Great video; thank you for sharing. I've subscribed and look forward to future videos. What are your thoughts on hiring other dog walkers and growing the business so you can take on more clients and have some free time?
I appreciate the support and thank you! I have two answers depending on how you’re asking the question. For me personally or in general? Personally: I don’t want to hire walkers. I just don’t have the desire to manage, pay/ and take on the expenses and liability of employees. I have a very personable business model and client relationship is everything to me…. Hiring bodies and sending them out to walk dogs takes away from what I and my clients value in my business. I leave that to other businesses. If I want to have free time, I either don’t take bookings on that day, that week or time of day ( ex: I go to kickboxing & karate Mondays & Wednesdays 5-8pm so I just don’t take bookings at those times or give them to my husband, or I go before or after if the clients flexible, which usually they are! And I take vacations whenever I want. I choose to work as much as I do, because I love it, and it fulfills me! And it makes me a lot of money that give me the ability to take time off whenever I please! Generally: I think it depends on YOU, your personal, financial goals and what kind of business you want to have. That’s the beauty in it right? You can create the business you want. Nothing wrong with scaling your business to hiring people to walk dogs…. Nothing at all! You certainly have to consider that it will cost money so you’ll need to have profit margins for that. You have to pay them enough, and you’ll have to pay to insure them, and to have them on payroll. That adds up quickly! they’re also a liability, and they often don’t stick around for long, or they decide not to show up, and you’re left to pick up the slack… it’s hard to provide them consistent and steady work, that’s just the reality of pet sitting/ dog walking which results them to having to work multiple jobs or already do, so then you have to consider the lack of availability these people will have, which makes hiring and scheduling a nightmare IMO. Also just know that when you’re a business owner, you never have “days off” you’re always working, even if you’re not. 😊
2024 has been my first year as a dog walker/pet sitter. Now that I'm wrappign up the year, I see how many opportunities I missed to charge for holidays. My prices are already on the medium to low end, so I'm excited for my first price increase with for the new year. And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to physically mark my calendars to remind me to charge extra for holiday services right now.
Congrats on your first official year, that’s awesome 👏🏽 every year gets better! Definitely don’t forget about charging holiday rate, make sure to give all your clients a heads up on the rate changes beforehand as well… that can go a long way! Also, maybe time for a standard rate increase as well? I’d love to hear how it goes for you or if you need any advice on how to do that please reach out! I also have a video on it! Thanks for the support! 🙏🏽💕
I started following you after creating your channel and saw how incredible your content is. Your channel has great potential to elevate your business. To maximize this, it's essential to optimize your UA-cam channel. This will boost visibility, attract potential clients, and build credibility. Higher search rankings will make it easier for dog owners to find your services. Effective optimization also enhances viewer engagement and provides valuable insights through analytics, helping you tailor content and marketing strategies to grow your business.
Thats awesome so happy for you! Thanks for the support! What do you find yourself struggling with the most as a new dog walker/ pet sitter & business owner?
Hello again. Last comment, I promise. At the end of the video you asked for suggestions for content. I looked over your paged and didn't see anything on your gear. could you put together a video showing the best walking shoes you've used as a dog walker or make recommendations for good brands. Maybe even throw in something about the types of socks you use if you think its a factor. Another video I am interested in seeing is safety during dog walks, particularly when it comes to off leash/stray dogs you many encounter. thanks for a wonderful and comprehensive video. it was very inpirational.I'll be saving it to rewatch later.
Hey again! No need to apologize, comment all you’d like 😃 I do have a short video on some gear, think it’s the third video I made on the channel but I’d be glad to do another one, especially one for the different season too. However I did not include or talk about the shoes I wear which are very important so thank you for the great suggestion I definitely will be making a video for that one!
Im curious to know if you lost any clients after you raised your prices? I can't imagine they were all perfectly happy knowing they have to pay more than their usual rate all of a sudden.
@@user-po2zo7fj3k Thanks for your comment! This is a great question. Yes, we lost 1 client out of the 50 clients that are currently using us on a daily, weekly and regular basis. Just one. We understood this was a possibility and were totally aware that we might lose some of our clients… but also, we knew we were undercharging at that time and we also knew that OUR clients wouldn’t leave and would be fine with the increase. We provide the absolute best care and we prioritize forming client relationships ( which is key) . Our clients would rather pay a few more dollars per visit than find someone else who would do half of what we do and have half the availability. It might not work for everyone but it worked for us. I literally made a video on this specific topic, go check it out!
