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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.

Meet Shannon Arner, owner of Pet ‘n Nanny LLC, in Wake Forest, N.C.…

Your Name: Shannon Arner

Business Name: Pet ‘n Nanny LLCPet N Nanny logo

Location: Wake Forest, N.C.

Year you started your pet-sitting business: 2000

What was your previous job/profession? Vet assistant

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

Number of current clients: 200

How many visits do you typically do per day? 12

Is your service area urban, suburban or rural? All three

Is your pet-sitting business insured? Yes

Is your pet-sitting business bonded? Yes

Do you provide clients with proof of your clear criminal history (background check)? Yes

Briefly describe any educational opportunities you have taken advantage of since you became a pet sitter. 

• PSI’s annual conference
• Local chamber sponsored business seminars and workshops
• Webinars from pet-sitting experts

How long did it take you to build up your clientele? It took about two years (going at it hard core!)

Do you use staff sitters? No

Do you offer any services besides basic in the client's home pet sitting and dog walking? (pet taxi, etc.) We offer pet taxi, play dates, litter-box cleaning, taking dogs to self-serve dog wash, and medication pickup and delivery for pets.

Which advertising methods worked best when you were a new business? Print ads rarely worked. What worked more was asking the print ad folks to post our press releases or volunteering to write articles. We network a lot in our community so word of mouth is our best advertisement.

Do you still use the same advertising methods? If not, what do you do differently now? We used to do all print ads and flyers, but the ROI (return on investment) was not there. We started being smarter about social media and outlets available for free. We also bumped up our SEO (search engine optimization) for our website.

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? Taking on things we didn't want, and pricing our services too low. I've learned we are not the cheapest, but we provide the best quality and the best value of service and care.

What advice would you give to new pet sitters? Learn, learn and learn. Be picky—don’t just do anything. It devalues the service. Don't be the cheapest, be the best.

Are there any must-have business tools your business could not do without? We use Pet Sitters Plus software.

Do you schedule vacation time and/or days off? If so, how often? We schedule a week vacation once a year. We also now tack on dates to the PSI conference.

Are there any tips you would share for establishing a healthy work/life balance? Take vacations! Also, if there is a day that is looking slim, go ahead and block it off. You don't have to tell customers you're taking the day off…you say you are booked or do not have availability.

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? [Completing PSI’s Certificate in Professional Pet Sitting and] obtaining our PSI Certified Professional Pet Sitter designation has been most valuable from learning more info regarding the care of pets, but business practices as well.