://www.tarapuntercoaching.co.uk/podcast/

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are a great way to make better customer relationships while boosting your Google ratings and fulfilling your content goals for your website and social media. In today's episode, Kim and Cara talk about how to create a great FAQ reference.

SCAMS are everywhere these days and small business owners are continuously being targeted. Listen to this episode if you don't want to fall victim to an unscrupulous company doing shady business tactics! 

How do you navigate social business conversations in an environment dominated by major news events? We've all been there as business owners — our social channels blowing up with conversations that are overwhelming the focus of our consumer audience. As business owners, we have to walk a difficult middle ground between being sensitive to what is going on in the world and successfully running our businesses. Although no one knows all the answers to this dilemma, Kim and Cara have three suggestions to help you find your way through the distracting environment of social business conversations.

The Rule of 3 – for every customer you make, turn them into 3 customers.

Ahhh summer, summer, summer — and things seem to just slow down and so does our momentum around our goals and objectives. (Yeah, remember all those goals you set the first of the year!) In this episode, Kim and Cara give you tips and tricks to help you maintain your momentum through this slowdown so you stay on track.