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A woman sat next to a dog on the sofa while she runs her pet sitting business from a client's home.

Launching A Pet Sitting Business: A Step-By-Step Guide (US)

So you've decided on starting your very own pet sitting business. You've got the idea, but it's time to make the dream a reality and take your first step on the road to becoming a petpreneur.

But where do you begin? Here are the steps for how to start a pet sitting business in the US.

Planning Your Pet Sitting Business

You'll need to start by developing a concrete plan for your business. This is where creating a business plan comes into play. Apart from helping you to create solid goals and forecasting financials, a business plan will help you understand the business better and uncover possible roadblocks that can hamper your success. 

Your plan should provide practical answers to the following questions:

  • What is your business name?
  • What is your target market?
  • What additional services are you willing to provide in addition to pet sitting?
  • What initial costs and ongoing expenses are involved in operating a pet sitting business?
  • How much should you charge clients?
  • How much profit do you expect to make, and how can you increase your business profitability?

Register Your Pet Sitting Business As A Legal Entity

Although you may not think of pet services as a traditional business, it is and it needs to be registered as a legal entity. 

There are several options to choose from when it comes to structuring your business. The four most common ones for small businesses in the US include:

  • Sole proprietorship: This type of business structure puts you in complete control of your business, and is easy to form. You operate a sole proprietorship, provided your services are not registered as any other kind of business. 

While this type of legal entity is easy to form, it combines your business and personal assets and liabilities into one entity. That means if anyone should sue your pet sitting business, you can also be held liable since your business is not a separate entity from you.

  • Partnership: Consider registering your business as a partnership if you plan to own it with one or more people. This business structure puts limited liability on the partners and can also protect each partner from debts against the business entity.
  • Corporation: This business structure offers the most personal liability protection for owners. However, it's more expensive to form a corporation, and the process is more extensive. 
  • Limited Liability Company (LLC): An LLC offers the benefits of partnership and corporation structures, making it a popular choice for small startups. This type of business structure protects your assets, such as your savings accounts, vehicle, or house, from lawsuits and bankruptcy.

It's okay if you can’t tell which option is best for your pet sitting business. You can discuss this with an advisor who'll help you figure out the best business structure to adopt.

Set Up A Bank Account Strictly For Your Business

Regardless of the type of business structure you choose, it's important to open a separate bank account solely for your pet business. This is a smart move to protect your personal assets in case of lawsuits or bankruptcy.

It's easy to simply use your personal bank account for your pet business. After all, it is more convenient than going through the hassle of opening a new bank account. But you will end up exposing your home, vehicle, and other valuable assets to unnecessary risks if you use your personal bank account for your pet sitting business.  

Opening a dedicated bank account for your business also makes it less complicated to file taxes and makes proper accounting more straightforward. 

You can also consider obtaining a business credit card to help you raise funds in the future. A business credit card is a good tool for building a positive credit history for your company. It will also help you keep all business-related expenses in one place. 

Register For State And Federal Taxes

To operate a pet sitting business, you need to register for taxes. The easiest way to do this is to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a federal tax identification number.

Specific taxes for small businesses may vary, depending on your location. Make sure to find out what taxes are applicable to your business in your state so that your new pet service won’t run into problems with federal or state tax agencies.

A woman taking a selfie with a dog while running her pet sitting business.

Get The Tech Tools For Your Pet Sitting Business

Many pet sitters think of collars, leashes, poop bags, and dog treats when it comes to tools and supplies that they need to kick-start their pet-sitting business. While all of these and more may be necessary, they aren’t exactly what you need for tech tools.

Starting a dog sitting business without involving technology is essentially leaving money on the table – lots of it! Nearly everyone uses a smartphone these days, which explains why it makes sense to incorporate the use of mobile apps into your business. 

Book Your Pet is an excellent option to help you manage and market your new business.

Designed by petpreneurs, the app is a tech solution for budding petpreneurs looking to simplify their pet businesses. Book Your Pet isn't limited to just pet sitting services. It also covers walking, training, grooming, daycare and photography. 

The app will save you the time and hassles of your day-to-day operations, including your admin, bookkeeping and client communications to help you grow and effectively manage your business. The tool allows you to perform repetitive tasks such as booking, emailing, and connecting with clients.

Marketing your business is easy with Book Your Pet. With our live calendar, customers can find, book and pay for your services in seconds. The app will automatically confirm and remind them of their upcoming appointment.  

Even if you have only a little experience managing a business account, Book Your Pet makes it easy for you to do so with its seamless integration with accounting and financial tools like Stripe and Quickbooks.

