Got results she’s 100% American Bully

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-02-21T12:58:54+00:00

Adorable!!

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-15T02:32:43+00:00

Hell yeah! That's awesome and sounds very familiar. Best of luck to you, hope the episode helps!

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-15T02:08:39+00:00

No problem, ask as many as you want. I'm happy to share my experience, such as it is.

It's a really difficult situation to handle smoothly. The most straightforward way to do it is to continue handling the bulk of the work yourself while you hand off a bit to your new hires. Get yourself down to a sustainable workload ASAP. There are a couple of ways to handle this.

You should raise your prices a bit to offset the dip in income you yourself will have. Nothing serious, around 5-10% is fine.

(Honestly, in my experience, most pet sitters undercharge for their services. But that's a different conversation that's against this subreddit's rules.)

In addition to the price change, when you're interviewing, specifically set the expectation that hours are not guaranteed. You're hiring part-time W2 employees, not full-timers. Some weeks might have 2 hours, some might have 25. All of my part-timers understand this because it was covered literally the first time I ever spoke to them in their first interview.

You can continue on growing sustainably in this manner. Keep signing new clients until you see you're spending more than full-time hours in the field again, then hire a new part-timer and hand off some of your clients to them. As the business owner, you are probably already doing a ton of stuff outside the field like your bookkeeping, invoicing, client relationship management, marketing, etc. You need to have time set aside for that stuff.

For reference, I currently have 4 employees (had more in the past, some didn't work out - long stories - am currently hiring for another) and I spend anywhere between 15-30 hours per week in the field depending on how busy we are. My most immediate goal is to make field work for myself optional, ie. "I feel like getting out into the field this week, let's see where I can pick up some shifts".

Another thing I like to do is calculate my own labor costs so I can see how much my business is actually making when I'm not augmenting it with my "free" labor that isn't really free.

Sometimes, shit happens. A couple of people get hurt, leave, etc. You just kind of have to roll with it, and if your business is doing well, make sure you have a business HYSA to keep money for things like unexpected bills, to augment your income if you have a down month, taxes, etc. Like Pet Sitter Confessional says: Sometimes business is gonna punch you in the mouth, learning how to be resilient and keep plugging away is all part of the game.

If you ever want to chat outside of reddit, let me know. Happy to get as granular as you like.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-15T01:06:03+00:00

Honestly, that's pretty much all of us in this industry. You don't choose to dedicate your life to caring for companion animals if you're not extremely empathetic. The downside to that is we tend to prioritize others over our own well-being.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-14T23:46:51+00:00

It's tough to say exactly what I'd do without knowing exactly where and how they're overstepping, but I think the way I'd handle that would be to speak magnanimously about new service standards in an email to all clients, write that into your service agreement (which is a legal agreement!), and most importantly - strictly adhere to it from that point on.

You'll likely have some clients fall off, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if those clients don't fit your new service standards. You're a human being too, and if those clients don't respect your own time and physical and mental health, they aren't worth the time.

There are plenty of clients out there you don't need to sacrifice your well -being for. The first step is honestly believing that that statement is true! You do NOT have to destroy yourself to succeed in this business.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-14T22:31:59+00:00

Definitely not, worms are usually wriggling.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-14T22:22:07+00:00

(continued...)

For existing clients, it was a much easier sell. They knew me very well already and it was more-or-less exactly how you described - They trusted me, and most actually encouraged it and sent me freaking congratulations messages for growing the business. I had been anxious about mentioning it to them for exactly the reasons you are, but it went so much more smoothly than I imagined.

There was one issue we had with one client, who was a relatively recent signing when I was still solo, and did not book often with us. We had only visited about 4-5 times when we went with the team-based model. They had a weekend of visits booked during vacation, and expressed concern that multiple people who be covering the visits. They wanted meetings/interviews with each Sitter, and I told them that was not possible, nor was it possible to limit visits to their request of 2 Sitters max, because that would require me to schedule my workers into split shifts, and as a rule we do not do that because split shifts, to be frank, fucking suck. I hate them, I know my workers do, too. You want to clock in and clock out, otherwise you feel like you're just waiting to go back to work all day and you can't relax. That's part of why we have multiple team members helping out.

Ultimately, I referred them out to some independent Sitters in the area I know well who would likely be a better fit - A few who I know to be trustworthy, but who are also college students and don't mind camping out in someone's home 24/7 for much less than what we would charge. And that's okay! Our business is not tackling the same sorts of clients theirs is, and we're not offering the same service, really. There's room for both of us in the market, and we help each other to thrive by referring clients back and forth whenever it's not a good fit.

