Listen and learn from Harriet's inspirational story by clicking on the image below...

 

Dom: I'm here with Harriet Goodall. One of my Diamond, private coaching clients. Harriet, you set the scene for us. Introduce yourself, tell us where you're from, what you do, and when you started your business.

Harriet: Right, so hi, I'm Harriet. And I run Pawtastic Gundog Adventures.  I started in 2014 six months after I had my daughter because I was a veterinary nurse at the time, and wanting to change. I couldn't work 50 hours and have a baby. It just wasn't going to happen.

 

So I obviously had her and then decided that I'd become a dog walker because I loved animals, so I did solo walks and charged really cheap, what everyone else is charging. And I did that. I think at one point I'm six pounds for half an hour. Yes, that's shocking.

Then I morphed into cat feeds as well. And I just gradually morphed into what it is now. Obviously with Dom's help, I've niched down to gundogs. I'm a trainer now, which is really great, which I really enjoy. I feel like I found my passion. I'm a lot more confident and yeah, absolutely love it.

 

We do well taming classes as I like to call it. And I do one-to-one training packages, and  I still do a bit of the walking, but my passion is training. So we stick with that.

Dom: So something interested about your journey, Harriet, is in many ways, it parallels my journey as well in that what you've done is you've up-levelled your dog skills over the years, your dog handling and train and skills. The same time as that, you've up-levelled your marketing skills as well, like massively. So you've gone on a big dog training journey, I know. So I recommended Claire and John and Danielle, and then obviously Carol has given you loads of help as well, hasn't she, in she and her academy, and you've, like you said, you've found your passion and stuff.

But at the same time as that, you've done what not a lot of dog trainers do at all, which is you've continually upped your game with your marketing and continually invested in your marketing and really thrown yourself into it, to the point at which you're emailing regularly, fantastic emails, your paper and ink marketing. I've got it here in front of me now, your book. Yeah. You know, all of your marketing is packed with personality and you've embraced everything, and you've mastered a lot of it as well, really, over the years. You know? So what was the difference with you? Was there a point for you when the penny dropped and when you realised that the marketing is just as important or maybe say more important than the actual dog knowledge side of things?

Harriet: Well, to be honest, it's two penny drops. There's one where I first joined and realised that you weren't going to do the work for me.

 

Dom: Sorry about that.

Harriet: I know, shocker. Obviously now I'm a trainer. I find it quite annoying when people don't do the work because obviously you get results. So I think when the penny drops, I think last year for me, I think I found the fitness thing during lock down.  So if I could do that, if I could save half an hour in a day, I could start transforming my day, I took that decision. And I do enjoy the marketing. I like the emails and putting myself out there because it's quite scary. So like I said earlier, my mom thinks I'm nutty wearing the hat and just craziness of it. So I realised that people can copy me, but they can't copy this and what I'm what I do.

And I think because you're always worried about the competition, aren't you, always. I am still to a certain degree, but I know that no one's going to go around wearing a tamer hat and calling themselves the teenage gundog tamer. Do you know what I mean? No, one's going to do that.

Dom: Yeah, we've create a really unique identity that is interwoven into everything that you do really now, isn't it? And you embody it and you live it. So it's absolutely amazing. So what was the second? So the first one was the penny dropping. What was the second, did you say? 

Harriet: I think finding my voice, I think definitely.

Dom: Finding your voice, cool.

Harriet: Yes, finding the niche thing. I think as soon as I realised right... Again, what we're talking about on the Diamond Foundation call last night and a lot were worried about where should I go? Where should I go? And I was like that a couple of years ago, and then it just kind of clicked, I think, and I noticed how I was, very impatient.

Dom: Newer members, yeah, definitely.

Harriet: Yeah, newer members. I recognised that last night, and I was like, oh, I was like that. So I think that the message there is hang on. Find what you want to do. It took me ages. We went from, didn't we, I was going to go to a puppy angle when I was a walker. I was going to even go to the Labradors at one point, which may happen in the future, but again, it needs to be the right time, doesn't it?

Dom: Yeah, it totally does. I distinctly remember various conversations with various coaching clients. And one of them, I do remember that with you when we were almost getting close to where you wanted to go, and you wanted to go down the training gundog angle. And then now it's like, well, if you want to do that, then you need to do this first. 

 

And since then, everything just kind of like started in a place. You've gone from strength to strength. And the interesting thing as well is when you're trying to find your niche, and you're finding your voice and stuff, it's really important that you, at the same time as that, you're taking positive steps in your business all the time. So you're increasing prices, you're upselling, you're creating paper and ink marketing that creates a special bond with your clients and stuff.  So whilst you were finding what you've become now, we were still doing things to improve the business weren't we?

Harriet:  And I think always have your eyes open. So just an example of that as well. One of my clients, she just had a baby, so she doesn't have time to train her dog. So I was like, oh. And then she was kind of hinting at it and like big signs, beacons, and I'm like, right.

