Pet Sitting and Dog Day Care.

[S-Marketing]

The general cost of a 'new' pet sitting franchise is in the region of £12,000, however, we are looking to start at £8,000 with on going support.

I would stress that our franchise package is still being put together so this is an estimation.

I would also stress, that by franchising our pet care service, we want to uphold the success and reputation of our company, so any applicant will undergo the same vetting procedure as our sitters.

Our media contacts will also prove extremely helpful, as will our marketing expertise.

If the op would like to pm me I would be happy to offer any help that I can.

Many thanks for your honest reply. As you had the grace to give me a straight answer to a straight question I think ill keep my opinions about it to myself.

You might want to have a think about the prices though, as I have a feeling there might be a new entry to the market reasonably soon who is going to run rings around any 'franchise opportunity'.

 

[Pet Nanny]

I am utterly amazed at the rudeness of some people

That said however, I have found the majority of forum members to be most helpful. I just hope the attitude of a very few, do not put new people to the forum off.

 

[Morgan]

There are also a few pet sitting associations out there which seem money for old rope and don't actually provide anything you couldn't get for yourself at a fraction of the cost ie insurance, yellow pages advertising etc.

As a complete aside, just noticed that the OP in this thread posted this back in November 2007 so I'm sure they are well underway with whatever direction they chose.

 

[S-Marketing]

I am utterly amazed at the rudeness of some people

That said however, I have found the majority of forum members to be most helpful. I just hope the attitude of a very few, do not put new people to the forum off.

I for one have tried to point out on several occasions that my comments were aimed at the franchising of such a business rather than you directly. Unfortunately you seem to have become our example. Sorry.

Out of interest how many months do you forecast it will take for the franchisees to get their original investment back?

 

[Pet Nanny]

I for one have tried to point out on several occasions that my comments were aimed at the franchising of such a business rather than you directly. Unfortunately you seem to have become our example. Sorry.

Out of interest how many months do you forecast it will take for the franchisees to get their original investment back?

Perhaps if you had been on the receiving end of some the comments I have received, you may have taken it personally also. One comment in particular was just darn right rude and I appreciate that it did not come from you.

I honestly hope that new visitors to the forum will not be deterred from contributing, having seen some of these threads.

I am the one usually asking for advice, so when I saw the subject matter to be on pet sitting, I was really keen to help. I certainly was not prepared for some of the comments made, but then perhaps I am just sensitive.

 

[pcproblems]

Enter STRETCHY AND HIS AMAZING PET SITTING BUSINESS IDEA.

You can walk my greyhound for me

 

[S-Marketing]

You can walk my greyhound for me

You couldn't afford me mate.

Although we quite often take the dogs up to Old Sarum for a quick run so pretty much drive past your house, well pass within about 2 mins of it anyway.

 

[S-Marketing]

Perhaps if you had been on the receiving end of some the comments I have received, you may have taken it personally also. One comment in particular was just darn right rude and I appreciate that it did not come from you.

I honestly hope that new visitors to the forum will not be deterred from contributing, having seen some of these threads.

I am the one usually asking for advice, so when I saw the subject matter to be on pet sitting, I was really keen to help. I certainly was not prepared for some of the comments made, but then perhaps I am just sensitive.

Lets not forget that you entered this conversation about pet sitting, mentioning your franchise opportunity soon to be available

The problem and the beauty of this forum is people tend to say what they think. Sometimes thats not what you want to hear. But if anyone considering a franchise for pet sitting is reading, this they will be glad they did i'm sure.

Forums are funny thinks. When I mentioned that I could set someone up with a better pet sitting business than you could offer, for 400 quid I half expected to be shot down in flames or accused of promoting my services. Maybe I still will be. Thats the think with forums, you give your opinion and sometimes its popular, and sometimes you wish you hadn't bothered.

General concensus is that you would have to be daft to buy a franchise for such a simple business model. Especially when the franchise would be a far worse business than you could achieve alone.

