Pet Sitter Spotlight: Kelly Detherow, Just Fur-Babies Pet Sitting & Walking Services

After nearly 30 years in corporate sales, Kelly Detherow decided it was time to pursue her passion for animals and open her own pet-sitting business.

Kelly, who has three dogs and two cats, is very particular about her pets’ care, and after using pet-sitting services over the past eight years she saw a need to have a better quality and experience for clients.

Kelly officially started her pet-care company on Dec. 6, 2016. Her business, Just Fur-Babies Pet Sitting & Walking Services, is located in Olathe, Kansas—just outside of Kansas City.

Ever since she was a kid, she wanted to be a veterinarian, but “real life happens.” Now, Kelly gets to play with and care for animals daily.

“A lot of people that I’ve met in the past several weeks tell me, I’m very envious, because you have the ability to do what you love,” Kelly shares.

In addition to pet sitting and dog walking, Kelly offers pet taxi service, house sitting, midday potty breaks, emergency key service and litter box changes.

Kelly said her business is insured and bonded and that she provides proof of her clear criminal history upon clients’ request.

But starting a business did not just happen overnight.

“It’s something I’ve been considering for quite some time,” Kelly explains.

Preparing for business

Before officially opening her business, Kelly spent time researching the industry and setting up her business—all while still working full-time.

She attended PSI’s 2016 Pet Sitter World Educational Conference & Expo in San Diego last September, which she says was an amazing experience. There she got to meet PSI staff, sit down and talk with other business owners, and network with pet sitters as well as pet-industry leaders like Dr. Marty Becker.

To further prepare for business, Kelly has also taken advantage of the PSI website and other business websites, PSI’s member magazine, books, and advice from leaders in the pet-care industry. She also completed first-aid training and became a Certified Professional Pet Sitter™.

After outlining the up-front expenses for starting her business, Kelly was able to get the work done in stages. She worked with Mike Linville of Black Dog Marketing, who she met at the PSI conference, to set up a website for her business.

“You have one opportunity to make that first impression,” Kelly says, “so you need to be able to build your business where you feel confident about making that first impression.”

Instead of rushing things, she was able to take her time setting up her business, and now her primary focus can be on her clients and their animals, she says.

Kelly is proud to have software behind her services and is able to provide clients check-in and check-out information, a summary and photos with an email after service, and clients can access their contracts and information online.

“Having the best technology available for your customers is pretty key,” Kelly notes.

Getting the word out

The one thing Kelly has had to learn in these first few months is “to have patience, because it will grow.”

Kelly, who has a home office, plans on hiring employees as her business grows. Her service area is mostly urban.

As of January 2017 (with just a little over a month in business), she has 10 clients so far, including three Monday-through-Friday walking clients, and she had not done her big marketing push yet, pending her website launch.

Coming from a sales background, Kelly likes to look at dog walking as her recurring revenue, while pet sitting is like her commission. In order to grow her business like she wants to, she needs to have that recurring revenue.

Right now, she is getting the word out about her business online by using social media and posting her information on sites such as Angie’s List, Thumbtack, Nextdoor and the PSI Locator. She sent out press releases to local newspapers, and one of them ran an article about her. Kelly also printed business cards and brochures, has partnered with companies in town on things like co-marketing on coupons, and recently put a vinyl on the back of her car. She has a marketing plan prepared.

She believes it is important to build a business plan and to decide how successful you want to be. Some people may only want to be in business part time or to only do business by referral.

“You need to know what your business plan is and what your growth expectations are going to be, and be serious about it,” Kelly advises. “For me, it’s a full-time job. I’m a single-income household.”

Moving forward

Going into this new endeavor, Kelly knows the importance of establishing a healthy work-life balance. Working in sales, she was never really “off.”

“My philosophy will be, I’m going to ‘work on my business and not in my business,’” she says.

Her proudest moment so far was probably when she received a text message from a customer telling her that with a previous pet sitter, the owner used to come home and find accidents. But in the three weeks Kelly had been taking the pet out for midday potty breaks, the owner had not seen an accident yet.

“If the pet is happy and the pet is content, the parents are going to appreciate and respect you more,” Kelly says.

She is finding this career to be even more rewarding than the sales industry. She gets the quick gratification of seeing the pets in her care wag their tails because they are happy to see her.

Her sales experience has been a benefit to her, though—especially learning how to gain trust and build a relationship very quickly with clients. Good customer service is important she says, as well as being honest.

“Don’t over promise and under deliver,” Kelly advises. “And always be your best.”