Organizing your pet sitting business startup

I cannot stress enough the importance of being organized when you start a pet sitting business!  This organization ranges from actual workspace to how you handle customer key control all the way to choosing a bank and type of bank account A well organized pet sitting business will almost run itself.

The office area of your pet sitting business.

Many of us have tried (and failed) try to get work done at the kitchen or dining room table with the normal family ruckus surrounding us.  This is not a way to concentrate!  I recommend carving out a little niche where you can work, think and speak on the phone to customers undisturbed.  Although you own a pet sitting business, it can be very distracting (and nearly impossible to make a sale) when your own dogs are joyously barking nonstop in the background.

Key control for your pet sitting business startup

When you start a pet sitting business, it’s important to remember that your customers are putting their trust – and the keys to their castles – in your hands.  Having had the experience of losing a customer’s key, I would advise against that particular little adventure.

At Critter’s Choice, our system works like this:  We use the customer’s initials in the upper left corner of the label and the last five numbers of their home phone number directly below the initials – you will be surprised how quickly duplicate numbers can occur with less than five digits.  The initials are just a backup plan in case we ever encounter a five-digit match.  We then hang up the keys in numerical order in a key cabinet.  I promise, you will grow to love this system!  We have used it for nearly 20 years in our pet sitting business and it will stand the test of time for you as well.

Supplies: The bare essentials when you start a pet sitting business

Personally, I love office supply stores and could very easily drop large sums of money on pens, paper, file folders and more.  However, at the beginning of my pet sitting business, money was very limited and my supplies reflected my meager budget.  Here are the main items I found to be crucial:

·         A desk – I started with a 6 X 3 fold-up table

·         A filing system – My first system consisted of plastic milk crates with Pendaflex hanging folders; I then graduated to a used filing cabinet from an office supply store.  (Note: My second and third were also used – I’m a bargain shopper your pet sitting business bottom line will love bargains also)

·         An inexpensive basic adding machine – This is essential if you are not using a computer.

·         A used or reconditioned typewriter – This is also necessary if you are not using word processing software.

·         A chair – Hopefully, you will be able to find one around the house and save the expense of buying one.

·         A daily planner – I prefer the style with a full page for every day of the year.

·         And finally, pens, paper clips, scotch tape, ruler, white-out, sticky notes, stamps and envelopes.

While fancy labels and paper with logo and letterhead are nice, you can very easily start a very successful pet sitting business or dog walking service with nothing more than what I have listed.  Happy Pet Sitting Business!

Service agreements for a pet sitting business startup

For a number of different reasons, your pet sitting business needs a service agreement. This an absolute must when you start a pet sitting business.  A well-planned and thoughtful service agreement can provide protection to both you and your customers as well as keeps all pertinent information about the pets and the assignment in one centralized location.  Below I explain the main sections that I have used at Critter’s Choice for nearly 20 years.

Customer details

The customer details section of the service agreement should, of course, contain all necessary contact information of the customer, their emergency contact's), as well as the departure and return details of their trip if this is also a house-sitting assignment.  We also like to include the contact information of their regular plumber or electrician on the off-chance that something might go wrong while they are away. Even the most insignificant information can save your pet sitting business.

Assignment details

This section of the service agreement is short and sweet but ultimately, it is one of the most important, so we always pay special attention.  On paper, we confirm that we (a) have received the house key and equally as imperative (b) have successfully locked and unlocked the door.  Not following through on this section of the service agreement can be a disaster, trust me.  And finally, we list every date and time that services will be provided by our pet sitting business.

Pet details

Now comes the fun part!  We try to be as detailed as possible in this section because not only is our goal to be better than the competitions pet sitting businesses, but also to make the pets feel as happy and normal as possible.  This section of our service agreement covers everything we can think of, including (but certainly not limited to) the following:

• Pet’s name
• Description of pet including breed, sex, age and behavior characteristics
• Regular diet, location of food, and location of food and water bowls
• Any medications and their storage locations
• Medical history and vet information
• Favorite toys
• Clean-up supplies (yes, a dog walking business also picks up the dog’s business)

Special circumstances details

Sometimes pet sitting customers will also want their mail and paper picked up; we always provide this service as a courtesy.  Also, customers may be in the habit of leaving the television or the radio on for the pets to keep them company.  It is important to get all of these details to keep the pets (and owners) as happy as possible.  And as a final point, although it is very rare, there are occasions when a pet may become very ill or even die while the owner is away.  It is imperative that you find out exactly how the customer would like you to handle such an unfortunate circumstance, even if it may feel slightly awkward to discuss.  It is much better to be prepared than left in a situation and have no idea what to do.

Standard contract details

The Needy Pet Sitting Client

No matter how much you pay attention to quality, detail, consistency and courtesy, your pet sitting business startup will face unhappy customers.  Trust me, it is inevitable.  Here are a couple of examples of my experiences and how I managed to literally turn that frown upside down (both theirs and mine).

I had made an appointment for a new customer visit during the day, which I never do because my mid-day dog walking business is usually just too busy. But the customer insisted that she needed someone quickly, so I agreed.  When I showed up on time and rang the bell, no one came to the door.  So I rang the bell again.  Nothing was happening so I started to get the feeling this was a waste of time and no one was home. Being dead busy, I was annoyed and was getting ready to walk, but there was a big old door knocker on this massive wooden door so I decided to give it one more shot.  I gave the knocker a couple of resounding whacks. In less than a minute, the customer answered the door and was very pleased to see I made it. It turns out the door bell does not work, but here is the icing on the cake: this all took place in August 1993. Since then, all the pets (3 dogs) have passed away and the family has a new crew of dogs.  And guess what?  They still have the same pet sitter – yours truly! Over the last 15 years, I have made thousands of dollars working in this home.  If I had allowed a momentary bad attitude to get in the way, I would have had an unhappy customer and I would have missed out on fifteen years of steady work and referrals for my pet sitting business.

Another example of my experience with an unhappy client was just after I had finished a week-long job.  The customer had just lost her husband and had just gotten back into town.  Despite the fact that their dog was on a four-walk schedule daily, he continually had accidents inside the house.  The customer called to let me know that she was very upset about the accidents and I could tell that she was placing the blame on me.  Understanding how difficult things were for her at that time in her life, I had a decision to make: either I could explain to her that I was not to blame, or I could let it go.  I decided to go with the second choice and I ended up not charging her for the week.  Since then, I have worked for her on three more occasions and received two glowing referrals from her for my pet sitting business.

After deciding to start a pet sitting business, my opinion is that it is always better to have a customer saying you took care of them and made things right rather than insisting the customer is wrong and getting the wrong kind of advertising!