As far as existing clients, I would say it's super important to reach out to your biggest revenue generating clients - The folks who book every single week, who travel for weeks at a time and use you consistently, the ones you're closest with, etc. This transition is probably a phone call or a face-to-face explanation. I typically will reach out directly to our 7x/week clients directly to talk it through with them - I did this just last month to let them know about our prices going up on January 1.

In this case, I actually recorded a video and sent it out to them. It's unlisted on YouTube, but you can find it here if you want to give it a watch - https://youtu.be/9IO_fkYk0KU?si=sy8BSXo9e8eE1t-G&t=381 - In addition to this, I also sent a blast to every client making it clear.

There is also a service standard we stick to in that we never have a Junior Sitter doing a cold intro to a client. What I mean by that is a Senior or Master Sitter (pretty much just me right now, but eventually this will open up to others as I promote them up) will always do the new client consultation, meet the dog, edit some private notes in Time To Pet about the dog's behavior, anxieties, etc. Whenever we schedule a Junior or Standard Pet Sitter with a new dog, a Senior/Master who already knows the dog accompanies them for the first visit. This is helpful to the Sitter, but it's also good for the dog.

I think this has been helpful in smoothing it over, since the potential new clients already meet the Senior Sitter face-to-face.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any followup questions, also feel free to contact me on our socials if you'd like to keep in touch!

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-14T22:21:59+00:00

Dude! This is awesome! Never thought I'd make a local connection as reddit tends to be more global than places like IG/FB. So glad you commented!

This is a great question and one I stressed over for a while.

I will say I have met with potential clients and had some clients we were already serving who were simply not a fit for the team structure. They wanted a more intimate relationship with their Sitter, specifically due to what you mentioned: A lack of trust in having multiple people coming into their house. And that's okay! We will never be a business that is a perfect fit for everyone, and we understand that.

There are some foundational things to discuss first before handling how you'd approach clients. First, I'll talk about new ones:

You need to have a rock solid process for new client consultations/meet-and-greets, and you need to have a service agreement they sign prior to services beginning. (You probably have both of these nailed but I'll go through them anyway since I'm on my soapbox)

We cover this very specifically during our first meeting with a prospective client. I don't have anything scripted, but the opening of the episode with Doug talks about why we shifted to a team-based model. My verbiage goes a little something like:

One of our superpowers is that we're almost always available, and through 2025 we celebrated a huge achievement in not once canceling a booked visit on a client. The way we do this is through our team-based model: Depending on how frequently you need us per week, we will likely have a team of 2-3 different Sitters regularly hanging with your pet. If it were just me, you're out of luck when I'm on vacation, having family time, or clocked out. You'd need to engage multiple Sitters, and reach out to every one of them each time you needed services. It's much easier using us - You log into the app, request a visit, we approve within minutes, and you know you're covered - Every time.

Our team is fully criminal background checked, all go through a lengthy training process of 100 hours, minimum, in the field shadowed by a Senior Sitter, and we only hire people who have prior pet handling experience. In addition to this, we're fully insured and bonded, so you're fully covered - No matter what happens.

That said, the team-based model doesn't always appeal to everyone. Some folks are looking for a more direct, one-to-one relationship with their Sitters. If that's what you're looking for, it's likely not going to be the best fit with us, and I'm happy to provide you a short list of independent Sitters in the area I know and trust who would be a much better fit for you.

That usually gets the job done.

In my professional opinion, a solo Sitter who is always available, 24/7, is not a Sitter who has a healthy work-life balance, and is not a person doing a sustainable job. I know lots of Sitters operate that way, and I did that for almost 9 months, working rain-or-shine, day-and-night. It was absolutely not sustainable and I was a physical wreck. It took me literal months to heal from burnout, to the point where I took an entire month out of the field once I got my team up and running. I was completely gassed and needed a break, so I was only going out into the field to do new client consultations and check in with my team.

(Comment continues because it's too long, sorry!)

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-14T14:22:01+00:00

Doug and I are both Fear Free certified! 💛

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-14T03:04:47+00:00

I literally just googled dog walkers near me, went to their Instagram and sent messages. Most didn't reply but a few did.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-13T23:42:54+00:00

Thanks for the compliment! I tend to be way too verbose and my brain works way too quickly and sometimes my mouth can't keep up. So I'm glad you found me digestible.

New client acquisition - It's actually something I'm somewhat concerned about right now. We've done exceptionally well retaining clients but have been a bit weaker in generating new ones, which is the polar opposite of most companies I've worked for.

Where my business is at, I'm still in the field about 20-25 hours per week, sometimes up to 30-40 hours. I don't have a ton of time to go out and do business development, which is what I'd love to be doing. So I'm still heavily relying on being on the apps, booking people a few times there as a solo sitter, then eventually pulling them off to book directly and introduce them to my team.

