The Business Animal

Episodes

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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 …...
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...
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...