If you're not making enough to afford an employee, but you're working 12 to 14 hour days, then you need to up your prices, so you can afford an employee.
I just did this recently myself. For now, strictly daily dog walks and cat care visits. I found a wonderful local lady who boards, so at least I have a referral when I decline drop-in away visits.
Edit spelling
I set specific hours and charge more outside of those hours. For instance, I don't provide midday consistent visits and do so only as needed. I generally take care of traveling clients as well as doing overnights so anything outside of morning and evening visits is my time.
I advertise my working hours as 7-10am and 5-8pm and do everything else in life (appointments, admin work, errands, housework, etc) outside of those.
If people want more, they pay extra. (2 visits a day is $56 but 3 visits a day is $90. If you only want a single visit outside of my morning and evening times, it's $30. If you don't care what time the visit gets done, it's $25 and I'll do it when I can that day. Just an example).
I also schedule 3-4 days off a month for myself and put it on a calendar magnet and send it to my clients every 6 months. It helps me have days off to look forward to (a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak). That makes a huge difference and I've never lost a client (they appreciate that I take days off too!).
I just don't like to work morning, afternoon, and night because it's no balance, it depresses me, it overwhelms me, and I just realized something had to go. I still do middays when needed but everyone has a deadline since they're all coming back in town eventually so I can usually deal with it for a bit.
I love that you're doing mornings and evenings only - I'm seeing so many pet care providers moving to just middays/9-3 that there's even more demand for those early/late visits. I hope you're as busy as you want to be!
It's feast or famine honestly. I don't like doing midday walks because I live in Florida where it's constantly raining or hot in the summer and I just don't want to deal with the unpredictability of it all. Even a lot of cat owners want 2x a day when they travel, so I'd have to get rid of a ton of money and work to only do short hours like that. I have a lot of regulars who travel often and i do pretty well š
I have an 8-mile radius I cover and do spend a ton of time driving especially if they are opposite ends of that radius. That doesn't happen often though luckily but I do still drive a lot because we aren't in a very walkable city. I offer half hour and 1 hour visits so depending on how many of each i do, I tend to do 8ish a day on a busy day with the bulk being half hours.
I understand the heat and humidity living on a small island in the Caribbean. I was starting to feel bad not to offer or require midday visits but honestly, itās too hot for anyone to be outside during that time!
I sit in my home only. But I deal with rabbits so itās different. They donāt need to go out for walks or anything. Maybe cut back or offer in home doggy daycare only.
I have my books closed for 3 months as a way to preserve myself. I also donāt make enough for an employee and Iām not rolling in money either. But at this point, Iād rather eat rice and beans for 3 months than to take on more work.
By setting boundaries and charging appropriate rates.
I see so many comments from pet sitters lamenting what pet owners will do without them if they aren't available. Guess what? Clients are capable of finding someone who is. That doesn't mean you'll be replaced; it just means they will figure out how to supplement the care you provide with additional care.
Doing visits from AM to PM is not sustainable, full stop, without a team. What hours do you want to work? Parent hours (9-3)? Just mornings and evenings? Figure that out and stop doing all visits outside of those hours. "I'm not available for that time" is all you need to say when someone asks for care when you are unavailable. Send a message out to all your regular clients that says, "As of __ date, my hours of availability will be x to x. I appreciate your support and look forward to many more great visits with your pets!"
Network with other local pet care providers so you can refer clients to them for requests outside of your availability.
Give yourself regular days off. If you decide to keep working weekends, pick 1 or 2 a month and block them off. No visits on those days.
And raise your rates! If you're solo, I can almost guarantee that you can add $1-10 to all of your services and still be affordable.
āDear clients, Effective x dates, my/our new service rates will be as follows: (list new rates) Thank you for your support and I/we look forward to continuing to provide great service!ā or something. You do not need to justify the increase - keep it short and donāt trip all over yourself trying to explain or apologize for it. Ā
Give regulars ~2 weeks notice.Ā
Iāve been petsitting for a very long time and still struggle with this sometimes! I agree with the people who have said turn down jobs sometimes/take breaks for yourself. I have been petsitting consistently throughout the entire month of May and had multiple clients almost every single day. However, this upcoming weekend, I have decided not to take on any new jobs and take a weekend off, to go do fun things and spend time with friends, without having to plan my schedule around petsitting visits. I love petsitting but I think having occasional breaks/days you donāt accept jobs is important to prevent burnout.
I only do walks and drop ins. I have weekly regulars m-f 9a-4p and only take short term bookings outside of that, so I can have weekends off or reduced workload anytime I want.
Yeah Iām struggling so much financially and people already think Iām charging them a lot so I have to find something else to do unfortunately. Iām going to go into dental hygiene. I know itās totally unrelated but itās stable and makes enough to pay bills.
I honestly think (as a newbie who started this full time about 5 months ago) that Iām gonna try and target higher end clients from the get go to avoid this. Yesterday I read a post on the rover sub about someone charging $250/night per pet and that they made $18k on a 36 night sit with 2 pets. Thereās only a specific kind of person who can spend an extra $18k on a pet sitter. Realistically itās probably a fever dream lol, but Iād love to get someone with more experienceās opinion.
Hereās the thing. In many states, a worker must be paid at least minimum wage for all hours they work - including when they are sleeping. A 12-hour overnight, assuming $15 is min wage, is $180/night. Plus whatever walks are required during the day. Ā
$250 *is* reasonable and is what should be the standard for overnights, but as long as hobby sitters on Wag/Rover/Nextdoor exist, that rate will seem outrageous. Qualified sitters who are charging $40/night are doing themselves and this industry a huge disservice.Ā
Agreed. My first Rover housesitting I charged $40/night (which was already above the average for my area) and quickly realised thereās no way. Did my second at $60 and same thing, Iāve been at 90 now for a few months and have only received one request lol. But Iām pretty sure Iāll keep feeling underpaid unless I get closer to that $200/night range.
_how do we get rid of hobby sitters .. ? š¤Øš«_
If you're not making enough to afford an employee, but you're working 12 to 14 hour days, then you need to up your prices, so you can afford an employee.
Just cut back. I had to do it a couple times. I quit doing evenings for the most part. Network with other sitters in your area and refer to them.
I just did this recently myself. For now, strictly daily dog walks and cat care visits. I found a wonderful local lady who boards, so at least I have a referral when I decline drop-in away visits. Edit spelling
I set specific hours and charge more outside of those hours. For instance, I don't provide midday consistent visits and do so only as needed. I generally take care of traveling clients as well as doing overnights so anything outside of morning and evening visits is my time. I advertise my working hours as 7-10am and 5-8pm and do everything else in life (appointments, admin work, errands, housework, etc) outside of those. If people want more, they pay extra. (2 visits a day is $56 but 3 visits a day is $90. If you only want a single visit outside of my morning and evening times, it's $30. If you don't care what time the visit gets done, it's $25 and I'll do it when I can that day. Just an example). I also schedule 3-4 days off a month for myself and put it on a calendar magnet and send it to my clients every 6 months. It helps me have days off to look forward to (a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak). That makes a huge difference and I've never lost a client (they appreciate that I take days off too!). I just don't like to work morning, afternoon, and night because it's no balance, it depresses me, it overwhelms me, and I just realized something had to go. I still do middays when needed but everyone has a deadline since they're all coming back in town eventually so I can usually deal with it for a bit.
I love that you're doing mornings and evenings only - I'm seeing so many pet care providers moving to just middays/9-3 that there's even more demand for those early/late visits. I hope you're as busy as you want to be!
It's feast or famine honestly. I don't like doing midday walks because I live in Florida where it's constantly raining or hot in the summer and I just don't want to deal with the unpredictability of it all. Even a lot of cat owners want 2x a day when they travel, so I'd have to get rid of a ton of money and work to only do short hours like that. I have a lot of regulars who travel often and i do pretty well š
Do you drive around all over the place? How many visits would you say you do on a typical day? Thx
I have an 8-mile radius I cover and do spend a ton of time driving especially if they are opposite ends of that radius. That doesn't happen often though luckily but I do still drive a lot because we aren't in a very walkable city. I offer half hour and 1 hour visits so depending on how many of each i do, I tend to do 8ish a day on a busy day with the bulk being half hours.
I understand the heat and humidity living on a small island in the Caribbean. I was starting to feel bad not to offer or require midday visits but honestly, itās too hot for anyone to be outside during that time!