Here is a summary of the other benefits you can get with the Book Your Pet app:

  • Limits avoidable errors 
  • Makes it easier for clients to pay you on time
  • Gives you quick and easy access to client information and all bookings
  • Easily approve pet bookings
  • Helps you request feedback and sends automatic post-service follow-ups
  • Makes it easy for pet owners to do business with you

Of course, tech tools are compulsory when starting a pet sitting business (or any other pet for that matter). But why bog yourself down with tons of paperwork and rely on your memory when you have the option of an easy-to-use tech solution?

Obtain Pet Sitting Licenses and Permits

Some pet services like dog walking do not require a license in some areas. While this may also apply to pet sitting services, it is in your best interest to get a license for your business. Moreover, some states and regions require a business license before you start accepting clients. 

In any case, be sure to find out what licenses and permits are required in your location before you start operations. 

Obtain Business Insurance

Insurance policies will protect you, your business, and your client (pets and people) in the event of legal action. For example, if a pet is injured, gets hurt in some way, or causes damages to someone else while under your supervision, the insurance policy will shield you against a lawsuit and protect the financial well-being of your business. 

Do A Criminal Record Check

Consider doing a criminal record check if your role involves unfettered access to your client’s house. You can get a criminal record check from your local police department. 

In many cases, a criminal check can take a while to process. For this reason, it is best to start the process at the early stages of setting up your business. 

You'll also want to consider setting out a key release and return policy to make sure there are clear guidelines between you and your client on when and how you'll be accessing their home.

Draw Up Your Business Services Agreement

Remember to have clients sign a services contract before accepting new appointments. Many new petpreneurs skip this step because they are eager to land clients, which can be a huge mistake. Disputes may arise if you don’t have a clear-cut services contract in place.

Come up with an agreement that outlines exactly what clients should expect, such as:

  • The pet sitting services you offer (research all the additional jobs or tasks you are willing to do while pet sitting and include them in the contract).
  • The amount you charge for the different services you offer.
  • The various payment options you prefer.
  • Your cancellation policies and what happens in case of damages.
  • What happens in case of injuries or emergencies.
A woman kissing her dog on the end of its snout while pet sitting.

Marketing Your Pet Sitting Business

Knowing how to start a pet sitting business is one thing; promoting your brand is a different thing altogether. It takes effective marketing to continuously land new clients, maintain loyal customers, and grow your business. 

It's common to depend on word-of-mouth advertising when starting a pet sitting business. However, you need to quickly take things further if you want more potential clients to learn about your services. 

Here are other effective ways to market your business:

  • Ask clients for referrals: Recommendations from family and friends are usually more effective than regular advertising. That’s because people trust those who they know better than something they read from a random stranger. You must deliver exceptional services for this type of advertising or marketing to work since no one will recommend a poor service to their family or friends.
  • Use testimonials from clients: Once you understand how to start a dog sitting business and you’ve set the ball rolling, make sure to ask for testimonials from your clients. To attract more clients, you can include these testimonials on your flyers, add them to your social media account, or include them on your website.
  • Establish an online presence: One of the quickest ways to reach people is to build a business website. Operating an offline-only business model is leaving money on the table! Also, people will take you more seriously if you have an online presence. Book Your Pet's bespoke business profiles have all the functionality and benefits of a website, without high development costs.

However, you don’t have to design a sophisticated website. Keep things as simple as possible. The most important thing is that potential clients can reach you and learn about your services on the internet. 

  • Leverage social media: Use your different social media handles to promote your business. You can take cute pictures or record videos of pets and share them on your Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. This will enable you to reach a wider audience at once. Remember to ask permission from pet owners before posting pictures of their pets online.
  • Use flyers and business cards: While social media and the internet can help you reach a larger audience at once, do not ignore good-old flyers and business cards. Hand out business cards and put up flyers at strategic locations in your neighborhood (such as pet stores and veterinary services) to target local pet owners. 
  • Improve on customer service: Landing new clients isn’t the be-all and end-all of your pet sitting business. You want to provide services that will encourage repeat business from happy customers. Always deal with issues and concerns from clients as promptly as possible.

This means you must implement post-service follow-ups and ask for feedback to provide clear insights into specific clients’ needs. You can automate these tasks and improve your customer service using the Book Your Pet business software.

Summary

Learning how to start a dog sitting business can feel a bit overwhelming, but you can do it with the right knowledge and tools. After reading this in-depth guide on how to start a pet sitting business, you should be confident about getting started. Go ahead and take the first step toward making money from your love for pets. 

Remember to take advantage of tech tools specifically designed for petpreneurs so that you can stand out and stay ahead of the competition right from the get-go.

If you're looking for additional support and guidance for starting a pet business, check out the Book Your Pet Membership. Our community platform has everything you need to turn your business idea into a reality, including step-by-step guides, how-to tutorials, and free downloadable templates. Register for membership.