How to Start a Home-Based Pet-Sitting and Dog-Walking Business (Home-Based Business Series)

Just fifteen years ago, "pet sitter" meant the kid down the street who helped feed pets when the neighbors traveled. Today, this fledgling field is fast becoming an established profession. Combining the appeal of working with animals, a viable customer base, and truly low start-up costs, it is for many people __the__ ideal home-based business. And yet its "fun" aspects are often overshadowed by the daunting tasks of registering the business, purchasing insurance, and knowing what first steps to take and how to continue from there. With a simple, step-by-step format, __How to Start a Home-Based Pet Sitting Business__ guides aspiring pet sitters from the __dreaming__ stage to the __doing__ stage more clearly and comprehensively than any such book to date. Everything you need to know to run a profitable pet-sitting and dog-walking business from your home Have you ever dreamed of starting your own home-based pet-sitting and dog-walking business? There is no better time to do so than now. This fledgling field--which combines the appeal of working with animals, a viable customer base, and truly low start-up costs--is fast becoming an established profession for many. And yet its "fun" aspects are often overshadowed by daunting tasks. With a simple, step-by-step format, How to Start a Home-Based Pet-Sitting and Dog-Walking Business guides you from dreaming to doing more clearly and comprehensively than any such book to date. Leading pet-care company owner Cathy Vaughan shares her experiences and advice on every aspect of the field, providing a gold mine of tools and success strategies. She shows you how to register your business with the proper authorities, purchase specific insurance for a pet-sitting business, market your services, expand your business--and how to become and stay profitable. Use these handy worksheets, checklists, and sample forms: Revenue TableIncome LogProfit and Loss StatementPreservice ChecklistService Agreement A step-by-step guide to starting a home-based pet-sitting and dog-walking business, examining the realities of the business, offering advice on developing a business plan, finding insurance, creating a fee structure, and making a name in the community, and providing worksheets, checklists, and sample forms, including a revenue table and service agreement