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Pet Sitting for Profit , livre ebook

Turner Publishing Company - Patti J. Moran

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177 pages

English

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Description

It's estimated that professional pet sitters serve a million clients annually, and demand for their services is growing rapidly. Updated and expanded for today's entrepreneurs, Pet Sitting for Profit, Third Edition covers all the fundamentals of starting and operating a pet-sitting business. It addresses new challenges and concerns faced by novice and experienced pet sitters alike, as well as the issues fundamental to the field. With information on everything from office procedures and personnel to advertising and business forms, this book is invaluable to entrepreneurs interested in starting a pet-sitting business or making an existing business more profitable. It's laced with real-life stories from professional pet sitters--stories that show how to handle unexpected situations with furry, feathered, or finny pets or their owners.
Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: The Concept of Pet Sitting.

What Makes Pet Sitting a Great Career.

Alternatives to Pet Sitting.

The Advantages of Operating a Pet-Sitting Service.

The Need Is Everywhere.

How Much Can You Earn?

What You Need to Start.

Chapter 2: Getting Started.

Research and Resources.

Pet Sitters International.

A Market Survey.

Naming Your Business.

Your Business Logo.

Business License.

Your Office Location.

Basic Office Supplies and Furnishings.

Business Telephone.

Structuring Your Business.

Finding an Accountant.

Selecting a Bank.

Insurance.

Dishonesty Bond.

Chapter 3: Office Procedures.

Using a Computer.

Customer Card System.

Policies and Procedures.

Credit Cards.

Telephone Techniques.

Cell Phones.

Answering E-mail.

Determining Service Areas.

Setting Prices.

Compensating Sitters.

“Always Ready” Service.

Planning for Disasters.

Initial Client Interviews.

Handling Customer Complaints.

Handling Delinquent Accounts.

Chapter 4: Personnel Choices.

Finding Qualified Pet Sitters.

Applicant Interviews.

Sitter Orientation.

Survival Bag.

Sitter Safety.

Sitter Nutrition.

Managing and Motivating Sitters.

Staff Meetings.

Employees or Independent Contractors?

Chapter 5: Advertising: The Means to the Masses.

PSI’s Web Locator.

A Brochure and a Business Card.

A Word About “Licensing”.

Using Your Brochure and Business Cards.

Inexpensive Ways to Advertise.

Do You Need a Web Site?

Newspapers.

Yellow Pages.

Radio.

Television.

“Free” Advertising.

More Great Advertising Ideas from Readers.

Chapter 6: Public Relations.

A Newsletter or E-zine.

News Releases.

Public Speaking.

Exhibition Booths.

Special Events.

Business Etiquette.

Chapter 7: Examining the Negatives.

Just Say No.

Industry Challenges.

Don’t Do This!

How to Avoid or Handle Other Problems.

The Best from the Best: Tips from the Field.

Chapter 8: Useful Business Forms.

Designing a Service Contract.

Invoices.

Daily Log.

Evaluation Form.

Client Reservation Form.

Notification Forms.

Additional Forms.

Tips from Pet Sitters.

Chapter 9: Buying, Selling, or Closing a Business.

How a Business Broker Can Help.

The P’s and Q’s of Saying Good-Bye.

Thinking of Buying?

Chapter 10: Tracking Trends.

Analyzing Your Business Trends.

Crime Deterrence.

Overnight Pet and House Sitting.

Expanded Services.

Closing Thoughts.

Appendix.

Estimated Start-up Costs Checklist.

Helpful Products for Professional Pet Sitters.

Pet and Business-Related Organizations.

PSI Recommendations for Excellence in Pet Sitting.

Postscript.

Index.

Sujets

Entrepreneuriat

Business

Economics

Employabilité, métiers et formations

Small Business

Informations

Publié par	Turner Publishing Company
Date de parution	13 août 2007
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780470246139
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0900€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