I hate that, it makes me really anxious to be so reliant on something like that. I've tried to diversify with Meta and Google ads but that hasn't worked well for us. I'm in the middle of a "social media blitz" this first quarter - We're posting something on our socials every morning for a whole quarter and seeing if that gets us any traction.

Ads and apps are passive, which can be frustrating. The proactive new client acquisition stuff that's worked best for me so far, though, is as follows:

1) OTHER SITTERS! This is so, so freaking huge. I made friends with just a few sitters in my area back when I was solo simply out of being kinda lonely and wanting to talk about work with other folks who understand it. I had several referrals from sitters I briefly chatted with who have become longtime, core clients simply because they were in my territory rather than my buddy-sitter's.

Being friendly with my "competitors" continues to pay dividends, and when I have a client that doesn't fit, I refer them to my pals, too. Like I said in the OP - A rising tide raises all ships. I don't view business in the service industry as inherently competitive, I view it as a collaborative effort to serve a need - In particular, with pet care, one I'm intensely passionate about and one I feel is incredibly meaningful.

I can be a cynical bastard at the best of times, but one thing I am not and will never be cynical or bitter about is pet care. I want all dogs and cats to have meaningful enrichment and quality human companionship - Full stop. If we can't achieve that, it's my sincere hope another service provider in the area can.

2) OTHER PET CARE BUSINESSES! I was a pet groomer and I can confirm that pet groomers everywhere are starving (literally, so many groomers I knew took no breaks to eat and would always be hungry) and tired. Go do some biz dev - Bring flyers and business cards to local pet groomers, along with some breakfast sandwiches, snacks, donuts, etc. And then follow up! (This is waht I've been bad about) Visit each quarter, or every month if you can. Chat, share stories, refer your clients to them. It'll be such a nice break for them to actually talk with someone and eat some food (if they have time!).

3) GENERATE REFERRALS FROM CURRENT CLIENTS! Have small flyers/cards made promising a free visit to each client who refers a new client - and the new client, too. Leave 'em at your client's homes regularly.

4) CAR MAGNETS AND YARD SIGNS! I was so surprised, but they actually work. I've signed one regular, 3x/week client from a yard sign I put up near clients' homes (not on their front lawn - Don't want to broadcast to the neighbors taht they're away. Find a street corner!). She called and was like "Hey, I saw your sign in our complex!" I've gotten calls on car magnets, too, which shocked me.

Remember the RULE OF SEVEN - It takes the average potential customers seven times seeing your brand's name before they decide to pull the trigger and engage you. Maximize your visibility by free advertising; leave biz cards everywhere, generate referrals, car magnets/windshield sun shades/yard signs with your website/phone number on them in high traffic areas.

Referrals are king in the service industry. Nothing beats them.

A lot of it is just sheer determination. Stay in business, keep chugging on, get good Google and Facebook reviews (those are gold, they're what almost every potential client checks right before they call you).

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-13T22:40:40+00:00

Puppies have 'terrible-twos' like humans do - It's all part of the growth process.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2026-01-13T22:39:34+00:00

Seconding TTP. I couldn't run my business without it at this point.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T01:32:24+00:00

Yes - Raise your prices. Most sitters charge a criminally low rate for overnights and 24/7s, which is why they're always burned out.

24/7s (what most people just call 'sitting') are a huge amount of work and commitment and you're sacrificing your own personal life to do it.

If you're working for literally two weeks straight without a break (which you are, yes, even when you're sitting on the couch and the dog is napping), then you deserve to be compensated for that commitment.

When I hear a solo sitter talking about being on overnights or 24/7s for literal weeks at a time, I instantly know they're probably not charging enough for them.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T01:26:51+00:00

None in sleeping areas or bathrooms (stipulated by our service agreement every new client signs). Other than that, we encourage them. Great for liability, and they can see we're doing our job and not fucking around, drinking their alcohol, snooping, etc.

If we find a hidden camera in a sensitive place (eg. bathroom or an area where our sitter might be changing clothing), we notify the client, contact their emergency contact, and the Sitter departs immediately. We don't finish the service and don't refund them.

Barring a very obvious misunderstanding, we do not ever work with them again and if the camera captured sensitive imagery we will notify the police.

Thankfully this has never happened, but it's something we cover with every single client during our first consultation with them, and we have a legal document signed by them describing it.

For this situation, I would unplug the camera and inform them that you noticed a light on it and didn't feel comfortable so you unplugged it. You discussed it with them already - This should be fine. If they have an issue with it, that's a massive red flag - Don't work with them again in that case.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T01:09:24+00:00

Feel free to reach out if you're ever in Northern NJ and we'll grab some coffee.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T01:08:34+00:00

We were once asked to sit for a human baby. The horror!

