This was the question I posed to the PetSittingOlogy community after reading plenty of articles online that included pet sitting as a way for kids, teens or adults looking to make money fast.
A sampling of articles claimed that anyone can turn to pet sitting for a quick buck.
Having spent plenty of time running my own pet sitting business, I wasn’t quite sure that pet sitting should be on the list of ways to make fast money.
I love all things technology. Rarely, though, does something as cool as Google Voice come along.
I’ve been using Google Voice (GV) for several months now and I am in awe of the service and capability.
In a nut shell, GV provides you with one phone number that you can tie to all your phones. It’s not a phone service, but rather a way to manage your phones.
Initially, the service was in beta and accounts were given out by Google by invite only. They have now begun to change all that.
How often do you hear the advice to list your pet sitting business in Google Maps?
Well, I recently discovered a cool new website that helps automate the process by keeping tabs on your current exposure while presenting you with a list of the next steps to take.
The site is aptly named GetListed.org and a quick search retrieves any and all current listings you may have on the top four local search engines:
We recently updated our “What Is PetSittingOlogy (About Us)” page (check it out, you can listen to an interview and learn more about my background).
The following list of 8 components was originally featured on that ‘About’ page but didn’t fit the bill during our page revamp.
So, it’s now restructured into a full-featured blog post here. Please make it feel welcome.
And, here we go…
How often do you get the chance to chat with a potential client on the phone?
And how often do those conversations directly lead to gaining a new client?
Imagine spending 10-15 minutes on the phone with a pet owner and have a play date set before hanging up each and every time.
Are you keeping track of, or aware of, the biggest objections you continually hear?
You know the ones I’m talking about:
How often does a potential new pet sitting client tell you that she’s read great things about you online?
It’s one thing to boast on your website that you’ve grown up around animals you’re entire life and that you are the most caring, loving and professional pet sitter this side of the Mississippi.
And it’s an entirely different thing for someone else to say it.
The truth of the matter is that when someone else toots your horn for you, the impact is tremendously greater than saying it yourself.
My wife Alitia absolutely loves our Tivo. She’s also the one in charge of the remote control, for the record.
One of the brilliant ways Alitia saves us money each month is on movie rentals.
Instead of shelling out $5 per rental (or more on a Netflix service fee), she’ll go through the Tivo guide and search our channels for upcoming movies to record.
We then build up a library of movies to watch at our leisure (with no late fees, of course). A common enough practice.
Apparently, we’ve been catching a string of movies about dogs and honestly I don’t know how many more I can take.
Who can use a healthy dose of good news right about now?
Well, if you’re a member of PSI (Pet Sitters International) or NAPPS (National Association of Professional Pet Sitters) you are now eligible to receive quality and affordable health care.
If your pet sitting business is your main source of income, you may have found health care to be a near impossibility to afford or obtain.
Are you looking for more pet sitting clients than you can possibly handle?
Of course you are, it’s a trick question!
We can all use a spike in our bank accounts right about now and one way to increase our available balance is to increase our client base.
The holiday season is no longer just around the corner; it is squarely upon us. And it’s no secret that the last few months of the year are the most profitable for working pet sitters.
There seem to be a variety of misconceptions about becoming a pet sitter and running a pet sitting business in general.
It looks like the industry has fallen into the “easy as pie, anyone can do it” category, along with “anyone can make money fast from pet sitting.”
I see two schools of thought on this subject:
On one hand, since there are no tests to pass or forms to fill out, anyone can open up shop and call themselves a pet sitter and start making money from it.
And on the other hand, it’s still every bit a business and requires a certain level of business skill including knowledge that is specific to the pet care world.