EP 208 - How to Accelerate Growth and Become a Leader with David Levin of Citizen Hound SF

Handling Business

David Levin is the owner and CEO of Citizen Hound - a world class dog walking company located in San Francisco. David started his business in 2011 after working in the fast paced world of copy writing and advertising. Looking for more work/life balance, he decided to start a dog walking business. With his background in marketing and advertising, combined with his love of dogs, people and the great outdoors, David built his business based on creating long term committed relationships with his clients, their pups and his staff. His hard work and dedication has earned Citizen Hound countless awards including - Best Dog Walkers in San Francisco 2017 and 2015 in Bay Woof Magazine. Best Dog Walkers in the Bay Area 2017 in The Bay Area A-List. #2 in the A List 2016 and 2015. #4 in 2014 and 2013. And Best Dog Walker in San Francisco by the SF Examiner 2017. David also cofounded a Dog Walker Certification Course in response to San Francisco requiring a dog walker permit to walk dogs commercially. David is the type of entrepreneur who faces challenges straight on, and fights to find the solutions and answers to overcome his biggest obstacles. In this episode you’ll learn: 1. How to get your business off the ground and accelerate growth. 2. How important relationships are in a service based business. 3. The pros and cons of buying a client list vs spending the same amount on advertising and sales. 4. Whether or not you should take out a loan in the beginning of your business. 5. Should you buy more client lists in order to expand your service business? 6. The difference between buying a client list and buying a true business. 7. The difference between selling a business and selling a client list. 8. Why systems are key to your business. 9. What if you were in a coma for a month? What if you break your leg? Can your business run itself? 10. How word-of-mouth is a snowball effect and how to get your brand out there 11. Why your website is key to your business’ success. It’s your store front as a mobile service business. 12. Why SEO is key to your business being #1 on Google and why this must be a priority for your mobile service business Pro tip: Look at the businesses that are on top of Google search pages and how does your website compare? 13. How to develop your leadership skills as you build your team. 14. Why personal development and managing your stress levels are key to being a solid leader. 15. Ways to keep your service very personal even as you scale. 16. How to define your business model. Every pet care business is so different. Some businesses like David’s only offer five day a week dog hikes, others are fill in pet sitters for other pet sitters, some might just do one-on-one pet sit visits. There’s so many ways to model a business and the most important things is to create a business that fits your demographic, goals and vision for your future. To learn more about Citizen Hound check out citizenhoundsf.com.