Dom:
Help me.

Harriet: Yes, exactly. I just don't have the time. I know what to do. She clearly had a good idea what she wants to do with the spaniel. And I was like, right. Trained for you. And I was like, so this is kind of what I haven't actually talked to you about it yet because it's only recently happened in the last week. 

Dom: This is something I've been saying. This should be an option for everybody. Isn't it? You know.

Harriet: Yeah, it takes a while. So like you say about the done-for-you stuff. It hasn't quite clicked before, but this week it was like, wow. And then I went into, I could get my taming class that I do, and then I could get that, and then obviously charge quite a bit and then take that and then do it each week, six week course, but do it with the dog, just the dog. You know, if you haven't got time. People have got busy lives and stuff. Because of the problem that people can't do the training is time.

Dom:A hundred percent. And it's really important for you to have these, well for every trainer, to have these different levels of service, so that you have your book, your free guide on your website, and then you have your classes, and then you have your training one-to-one sessions, and then you have your done-for-you stuff right at the top. It's a pyramid of services.

And like you just said before, essentially it's the same thing that you're teaching in all of these things, but you're giving people the opportunity to get the help that they need, and they're quite happy to pay for it aren't they, and pay quite vast sums for it, as well.

Harriet: So, yes, that's kind of literally just happened this week.

Dom: Wow, cool. I look forward to hearing more about that.

 

Harriet: Yeah, I haven't had a chance to reach you.

Dom: This interview is coming just at the right time.

Harriet: Yeah. So obviously I need to finish what I'm doing with the fireworks stuff there, and do that. I need to get that course out.

Dom: If it's a good idea now, it will be a good idea in two or three weeks time, won't it?

Harriet: Yeah, it's still there, but obviously, it needs to be, take a pin in and then finish what we're doing.

Dom: A hundred percent, hey, you're a pro at this, you're a pro this. Goals and challenges.  Just talking about that then, how has the goals and challenges and the cultured environment that you've been in, how has that helped? I was thinking specifically with regards to some of the income goals that we've set and smashed and stuff over the last year.

 

Harriet:. So obviously when I first started, the goals and challenges, I found it really difficult. Like obviously what the new members said on the call last night that they're struggling with. But it makes you think what you want, and sometimes you don't. 

Dom: Well, it's good because they compound, rather than, you were giving an example from what you were like previously, but a lot of people live their business lives like that. You know? So, we're doing this, then we're doing that. And there's not really cohesion, whereas if you've got a bit more planning in place, then things build on each other. Don't they, you know? So how do you feel about the future now then?

Harriet: Very, very positive. I'll be yeah, a lot more happy once I move and get my house.  We're hoping next year. Obviously I think I've realised that anything's possible. I'd like to have my land as well, so it's kind of like house and then get my land that I want. But one step at a time.

Harriet: But the thing is when you open the doors to show you what's possible, you kind of want everything right now because obviously we're in the Amazon culture of I want everything now. You realise actually you need to go back, fix this, do this. Everything needs to align. And I think that's one side.

So like with the firework thing, I'm going to do all this next year. But maybe if I planned it, maybe a couple of weeks better, maybe I would have sold better on my webinar.

 

Dom: Lessons learned all the time.  We do things. Sometimes they work, more often than not, they do work, but sometimes they don't. We tweak it. We make it better. This is how we keep moving forward.  I think your confidence wise as well, Harriet, I feel like you're really riding high at the moment, and it's shining through to me.

Harriet: Yeah, it does have its down days. When I first started the classes, I had a really good week, and then the second week just went, and I was like, then a few people didn't come for various reasons, and you're always thinking, oh me, is it what I'm doing? 

Dom:  Thank you so much for coming on. Harriet, I'm going to hold your book up. If you can give your website a plug and your new book and stuff as well.

Harriet: Yeah, so obviously you can find my book on Amazon. Teenage Pet Gundog Fireworks Survival Guide, yes. And you can find me on www.pawtasticgundogadventures.co.uk. I had to actually think there.

Dom: Brilliant. Hey, Harriet, thank you so much. I really appreciate you coming on and sharing your story again and let everybody know just what's happened really. And I think it's good for people to see if you put your efforts into the right places, and you're focused, and you consistently take action, good things happen.
And you've been in my coaching world from day one, really with the PBIC. She's a lifer is Harriet. We've got the cuffs on her. But no, and like super proud for me to see your journey as well, so really, really well done, fantastic.

Harriet: Aw, thank you.

Dom: If anybody's watching this, you want to go on a similar journey to Harriet, then click on the link below to find out more about the coaching services. Thank you, Harriet.

Harriet: Thank you.

Inside the Diamond Coaching Program Dom can  help you maximize your results.  Dom's  Diamond Coaching includes: