How can I start up a dog walking/ pet-sitting business?

I've posted ads already, for walking dogs and pet/house sitting in my area.
How much should I charge for dog walking?
What about pet or house sitting while the owner is out of town?
What do I need to know if someone asks to board their pet at my place instead?
Would I need insurance? Are there any legal considerations?
Thanks :)

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* The Face in the Window: A Guide to Professional Dogwalking by Dianne Eibner
* Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Your Own Pet Sitting Business by Cheryl Kimball
* The Professional Pet Sitter: Your Guide to Starting and Operating a Successful Service Edition 2005 Newly-Revised Includes Business Forms by Lori Mangold

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

May 19, 2009 | Filed Under Pet Sitting Services | Home Pet Sitting 

Comments

4 Responses to “How can I start up a dog walking/ pet-sitting business?”

  1. courtney on May 19th, 2009 2:03 pm

    Pet Sitters International (www.petsit.com) is an educational association for professional pet sitters. They offer a lot of great resources for those just starting their businesses and the book “Pet Sitting for Profit” is a god send!

    Good luck!

  2. scooprandell on May 19th, 2009 3:50 pm

    put up fliers with your phone number an buisness name on them an run a newspaper ad.good luck
    References :

  3. StarrTeam on May 19th, 2009 4:21 pm

    Entrepreneur Magazine has a series of educational guides on business start-ups, and they happen to have one that is tailor-fit to your self-employment goal. If you click on the link below, you will see that they seem to cover all the questions you have asked, and probably answer some you haven't even thought of yet.

    I have studied one of their guides before, and haven't had to search the want ads or fill out an employment application since.

    Best of luck and great success in your venture…
    References :
    http://www.smallbizbooks.com/cgi-bin/SmallBizBooks/00324.html

  4. ROD S on May 19th, 2009 4:39 pm

    Here are a couple of links that might prove useful : http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/pets/pages/bruce_parkin.shtml http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/3169/start_a_dog_walking_or_pet_sitting.html Search Google using: "start up a dog walking/ pet-sitting business" and you will find lots more info..
    References :

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