@@user-po2zo7fj3k plus, I don’t increase the rate out of the blue, I send out a mass message to all our clients with over a months notice informing them of the new rates. Always give them a heads up with lots of time that way they aren’t blind sided and if they need to find someone else it gives them enough time.
Im wondering about scalability... do you turn away leads? Can u hire young walkers and take a % for the leads you cant accomodate? And they gotta be good and reliable if your the connection.
Scalability is always something to consider! I’ve been battling with this for a while TBH! But absolutely, that would seem like that right move wouldn’t it? Hire walkers, give them the leads/ clients you can’t take and you’re set right? Not as easy as it sounds, at least from my experience….It’s really challenging to find reliable people that are willing and have availability. People who are competent and have common sense! Putting your name and reputation on the line is also very difficult. But hiring isn’t the only option to scale. And not only that but the longer I’ve been doing this the more I feel that that’s not personally how I want to scale OUR business. I don’t want to scale to masses, I really believe what makes us special and different is the fact that we are a two man show! We have close relationships with our clients and they are like family to us, we would loose that if I just put a bunch of bodies out there to “ walk all the dogs” I have found this to be what separates us from the rest, because we bring such a personable touch to what we do and offer. It’s not the wrong move, it’s just not what I feel is right for us in terms of scalability!
@@TheDogWalkers803 exactly i am the same I AM THE BRAND.lol dont want teenage walkers steppin all over that.. can you maybe give some ideas on other ways to scale? i need some of my time back.lol
@@RogerThatPetSitter hmmm that’s a challenging one if you’re wanting to scale the business and get more of your time back without hiring walkers/ sitters….I see that taking MORE time and MORE effort. However, you could consider increasing your rates, which can result in making more money, and working the same, or less considering you may lose a client or two! OR you could offer higher ticket services… like dog adventures? Enrichment and stimulation sessions specific to breeds? That can be an upsale! Like for example, where I’m located we have a large population of “ hunting/ working” dogs- so offering a service that specifically fulfills this dog breed needs ( not just walks) would be a great way to make 2x-3x much money because it’s a niche. Or boarding a dog or two at your home? I make an extra 1-2k/m on average boarding 1-3 dogs per month. All good things to think about and brainstorm! I’m trying to think of other ways you can scale that wont take more of your time for you, but I just don’t see many avenues! Look, if I was you, I’d increase my rates on everything, and offer an invaluable high ticket service that there’s a need for in your area and board a few dogs a month.
That’s a great question! It’s really going to be contingent on the clients reason for you coming! Are they out of town? Then certainly, you’ll need to show up regardless of weather!! If they’re at work all day and need the dog to get out, then again, you still show up!!! - you might not do a full on walk but you can get them out and spend time playing/ engaging with them inside the clients home! Now if they’re just using you and don’t need you to come other than “ exercise “ or they’re busy… then you can always ask for a rain check and reschedule! Believe it or not but a lot of our clients don’t use us because they’re not there but because they’re busy and it takes the stress of them! So I’d say it really comes down to context, and what the clients need is!
@@jaydebdovaob4564 I got my very first client through Rover! - this is an app that connects pet owners with pet sitters/dog walkers, and I got this client within my first week of signing up, who lived in the same apartment complex as us! I’d definitely recommend getting started on Rover, they connect you with your clients based on where you live! If not using rover I suggest utilizing Facebook groups, Nextdoor app and connecting with your local vets office!
Lady Kayla, I just saw the first 5 minutes of your video. You're doing an awesome job and everything you're saying so far makes a lot of sense. I'm actually watching your video because I'm trying to get into professional dog walking and sitting. (I also like cats and would do pet visits for cat owners but I am not sure if there's a market for that since cats are a bit independent.) Is there a way to get in touch with you? I'd like to bounce off ideas with a professional like yourself. I may not make 500$ a day but I would be happy if I could make half of that :-)
Hey! First off, a huge thanks for watching and double thanks for taking the time to comment and ask questions! So first off, you’d be surprised at how huge of a market there is for cat sitting! I have tons of clients who have only cats as well as clients who have dogs & cats! They might be more independent, however their owners are more than willing to hire care for them! Including myself, I pay a pet sitter to come 2-3 times per day for mine when I leave town! I think if you’re truly passionate about pets, caring for them, having fun and freedom then you’re in the right place! Making $250/ day is huge too, would love to connect, please send me an email @ columbiadogwalkingco@gmail.com!