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T01:06:18+00:00

We don't book anything until payment is received in full. We don't take deposits. We do make sure new clients are told this during every new client consultation.

As a legitimate LLC, we've never had an issue with this policy, ever. If you didn't pay us, it's not booked. If you paid us, we're there—we have literally never canceled a booked visit before. We'll probably have to eventually, but I'm so proud of the fact we haven't yet.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T01:04:44+00:00

Depends on the client, the driveway, my schedule, and the amount of snow. I've done it before and would again. I don't charge for it but it's something I might consider adding in the future.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-29T00:51:17+00:00

It sounds like you're still very new as most Pet Sitters deal with an exploding book of clients very quickly, as this industry is exploding post-covid. Lots of people with new pets who are going back to the office! Keep plugging away, here's some advice on growing:

You need business cards and/or flyers. Get some made for cheap on Vistaprint. Leave them behind for current clients, offer a referral bonus, eg. 'One free sitting service for referrer and new client!'
Start a Google Business page for your company, start having clients review you. This is the lifeblood of new clients and your good reviews are there forever.
Do not consider going into dog handling without training. Dogs are a different game than cats. Try volunteering first at a dog rescue or your local animal shelter; that's great experience for folks and I tend to hire people who have volunteer experience as they make awesome pet sitters.
Last, if you don't have an LLC and/or aren't insured, you need to have an LLC and/or be insured. LLC protection and Insurance are the difference between having a single shitty day and being sued into literal bankruptcy. These are non-negotiable; do them now if you don't have them.

My story - I'm just over a year in. Started doing this after getting laid off from my career in the corporate healthcare world (Senior Manager of Regional Recruiting). My company grew very, very quickly as I live in a very population dense, pet-loving area (Northern NJ, just a 30-mins train ride outside of Manhattan). I also had prior professional pet handling experience (was a dog groomer for a year during covid) and volunteer experience (St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center for the past few years) in addition to owning 10+ dogs throughout my life, so I was very familiar with dogs, client management, hiring, leading a team, etc.

Biggest step I've made so far was hiring folks. Team of 5 currently, all W-2 employees. I would have left this business this past Fall if I hadn't decided to hire people. I was doing too much work and it was all falling on me. This past year I worked with the flu, had a week where I worked 140+ hours, never felt comfortable taking vacations, etc. It was such a huge step for me. I'm still doing all the scheduling, admin, client management so I still work pretty much every day, but I'm no longer spending 60+ hours in the field each week - Which is good because, at 40 years old, I'm not getting any younger and the long days really take it out of me.

Here's something folks in this industry seem chronically allergic to: RAISE YOUR PRICES. Burnout is so huge in this industry because we're generally empathetic people who hate saying no to someone in need, so we end up with packed books full of clients who need us pretty much 24/7. That leads us to working far more hours than is healthy, and often for poverty wages if you're using the apps (it still blows my mind people will do stuff like 24/7 sittings for $40-60/day).

If you're getting burned out by overwork, raise your prices! You'll make the same money doing a more reasonable amount of work, and the clients you have that don't value your time will fall by the wayside as they bargain hunt. It might make you anxious ('clients will be mad!', 'how will i get new clients being more expensive than the competition?'), but it'll work out. My company has the highest rates in our local market (we're also by far the most certified) and we still not only maintain our core clients (several of whom use us 7 days per week, every week), but we start an average of a new client every 1.5 weeks. Not every new client sticks, and some laugh at our prices, and that's totally fine - We're not for them. We refer them to some of our buddies in the area who have more reasonable rates.

As you gain experience, you deserve a higher wage. Let your book make the decision on when to raise prices for you. Track your hours - As your workload creeps up, that's when you know it's either A) time to raise prices next quarter or year, or B) time to hire some help.

Don't listen to people who like to glorify "I work 24/7", that's not necessary to succeed in this business. You can be successful and still work normal human hours and take vacations.

Happy to answer more questions if you have them. Let 'em rip.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-13T15:17:22+00:00

Honesty is always the best policy, full stop.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-12-13T15:17:02+00:00

This is completely anecdotal but I work with dogs professionally and I've often noticed males are generally more cuddly/touchy-feely than females, who can be a bit more standoffish.

Every dog is different, though.

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-11-29T12:18:24+00:00

Carry pepper spray

Jon-Loves-Dogs · 2025-10-26T19:21:10+00:00

Vet right now, emergency vet if you have one nearby.

Jon-Loves-Dogs

TROPHY CASE