After training your dog and realizing how rewarding it was, you are ready to start a pet sitting business. As pet care services have doubled in the last decade, getting into pet sitting is a fantastic career opportunity. Also, as these jobs can either be a side hustle or your main gig, they set you up to have a flexible schedule – leaving you more time to spend with your kids.
However, there are a few steps to think about before jumping into the pet sitting business.
Get Experience with Animals
The most critical aspect pet-owners will be looking for in a pet-sitter is their experience with animals. Do you know the differences between a German Shepherd and an Australian Cattle Dog? How about CPR and first aid for a dog or cat? Obtaining experience with a wide variety of species and breeds will make you more confident as a pet-sitter and make your clients feel safer giving their pets to you.
Plan Your Business
Now that you’ve gotten the necessary experience, it’s time to hone in your ideas and start building a foundation for your business. Planning the rest of your pet sitting business, like costs, target audience, how much you will charge, and – most importantly – what you will name the company, is what’s next.
Startup & Ongoing Costs
Pet sitting requires two things: space and a little bit of risk.
If you are going to be pet sitting from the space of your home, you minimize the need to lease or buy a building for your business. Are you hiring employees or having your kids work in exchange for a weekend trip to the waterpark?
Regardless of whether or not you decide to hire employees, you will need to pay for one thing: liability insurance. There will inherently be a slight risk of the animal getting hurt, lost, or damaging you or your property. Insurance will protect you from the costs that come from these incidents.
Ongoing costs will include your business license, business insurance, software and website maintenance, and advertising costs. Even if these are small expenditures, they need to be considered while building your business.
Target Audience
If you decide to go the most popular route and work solely with dogs and cats, you will have a vast audience of dedicated, loving owners. Nowadays, 60 percent of households with incomes higher than $80,000 own pets – meaning that your market will likely want to spend more on making sure their pet’s needs are met and they come home clean, exhausted, and happy.
However, suppose you decide to work with other animals too. In that case, you might be the only sitter of that kind in your area, and your audience will also include very dedicated, loyal customers.
How much to Charge
What you will charge depends on a few factors:
- Type, size, and number of animals
- Amount of time on each service
- Physical and medical requirements of each animal
- Local pricing
The cost will also depend on what services you decide to provide. The most common services offered at a pet-sitting business are:
- Daycare
- Walking services
- Overnight sitting
- Grooming
- Training
- Massages
- Treats & toys
On average, current daycare prices are around $37 per day. Currently, overnight prices go between $50-$75 per night but can increase depending on what luxuries you offer. Some sitters even provide separate rooms with a TV for the animal.
Legal Set-Up: How Not to Get Sued
Now for the not-so-fun but all-so-necessary part of setting up your pet sitting business. You will need to set up each legal aspect of the business very carefully to not mess up liability or finances. Most first-time business owners hire a lawyer and an accountant for these portions to ensure every loose end is tied.
Form a Legal Entity
If you’re not in the business world, it’s easy to miss the different types of businesses. You will need to decide if you want to form a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation.
- Sole Proprietorship: This is an informal, unincorporated business that’s tied to its owner. As the sole proprietor, you would receive 100% of the profits and be 100% responsible for any debts and risk the business may take on. Thus, if sued for any reason, your personal property and assets would be at risk. Most pet sitters operate as sole proprietors or as the less-risky Limited Liability Company, seen below.
- Partnership: Think of a sole proprietorship, but with more than one person.
- Limited Liability Company (LLC): LLCs are similar to sole proprietorships but offer personal liability protection. LLCs are the simplest way of structuring your business and protecting your assets.
- Corporation: These are legal entities owned by the shareholders and ran by a board of directors. You would want to form a corporation if you were interested in attracting investors and growing the business quickly.
Registering for Taxes
The first step in registering for taxes will be applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Other steps may be involved if you plan to hire employees, including W2s and worker’s compensation.
Obtain Necessary Permits & Licenses
Although not as cumbersome as other businesses, you still will need to see if your local area requires licenses or permits for pet-care services.
In addition, you will need to create a contract for you and your clients to sign before taking the pets. This will outline exactly what services you are providing and protect you from potential lawsuits. Having a lawyer design this may be the smart way to go.
Insurance
For a pet sitting business, you will need two types of insurances: business and liability. Your business insurance will protect your company’s financial wellbeing in the case of a loss – say, a cat turns the oven on and sets your house on fire. Your liability insurance will protect your assets if said cat is also set on fire in the process.
Setting up Banking and Accounting
Whether or not you choose to be the biggest pet sitter on the West Coast or in your neighborhood, you will need a way to organize your finances. You will need to set up a company credit card, open a net-30 account, and organize business accounting.
Credit Card
Having a business credit card not only gives your 16-year-old-son a way to purchase that pet food that is needed last-minute but will also protect your personal assets in the case of a lawsuit.
Net-30 Account
As expenditures and payments may come in at different times, net-30 accounts will give you time (30-days to be exact) to zero out your account – allowing you flexibility and ease of mind while taking quality care of animals.
Business Accounting
Keeping finances organized is an essential aspect of a successful business. It allows you to see the financial performance of your business and will simplify annual tax filing. You can either hire an accountant or use simple tools like Quickbooks and Excel for this process.
Last Steps: Building the Core of Your Business
You’ve gotten through the muck of it and are ready to set up shop. The last steps before publishing will be the fun part. Now is the time that you get to define your brand – will you be known for your top-notch leash training or your beautiful grooming techniques? Your brand should represent who you are and what pet sitting means to you.
After that, you’ll need to build a website that accurately represents your brand and start advertising. In no time, you will have animals lined down the block waiting for your service!
Sources
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pet-sitting-market
https://howtostartanllc.com/business-ideas/pet-sitting
https://www.timetopet.com/blog/the-costs-to-start-a-pet-sitting-or-dog-walking-business
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-start-a-pet-sitting-business-125538