I haven't watched the whole video but: dang, 15-20 visits a day is I imagine on average 15-30 minutes of walk per visit if we're talking dogs instead of cats. So my big question is how are you two physically able to walk 3.75-10 hours a day...I think you said 7 days a week?! Though if there's two of you maybe that's split into 1.88-5 hours a day per person?
Good observation and I appreciate your curiosity in how the heck we actually manage to accomplish 15/20 visits per day! I definitely go into more depth during the video so I recommend watching 👍😎 But to answer your question 1) yes we split the visits up between both of us as evenly as possible and split them up based on location/ time frame of the visits. So on average we both have anywhere from 8-12 visits per day. Spread out through the entire day. We start at 6am and sometimes go as late as 9 2) PROXIMITY IS EVERYTHING- we keep our clients extremely close to US and to one another. We won’t drive farther than 15 min max. This is key. Not only do some of our clients live on the same block but the same neighborhood as well. So when splitting up, we go to our respective neighborhoods with the clients who book same time frame so we literally don’t drive at all and or just a few min between each visit! 3) these visits are not all just “ mid day” we have a group of clients who use us every morning on a regular basis, a handful who use us mid day, and another handful of clients who have us come anytime of the day that fits our schedule… 4) mastering time management is key 5) we both are physically are fit and healthy. Outside of walking dogs all day we both exercise regularly and have done so consistently for over 15 years, this makes walking 10 miles per day easier. Hope this give some insight to how we make it happen!
I am interested in this job because i love animals ,then i love dogs because Dog are understanding to humans feelings ☺️
That's a great start! You definitley would need to love dogs in order to be successful at this! Wishing you the best!
Super cool video. Keep cranking the content!
You’ll get better and better each upload.
Great video; thank you for sharing. I've subscribed and look forward to future videos. What are your thoughts on hiring other dog walkers and growing the business so you can take on more clients and have some free time?
I appreciate the support and thank you!
I have two answers depending on how you’re asking the question. For me personally or in general?
Personally: I don’t want to hire walkers. I just don’t have the desire to manage, pay/ and take on the expenses and liability of employees. I have a very personable business model and client relationship is everything to me…. Hiring bodies and sending them out to walk dogs takes away from what I and my clients value in my business. I leave that to other businesses.
If I want to have free time, I either don’t take bookings on that day, that week or time of day ( ex: I go to kickboxing & karate Mondays & Wednesdays 5-8pm so I just don’t take bookings at those times or give them to my husband, or I go before or after if the clients flexible, which usually they are! And I take vacations whenever I want. I choose to work as much as I do, because I love it, and it fulfills me! And it makes me a lot of money that give me the ability to take time off whenever I please!
Generally: I think it depends on YOU, your personal, financial goals and what kind of business you want to have. That’s the beauty in it right? You can create the business you want. Nothing wrong with scaling your business to hiring people to walk dogs…. Nothing at all! You certainly have to consider that it will cost money so you’ll need to have profit margins for that. You have to pay them enough, and you’ll have to pay to insure them, and to have them on payroll. That adds up quickly! they’re also a liability, and they often don’t stick around for long, or they decide not to show up, and you’re left to pick up the slack… it’s hard to provide them consistent and steady work, that’s just the reality of pet sitting/ dog walking which results them to having to work multiple jobs or already do, so then you have to consider the lack of availability these people will have, which makes hiring and scheduling a nightmare IMO.
Also just know that when you’re a business owner, you never have “days off” you’re always working, even if you’re not. 😊
2024 has been my first year as a dog walker/pet sitter. Now that I'm wrappign up the year, I see how many opportunities I missed to charge for holidays. My prices are already on the medium to low end, so I'm excited for my first price increase with for the new year. And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to physically mark my calendars to remind me to charge extra for holiday services right now.
Congrats on your first official year, that’s awesome 👏🏽 every year gets better! Definitely don’t forget about charging holiday rate, make sure to give all your clients a heads up on the rate changes beforehand as well… that can go a long way! Also, maybe time for a standard rate increase as well? I’d love to hear how it goes for you or if you need any advice on how to do that please reach out! I also have a video on it!
