So you love pets, you’re responsible, honest and hardworking. You want to start a career as a pet sitter but don’t know where to begin. You spend your days caring for other people’s pets because your passion is so strong. Before becoming a pet-sitter, there are a few thing you should consider. If you you can easily overcome these obstacles, then why not give it a go.

Just in case, here are some things to consider:

Work, Rain or Shine

Pet Sitting is one of those jobs that require your full attention regardless of whether or not it’s raining outside or the weather is picture perfect. The fact is, your clients depend on you to provide care for their furry loved ones and you have to be ready for whatever comes your way.

Prepare for Emergencies

Emergencies in some cases are unavoidable. Mentally and physically, you have to be prepared to handle these emergencies head on. You can prepare yourself to better handle emergencies when they arise by getting pet first aid certified. PetTech is a great resource for you may want to consider exploring.

Always be Available

Pet care, much like day care for humans is a selfless job that requires and consumes a lot of time. Vacations aren’t going to be the norm and you have to be willing to accept that. Holidays get especially busy, but a reliable and dependable pet sitter with a good reputation is always in demand!

If you find yourself a bit frightened, tell yourself “I can do it” The next step is figuring out how. You may think that starting up will require a big investment but the best investment to get growing is yourself. You have to be willing to promote yourself through various mediums in order to land the first few clients. Once you do, you can then rely on those clients to share their positive feedback with others and on social media.

Similarly, the business side of being a pet sitter shouldn’t have to be complicated. From setting up the company structure to figuring out your operations, I will guide you through some tips on how to be up and running for less than $400. Yes, you heard that correctly..

Structuring your Business

While many sitters opt to be sole proprietors, it is best to setup an LLC (Limited Liability Company), especially if you decide to grow and take on more pet sitters. Don’t use expensive online services or hire an attorney at $300 an hour. Simply go to your cities Secretary of State website and download the form for your LLC and complete it yourself. You can also contact your Secretary of State office if you have any questions filling out the forms.

Every LLC needs two agreements to be filed once your LLC has been issued. The first is a Statement of Information which outlines if you’ll have any partners. The cost will be anywhere between $20 or $30 depending on your state’s fee structure. The next step is to put together an Operating Agreement that will define ownership and structure for the company. Things such as how the partner(s) will resolve issues internally will be outlined within the Operating Agreement. You can get an Operating Agreement drafted for as little as $10 by using Rocket Lawyer. They offer a step-by-step walk through via a Q&A format to draft up your agreement.

Software

Every business needs software of some sort. Whether it would be accounting, payroll or even to manage your pet sitting business. When it comes to accounting, you have several options. One option being QuickBooks. QuickBooks is one of the most widely used accounting software but has a major drawbacks. There is a learning curve you may have to overcome but if you do it is a really nice tool. When just starting out, check out Wave Accounting Software. Wave is completely FREE to use and offers upgraded services such as personal accounting help from certified accountant and even payroll options starting at just $19 per month.

For pet sitting software, I took the time to compare the plethora of options available. I focused my attention on usability and modern design. I think many pet sitters would agree that those two are important starting off , followed by features. In the end, the best software I have seen that is affordable, modern and easy to use would be Time to Pet. Their team has experience working as pet sitters and have a deep understanding for what the needs are for you. There affordable rates start at just $10 per month and go up depending on the number of sitters you have and manage. You can request a free demo from them to learn more.

Memberships and Associations

Membership to a pet professional organization is highly recommended. The reason is that not only do they provide tools needed to get your business up and running, they also provide support, put on events and are a great platform for continuing education in the pet sitting field. There are several organizations you can join such as National Association of Pet Sitters “NAPPS” or Pet Sitters International “PSI” so you don’t just have to choose one. Pet Sitters International PSI is one that has been around for a long time and does great things for pet sitting professionals. Their conferences are informative and their website has a library full of information. PSI also has a consumer facing directory for pet parents to find sitters, which is a great way to get customers early on. Membership rates are very affordable at $150 per year.

Website and Marketing

The most difficult decision in starting a pet sitting business is trying to figure out a website solution and what marketing platforms to use to get started. Well, at least that is how it used to be until Winny. Winny was built on the premise that pet sitters and many other pet service professionals needed a way to get a modern and mobile friendly website without having to spend thousands on agency costs or using Do-it-Yourself tools. We all know that you aren’t a web designer and even though you may think, “DIY tools are affordable,” they require your time, effort and continuous maintenance. Similarly, you would agree that when it comes to Search Engine Optimization, Hosting, Directory Submission and even Design, you may not be the expert. With Winny, you can have all those features alongside a modern, mobile friendly website that puts you far ahead of most websites in the pet sitting industry today. What about Social Media? Good question! Using Winny also means that you don’t have to log-in to Facebook, Google Plus or Twitter just to send a post out. Do it all from your Dashboard after signing up for Winny. Imagine an out of the box website and marketing platform starting at just $29 per month.

We recently polled users on LinkedIn, asking them what the best avenues for advertising their pet sitting businesses are. Here are the results.

Where to Market your Business:

• Thumbtack: They send you leads and you decide whether or not to take on the client or provide a quote. You purchase credits (reasonably priced) and send a quote for as little as 2 to 9 cents per quote. Many sitters use this option and have seen great results.
• PetSitter.com: PetSitter.com is a marketplace that allows pet parents seeking pet sitting, dog walking or daycare service to post a request in their area and for pet sitters to reach out. For as little as $19 per month you can get exposure to thousands of customers. Not bad and worth taking a look.

Marketing Material & Collateral

Of course every pet sitter needs business cards and some type of marketing material to get you started. Fortunately, you can affordably get business cards using a handy website called VistaPrint. VistaPrint offer many different types of marketing designs or our team at Winny can help you design what you need. Business cards often start at just $10 depending on the number of cards you need.

Insurance

Our friends at Pet Sitter International offer General Liability and Bonding insurance that comes highly recommended. Their coverage includes the broadest Care, Custody, and Control coverage for the pets and property you care for, whether at the client’s home, in transit, or at your home. There is also Pet Sitter Associates should you want to compare the two.

Conclusion

So your passion to start a pet sitting business is easier than you may have thought. While it can be overwhelming if you aren’t prepared for the road ahead, keep in mind that the most difficult part of starting a business is…getting started! In the end, becoming a pet sitter is not for the faint of heart, especially if you don’t have the patience, tenacity or passion for taking care of people’s furry loved ones. Don’t forget that you are starting a business and that requires a lot more effort than you may initially think. Have no fear because it can be the most rewarding and fulfilling job you will ever have.

I hope that this serves as a baseline to get you on your way to fulfilling your passions. If you decide to take the journey, we would love to hear your feedback. There are many LinkedIn groups, associations and our private online community where you can get answers from like-minded professionals that will be more than happy to guide you.