We recently connected with Angela Ramirez and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Angela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
The biggest challenge to profitability in being a professional pet sitter right now is dependent on the current economy. Professional pet sitting is a luxury service, meaning that pet owners are willing to pay someone to live in their home and care for their pets. Rather than asking a friend, family member, or neighbor to check in on their pet’s my clients are willing to pay for a premium service. With inflation being at its highest right now, everyone is looking at ways to stretch their money, understandably so. This may mean that some are not taking as many vacations as they would or are finding ways to take their pet’s with them.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelors in Animal Sciences, and after graduation I moved to Kansas City where I worked as a veterinary assistant for two years. My passion has always been working with companion animals. I loved getting to learn more about dogs & cats and being able to help care for them. While I was working as a vet assistant I was also working on Rover, where I was essentially a contract pet sitter. Not having any pets of my own I loved getting the opportunity to care for other peoples pet’s and give their owners peace of mind that their pet’s were with someone who genuinely loved animals. After being on Rover and gaining repeat clientele I wanted to branch out on my own and start my own pet sitting business. I then started my pet sitting business, Angela’s Pet Sitting KC, in the summer of 2020.
I provide drop-in and overnight pet sitting services. Drop-in services are quick visits where I come to the clients home and take care of the pet’s basic needs. Overnight services are a premium service where I come and stay overnight at the client’s home with their pet’s and provide everything in a drop-in service and more. Overnights can be customized to the client’s home and pets’ needs. These services really help pet owners that don’t want to put their pet’s in a boarding facility. On top of these services, I also thought it would be fun to create merchandise to sell to pet owners and their pet’s. I am now currently offering pet bandanas and hats (for the humans)!
Angela’s Pet Sitting KC specializes in personalized pet care and my background in animal care is what sets me apart from others who may just do this as a hobby. Not that hobby sitters are unqualified, but through my animal care background and experience I’m able to administer medications and understand some of the unique behaviors that some of my clients’ pet’s may have, as well as look out for any possible ailments that senior pet’s may have.
After being in business for the past two and a half years, there is a certain type of fulfillment that I get when my clients tell me how happy they are to have found a reliable pet sitter that they can trust with their pet’s. Some clients will even plan their vacations around my schedule and that is a special kind of relationship to have with them. Being able to develop those kinds of relationships is something I’ve been very proud of since the start of my business.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Majority of my clients have found me through Google search. I still get surprised when clients tell me that’s where they found me, but it lets me know that my website host’s SEO features are actually working. As a small business you want all your necessary expenses to be beneficial to your business. I also have gotten a lot of compliments on my website. I designed it myself and put in a lot of work into making it look professional, so to receive positive feedback from prospective clients is always reassuring.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Before starting my business I invested in a DSLR camera because I wanted to get the best quality pictures of the pet’s I would be watching. Instagram and Facebook would be my main focus as far as social media platforms. Those were the two I used the most and I often would use them as a tool for researching a business beforehand.
While I don’t have the most followers, I wanted to build my pages as organically as possible and didn’t want to force myself to produce content. I enjoy getting the best pictures of my client’s pet’s and I occasionally will try and do creative or fun video reels. My clients appreciate getting to see their pet’s look their best as I show them off for everyone else to see. I also post them in my stories and that is one way clients can check in on them and see how they’re doing. By doing these posts I’m able to connect with my clients as well as expand my audience. My client’s friends and family will follow me because they also want to see how their favorite pet’s are doing. These social platforms allow me to connect with the clients I currently have but also help build rapport with prospective clients. They can see how I interact with other peoples pet’s and it builds a sense of trust before they’ve even contacted me.
So my advice to anyone starting their social pages even if they aren’t in the “influencing” business would be to just do what feels most natural to you and the way you run your business. There are times where I’m like my specialty is in animal care not social media and that’s ok. Social media should be a fun tool to show off your services or products to boost your business, rather than feel like a chore. So don’t feel pressure to have the perfect feed and just focus on what you do best as a business and your intended audience will grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angelaspetsittingkc.com
- Instagram: @APSKansasCity
- Facebook: @APSKansasCity