Thanks for the support! 🙏🏽💕
I started following you after creating your channel and saw how incredible your content is. Your channel has great potential to elevate your business. To maximize this, it's essential to optimize your UA-cam channel. This will boost visibility, attract potential clients, and build credibility. Higher search rankings will make it easier for dog owners to find your services. Effective optimization also enhances viewer engagement and provides valuable insights through analytics, helping you tailor content and marketing strategies to grow your business.
We appreciate your kind words 🙏 and will consider what you said thanks 🙌👍
Thanks for watching everyone! Make sure to Subscribe 🙌❤️
I’m just now starting my pet sitting/ dog walking business journey and this is so helpful!!🙏🏻
Thats awesome so happy for you! Thanks for the support!
What do you find yourself struggling with the most as a new dog walker/ pet sitter & business owner?
Hello again. Last comment, I promise. At the end of the video you asked for suggestions for content.
I looked over your paged and didn't see anything on your gear. could you put together a video showing the best walking shoes you've used as a dog walker or make recommendations for good brands. Maybe even throw in something about the types of socks you use if you think its a factor.
Another video I am interested in seeing is safety during dog walks, particularly when it comes to off leash/stray dogs you many encounter.
thanks for a wonderful and comprehensive video. it was very inpirational.I'll be saving it to rewatch later.
Hey again! No need to apologize, comment all you’d like 😃
I do have a short video on some gear, think it’s the third video I made on the channel but I’d be glad to do another one, especially one for the different season too. However I did not include or talk about the shoes I wear which are very important so thank you for the great suggestion I definitely will be making a video for that one!
Im curious to know if you lost any clients after you raised your prices? I can't imagine they were all perfectly happy knowing they have to pay more than their usual rate all of a sudden.
@@user-po2zo7fj3k Thanks for your comment! This is a great question.
Yes, we lost 1 client out of the 50 clients that are currently using us on a daily, weekly and regular basis. Just one.
We understood this was a possibility and were totally aware that we might lose some of our clients… but also, we knew we were undercharging at that time and we also knew that OUR clients wouldn’t leave and would be fine with the increase.
We provide the absolute best care and we prioritize forming client relationships ( which is key) . Our clients would rather pay a few more dollars per visit than find someone else who would do half of what we do and have half the availability.
It might not work for everyone but it worked for us. I literally made a video on this specific topic, go check it out!
@@user-po2zo7fj3k plus, I don’t increase the rate out of the blue, I send out a mass message to all our clients with over a months notice informing them of the new rates. Always give them a heads up with lots of time that way they aren’t blind sided and if they need to find someone else it gives them enough time.
Im wondering about scalability... do you turn away leads? Can u hire young walkers and take a % for the leads you cant accomodate? And they gotta be good and reliable if your the connection.
Scalability is always something to consider! I’ve been battling with this for a while TBH! But absolutely, that would seem like that right move wouldn’t it? Hire walkers, give them the leads/ clients you can’t take and you’re set right?
Not as easy as it sounds, at least from my experience….It’s really challenging to find reliable people that are willing and have availability. People who are competent and have common sense! Putting your name and reputation on the line is also very difficult.
But hiring isn’t the only option to scale. And not only that but the longer I’ve been doing this the more I feel that that’s not personally how I want to scale OUR business. I don’t want to scale to masses, I really believe what makes us special and different is the fact that we are a two man show! We have close relationships with our clients and they are like family to us, we would loose that if I just put a bunch of bodies out there to “ walk all the dogs”
I have found this to be what separates us from the rest, because we bring such a personable touch to what we do and offer.
It’s not the wrong move, it’s just not what I feel is right for us in terms of scalability!
@@TheDogWalkers803 exactly i am the same I AM THE BRAND.lol dont want teenage walkers steppin all over that.. can you maybe give some ideas on other ways to scale? i need some of my time back.lol
@@RogerThatPetSitter hmmm that’s a challenging one if you’re wanting to scale the business and get more of your time back without hiring walkers/ sitters….I see that taking MORE time and MORE effort.
However, you could consider increasing your rates, which can result in making more money, and working the same, or less considering you may lose a client or two! OR you could offer higher ticket services… like dog adventures? Enrichment and stimulation sessions specific to breeds? That can be an upsale! Like for example, where I’m located we have a large population of “ hunting/ working” dogs- so offering a service that specifically fulfills this dog breed needs ( not just walks) would be a great way to make 2x-3x much money because it’s a niche.
