Guest blogger Danielle Chonody offers sound advice on starting a pet sitting business from home.

The popularity of pet sitting is growing at a rapidly. Four years ago when I started my pet sitting business in Dallas Fort Worth many people I spoke to had no idea that pet sitting was an option to boarding their pets when they traveled. Today pet sitting is regularly in the news and the largest pet sitting franchise in the United States opens 4-5 new locations every month.

A pet sitter is someone who visits a client’s home once or several times a day to feed, water, walk and play with pets while clients are at work or out of town. Often pet sitters also perform home services such as mail collection, garbage disposal, and plant watering. Pet sitting is an alternative to boarding and offers the benefit of keeping pets in a familiar environment and maintaining their regular routine. This means that pets are less stressed and avoid coming in contact with other animals from which they can pick up disease. Pet sitting also offers more convenience to owners as they do not have to drop and pick up pets from a boarding facility.

Pricing for pet sitting varies from $14-25 per 30 minute visit depending on region. Some pet sitters charge extra for administering medications to pets, and charge extra for each additional pet. The price that you charge will have to cover your transportation costs to and from visits. You should do some research about the rates of other pet sitters in your area to see what you can expect to earn per visit.

The Pros

I love pet sitting as I get to interact with many different pets and they always greet me with happy faces and wagging tails. I also get to meet owners and share stories about their pets. At a pet sitting visit you are paid to play and spend time cuddling with the pets, what could seem less like work?

Pet sitting is a business you can start small with low start up cost and low overheads. You can grow the business as you grow your business skills. I started small and have slowly built up a base of regular clients. You are also able to start the business part time while continuing to work a day job. I still run my business part-time and use contractors to help me with pet sitting visits. It is a great business to start if you have not previously owned your own business as you can learn along the way.

The Cons

Pet sitters take on a lot of responsibility while caring for pets because pet owners are relying on the sitter to manage their pet’s health and well-being in their absence. Pet owners also trust you with the keys and security of their home. As a pet sitter you need to be organized and keep track of scheduled visits, keys and contracts. The worst thing a pet sitter can do is to miss a scheduled visit.

As a pet sitter you must be comfortable entering client’s homes to visit pets. Sometimes visits will have to be made to customer’s homes at night when the home is dark. You must be comfortable entering customer’s homes and walking around neighborhoods with dogs to walk them at night.

The busiest times of the year for a pet sitting business are during major holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, long weekends, and during school holidays. You have to be prepared to work on these holidays and on weekends while your family and friends are enjoying time off.

As a pet sitter you must be prepared to clean litter boxes each visit and clean up accidents in the home whenever they occur. In my business this has often meant cleaning vomit, poop and pee from carpets, hard floors, and pets. Dogs will need walking come rain or shine and you will often have to make visits when you are tired or even sick. Pet sitting is something you have to make a total commitment to pursuing as you will have to be there when the pets need you.

Start your business with the right tools

There are very few start-up costs to open a pet sitting business but it is essential that you purchase insurance and bonding, business forms, and join an association so that you can learn from others. Insurance will cover you against any damage caused to a client’s home, injury to their pets, and loss of client keys. Bonding will cover you against theft of articles from a client’s home by anyone working with your business. New customers will typically ask if you are insured and bonded and having these policies in place sets you up as a professional business and makes you more trustworthy to them.

By joining a pet sitting association you will be able to purchase pet sitting insurance and bonding at a discounted rate. I am a member of Pet Sitters International or PSI (www.petsit.com) and recommend them as they offer great member support, discounted services, and a highly searched online pet sitter locator. An association will also provide education and put you in touch with other pet sitters through networking groups and an annual conference.

Business forms are available from many online stores and also through PSI. You will need to have a pet sitting contract which outlines your legal terms and conditions and forms to collect client and pet information.

Although not essential I would also recommend that new pet sitters also take a pet first aid training course so they are prepared to care for an injured pet during an emergency. A first aid kit, kitty litter, paper towels, cleaners, and a couple of dog leashes make a great care kit to carry to pet sitting jobs to make sure you are prepared for any incident.

