There has never been a better time to start a business as a pet sitter. You can go about this in so many ways. You can set up your home as the location, or you can go to their place. You can work only locally, or you can travel. It’s totally up to you and very flexible.
Get a Business License
Whether you set up your business in your own home or you are going to stay at other people’s homes, you need to get a business license. If you are going into people’s homes, you will want to get bonded too. It’ll help protect homeowners and can be used for marketing purposes also.
Get Liability Insurance
No matter how careful you are, things happen. Someone will get hurt, and you’ll need to make it right if you want to keep your business. Dogs bite, cats get loose. Liability insurance can help you pay for these issues if they happen, allowing pet owners to feel safe with you.
Set Up Your Business Entity
You’ll want to set up a business entity such as an LLC or an INC for this type of business due to the potential for liability. Don’t let that scare you. All you have to do is set up a company and then keep your business funds separate from your personal funds so that no one can go after you and your family for liability.
Price Your Services Competitively
What are your competitors charging? Before trying to compete on price, look at the value they’re offering and aim to exceed it. Then price your services similarly or higher than theirs.
Start Marketing and Promoting
Once you have your business legal and you’re protected, it’s time to start getting pet sitting jobs. You’ll need to market and promote via your local area. Give brochures to vets. You can even talk to your vet and ask them to cross-promote to earn discounts for their customers. So, for example, a vet who can give their patients 10 percent off your services will love doing that as an added value to their customers.
Do a Great Job
This is the most critical aspect of this business. If you do an outstanding job where the pets are happy, well cared for, and the pet owners don’t have to worry – you’re golden. They’ll call on you every single time because it’s more comforting to deal with who you know than someone new.
One of the most significant forms of marketing for a pet sitter is word of mouth. If you do an excellent job, your customers will tell others about you, and before you know it, you’ll be booked entirely at all times. As a pet sitter, you can easily earn $60K to $80K per year, and more if you hire others to work with you.
