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Beth Stultz, PSI 
    

With pet-industry spending on the rise, it’s a great time to enter the professional pet-care industry, but a career as a professional pet-sitting or dog-walking business owner is about much more than simply playing with dogs and cuddling cats.

In addition to obtaining a business license (if required), getting adequate pet-sitter insurance and bonding and taking advantage of any training you may need to provide quality pet care, there are many business decisions you will need to make to set you on the path to pet-sitting success.

As with any career, there will be many things you learn as you go, but we encourage new pet sitters and dog walkers to avoid these common pitfalls.

1. Not establishing policies and procedures

As you gain more pet-sitting clients, you’ll receive a variety of requests and questions from clients, including:

• “Can I pay when I return from vacation?”
• “Will you walk my dog with my neighbor’s dog?”
• “Since only my cat will be staying home, can you visit every other day?”

If you haven’t thought of these questions in advance—and what your company is willing or not willing to do—you’ll likely be unsure of how to respond and may feel pressured into giving an answer you may regret.

Taking time to think out, formalize, then write down your company’s policies and procedures will save you a lot of time—and headaches—in the future! Plus, by having this information pre-determined, you will be able to answer clients’ questions about your business confidently and avoid having to decide on the fly how you will handle specific situations that may arise (such as late payments).

PSI’s free “Pet-Sitting Policies & Procedures” eBook shares policies and procedures you should consider for your pet-sitting or dog-walking business.

2. Setting pet-sitting rates too low

Many new pet sitters and dog walkers fall into the trap of initially offering their services at very low rates to try to build a client base quickly. Unfortunately, this can have many negative consequences. Extremely low rates will not sustain the business long term. New sitters may find themselves overworked, but still not bringing in enough money to cover their basic business expenses. Low rates may also attract a less than ideal clientele—pet owners who base their decisions solely on price point. These types of clients will likely leave as soon as they can find someone cheaper, and may not place a great emphasis on finding a qualified, professional pet-care option.

When setting your rates, be sure to check out the national averages for common pet-sitting services. PSI’s free eBook, “Setting Your Pet-Sitting Rates,” provides the national averages for the United States and Canada. Typical rates may vary dramatically depending upon where you live. Because of this, it is also a good idea to take a look at what other professional pet sitters, boarding facilities and doggie daycares in your area charge in order to get an idea of local pricing. As a general rule, boarding facilities and daycares may be slightly less expensive for one dog (when compared to the cost of 3-4 daily pet-sitting visits), but are often significantly more expensive for multiple pets—as many professional pet sitters charge by time, instead of a flat, per-pet fee.

When comparing rates of other pet sitters in your area, be sure to differentiate between professional pet-sitting businesses and hobbyists. As a professional pet sitter, your pricing should be in line with other professionals who maintain pet-sitter insurance, obtain appropriate business licenses when necessary, etc. Remember, when setting fees, you’ll want to do some calculations to anticipate what your overhead business costs will be. The expenses include insurance and bonding, travel expenses, phone bill, printed literature, advertising, etc.

3. Not establishing a service area

When you are first starting out, it can be easy to want to accept every assignment you can get—even if a potential new client doesn’t live in a convenient location. As you build your business, however, it will be very difficult to accommodate clients who don’t live nearby, and you may find that assignments that require you to travel a long distance can limit the number of assignments you can accept. Be sure to give adequate thought to your geographic service area prior to accepting pet-sitting assignments. Will you offer pet-sitting services throughout your entire city…county…or select neighborhoods? Will you service specific ZIP/postal codes or cities? Or, will you limit your service area to a specific mile radius from your home? The area you select to service will determine your potential client base, your overhead costs and ultimately, your revenue potential.

Keep in mind that your service area will determine:

• your yearly mileage,
• wear and tear on your vehicle,
• gas costs, and
• scheduling and travel time between visits.

While driving a longer distance for a client may not be difficult when you are first starting out, longer travel times can disrupt your schedule once your clientele and pet-sitting assignments increase.

4. Not reaching out to other pet-care professionals

Many new pet sitters feel uncomfortable reaching out to other established pet sitters and dog walkers. Don’t make this mistake! Even though pets are your passion, pet sitting can be a lonely career. There is strength in numbers, and there’s likely no pet-sitting situation you'll encounter that has not already been experienced by another pet sitter. Plus, sometimes you just need to vent or share your daily joys and struggles with someone who understands what you do all day.

PSI believes in the power of connection and strives to provide a variety of networking opportunities for members. If you are a PSI member, be sure to take advantage of these networking opportunities:

• PSI’s members-only Facebook group, Professional Pet Sitters Chat
• PSI-registered pet-sitter networks
• PSI’s annual conference

By networking with other professional pet-sitting and dog-walking business owners, you utilize the experience and energy of others to avoid pitfalls and find success in your business. Online networking is very valuable, but it’s also important to make local connections. One of the main hurdles for any sole proprietor—backup—can be virtually eliminated when you belong to a strong pet-sitter network or regularly network with other local pet sitters. Do you have someone to call for backup in case of an emergency? If you don’t have available staff to call on, other local professional pet sitters can be a great resource. Fellow local pet sitters can also be an important source of referrals when they are unable to service pet owners.