Welcome to Podcast Episode 52: How to Monetize What You Know about Dogs with Adina Silberstein of Queenie’s Pets LLC. Today’s episode is a little longer than usual, but it’s so worth it!

I got a chance to talk to an entrepreneur who’s learned to monetize what she knows about dogs and grown a solo pet sitting and walking business into a full on empire! You’re going to be so inspired when you learn about Adina’s business philosophy. It’s all about being authentic. That approach allows you to sell without being pushy, build a strong company culture and provide tons of value to your community.

We also talk about how to approach your business idols when you meet them in person and a few resources that she relies on to run and grow her pet industry business.

How to Monetize What You Know About Dogs

Adina Silberstein is the Founder, President and CEO of award-winning, Northwest Philadelphia-based professional dog walking and pet sitting company, Queenie’s Pets ®.  

She is an entrepreneur and business coach, specializing in processes, organization, boundary and goal setting, company culture and profitability. Adina is committed to urban communities, force-free practices, empowering others, and ongoing professional and personal development helping others to thrive and succeed.

She’s proud to sit on the Philadelphia Animal Advisory Committee, advising the Philadelphia City Council and the city’s Mayor on the governance of wild and domesticated animals in the city. A graduate of American University as well as the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Adina continues to provide ongoing leadership and entrepreneurial advice. She’s also a writer for national & local pet-related blogs.

Queenie’s Pets® storefront operates as a boutique retail space, administrative office, and a community center for pet owners.  They offer a resource library, workshop and lecture series, and sell only unique and enriching products that Make the Lives of Pets and Their Humans Better™.

Adina lives in Philadelphia with her soon-to-be husband and their crew of rescue pets: a “Rottie-Scottie” named MeloDrama, and four – yes, four – cats: Mouse, Zizzy, Brucie Marbles and Snacks.

(00:00) Intro
(02:45) Introducing Adina Silberstein of Queenie’s Pets LLC
(03:25) The backstory of Queenie’s Pets LLC
(09:11) What the Queenie’s Pets facility holds
(14:14) How Queenie’s Pets monetizes their education platform
(20:37) How Adina has grown as leader
(26:49) Who Adina admires in the pet industry
(29:04) Adina’s approach to meeting big named industry leaders
(33:10) Favorite tools and resources
(38:05) Where to find Adina Silberstein

How did you get into the dog walking and pet sitting business?

Adina: I started Queenie’s Pets in 2006. Before that I was in the service industry as well as a teacher. I always wanted to work with animals, but I didn’t want to be a veterinarian. I didn’t want to deal with blood or death. It took me a while to figure out that dog walking and pet sitting was actually a viable career.

When I took the leap and jumped in, it just worked! I started walking dogs as a side gig because I was moving around a bit. When I came back to my hometown, people naturally just asked me if I could walk their dogs again. That was 19 years ago and I’ve been growing the business since.

How have you changed as a pet business owner and leader over time?

Adina: I went from thinking, “Oh gosh, can I do this…” to knowing that I’m doing it like a boss. I value the ongoing education, learning, growing, adapting, changing – all of that is a huge part of growing my pet business. 

When I first started the business, I was terrified of the business part of it. I was terrified of sales or marketing and systems. And now that’s my area of expertise because I’m constantly taking classes or growth programs. I’m always committed to “if you’re not growing, you’re dying.” I need to be learning and experiencing new things, always.

Is there a leader in the pet industry who inspires?

Adina: My dream is to connect with Dr. Marty Becker because of the unbelievable work he’s done for the force-free veterinary movement. Dr. Sophia Yen was just an amazing, amazing woman, I’m constantly still on her website. Plus, Dr. Karen Becker and Patricia McConnell – they’re such real and credible leaders.

Also, she’s not in the pet industry, but Sarah Blakely! She’s the founder and owner of Spanx and I love her. I heard her speak at an event and she’s amazing.

What resources help you run your pet walking business?

Adina: First and foremost is the book Traction by Gino Wickman. That is the foundation for setting up EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System). EOS is a business tool that helps you see your business in its full capacity from an operational perspective. For anyone struggling to create systems in their business, run and get Traction!

I also use other tools like Slack to communicate with my team. My office recently switched to voice-over-internet-protocol. So we have Ring Central, which is a system where we can organize all of our communication systems into one place.

FIND ADINA SILBERSTEIN:

Website
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

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