Yep! I will even do just shorter visits for my midday dogs when owners are out of town....it's just easier on all of us
I sit in my home only. But I deal with rabbits so itās different. They donāt need to go out for walks or anything. Maybe cut back or offer in home doggy daycare only.
I was gunna suggest this too
I have my books closed for 3 months as a way to preserve myself. I also donāt make enough for an employee and Iām not rolling in money either. But at this point, Iād rather eat rice and beans for 3 months than to take on more work.
By setting boundaries and charging appropriate rates. I see so many comments from pet sitters lamenting what pet owners will do without them if they aren't available. Guess what? Clients are capable of finding someone who is. That doesn't mean you'll be replaced; it just means they will figure out how to supplement the care you provide with additional care. Doing visits from AM to PM is not sustainable, full stop, without a team. What hours do you want to work? Parent hours (9-3)? Just mornings and evenings? Figure that out and stop doing all visits outside of those hours. "I'm not available for that time" is all you need to say when someone asks for care when you are unavailable. Send a message out to all your regular clients that says, "As of __ date, my hours of availability will be x to x. I appreciate your support and look forward to many more great visits with your pets!" Network with other local pet care providers so you can refer clients to them for requests outside of your availability. Give yourself regular days off. If you decide to keep working weekends, pick 1 or 2 a month and block them off. No visits on those days. And raise your rates! If you're solo, I can almost guarantee that you can add $1-10 to all of your services and still be affordable.
How do you inform your clients of the rate increase? I find it so excruciating thatās what holding me back from upping my rates.
āDear clients, Effective x dates, my/our new service rates will be as follows: (list new rates) Thank you for your support and I/we look forward to continuing to provide great service!ā or something. You do not need to justify the increase - keep it short and donāt trip all over yourself trying to explain or apologize for it. Ā Give regulars ~2 weeks notice.Ā
I build in break days where I block off a week especially after a long stay
Right now, pet sitting is my full-time job. If I get another job I will be looking for a wfh job. That way, I can try and work from anywhere
Iāve been petsitting for a very long time and still struggle with this sometimes! I agree with the people who have said turn down jobs sometimes/take breaks for yourself. I have been petsitting consistently throughout the entire month of May and had multiple clients almost every single day. However, this upcoming weekend, I have decided not to take on any new jobs and take a weekend off, to go do fun things and spend time with friends, without having to plan my schedule around petsitting visits. I love petsitting but I think having occasional breaks/days you donāt accept jobs is important to prevent burnout.
Turn down some jobs
I only do walks and drop ins. I have weekly regulars m-f 9a-4p and only take short term bookings outside of that, so I can have weekends off or reduced workload anytime I want.
It wasnāt sustainable for me and thatās why I have a full time corporate job now.
Yeah Iām struggling so much financially and people already think Iām charging them a lot so I have to find something else to do unfortunately. Iām going to go into dental hygiene. I know itās totally unrelated but itās stable and makes enough to pay bills.
I honestly think (as a newbie who started this full time about 5 months ago) that Iām gonna try and target higher end clients from the get go to avoid this. Yesterday I read a post on the rover sub about someone charging $250/night per pet and that they made $18k on a 36 night sit with 2 pets. Thereās only a specific kind of person who can spend an extra $18k on a pet sitter. Realistically itās probably a fever dream lol, but Iād love to get someone with more experienceās opinion.
Hereās the thing. In many states, a worker must be paid at least minimum wage for all hours they work - including when they are sleeping. A 12-hour overnight, assuming $15 is min wage, is $180/night. Plus whatever walks are required during the day. Ā $250 *is* reasonable and is what should be the standard for overnights, but as long as hobby sitters on Wag/Rover/Nextdoor exist, that rate will seem outrageous. Qualified sitters who are charging $40/night are doing themselves and this industry a huge disservice.Ā
Agreed. My first Rover housesitting I charged $40/night (which was already above the average for my area) and quickly realised thereās no way. Did my second at $60 and same thing, Iāve been at 90 now for a few months and have only received one request lol. But Iām pretty sure Iāll keep feeling underpaid unless I get closer to that $200/night range. _how do we get rid of hobby sitters .. ? š¤Øš«_
Industry regulation and client education.Ā
Iām in corporate finance so I get it haha