Pet Sitting Business

How to Start a Pet Sitting Business. Starting your own pet sitting business is one of the most rewarding and profitable home businesses you can start. It doesn't.
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Unfortunately, our economy, today, is not as healthy as it's been in past years.

How to Start a Pet-sitting Business

We believe that recovery will be tied closely to the services sector and the increasing popularity of domestic services. Pet sitting IS a business opportunity! You may not 'get rich quick' as a pet sitter, but you can profit while having fun. And having fun should be part of every career and job. To be a successful pet sitter, you must remember that you're running a business. As we said, that doesn't have to be scary. It involves no rocket science or extraordinary sacrifice, just the right approach — a little planning and organizing.

In contrast, the small businesses we've seen fail generally started haphazardly and moved in random, inconsistent directions. In our book, The Professional Pet Sitter , we emphasize that organization is the foundation for a pet sitting service. There are many aspects to starting a new business — legalities, marketing, daily operation — but, with a few basic decisions, they begin to fall into place.

The demand for pet sitting and related services could vary considerably.

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Demand depends on lifestyles in each locale. Folks living in suburban areas have cats, large dogs and will want basic home security, such as bringing in the mail and paper and altering lighting and window blinds. With large yards, some will want watering and yard care. Those living in high-rise apartments will have small animals, maybe many indoor plants and may want you to monitor their fax and phone recorder or pick up laundry on Tuesday.

In rural areas, there may be farm animals to feed and groom.

Getting Started

Poke around to determine which services are in demand in your area. Which services will you offer? Be a little flexible, but decide, generally, what you're willing and unwilling to do.

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Can you milk a cow? Are you not too fond of reptiles or rodents?


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Maybe your first love is cats and the popularity of kitties in your area suggests you specialize. Pricing is a subject which we cover in detail in The Professional Pet Sitter, because it's easy to make mistakes, setting fees too high or too low. Some would-be customers question the quality of service they'd get for a low fee. It isn't wise to merely copy what other pet sitters charge — they may be wrong! Correct pricing requires a two-pronged approach which compares a pet sitter's costs to market value — what customers are willing to pay.

It involves concepts like "alternative costs," "demographics" and "utility. Changing your fees and having to reprint fliers can be expensive! The framework for your pet sitting service is your 'business': The three common ways to structure a small business are as a "sole proprietorship," a "partnership" or a "corporation. Choosing the right business structure is important, so consult with a lawyer.

If you don't have a personal attorney, ask around for one who specializes in small businesses. Your attorney also can help determine all licensing, registration and permit requirements for your service areas. Be sure to discuss registering your business name. Having adequate insurance certainly is a practical, if not a legal, requirement for any small business.

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You must consider general liability and auto insurance and — if you hire employees — federal and state taxes, bonding, and Workers' Compensation. Minimally, every business requires a phone, some paperwork, files and a place to work — an "office. The advantages are obvious, but recognize and avoid a few pitfalls. A spare bedroom makes a terrific office. The kitchen table or other shared area won't work. For you to stay organized and function professionally, your office must afford adequate space, privacy and security. You must be able to protect confidential customer information and to access support materials quickly.

Once you've arranged your office, give thought to your work hours — when you'll normally 'go to work' and when you'll 'go home. To keep your new venture fun, maintain the ability to draw a line between your professional and personal lives. We've touched on having employees, consulting with an attorney and being able to 'draw the line. Where do you turn? Since we don't have time to be experts in law or taxes, we consult occasionally with an attorney and an accountant.

We also rely on the advice of a competent insurance agent. In selecting our advisors, we sought the recommendations of friends — other small business owners in our area. They helped us find 'neighborhood' professionals with good reputations, reasonable fees and who take an interest in us. Consulting with them, occasionally, to stay on the 'straight and narrow' is worth the small annual cost.


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But how about when you feel the flu coming on and you've got five visits to make tomorrow? Or what do you do when you find a customer's basement flooding? Help is available, and the most common sources are family and other pet sitters.

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A word of caution, though. There are legal considerations with someone other than you going into a client's home. With a little advance planning, you can deal with any surprise. There are many ways to introduce and promote a new pet sitting service. Re-examine your service area. While it is tempting to take any and every pet-sitting assignment—especially if business has been slow—consider your overhead costs.

Traveling outside of your immediate service area costs additional money and time and offers little to no profit. Consider revising your service area, or charging a mileage fee for clients outside of a specific range. Focus marketing efforts on convenient neighborhoods that have proven to offer the largest clientele. Another option is to hire staff sitters to handle these other assignments. Broaden your marketing horizons. E-mail and Internet marketing campaigns offer simple—and often free—ways to reach current and potential clients.

Step outside of your comfort zone andconsider trying social media, such as blogs, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter to promote your business to local pet owners. Make it easy for your pet-sitting clients to spread the word about your services. Give them referral cards to share with their friends or family and consider offering a one-time discount to clients who refer new clients. Local pet stores, groomers and animal shelters are also great places to advertise your services.

PSI members, you can download free, customizable coupon templates in the Members' area of petsit. Spending less time at a visit or forgoing leaving a daily note may allow you to fit more visits in a day, but decreased service is never a good idea—in any economy.

By continuing to offer stellar care and possibly even adding benefits, such as new client referral rewards, you are sure to outlast any economic downturn or increased influx of pet-sitting services in your area. Keep them informed about what you do for them and the standards to which you conform. Leave checklists and "report cards" after each pet-sitting assignment.

Thank your customer with handwritten notes, e-mails and calls. Finally, ask them how you can improve, realign and expand your services to help them even more. The importance of networking can never be stressed enough. A strong professional network is essential for success, regardless of the state of the economy.