Episode 31: Types of Apps

In this episode of “Bella In Your Business”, Bella speaks with Britt Alwerud from Handlr.  They discuss  the top 9 apps they think are great for the Pet Sitting business. The apps they discuss are: Google for Work Handlr Trello NextDoor Podcasts Grasshopper Instagram Waze SoundCloud Britt Alwerud lives in Los Angeles, CA with her menagerie of furbabies - two Goldens, Daisy and Taj, two cats, Tiger and Monkey, two horses named Gracie and Moo, and a chameleon named Larry. Britt owns DogZenergy in San Diego, CA. Now she’s the full-time Founder and CEO of Handlr. Handlr is the ultimate business app for busy pet sitters who are looking to automate and grow their business. Learn more about Handlr by clicking here or email her at [email protected]. You can also find Britt on Instagram @doggonetechgirl or follow Handlr on Twitter @myhandlr for weekly business tips. Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 31 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome, everybody. My name is Bella Vasta, and I'm your host of Bella in Your Business. I'm here today with a very extraordinary entrepreneur. Her name is Britt Alvarude, and she is the inventor of Handler as well as Dogs Energy. Britt: Hey, Bella. Thanks for having me on. Bella: For sure. So for everyone listening here, and you know how much I love networking—Britt reached out to me a couple of months ago, and we’ve had a few calls since then that were so exciting and fun that I said, “Hey, Britt, let’s get on a podcast so everyone can hear the fun things we talk about.” You’re going to learn a lot about Britt and what she does, and our topic today is ten apps that can really help your business. Britt: Sure. So I have a dog walking agency called Dogs Energy in San Diego, California. I started that business while I was at UCSD, and what began as me just walking a few dogs quickly snowballed into walking dogs on every street in La Jolla. As I got busier, things got a little out of hand, and I needed a way to manage it all and create more time for myself. You’re taking care of dogs like crazy, barely have time to take care of yourself, walking all day, sitting all day, and then you get home and have to do a million back-office things like scheduling, managing client requests, and invoicing. It got to the point where I was burned out and thought, “How do I keep growing this business if I don’t figure out how to manage it more efficiently and create more time for myself?” So I decided to look into software and apps to manage my business. Bella: So today we’re going to talk about apps that are game-changing for the pet industry. You and I were talking and reflecting on it, and I think for my listeners, it would be really helpful to hear about the tools we use that they might implement in their businesses to make their lives easier, faster, and more streamlined. So, Britt, what’s the first app you’d recommend business owners use? Britt: I’d say if you aren’t using Google for work, that’s the first place to start. When I was first figuring out scheduling and managing appointments, I used Google Calendar. Gmail is great, and Google Drive lets you keep forms, spreadsheets, and documents organized. If you’re working with other people, everyone can see updates in real time. Once you start growing and adding dog walkers—say, more than twenty clients—it gets tough to do everything in Google Calendar. You need to make sure dog walkers have their calendars, show up on time, and complete jobs. I realized I needed software specific to pet sitting and dog walking, so I researched options but couldn’t find anything that did everything I needed: GPS tracking, mobile appointments, check-ins and check-outs, and invoicing. I dreamed about pressing a button on an appointment that would automatically charge the client’s card. And wouldn’t it be even better if dog walkers could check out and charge automatically? When Uber and Lyft came out, I thought, “That’s what I want for my business.” So I built Handler—the software I’d been dreaming of. Bella: Awesome. That Handler app sounds amazing. For everyone listening, you can check it out at myhandler.com/bella. Before we move on, I want to mention another helpful Google feature—canned responses and Boomerang for email follow-ups. Between Google Apps and Handler, they work beautifully together. Another app I love that I know you use too is Trello—T-R-E-L-L-O. What do you use it for? Britt: I use it for everything—from planning my wedding to managing Dogs Energy. You can create lists for projects—like “Growth for 2017,” “Ideas,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” Each card represents a task, and you can move them through stages. It’s basically a glorified checklist, and moving a card to “Done” is so satisfying. Bella: For those of you who love checklists, Trello’s great. I use it with my virtual assistants, podcast producer, and other team members. As pet business owners, we often have online helpers—bookkeepers, designers, etc.—and Trello helps us keep everything organized instead of losing track in emails. Another app I love is Nextdoor.com. I’ve even written blogs about how pet business owners can find clients or workers there. It’s a micro-neighborhood hub for word-of-mouth marketing and community connection. Britt: Yeah, it’s been great. It’s a way to get organic referrals. My business grew through word of mouth, and Nextdoor amplifies that to the community. The only downside is that posts can only be made by people who live in that area. So to grow into Del Mar, we ask our clients there to post on our behalf—and we reward them with a toy or extra walk time. Bella: Great idea! (Commercial break – ProPet Hero CPR ad) Bella: Okay, next up—podcasts! I love them. When you’re tired of regular radio, podcasts are perfect for learning while you walk dogs, drive, or do chores. Feed your brain! Britt, do you listen to podcasts? Britt: Yes! I love The Tim Ferriss Show—he’s fascinating and inspiring. And Entrepreneur on Fire by John Lee Dumas is great too. I was actually a guest on his show once. Bella: I love those. Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner said podcasts are one of the last unfiltered mediums—no algorithms deciding what you see. It’s a pure way to reach and learn from people. Now let’s talk about Grasshopper. As businesses grow, sometimes you need more lines for team members or forwarding calls. Google Voice is great, but Grasshopper works well when you need a larger system. Britt: We’ve used Grasshopper for a year now. Since we all work remotely, it helps manage calls and texts between managers and assistants. Grasshopper lets multiple users receive forwarded calls and texts through the app. It’s super helpful. With Handler, I wanted something similar—so clients can message walkers through the app without exchanging personal numbers. That keeps communication organized and secure. Bella: I love that. Now, Instagram—you’re great at it. I was checking your profile earlier, and I feel like I know you through your posts. Tell us how you use Instagram for business. Britt: We started posting all the fun photos our dog walkers take during the day. It helps clients see how happy their dogs are, and hashtags like #SanDiegoDogs bring in new followers. It’s also helped us connect with “celebrity dogs” on Instagram, like Jojo the Super Corgi. We’ve partnered with them for community events like the Surf Dog-A-Thon in Del Mar. We even hosted an Instagram photo contest where clients’ dogs won prizes—it was a blast. Bella: That’s awesome. Next is Waze—W-A-Z-E. It’s a traffic navigation app that’s crowd-sourced, so you get live updates about accidents or slowdowns. I use it constantly. Britt: Me too. It’s super handy. Bella: And finally, SoundCloud—great for streaming music or even listening to podcasts on the go. To recap: we’ve covered Google for Work, Handler, Trello, Nextdoor, Podcasts, Grasshopper, Instagram, Waze, and SoundCloud. Britt, tell everyone how they can find Handler. Britt: You can go to myhandler.com or download it on the App Store or Google Play. If you want to become a Handler Partner, there’s an application online. We’re connecting top-quality pet sitters, walkers, and groomers with clients through the app—so not only do you get tools to manage your business, but you also gain new clients. Bella: Awesome. Thank you so much for joining me, Britt. For everyone listening, don’t forget to like and subscribe to Bella in Your Business. You can also find us on Facebook or visit jumpconsulting.net. This has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. Always keep jumping!