And especially when you could have someone not far short of a marketing genius, guiding you for £400.

 

[pcproblems]

I take my girl to the river at the far end of coldharbour lane

 

[papverpoppies]

You couldn't afford me mate.

Although we quite often take the dogs up to Old Sarum for a quick run so pretty much drive past your house, well pass within about 2 mins of it anyway.

What no refused rates for forum users

Looking forward to seeing the new and exciting Stretchy dog sitting/walking business idea.

Thanks for the compliments about my house, the cats are trying not to take your disapproval too much to heart

Poppy xx

 

[S-Marketing]

What no refused rates for forum users

Looking forward to seeing the new and exciting Stretchy dog sitting/walking business idea.

Thanks for the compliments about my house, the cats are trying not to take your disapproval too much to heart

Poppy xx

I dont do discounts. And I dont intend to be doing the sitting or walking myself either.

Its lovely to see your dogs have big waggy tails as nature intended. Still far too much docking going on for my liking.

 

[papverpoppies]

Perhaps if you had been on the receiving end of some the comments I have received, you may have taken it personally also. One comment in particular was just darn right rude and I appreciate that it did not come from you.

I honestly hope that new visitors to the forum will not be deterred from contributing, having seen some of these threads.

I am the one usually asking for advice, so when I saw the subject matter to be on pet sitting, I was really keen to help. I certainly was not prepared for some of the comments made, but then perhaps I am just sensitive.

Pet Nanny you have not been spoken to in a rude manner (read some forums) to see what 'rude' really is.

There have been some real hum diggers about franchising on here.

The replies on this thread will not deter anyone contributing - why on Earth would they.

Perhaps you should have started a different thread about franchising your business, as that is not what the post was about.

If you bring something to a board, which you did, then you have to be prepared to get both sides of the coin - I was truly amazed at the prices you quoted.

Business is tough, life is tough, and there is not much point in skirting around a subject, and as I say, how have you been treated rudely?

There is lots of info here for anyone who is interested in setting up a pet sitting/walking business, they can then make their own mind up, as to whether they feel a franchise with all of its costs is for them or not.

Poppy xx

 

[daniellechonody]

Hi everyone,

Its great to see so much activity here in the UK forum on pet sitting! I own a pet sitting business in the US - Dallas Fort Worth called Protecting Max.

Are there any pet sitting associations in the UK that you are members of?

What are the biggest reasons you join an association and what do you look for in an association?

I started a new association in April with another sitter here called the Association of Pet Sitting Excellence. We welcome new members from all over the globe and would like to meet some UK pet sitters and learn about their businesses and needs. We have a virtual conference coming up in October this year with some great speakers.

Sounds like the pet sitting business is really thriving there - that's super!

Danielle

 

[DesignerNick]

As said in previous posts, here are places to advertise:

• Vets
• Pet Shops
• Grooming Parlours
• Popular Dog Walking Sites

I would love for somebody to house sit for my 2 mastiffs.....

 

[Shortstuff]

I'd love nothing more than to look after your Mastiffs, a favourite breed of mine.

I stumbled across this chat on google, has been an interesting read. Not a franchise, just a very busy(2011 is fully booked) pet sitter. Not based in any specific area and travel the country to my clients 90-95% of it is WOM based and I'm happy with how things are OK. Have just implemented a price increase too which I'm hoping won't lose me any/many clients but will also boost the cashflow a little bit.

I've often thought about expanding but worry about trusting people, I'd rather take the full blame should anything go wrong, for mysel, and I can only do so if I am in the situation myself(even though nothing has ever gone wrong for me to need to be blamed, but that's also my point) so I shall just keep myself VERY busy and do a one man band!

 

[gbpetsitters]

A very interesting read and also to see my organisation and a little about it's structure, discussed on here.

I completely agree that paying a large franchise licence fee for a business of this nature, merely provides profit for the franchise owners at a time when the business is most vulnerable.

