Dog Walking And Pet Sittters

[mookie4391]

Wand to combine both for a business. Any good resources out there you recommend?

[billbenson]

I'd look at Cesar Melan's biography, if there is one. He went from illegal immigrant to dog walker to household name in a short period of time. He also specialized in problem dogs which seems like a good niche if you have the skills.

[Steve B]

Actually Cesar started as a dog groomer.

There are a couple organizations that I know of for pet sitters - Professional United Pet Sitters (Start A Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Business | Pet Sitter Directory by Professional United Pet Sitters Association (http://www.petsits.com)) and Pet Sitters Associates LLC.

[huggytree]

i would think the $ is in pet sitting...id focus on that and keep dog walking as a small extra side profit maker...

to build a kennel you will need a property, a building and cages....and it needs to look nice...i would expect this to be an expensive start up....id visit local dog sitters and see what they are doing and what things look like...then find an unique idea that makes your business better...working for one of them for a couple of years would be best to know the business....networking would probably be important...going to dog shows and getting to know people....the more friends you have in this world the better...

all my calls come from referrals and friendships ive made ithrough my business.i belong to every trade group, belong to 2 networking groups, and make sure everyone knows me!...i would have failed long ago if i wouldnt have 50-100 friends in the same area of business.

[DeniseTaylor]

Hi!

I think the two services would go together quite well. I agree with the previous posters, but as far as dropping dog walking in lieu of pet sitting, I'm not sure about that. Are you sitting in-home or at your location? If you are doing it at your own location, then I agree start up does appear to be expensive. In which case, you could build up to it by using the revenue created by the dog walking services. And all the clients you acquire for walking could be converted to the sitting service.

Sitting at your own location does appear to be the most lucrative option because you are in one place and can tend to numerous clients at once. If you sit at people's homes, you are more spread out. Of course, if you are dropping by to feed, relieve and exercise a pet, then having a schedule or route would be the solution.

But I digress . . . you've probably already thought of all that. What I wanted to suggest is the following:


I had some ideas for promo -

1. Post ads in your local Craigslist.

2. Post fliers in public locations like the supermarket to capture the attention for new clients.

3. Start a referral program to get your clients promoting for you. Maybe give them a discount for referring people, etc.

4. Perhaps you could get put some promotional materials together like coffee cups, key chains, magnets, etc., and give them to your valued clients as a thank you. They will work as passive advertising, that will catch the eye of other people who don't know you. Try to implement items that your customers will really use so they get exposure.

5. Start an informational website about dog care. Since your business is local, you could capitalize on the traffic you get that is "less local." First, you could sell dog products on the site, but you could allow other dog caregivers to promote their services.

In turn, you will get your own local business from it.

6. Get a Google listing so that when local people search for pet sitters or dog walkers, your name comes up immediately.

Good luck with your endeavor!

[Patrysha]

4. Perhaps you could get put some promotional materials together like coffee cups, key chains, magnets, etc., and give them to your valued clients as a thank you. They will work as passive advertising, that will catch the eye of other people who don't know you. Try to implement items that your customers will really use so they get exposure.

Doggie chew toys with your name on them or other items that are more keyed into the needs and habits of your target market will be even better than generic gifts like the cups, pens and keychains that people tend to typically think of when it comes to premiums.

[huggytree]

post adds on craigs list will get you customers who want $10 a day dog sitters

i wouldnt waste any time on craigs list to advertise

[DeniseTaylor]

post adds on craigs list will get you customers who want $10 a day dog sitters

Well maybe that depends on where you live. My husband uses Craigslist and that's where he gets the majority of his leads. He charges a flat rate and that's what they pay.

The sign up rate is 95% and attrition rate is very low.

So I think there are other factors involved.

[huggytree]

your husband may be charging under market value and not realizing or caring about it.

i dont think anyone charges full price on craigs list. its a place where cheap people go to find something for nothing...for the building trades its all side jobbers.

im currently looking through it because were looking for a Siamese kitten...i dont want to pay $300-500 for a breeder...$150 is what they go for on craigs list....im looking for a cheap siamese cat.....if i wanted to pay full price i wouldnt look on craigs list....there are no $500 siamese cats on craigs list? why? because no one on craigs list will pay more than $150 for them.

craigs list is not a good place to advertise unless your cut rate. i tried to put ads for my plumbing on their with 'specials'...one was a basement bathroom....i had a $2,800 plumbing special for it...i got calls w/ people assuming it means electrical, drywall, cabinets,flooring and plumbing...when i explained that a typical basement bath is $8k+ and that $2,800 doesnt even buy the parts they all hung up on me....they were looking for something for nothing...craigs list = people looking for 1/4 to 1/2 price.

[Business Attorney]

craigs list = people looking for 1/4 to 1/2 price.

Dave, your post reminds me of the story of "The Elephant and the Blind Men (http://www.jainworld.com/literature/story25.htm)." As Wikipedia says, "The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one's perspective, suggesting that what seems an absolute truth may be relative due to the deceptive nature of half-truths."

I know people who use Craigslist for many different reasons. In many markets it has largely replaced classified ads. My son furnished his apartment from Craigslist. Yes, he got things at used furniture prices but he got used furniture, so what would you expect? The sellers got probably more than they would received if they tried to sell the furniture at a yard sale because many more people could see the ad.

I used Craigslist myself to look for a piano teacher for another son. It was a better source than stopping in neighborhood supermarkets and scouring their bulletin boards. I was not expecting to pay less than the going price for lessons, but just looking to find a potential teacher in the area.

What you report is no doubt what you experienced. Your own experience was based on the services you offered, the area you live in, the wording of your ad, and possibly such other things as the time of year or what other listings were appearing near yours at the time you posted. It is fine to report your experience but when you vigorously argue that your experience is the "truth", I think of the blind men.

[OC Dog Walks]

post adds on craigs list will get you customers who want $10 a day dog sitters

i wouldnt waste any time on craigs list to advertise

I agree...nothing good out of Caigslist, at least in my area. Try google.

[Harold Mansfield]

I'd say if you combine that with a Poop Scooping business as some of the franchisees have done with this company, you have a shot. You may need a pet sitter once a year, but you need you yard scooped once a week.

I have buddy involved in this and he is doing well. He tells me that people in other markets that have combined the services are doing even better than him.
Dog Poop Clean Up Pooper Scooper Pet Waste Removal Dog Walk: POOP 911 Scoops Dog Poop in Detroit Las Vegas Austin Chicago Dallas Fort Worth Colorado Springs Minneapolis St Paul Reno Sacramento Houston San Antonio New Braunfels San Marcos Charlotte Se (http://www.poop911.com/)