Want marketing advice?

Need some marketing advice? Then check out this Pet Business Marketing Teleseminar and get your marketing questions answered!

WorkingWithPets.com is hosting a teleseminar tonight, July 15th at 7pm CT and interviewing Leslie May - CEO of Pawsible Marketing.

No matter what type of small business you have or want to start, one of your most important tasks is marketing your business to attract new clients.

There are so many options including advertising, networking, businesses cards, flyers, publicity that it can be difficult to decide where to focus your efforts so that you are most effective.

Leslie has been a marketing consultant to small business since 2002 and launched Pawsible marketing in 2007 which focuses on helping pet businesses. Here is a taste of what I will be discussing with Leslie :

The 5 most effective marketing methods you should use to promote your pet business

How to get the most bang for your advertising bucks

Why you need a marketing plan and how to create a plan and marketing budget

How to get local publicity via newspapers, radio, TV, and local pet events

Every one who joins us on the call will also have the opportunity to get answers to their burning marketing questions from Leslie.

You can join us on the call for only $7 and also get access to the recording and written transcript of the call. After the call you will also receive my action plan checklist that will show you how you can apply everything discussed on the call to your pet business.

This is a very small investment to get personal advice from a specialist pet business marketing consultant.

Raise A Green Dog Blog featured in Dog Fancy!

One of my blogs - Raise A Green Dog - is featured in this month's (August 2008) issue of Dog Fancy Magazine. The issue also includes a special premier issue of Dog Fancy's Natural Dog.

The article is by Tom Barthel, a master gardener and freelance writer that specializes in pet and gardening topics. The article is entitled, "10 Steps to a Greener Home." And don't miss the great pic of me, Gracie and Johann!


The issue is on newsstands now, so pick up a copy. To view a preview of the issue visit the Dog Fancy website.

101 Best Businesses for Pet Lovers!

Want to turn your passion of working with pets into a career? Check out 101 Best Businesses for Pet Lovers, a new book that helps you know what you need about starting and succeeding in a pet business of your own.

The book outlines careers such as pet photographer, pet party host, dog groomer, greeting card maker, masseuse, doggie daycare owner, pet sitter, pet product inventory and manufacturer and many more. And shares info on how to get started, what you need to begin your new career, how to market, start up costs and much more.

We enjoyed perusing the book, got a few great tips for our clients, and even dreamed of starting yet another pet business of our own!



101 Best Businesses for Pet Lovers

Social networking, the new tool for pet business!

If you are my age, you may remember networking. Going to functions related to your industry, handing out business cards, talking with individuals, while eating rubbery chicken and drinking a few cocktails.

But times have changed. Many of my clients ask me how to network, and how they can utilize that networking capability to build a larger client base. I tell them there is a new way to network that is very key to any business in this new age of the Internet. It's low cost, and it can be incredibly effective if done right...It's called Social Networking.

What exactly is social networking? According to one of my favorite sources, Wikipedia...

A social network service uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

Most services are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on. Social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information with one another in today's society. Various social networking websites are being used by millions of people everyday on a regular basis and it now seems that social networking is a part of everyday life.

And here's a great video to hep you better understand the concept of social networking. Thanks, Commoncraft!


As a marketer of pet businesses myself, I use a wide variety of social network tools to interact with my audience, prospects, and potential customers - everything from Twitter, and MySpace, to Dogster/Catster, YouTube and many more.

Utilizing social networking for business can be incredibly helpful in building your business...but there are 'rules' of social networking, that are important to building and maintaining your brand. In addition, there are key social networking sites that are very effective for a national level audience, and there are sites for a more localized audience. Knowing what social network and it's audience and users are suited for your purposes can make or break a social networking program.

I've been using social networking for about four years now in some form or fashion, and believe that it has helped tremendously in building my pet business, building my brand, creating dedicated and devoted champions of JohannTheDog.com (which I'm happy to say is getting a complete revamp in the next month) and it's related businesses. And it's helped me to make incredibly valuable contacts throughout my industry.

If you are not involved in social networking, right now, you should be. Contact us for more information on how this amazing networking tool can help you and your business.

Today is Take Your Dog To Work Day!

Happy Take Your Dog To Work Day!

At Pawsible Marketing, we are very, very lucky that our pups get to come to work with us everyday!

Johann and Gracie, and their kittie bros, Wolfie and Wiggy, all come to the office everyday. They play, they lounge, they take dog and cat naps, they make me take much needed breaks and get exercise, they are amazing at reducing stress and making me laugh, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cosmo, Rhonda Abrams' dog wrote an article today for USAToday on 'What your dog can teach you about your business.' Be sure and check it out...she has some great tips and ideas that your dog can help you learn about life and business.

Pet Sitters International, the TYDTWDay sponsor believes that through TYDTWDay, people without dogs will see the loving bond their co-workers have with their pets and will consider adopting orphaned pets for their own.

Studies show that pets in the workplace boost employee morale, productivity and even sales! TYDTWDay is a great public relations opportunity and lots of fun. Participation in TYDTWDay helps save the lives of homeless shelter animals all over the country!

Stop by and visit the Take Your Dog to Work website, learn more, enter a great "at work" photo contest, listen to the "Gotta Take Your Dog to Work" song, check out the top 10 list of things to convince your boss to participate in TYDTWDay, see the top 10 dog friendly companies, view the list of 7 successful ways to have a great TYDTWDay, and more!

Dog walkers against crime!

Here's a great idea from the WROC in Rochester....

Reported by: Jecoliah Ellis

A small group of people in one Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood are getting together to fight crime. The group is fighting crime the best way they know how: walking their dogs. "Having a dog is like having an unloaded gun. It's kind of a form of protection and people don't mess with you when they see a big dog with you," said John Chajka.

John says they got the idea when suspicious men were circling the neighborhood. "Some guys were checking out our house and they came up to the porch and our puppy just went up to the window and started barking at them and they ran right away haven't seen them ever since," said Chajka.

Kristin Ault says she too feels safe when in the presence of their Mastiff Great Dane “Kaya”. Together they walk in crime ridden streets. "What I really want to see is everyone when they're out walking their dogs just be aware of what's going on to watch and to look around," said Ault.

Kristin says neighbors should report anything suspicious to the Neighborhood Empowerment Team or Rochester Police. "There's so many great neighborhoods in Rochester that could benefit from this because I'm very sure most residents are sick of the crime," said Ault.

Ben Munson walks his Chocolate Lab “Veruca” as often as he can. He says its a way to know what's going on in his neighborhood. "Dog Walkers tend to be out and seeing things in the community and seeing activity so it just kind of keeps the presence out," said Munson.

Kristin hopes those who may be up to no good get the message. "It's really just showing people we're done with crime in the South Wedge," said Ault.

The neighbors call themselves Dog Walkers Against Crime. They would like others to join them on their journey. The group meets on Tuesday evenings at 6 o’clock at the Marie Daley Park on Gregory Street. For more information log onto www.southwedge.org.

Inspiration and valuable information on starting your pet business!

Do you have a pet business? Are you thinking of starting a pet business? Do you need help with your pet business?

Check out Entrepreneur.com's Pet Business Center, for lots of ideas, garnered from regular folks, like you and me, who dared to dream of starting and running their own pet business.

You can read about Dr. Mary Burns, 49, former veterinarian and founder of Veterinary Ventures Inc. based in Union, Kentucky and inventor of the Drinkwell pet fountain. She tells how she got started and gives tips on starting a pet business, and provides some valuable lessons she learned along the way.

And you can read about Patrick Meiering and his dog Zuke; and their story and inspiration of how the famous Zuke's dog treats got started.

And there's more...