I firmly believe that what we've got is innovative, fair and gives the franchisee the greatest opportunity to succeed.

 

[Dogwalker]

Have just stumbled across this thread.
Virtually all our business comes from the internet or word of mouth.
We have never paid for any adverts.

The way to succeed is to always go the extra mile, no fancy gimmicks.

It does take about 2-3 years to become reasonably established, and there are no quick fixes, just hard graft.

 

[peterbirganza]

I have also the same ideas like puppysteps for you. Its the best option for you as i have also my own business of the same type and the charges offered by puppysteps are the best selection to run our business and getting profit from it.
Thanks Puppy

Peterv Birganza

 

[waller540]

Hi everyone,

This site looks really good and is free for Dog walkers and sitters to sign up...
dogwalkerscity.com

 

[Jonathanus]

Hi,

Thanks very much for this comment. It help me to think about my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

 

[doggiedaycare]

Hi. just like to say, this isn't directly aimed at you, I just cant see why you or any other franchisor could add any value to a business like this.

A page on your website is of little value, nobody needs a recognised brand to be a pet sitter, so where do you add value. What price do you charge and what do you propose a franchisee can make from it?

Can i just say that not just anyone can make loads of money doing this. It took me over a year to find a suitable doggie day care premises for my business, commercial landlord/ agents usualy require 6 months upfront in rent, not to mention planning permision and licensing plus the cost of equipment. And for those who wish to do it from their home, there is A LOT of compeititon as really ANYONE can do this, if you wish to be a genuine, licensed pet sitter or carer then you can only have dogs from one, max two different families!

I think franchises are a good idea because it can be hard to be trusted by clients when you are starting out, also, its not a get rich quick idea, if you dont know much about dogs or business, its probably not a great idea. Also, staying in peoples houses all the time with their dogs can be very hard work and you have no social life.

This is all area dependant of course but certainly in almost every borough in Surrey and London you need a license to do this propaly and some funds. I have been in the pet care business for years and trust me its tough! I wish it wasnt but it is. Proably quite easy to be a dog walker but im sure their will soon be a compulsary license for these to crack down on the dog walkers that take out more than the allowed number of dogs and do not pick up their poo! Its a shame for the genuine ones but its another way for councils to make money and makes it easier to fine offending dog walkers so im sure it wont be long!

If you have the money but not the experiance or time then a franchise is great, anyone can set up a diner but their are plenty of those runing as a franchise! Its about having the hard bit done for you, the client database and all the legal stuff coverd so that you do not have to spend forever finding out the hard way.

Hope this helps

 

[S-Marketing]

Welcome to the forum Doggiedaycare.

Afraid I have to disagree though. I have seen posts on this forum from a member who wants to sell such a franchise, and its worrying just how clueless she is. If you need to ask questions about marketing your franchise on a forum, you probably shouldn't be trying to charge people to buy a franchise from you.

I think in some circumstances franchises can work, usually the ones that give you a particular marketing advantage. This is not the case with any pet type franchise I have seen. I would go as far as to say that they are offered by people who have had some success setting up as pet sitters etc, but have little business knowledge and no clue about marketing, so decide the only way forward is trying to franchise their business.

Regardless of a few technicalities, pet sitting is one of the easiest businesses to set up and run, but only if a sound marketing strategy is followed. I would go as far as to say that almost anyone could at least equal, if not outperform a franchise model in this industry from day one, given the right advice.

And don't get me started on the prices franchisors expect their victims, sorry I mean franchisees, expect to pay.

 

[doggiedaycare]

Welcome to the forum Doggiedaycare.

Afraid I have to disagree though. I have seen posts on this forum from a member who wants to sell such a franchise, and its worrying just how clueless she is. If you need to ask questions about marketing your franchise on a forum, you probably shouldn't be trying to charge people to buy a franchise from you.

