starting a pet sitting bussiness, does this sound reasonable?

[DesertChickens]

Honestly, it's a tough thing to get onto a flier. There's a catch-22 of sorts here: if you get very detailed with your pricing structure on your flier, then it gets overlooked or some people will think that it's not worth messing with. If you are too vague and don't list any sort of pricing, then you lose the impulse-decision part of it from some.

I would recommend you keep in mind that a flier should be catchy, and give all of the basic information. Have a written pricing policy that you can refer to and be consistent with. Offer free consultations and that's when you can give them the total for their home/farm.

I'm sure you will quickly find that no two circumstances are the same when it comes to quoting a price for somebody.

I hope this helps and doesn't discourage you (by making it seem overwhelming)- it's really nice to see the initiative you have taken.

 

[halo]

We have a lot of people who do that around here.....because we have a lot of animals around here. It would behoove you to get references from some professional people, veterinarians, farm owners, people who can vouch for you and your character. People are pretty picky about who they let take care of their critters, and want to feel as comfortable as possible that they are leaving them in good hands.

 

[DesertChickens]

Oh! And the email updates??? Golden idea! I worry a lot about my critters when work or vacation takes me out of town. Email and/or texts and pics to the phone would give me tons of relief.

 

[missychicky]

you gave me a couple of ideas for ways to add chages- wieght, length, hieght, number.
Do any of those sound good? This is so complicated, gah!

 

[missychicky]

so mabey I could work out the price for each case? is that too vague?

 

[Dar]

I dont know if I would list your prices right on the flyer... have a price guide you carry with you when you do a consult

what if my dog is a 150lb monster that is aggressive and needs 45 minutes just to get his leash on.... or a 2lb min pin who pees on the front lawn and then there is smoke coming from her feet as she makes a bee-line for the door and the job is done?

my pet sitter charges me $50 a day for 3 visits. I have 4 dogs non of which go on a leash... you open the door and let them go... while they are out you can collect eggs/open chickens.. whatever...give the 4 dogs 10 minutes outside and call them back to the house and put them in the kitchen. I have a gravity feeder in the kitchen so all you need to do is make sure there is food in there... total time per visit... 30 min

just a thought

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Spelling - i before e accept with a c. Weight, Height.....

You could say "Prices are for 20 or fewer animals. Please call for a quote if more." However, you should limit your $5 to dogs, cats and fish. Horses and such are more work, therefore worth more money. Though a little toy poodle can be more work than 5 horses.

 

[missychicky]

So how about this-I will price each service uniquly to fit the circumstances, finacial status ect.

 

[PineappleMama]

For just a general flyer... I'd stick to Pet Sitting, list the various animals you have experience with (and they can always call, IE you didn't mention ferrets but you did say bunnies)... you can list a for example if you like... with actual pricing (once you sort it out) you know so they can get an idea of how great your service and pricing is, but add that it varies by job and if they're interested to please call for more information and a quote for services. Oh, might also consider a minimum, just to cover your gas... say $5 (more if far out)... inevitably someone's going to ask about that, may as well include it and save time. They'll know you aren't greedy, not saying your Min is $20... 30... etc... that alone would grab my attention and make it worth it to call and get actual numbers for my particular needs.

Then I'd have a price list ready to go. I'd list every animal, and what I'd charge if that was the only animal they had. Then if they had two of them, three.... etc. Make a chart... so when they say I've got three dogs *runs finger across chart* that'd be $x.xx quick and easy.

Then you can add in mixed households... dogs and chickens and fish, oh my. Could just make a formula for that... use the above chart, find the totals, and then subtract X percent for multi-pet homes... Or, instead of percent you could do flat discount... since you're driving out there any ways tending the chickens while you're there tending the dogs isn't going to cost you any more gas... so maybe at the least take off the $5 (minimum to cover gas) it would cost you if had to drive to another place? I could see that working... so long as whatever you charge for chickens isn't $5 or less... obviously that wouldn't work... which is why I mention percent. Depends a lot on the numbers you choose I think.

OHHH and you'll need two charts I think... the price for one trip per day and the price for two trips per day... $10 min on 2 trips again just to cover your gas...

Yep, lot of stuff to think about.

 

[Rozzie]

If you decide to use the pricing structure that you've listed, you may want to change it to "any small animal not listed..."

That gives you some leeway.

You'll also need to be willing to make some adjustments. For example, you could have a family which has a betta fish, a small group of hermit crabs, a cat, and a rambunctious dog. The betta fish is literally 10 seconds of care, except when the water needs changed. Difficulty for that depends on the tank size. (Ideally, the fish is in one or more gallons...) The hermit crabs are only a minute or two. A cat takes very little care. It's the dog that will run you ragged.

In fact, if I were pet sitting for the cat and dog, I'd throw in the care for the hermit crabs and betta fish as a courtesy.

You might also add "Plants and gardens watered for an additional fee."