Or boarding a dog or two at your home? I make an extra 1-2k/m on average boarding 1-3 dogs per month. All good things to think about and brainstorm!
I’m trying to think of other ways you can scale that wont take more of your time for you, but I just don’t see many avenues!
Look, if I was you, I’d increase my rates on everything, and offer an invaluable high ticket service that there’s a need for in your area and board a few dogs a month.
Here's an important question. What happens if you have a dog walking appointment but it's been storming all day?
That’s a great question! It’s really going to be contingent on the clients reason for you coming! Are they out of town? Then certainly, you’ll need to show up regardless of weather!! If they’re at work all day and need the dog to get out, then again, you still show up!!! - you might not do a full on walk but you can get them out and spend time playing/ engaging with them inside the clients home! Now if they’re just using you and don’t need you to come other than “ exercise “ or they’re busy… then you can always ask for a rain check and reschedule! Believe it or not but a lot of our clients don’t use us because they’re not there but because they’re busy and it takes the stress of them! So I’d say it really comes down to context, and what the clients need is!
how long did it take you to get your first client. I’m trying to get my first client and it’s taking a bit longer
@@jaydebdovaob4564 I got my very first client through Rover! - this is an app that connects pet owners with pet sitters/dog walkers, and I got this client within my first week of signing up, who lived in the same apartment complex as us! I’d definitely recommend getting started on Rover, they connect you with your clients based on where you live! If not using rover I suggest utilizing Facebook groups, Nextdoor app and connecting with your local vets office!
@@TheDogWalkers803 ok thanks!
@@TheDogWalkers803 also what should i specifically do on next door?
Once you get the first good review it will start moving.. get someone you know to give you a shot for a review..
Lady Kayla, I just saw the first 5 minutes of your video. You're doing an awesome job and everything you're saying so far makes a lot of sense. I'm actually watching your video because I'm trying to get into professional dog walking and sitting. (I also like cats and would do pet visits for cat owners but I am not sure if there's a market for that since cats are a bit independent.) Is there a way to get in touch with you? I'd like to bounce off ideas with a professional like yourself. I may not make 500$ a day but I would be happy if I could make half of that :-)
Hey! First off, a huge thanks for watching and double thanks for taking the time to comment and ask questions!
So first off, you’d be surprised at how huge of a market there is for cat sitting! I have tons of clients who have only cats as well as clients who have dogs & cats! They might be more independent, however their owners are more than willing to hire care for them! Including myself, I pay a pet sitter to come 2-3 times per day for mine when I leave town!
I think if you’re truly passionate about pets, caring for them, having fun and freedom then you’re in the right place! Making $250/ day is huge too, would love to connect, please send me an email @ columbiadogwalkingco@gmail.com!
I haven't watched the whole video but: dang, 15-20 visits a day is I imagine on average 15-30 minutes of walk per visit if we're talking dogs instead of cats. So my big question is how are you two physically able to walk 3.75-10 hours a day...I think you said 7 days a week?! Though if there's two of you maybe that's split into 1.88-5 hours a day per person?
Good observation and I appreciate your curiosity in how the heck we actually manage to accomplish 15/20 visits per day! I definitely go into more depth during the video so I recommend watching 👍😎
But to answer your question
1) yes we split the visits up between both of us as evenly as possible and split them up based on location/ time frame of the visits. So on average we both have anywhere from 8-12 visits per day. Spread out through the entire day. We start at 6am and sometimes go as late as 9
2) PROXIMITY IS EVERYTHING- we keep our clients extremely close to US and to one another. We won’t drive farther than 15 min max. This is key. Not only do some of our clients live on the same block but the same neighborhood as well. So when splitting up, we go to our respective neighborhoods with the clients who book same time frame so we literally don’t drive at all and or just a few min between each visit!
3) these visits are not all just “ mid day” we have a group of clients who use us every morning on a regular basis, a handful who use us mid day, and another handful of clients who have us come anytime of the day that fits our schedule…
4) mastering time management is key
5) we both are physically are fit and healthy. Outside of walking dogs all day we both exercise regularly and have done so consistently for over 15 years, this makes walking 10 miles per day easier.
Hope this give some insight to how we make it happen!
How can i contact you:((