I think in some circumstances franchises can work, usually the ones that give you a particular marketing advantage. This is not the case with any pet type franchise I have seen. I would go as far as to say that they are offered by people who have had some success setting up as pet sitters etc, but have little business knowledge and no clue about marketing, so decide the only way forward is trying to franchise their business.

Regardless of a few technicalities, pet sitting is one of the easiest businesses to set up and run, but only if a sound marketing strategy is followed. I would go as far as to say that almost anyone could at least equal, if not outperform a franchise model in this industry from day one, given the right advice.

And don't get me started on the prices franchisors expect their victims, sorry I mean franchisees, expect to pay.

I wouldnt say setting up a pet sitting business (Doggie Day Care) is easy, unless you are talking about people sitting in their homes with lots of dogs breaking licensing rules and earning lots of money from doing hardly anything, then certainly that is easy but i wouldnt exactly call that a business.

When you run an actual day centre you have to find a premises, go through planing, licensing etc. It cost me 10k to start my day care, i have a long, long string of clients and if i were to expand to different areas, spend 10k getting a premises, planning permision, licensing etc all over again and then hand it over to someone else to run i would certainly want a decent amount of money for it. On average, day cares will bring in 8k pcm. Now imagine selling the franchise for 30k, not bad considering the earnings of the buyer over a 2 year period, not to mention all the hard work is done. Plannig and licensing alone will set you back about 1.5k, a 1,000sqft premises in Out London or even Surrey through a commercial agent may set you back another 4-6k. Then theres equipment and all the things you need to follow health and safety.

I do not like people thinking its so easy and anyone can do it because its not, not if you are going to do it properly . Theres nothing wrong with people having 4 dogs a day in their home and having a residential license but to go as far as saying its a business is an insult to people like me who saved and worked hard to get where i am in pet care. And iwould agree in saying a franchise for someones home business is pointless but then in my post i wasnt talking about that.

I suppose their are the lucky few who already have land and have got the plannig permision to change the use of that land or buildings into Suir Generis which is what you need for a day care or boarding business and then it costs hardly anything to start it- but even that is not easy!

Its a long, hard slog if you want to do it properly and nothing about it is easy, not even the dog care part of it! Would loved to be proved otherwise but i very, very much doubt it!

 

[Rosa Ruff Stuff]

Hiya,
I am opening a dog day care centre in Essex in the next 2 months. I know I need public liability insurance but I will be taking on a couple of volunteers and am unaware of the insurance and / or health & safety policies needed. Please could someone advise?!

Many Thanks,

Rosa

 

[cory beevers]

Barking mad, the home from home dog boarding company is brilliant in all sets of skills. They have some of the best staff around the UK all ready to look after your dog. What this company does is employs people who are friendly with dogs who don't mind earning a little extra money and then let them dog sit them for how ever long you are away.

Barking mad deffinatley needs checking out for dog owners and friendly dog lovers who aren't aloud to get a dog but want to get paid for looking after one.

 

[Mingleflow]

Hello,
Congratulations on your business, hope, it will pick up quickly.
Flyers are the best to start with and on the other hand you can focus on your online marketing. There are many tools to use:

• first, create a website (with correct key words which you can use in advertisement)
• depending on your budget, you can go for google ad (it can be really expensive as well, but there are techniques to reduce the cost - mostly you have to narrow down the keywords as much as possible so you will be shown on specific searches only, like your area + pet sitting + evening)
• open a facebook page or other social page and start posting: post comments with the associated keywords on your website and post pictures - people love looking at dogs (but ask the owners before if it is ok with them)
• you might be able to make some videos of funny dogs, you can upload them to youtube easily - Google loves Youtube, so the more videos you have there, the better ranking Google will give you
• there are many places where you can put advertisement for free: freeindex, yell, yelp, yellowpages, gumtree, etc; use all of them
• there are many community sites as well, like streetlife or different facebook groups, register and read posts, many people are looking for your service actually

If you need more advise on how to start a website, just reach out to me