Share This Page

Tweet

There’s great truth to the statement, “There’s strength in numbers.” Pet sitting can be lonely. And whether you are just starting your pet-sitting business or are a pet-care veteran, you have questions—and there’s no one better to help answer your questions and share in your daily challenges and joys than a fellow pet sitter. 

PSI members have a network of nearly 7,000 fellow PSI members and pet-sitting business owners, and PSI is always looking for ways to help our members connect with one another. From PSI’s annual conference to the private Facebook chat group, PSI is always seeking out new avenues to allow our members to find support, advice and new ideas from fellow pet sitters. 

PSI’s Pet Sitter Spotlight series has that same goal. Each month, we’ll feature a different PSI member and share his or her answers to our pet-sitting survey. The responses will help you get to “know” this pet sitter and provide you with some tips and advice for your own pet-sitting business. You can view past Pet Sitter Spotlights here.

PSI members, if you are interested in being considered for a PSI Pet Sitter Spotlight, complete this questionnaire.

Meet Julie Gajewski, owner of Fuzzy Friends Pet Care LLC in Brandon, FL:

Your Name: Julie Gajewski

Business Name: Fuzzy Friends Pet Care LLC

Location: Brandon, Florida

Year you started your pet-sitting business: 1997

What was your previous job/profession? Veterinary technician

What is your current business structure? (sole proprietor, LLC, etc.) LLC & S Corp

Number of current clients: 300

How many visits do you typically do per day? 15

Is your service area urban, suburban or rural?  Suburban

Is your pet-sitting business insured? Yes.

Is your pet-sitting business bonded? Yes.

How long did it take you to build up your clientele? Six months to one year for the first 100; another year for the remaining clients.

Do you use staff sitters? Yes, employees.

Do you offer any services besides basic in the client's home pet sitting and dog walking? (pet taxi, etc.) We offer occasional nail trims, ear cleanings, and anal gland expressions as well as transportation to groomer and vet for regular clients.

What educational opportunities have you taken advantage of since becoming a pet sitter?

Continuing education for veterinary technicians through conference business classes at local community college

Which advertising methods worked best when you were a new business? Word of mouth

Do you still use the same advertising methods? Yes, but now we also have a website. We also have an excellent online presence through client reviews on sites such as Angie's List, Google, and Facebook.

What's one mistake you've made as a professional pet sitter (when you were just starting out or at any time during your career)? What did you learn/what do you do differently now?

Too large of a service area & not accepting payment in advance. I would not have done either. The first spread me too thin and stressed me out. The second caused me to chase down money owned to me.

What advice would you give to new pet sitters? 

Grow your business slow and steady to ensure you have control and continue to be reliable to your clientele. In addition set your business up as you want it to be when you have a full load of visits each day. Have your policies and procedures in place from the start. Retraining a client when something changes is never easy.

Are there any must-have business tools your business could not do without?

Smartphone (we are entirely paperless) Hand free bluetooth device Computer Separate business line to ensure my personal time is kept separate from me my business time

Do you schedule vacation time and/or days off? If so, how often? 

Yes. One weekend off per month and one or two 3-5 day vacations per year.

Are there any tips you would share for establishing a healthy work/life balance? 

Set boundaries and clear cut office hours with your clients. Do not use your personal cell phone or allow text messaging. Set your business communications up like a large corporation. It gives you breathing room if your clients know it can take up to so much time to receive an email response. If they cannot text message you, they are not expecting instant gratification from you immediately texting back.

Is there any other information about your business and/or what has helped you create a successful pet-sitting business that you'd like to share? 

If you really love what you do and you're mindful, the business will follow.

We grow slow & steady. We average 50-75 new clients per year but since we live in a transient location we lose 25-30 every year as well to relocation. I am always hearing the term work on your business not in it. I don't apply that to how I do things. I do both. I can't foresee paying employees if I do not have a full time load to pay myself. Therefore my husband and I work full time and our employees fill in as needed for supplemental income. It keeps us busy while still allowing us to draw a paycheck for us both every two weeks. I have also had advantages in being successful as I have been a veterinary technician for as long as I have been a pet sitter. It definitely is a niche that I have.