Handling Business

This week the Handling Business Podcast welcomes Alex Stathopoulos! Alex is an employment litigation attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and works out of the firm’s San Francisco office. In that role, she regularly counsels clients and litigates employment-related claims before various administrative agencies and in state and federal court, including discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims, as well as wage-and-hour class actions. Alex is a double golden bear--she graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law, and also earned a B.A. in Philosophy and B.S. in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. In between undergraduate and law school, Alex was a workforce communication consultant for two years, focusing on drafting strategic employee communications. In addition to her professional pursuits, Alex also has a wide array of side-projects--she is a painter, has dabbled with running her own Etsy store, knits, cooks, and hopes to someday get into falconry. We capture an extensive and in-depth interview as we ask Alex all the questions a small business owner could ask. We’ll cover hiring and termination laws, tips for successful background checks, what you can and cannot ask during interviews, the importance of a clear company policy and much, much more! Alex also provides some invaluable resources to help you stay on top of local and federal laws when it comes to your small business. This is one of our most informative episodes yet so be sure not to miss it!

We have a fun Handling Business episode in store for you today as we sit down with the co-owners of a very successful pet care business in Northern Virginia called, All Friends Pet Care. Pam Ahart and Beth Greenburg are not only business partners, but also best friends. They’ve known each other since 1973 and their childhood was full of pets. It was only natural that they one day decided to turn their passion and dedication toward their animal friends into a business where your best friend is their best customer. We’re going to dive into the early days of starting their business, the secret behind having a successful co-founder relationship, the benefits of getting involved in professional communities and neighborhood events, and the trials and tribulations that they’ve faced as business owners over the years.

This week the Handling Business podcast welcomes the amazing Gila Kurtz. A serial entrepreneur who found her passion in helping dogs and their owners, Gila has led an incredible life of ambition and dedication to her businesses. In addition to building a successful dog training business wherever the Navy moved her, she co-founded and co-owns Dog is Good, an award-winning lifestyle brand for dog lovers. She has also authored Fur Covered Wisdom… A Dog Can Change the Way You See the World, a #1 international bestseller in Pet and Self-Help Categories. These days Gila continues to grow her lover for business and pets as her company generates an impressive 7 figures a year. Britt and Gila spend this episode sharing stories of their startup struggles overcome by their passion for dogs, people and entrepreneurship. You’ll discover how Gila was able to create successful brands in a two year time-frame while she moved around for the Navy. You’ll also come away from this podcast with an understanding of the importance of revenue, consistency, and getting your hands dirty with the nitty-gritty of your business. This is a powerful episode chalked full of great tips and tricks from one of the most successful women in the pet industry. Listen now!

Ask Bella Vasta, successful entrepreneur turned business coach, what the most important key to success is and she’ll come back with one word; consistency. Of all the incredible tips, tricks and advice she offers her clients, consistency might be her favorite, and Bella should know. She built a pet sitting business with a client on almost every street of Scottsdale, AZ and sold it for six figures before the age of 34. Her recognition as owner of one of the top pet sitting businesses in the states gave her the foundation she needed to start coaching other business owners in 2007. What does she attribute to the huge success and national attention that boosted her career and landed her where she is today? You guessed it; consistency. We talk a lot about consistency in this episode, but Bella also doles out other incredible advice for any small business owner. She’ll take us on her journey from live-at-home student to full time pet sitter and finally entrepreneur turned business coach. She breaks down everything she learned along the way and gives us some of the biggest tips she wishes she knew in the beginning. You’ll learn Bella’s easy to use Blog content technique, where to get free employee handbooks, her favorite books, resources and much, much more. You really don’t want to miss this one!

This week we turn our Podcast on its head! You may remember episode 5 when we interviewed the amazing Kathryn Cockrell. After that interview, Kathryn stayed on the phone with our founder Brittany to dive even deeper into the conversation. Kathryn was so impressed with Britt’s story that she asked if she could play host on this week's episode and interview Britt! We loved the idea here at Handlr and quickly set up a date.   Kathryn does an incredible job hosting Handling Business as she asks Britt to tell her story from the beginning. What drove Brittany to develop Handlr? Where did she start her career and how did she discover the small business void that Handlr helps to fill? From her humble beginning walking dogs and tutoring students to her entrepreneurial journey with every win and loss in between, Britt tells all. Have you had questions about Handlr? We promise they will all be answered in this podcast. You’ll learn how our software was designed to save you thousands of hours, grow exponentially and allow you time to work on your business, not for it. Check it out below!

Have you ever paused along your journey as an entrepreneur and think “this would be so much easier if I had someone to guide me”? You’re not alone, every business owner wishes for a mentor to help make those tough decisions or point them in the right direction. Erica Gomez realized this years ago, which is why she became a business coach. Since 2011, Erica has been helping entrepreneurs find their way while simultaneously running her own pet sitting business, productivity workshop, and taking care of her family.

For this weeks podcast we interviewed Josh Cary of PetsittingOlogy, Pet industry expert and business coach. Josh taught us why your website needs these things and much more to compete in a constantly evolving industry. We’ll ask Josh about his process for growing a business and how he helps clients optimize their websites every day. He’ll share his biggest tips for standing out in a crowded market and how to one-up your competition with simple, smart steps.

This week on the Handling Business Podcast we sit down with a true expert in his field, Doug Warren. Doug has been a financial advisor for the last 44 years and has a massive following to prove it. Though he still works with clients one-on-one, Doug has thousands of followers that read his books, attend his training seminars and cling to his every word of advice.

In this week's episode of the Handling Business Podcast, Kathryn Cockrell sits down with us to tell her story. Kathryn launched her business as a teenager after deciding at only 17 that she wanted to work for herself. Years later, Happy Hound is a living, breathing business that thrives on it’s own. As Kathryn prepares an Airstream trailer to be her mobile office/ home, she guides us through the process of creating a company that can both help others and provide her with income while she travels the world.

Welcome to a very special edition of the Handling Business Podcast! We’re excited to introduce you to Mike Linville of Black Dog Marketing. Mike is a digital marketing expert who’s spent the last 17 years carving out his place on the internet. A Marine with a double major in material science & electrical engineering from UC Davis found that he enjoyed helping small businesses rise through the ranks of the web more than doing power calculations. Mike takes us on his journey from unmotivated teenager to marketing mad man and answers your biggest questions along the way.