We were lucky to catch up with Tracy Zipay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tracy, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

When I started my pet sitting business, I figured it would be a sole proprietorship, me and me only. I didn’t anticipate the need to have others working with/for me, and I certainly never thought my children would be interested. They’re successful in their own rights, and highly independent.

So, when my oldest daughter indicated interest in working with me, I was skeptical, at first. She’s a summa cum laude graduate from ASU with a degree in molecular biology/biotechnology, and a minor in chemistry – why would she want to be a pet sitter?

As it turns out, she’s amazing. And after the initial power struggles, we’ve learned to work very well together. Once she earned my trust in performing her job to my standards and satisfaction, she maintains her independence and autonomy in her work; I have gained a loyal partner in my business who helps in ways I could not have foreseen.

Pitfalls are the parent/child dynamic. We had to get past that, and learn a new platform to base our business relationship. Believe me, I have taken quite a few lumps with this, and my daughter has gained respect for me on different levels. We have butted heads, and it has taken an emotional toll.

What works well – when we moved past our preconceptions, and could humbly accept each other’s skills and deficiencies, we were able to create a powerful dynamic that works incredibly well. We think alike, have the same values and motivations, but are of different generations, learning and perspective. When we combine our skills, we are both awed at how it comes together.

My view on family businesses really was formed from my own family’s business. My parents were very successful entrepreneurs, but neither my brother nor I became involved. My parents were an amazing team with very different skill sets. I was always proud of them, but never more so than when I started working with my daughter in my own business.

Tracy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a pet sitter who started The Pawsitive Pets Sitter LLC in 2021; my daughter joined my business in 2022. We provide “premium pet care when you can’t be there,” with stays in client homes ranging from check ins to live ins, and through boarding pets in my home (boarding is on a very limited basis).

When I started my business, I was very aware of the sudden influx of new pet sitters; it seems like an easy side gig for many to make a few extra bucks. After all, who doesn’t love pets and like to spend time cuddling and playing with adorable animals?

The reality is, pet sitting is not all fun and games. There’s a great deal of hard work and responsibility/liability involved, and I decided to do everything as professionally as possible right from the start. That meant being trained by a very highly-rated professional in my area, and then purchasing part of her business after she was comfortable with my skills. I also filed for my LLC, purchased insurance/bonding, took Pet CPR/First Aid training, and a lot of cat/dog/miscellaneous animal trainings through science-based resources. Most notable is my Fear Free Certification. My background is in marketing, so I had and continue to have a lot of fun with branding and promotion.

What sets us (I include my daughter, also Fear Free Certified) apart from other sitters is our attention to the emotional needs of our clients (both pets and human) when undertaking a schedule. From our pet-centered compassionate approach, to our absolute priority of peace of mind for our human clients, we provide as stress-free and enjoyable experience as possible. For our animal clients, we continually monitor their stress level, and are trained in the use of enrichment toys and games to keep them engaged. We have a huge inventory that we bring to our pet clients, as indicated. For our human clients, we maintain communication before, during and after the pet sit that encourages trust and feedback.

It’s most apparent when dealing with “pandemic pets,” those pets acquired during quarantine that experience stress and anxiety due to a lack of socialization and other training. These are not the fault of their “pawrents,” it just wasn’t possible to do this due to lockdown. We love engaging with these pets and providing a worry-free respite for their pawrents. The biggest compliment we get is when we’re told by our clients that they didn’t worry while they were away.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I have lived in the market my business serves for more than 25 years, so having a foothold in the community was a good start; people had seen my name participating in local social media, my kids were raised and schooled here, etc. I also started my business through training with another well-known and highly-respected pet sitter, who then took the time to introduce me to her clients that I acquired, and has stood by me with referrals and support. Having this solid professional start, as I indicated earlier, and providing true quality care, has been the best reputation builder. We are known for being trustworthy, reliable, and conscientious caretakers. My clients have been wonderful in providing feedback, references and reviews, and have also referred other quality clients. I have a solid presence in our main community social media, and that has been a huge source of business for me.

I recently received this feedback during a “meet n greet” with a new client, which I think says it all. The client had seen us referred in local social media, and researched us on that site, as well as visiting my website. She said she did so with a couple of other sitters, and called all of us. But she decided on us (my daughter and I). At the end of our meeting, she told me this, and I asked her why she chose us. She said that she could tell on the phone that we offered a level of organization and professionalism that the others lacked, and that I obviously really loved what I did. She further shared that our meet n greet confirmed that, and she was thoroughly comfortable with having us care for her home and her pet.

I request feedback from my clients at the end of every pet sit. We pay attention!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy is to know who our ideal client is, and to market to them. One of our mottos is “we care for Ahwatukee/Chandler’s Best-Loved Pets.” Our clients love their pets enough to hire us; we don’t accept every job offered. We prefer the client with whom we build a relationship, that they call on us several times a year. Our current clients tend to be excellent sources of new clients, and we really appreciate that.

Contact Info:

• Website: yesspet.com
• Instagram: @thepawsitivepetssitter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YessPet

Image Credits
all photos by The Pawsitive Pets Sitter, Tracy or Taylor Zipay