Set up systems to manage keys and paperwork

As a pet sitter you will be responsible for taking care of customer keys during your visits and also their home security information on your contracts. You should have a system to label and store keys (preferably label with numbers rather than names or addresses in case they are lost). I purchased a key lock box from an office store that came with numbered keys and a record book that lets me keep keys secure in my home between scheduled visits.

Take full advantage of networking and learning from others

When I initially started my pet care business I sought out other pet sitters via online chat groups and met with several other local pet sitters for lunch. This one networking event resulted in an introduction to a sitter in my area that was interested in getting my help with her clients over the busy holiday season. This worked well for both of us, I learned a lot from her, and we have been working to support each other ever since.

Unfortunately although I made a good start, as my business progressed I let other commitments stand in my way of continuing to meet other sitters. I think that had I persisted with networking that I could have learned many other lessons from my peers, could have opened up more opportunities for my business and would have had more support through the busy periods.
I would recommend that anyone starting a new pet care business do all they can to reach out to other pet professionals in person and via internet forums to create a network of friends that they can rely on for help and support.

Don’t spend too much on websites and advertising

When you start your business it is easy to spend too much on expensive ads in yellow pages and other print magazines and newspapers. However, there are plenty of low cost alternatives that are also very effective. Here are a few to get you started:

1. Print your own fliers on a word processing program and set up displays in local pet stores, groomers, vet offices, and restaurants. Also post these flyers on grocery store notice boards and at apartment buildings and realtor offices.
2. Put magnetic signs on your car
3. Make t-shirts or caps with your business name to wear around town
4. Join local chamber of commerce and attend networking events
5. Donate gift vouchers to community charity auctions
6. Give out flyers to people you meet walking their dogs or at dog parks

Advertise your business within a restricted region as a lot of your time will be spent traveling to and driving between visits. You will be able to make more visits each day and spend less on gas if you work to attract customers that are within 5-10 miles of your home.

Sometimes customers will interview several pet sitters before they select the business they will use. Be able to market yourself with a simple presentation folder that you can show to customers at the initial interview that gives them information about your experience with pets. Also include references, photos of your pets, insurance and bonding information, and any training and professional association memberships.

I would highly recommend setting up a website for your business but again this doesn’t need to cost you a lot of money. When I set up my first pet sitting website I had plenty of ideas for what it would look like and say but no skills in web design and no knowledge of how to get a site online. I wanted someone who could make it easy for me and ended up paying around $35 per month for the setup and hosting. Relying on someone else to modify my site it was always a challenge to make regular changes and improvements.

After researching web site hosting and design over the past 3 years I realize I could have got a site online for a much lower monthly expense and had more control. There are several do it yourself website builders that you can use to set up a great site and also get tools to help promote your site. The one I recommend is Simple Web Site Builder
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If you have some technical skills and want to set up a site yourself using a private host and writing your own web pages you can host your own site for as little as $4-6 per month at Hostmonster.

Know your tax deductions

There are so many great tax deductions available for small businesses and of course it’s hard to know them all when you first start a business. I know I missed many deductions on my first couple of tax returns. Common deductions include phone service charges, home office equipment and supplies, vehicle mileage and maintenance, copying and printing, advertising, and internet service if you have a business website.

It is important that you do some research when you are starting your business and make sure you keep records of all your expenses. A good book to give you some tips is Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn available at Amazon.com. I would also recommend talking upfront to your accountant about the best structure for your business to make sure you keep more of your money at tax time.

Danielle Chonody is the CEO of Claws Paws & Jaws Pet Sitting in Dallas Ft Worth, Texas. For more pet business tips subscribe to her weekly e-zine “Pet Business Power Tips” at www.petbusinesspowertips.com. You’ll receive powerful ideas to help you start and grow a pet business faster, with less frustration, and more fun! Subscribe today to immediately receive a Free copy of Danielle’s special report “25 Low-Cost Marketing Tips to Explode Your Business”.

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