I have had pet sitters on my staff who thought they could quickly start a pet sitting or dog walking business. The favorite apps said join today and earn up to a $1000 a month. Wow, I wish it were that easy! However, the truth when starting any business, it is not always a concise, easy, or even an exact science. It takes dedication, motivation, and a lot of hard work. Here are some tried and true tips that I know can lead to success in just about any economy.
Accept what you don’t know.
Let’s face it accept what you don’t know. We are not experts on every type of household pet. To be an expert, we would most likely need be a veterinarian. Be honest with your clients requesting care for their pets in which you’ve never cared for. Developing long term trust in you and your company will go a long way when you start off being honest.
Competition.
Know your competitors. When starting a pet care business, it’s a great idea to network with other pet care professionals. They are a great source of information, then make the choice you feel is best for you, your company and the pets. Today with social media it makes it so much easier. If you trust your competition, quite often they can be a reliable source. However, assess the situation, and make the best possible choice. It may be a great decision or not so great. The pet(s) are relying on you for their care and safety.
Learning.
Commit to learning about the business you want to create. No matter how much you love and adore pets, you will flounder without paying attention to all the details such as sales, marketing, and accounting. You will need to wear many hats. Gather as much knowledge as you can. Find someone with whom you can mentor or find a coach who can motivate and guide you along the way.
Budgeting.
Set up a realistic budget for running your business. Look at your bills, and what you will need to invest in your business. An excellent book for any entrepreneur is Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. I highly recommend this book and its implementation. Know and feel your numbers.
Know your competition.
Find out who your competition is in your area. What are they doing, and what you can do to be better and more efficient? If you don’t have competition in your area, then find out what your potential clients are doing for pet care.
Pricing Plan.
Check around for what other pet care professionals are charging. Set realistic rates. It’s okay to want to make money doing what you love. Don’t give it away because you shouldn’t ask someone to pay for something you love to do. NOT! You won’t be able to serve pets if you have to quit in 6 months because you need more money to survive. Success is in charging what you are worth. You can be competitive with other pet care professionals in price. Know your worth, and what you do better or differently than your competitor.
The Pet Owners.
You have to like pets and people. Don’t we wish that the pet could write the check, however, it’s his owner that writes the check. You will work for their mom! Let the owners know by checking in with them about your service and that you appreciate being part of their caregiving “family.”
Alliances.
Build Alliances if you’re a sole entrepreneur. Work with other pet care professionals who can step in to help out giving you much needed time off. You can work 12 to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and holidays too.
Stay Positive.
Surround yourself with positive people who believe in you. Ignore the naysayers. There will be people who are going to doubt you when you tell them that your goal and passion is to take care of pets. They may be a sensing type of person, and they would never think about venturing out on their own. They want security. They want to know how much will be coming in each month. Friends and family won’t understand your free spirit because it’s not in their personalities. Ignore the naysayers. If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t.
Systems.
Create systems to work smarter, not harder. Everything you do can be systematized. Think of it this way…make a list of must do’s, should do’s, want to do’s, and then determine how they happen, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. With your calendar in hand sit down and plug in all the activities. There are many online tools too you can use to help if writing it down on paper is not your thing.
Network.
Build alliances, within your community. Go to local networking, some are free or with a small fee. BNI is excellent if you need to be held accountable. Consider joining Toastmasters to overcome your fear of public speaking. We live in an extrovert universe, however, even if you’re an introvert like me, you still have your extrovert as your copilot. After visiting several networking events, determine which you feel most connected to and join their network. Networking is about building relationships, not just about passing out business cards. You wouldn’t marry the first person you meet. Listen, ask questions, let them know what you do, and ask how you can help them.
Striving for success.
Strive for success every day, and do not settle on a compromise. The reason you started this business was your passion, so stay steadfast on your convictions, and work hard to exceed all expectations every single day.
Those who disagree.
Overcome those who disagree. You will come across those who disagree with the way you do business or handled a situation. Don’t lecture and try to explain your whys. Just listen, and politely point them in a different direction. This is your business, and you can run your business the way you want.
Help others.
The more you give, the more you receive. There is a little caveat to that…you can’t give what you don’t have. You have to take care of you before you can take care of someone else.
Follow these tips to achieve your brand of pet care business success! Welcome to the most awesome job there is!
Barbie Klapp, Owner of Barbie’s Coach, with an MBA, has her own pet sitting company since 2003. Her pet sitting company 2 Paws Up Inc has been Best of Gwinett several years running. Barbie has written a book, Pet Travel Tips. She understands the ups and downs of running an established pet sitting company.
For more information about Barbie’s Coach, please visit www.barbiescoach.com or email Barbie at barbie@barbiescoaching.com.
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