P ET S ITTING FOR P ROFIT
P ET S ITTING FOR P ROFIT
3 rd Edition
PATTI J. MORAN
Illustrations by Michelle Boles
Copyright 1987, 1991, 1997, 2006 by Patti J. Moran. All rights reserved.
Howell Book House Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, Howell Book House, and related trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising here from. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, please visit our web site at www.wiley.com .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Moran, Patti J.
Pet sitting for profit / Patti J. Moran ; illustrations by Michelle Boles.-- 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-9635-3 (cloth)
ISBN-10: 0-7645-9635-7 (cloth)
1. Pet sitting--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. New business enterprises--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
SF414.34.M67 2006
636.088 7--dc22
2005037196
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Third Edition
Book design by LeAndra Hosier Cover design by Jos Almaguer Cover photography by Robin K. Underhill of Ruby s Photography Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services
For all the people who said You re gonna do what? and for the thousands of professional pet sitters who have helped me to establish pet sitting as a respected, credible, and rewarding career.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Concept of Pet Sitting
What Makes Pet Sitting a Great Career
Alternatives to Pet Sitting
The Advantages of Operating a Pet-Sitting Service
The Need Is Everywhere
How Much Can You Earn?
What You Need to Start
Chapter 2: Getting Started
Research and Resources
Pet Sitters International
A Market Survey
Naming Your Business
Your Business Logo
Business License
Your Office Location
Basic Office Supplies and Furnishings
Business Telephone
Structuring Your Business
Finding an Accountant
Selecting a Bank
Insurance
Dishonesty Bond
Chapter 3: Office Procedures
Using a Computer
Customer Card System
Policies and Procedures
Credit Cards
Telephone Techniques
Cell Phones
Answering E-mail
Determining Service Areas
Setting Prices
Compensating Sitters
Always Ready Service
Planning for Disasters
Initial Client Interviews
Handling Customer Complaints
Handling Delinquent Accounts
Chapter 4: Personnel Choices
Finding Qualified Pet Sitters
Applicant Interviews
Sitter Orientation
Survival Bag
Sitter Safety
Sitter Nutrition
Managing and Motivating Sitters
Staff Meetings
Employees or Independent Contractors?
Chapter 5: Advertising: The Means to the Masses
PSI s Web Locator
A Brochure and a Business Card
A Word About Licensing
Using Your Brochure and Business Cards
Inexpensive Ways to Advertise
Do You Need a Web Site?
Newspapers
Yellow Pages
Radio
Television
Free Advertising
More Great Advertising Ideas from Readers
Chapter 6: Public Relations
A Newsletter or E-zine
News Releases
Public Speaking
Exhibition Booths
Special Events
Business Etiquette
Chapter 7: Examining the Negatives
Just Say No
Industry Challenges
Don t Do This!
How to Avoid or Handle Other Problems
The Best from the Best: Tips from the Field
Chapter 8: Useful Business Forms
Designing a Service Contract
Invoices
Daily Log
Evaluation Form
Client Reservation Form
Notification Forms
Additional Forms
Tips from Pet Sitters
Chapter 9: Buying, Selling, or Closing a Business
How a Business Broker Can Help
The P s and Q s of Saying Good-Bye
Thinking of Buying?
Chapter 10: Tracking Trends
Analyzing Your Business Trends
Crime Deterrence
Overnight Pet and House Sitting
Expanded Services
Closing Thoughts
Appendix
Estimated Start-up Costs Checklist
Helpful Products for Professional Pet Sitters
Pet and Business-Related Organizations
PSI Recommendations for Excellence in Pet Sitting
Postscript
Index
Preface
Many readers have been curious about my background, how I came up with the idea of pet sitting, and how I came to write a book about the subject. Others have asked if I intentionally set out to create an industry. So, for those who are interested in such things, I offer the following.
It all started in 1983 when I was laid off from my job. Actually, people in management positions are terminated (as opposed to laid off) when companies downsize. Whatever you want to call it, I found myself unemployed. If anyone had told me then that losing my job was a blessing in disguise, I wouldn t have believed it. I had been hired by a large manufacturing company one week after graduating from college. I spent seven years there in employee relations, working my way up from a clerical position to management. My position was stress-filled due to the workload and company politics. The salary and benefits, however, were generous, and somehow I resigned myself to the fact that it was easier to stay than to leave. When the company experienced a severe downturn in business, almost half the employees, including me, found themselves without a job.
Because I needed the income, I started exploring my job options. The idea of having my own business had always appealed to me, and at that point it was more attractive than ever. The thought of not having to answer to anyone else or depend upon anyone else for job security encouraged me to seriously consider starting my own business. My biggest question was what kind of business to start.
As I slowly researched various ideas, I also took time out for myself. I planted a garden. I took classes. I mowed the grass on cool weekday mornings. I noticed the angle of the sun at various hours of the day. I shopped at times when there was hardly anyone in the stores. These activities were all luxuries to me after seven years in the corporate rat race, years when time was limited and dictated by the demands of my job. I rapidly became spoiled by my flexible schedule, and the idea of an eight-to-five office job actually grew abhorrent. What could I do that would provide adequate income and allow me time to enjoy this newfound and treasured lifestyle?
The answer came when a good friend who d recently moved to another city visited for a weekend. Knowing how crazy she was about her dog, I asked what type of arrangements she had made for her pet s care during her absence. She told me she had hired a pet sitter to come to her house twice a day. Little did I know then that this innocent question and her answer would change my life as I knew it . . . but it was then and there that the light bulb went on in my head. I was immediately intrigued!
Having three dogs and a cat of my own at the time, I was all too familiar with the problems a pet owner faces when traveling. I knew firsthand that a pet-sitting service would be a needed and welcome option in my community. Furthermore, pet sitting could be done in just a few hours in the morning and the late afternoon, so I d have some flexibility and extra hours in my day for other activities. It wouldn t require a costly inventory and I certainly wouldn t need an expensive wardrobe. I also didn t see any need for renting office space initially; pet sitting seemed to me to be an ideal choice for a home-based business. And because I loved animals, pet sitting would enable me to get paid for doing something I enjoyed. It quickly became apparent to me that