Food for thought before you start a pet sitting business

I have found that not only is necessity the mother of invention, but also that thinking outside the box is the father of success when you start a pet sitting business.  You might look around at the pet sitting industry and think to yourself “the market is full – no opportunity exists for me.”  Believe me when I say that there is so much opportunity that entire countries have been largely overlooked.

Here is a random example:  Last week, the mother of one of my customers called me from California to check on her son’s cats.  During our conversation, I learned she was from Greece and was just here to attend her son’s wedding.   She commented how nice it would be if my service was available in Greece – she told me no such service exists.  Well, to me this seemed impossible so I ran a Google search for “pet sitting” or “pet sitter” in Greece.  She was completely correct!  The entire country was overlooked. 

Now, I am not saying you should drop everything and run to Greece, but this is a prime example of how huge the market is out there and it is just waiting for pet sitting business startups like yours and mine! (I’m actually half considering it – what an amazing place to live and enjoy a virtual monopoly doing something you love).

My point is this: if entire countries can be overlooked, there is opportunity in your back yard – whether you see it right now or not, it’s still there.  Most of the time, another pet sitting business making a living is a great thing to see – it tells you the service is needed.  I always say that competition is not a bad thing; all you need to do is be better than the rest. Go out there, do it better and offer more unique features in your pet sitting business.  People absolutely love a fresh take on a great idea.  You would be amazed at what has not occurred to the competition.

The possibilities are endless as long as you are always looking outside the box and listening for a new solution.  Finding that next solution is one of the biggest keys to your success when you start a pet sitting business, and your customers will be the ones who tell you what it is if you are really paying attention.  There is no need to reinvent the wheel.  Just listen to your customers and they will guide your pet sitting business to success then gladly pay you for your services.  Hey, you may even discover another overlooked country!

John A. Corey created his own highly successful pet-sitting business, Critters Choice and is the author of Pet Sitting Success: The Critters Choice Way. His goal is to share the hands-on knowledge he has gained over the last 19 years, which makes it possible for others to avoid many of the common pitfalls all pet sitting startups experience and quickly move on to achieving success.